Georgia Tech higher than Georgia in AP poll

Tech coach Paul Johnson said Saturday that he's not concerned with his team's ranking in any preseason poll.

"I'm more worried about what happens at the end of the year," Johnson said. "Being ranked before somebody at the beginning might be nice, but I'd rather be ranked in front of them at the end. That's more important."

And, unlike teams that can have a hard time moving up because they began the season not ranked, No. 16 can be a good launching point.

"If you take care of business and win your games you'll be fine," said Johnson, whose team will open the season against South Carolina State on Sept. 4. "That's all you can do."

That will be a challenge considering that Tech, with 15 starters returning, will play four teams that are ranked by AP: at No. 18 North Carolina (Sept. 18), at No. 10 Virginia Tech (Nov. 4), at home against No. 13 Miami (Nov. 13) and at Georgia on Nov. 27. Two more Tech opponents, Clemson (Oct. 23) and Middle Tennessee State (Oct. 16), also received votes.

Echoing Johnson's thought, Georgia cornerback Brandon Boykin said he doesn't care that the Bulldogs are starting low.

"The way I feel about our preseason ranking is it's motivation for us," said Boykin, whose Bulldogs will open the season by playing host to Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 4. "Our goal is to be No. 1 at the end of the season. You can't put a lot into a preseason ranking because you still have to go out on the field and perform and prove yourself."

The Bulldogs, with 17 starters returning, also will play four teams that are ranked in the preseason: at home against No. 17 Arkansas (Sept. 18), against No. 4 Florida in Jacksonville (Oct. 30), at No. 22 Auburn (Nov. 13) and at home against Tech on Nov. 27. South Carolina (Sept. 11) also received votes.

“I am thankful we’re ranked,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “It’s important to be ranked. I hope we play well enough to move up. That’s the plan.”

Tech debuted at No. 15 last season and finished No. 13 with an 11-3 record as the ACC champions. The Bulldogs debuted at No. 15 last season and finished out of the rankings with an 8-5 record. It's the 13th time the Jackets have appeared in the AP's preseason poll; the Bulldogs have appeared 29 times.

Though the ACC has the second-most teams in the poll, ESPN personality Lou Holtz said earlier this month that if the conference wants to truly be considered a power in college football, its teams must start winning some of the important non-conference games.

He noted Tech losing to Georgia and Iowa last season, as well as Florida State getting blasted by Florida, which has forced it further away from the SEC and more toward the Big East in the power structure of college football.

But, as Holtz pointed out, the ACC will get many chances to start the year right, beginning with the No. 18 Tar Heels playing No. 21 LSU in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game at the Georgia Dome on Sept. 4. For example:

Johnson said he doesn't doubt the quality of the ACC.

"I've got to play in it every week," Johnson said. "I know it's plenty tough. We play ACC teams and SEC teams. I can tell you there's not a great deal of difference, not in the ones we've played."

But to truly move up college football's pecking order, it needs to have a team play for the national championship, something the SEC has had a stranglehold on for the past four years.

“You want to be in that conversation,” ACC commissioner John Swofford said at the ACC's media days. “I’m not sure that as a conference you get the full measure of respect and attention unless you have a team or two that are serious possibilities through a good part of the season for a national championship, be that right or wrong.”