Super 16 Poll: Georgia Stays 1st, 'Bama Up To 4th

September 3, 2024 by FWAA, NFF, CollegeFootballPoll.com

Georgia couldn't climb any higher in the polls so voters in the FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll kept the 'Dawgs at No. 1 after they opened a 34-3 can on then-No. 15 Clemson in Atlanta in the Aflac (formerly Chick-fil-A) Kick-off Game which used to raise money to help cows buy black paint. As far as we know, the duck doesn't need any money as he's already wearing swag around his neck and hanging out with Deion and the G.O.A.T. of head coaches.

But we digress.

Georgia picked up 50 of the possible 54 first-place votes to mark the Bulldogs' 36th appearance at No. 1 and the second-most behind Alabama's 61 appearances in the top slot.

It also means (more) that an SEC team has been ranked No. 1 in the poll 57 of the last 58 weeks dating back to September 29, 2019.

Ohio State and Texas remained Nos. 2 and 3 after decisive victories in Week 1.

The Buckeyes took awhile to pull far away from Akron, but still only beat the Zips 52-6 and failed to cover the 48.5-point college football spread at FanDuel.com.

Notre Dame went to College Station to face he Aggies and Mike Elko in his A&M debut. And just to be mean about it, the Irish brought along Elko's former QB, Riley Leonard, to lead the 23-13 defeat to the 107,315 in attendance at Kyle Field. The weekly picks at CollegeFootballPoll.com had Notre Dame as the outright winner, going opposite the 2.5-point line that favored the Ags.

The win catapulted Notre Dame three spots higher to No. 5 in this week's poll, marking the highest ranking for the Irish since they also made it to No. 5 back on December 5, 2021. The Notre Dame schedule gets much easier the rest of the way, beginning with four home games in the next five weeks. Two of those games are against MAC opponents - Northern Illinois this week and Miami (Ohio) in three weeks - with a short bus ride to Purdue in the middle. Week 5 could be a challenge with Louisville coming to town after winning 33-20 at their place on October 7 last season. That five-game stretch ends with a visit from Stanford.

Florida State and LSU joined Clemson in falling out of the poll.

The 'Noles were No. 9, but lost 24-21 to Georgia Tech in Ireland and followed that up with a 28-13 defeat at home to Boston College in the game that wrapped up the Labor Day holiday on Monday night.

LSU snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as USC showed the mark of a fighter and scored the game-winning points with 8 seconds left for the 27-20 win in the Modelo Kickoff Classic in Las Vegas. Brian Kelly's team entered that game at No. 12 and the Trojans were unranked and collected just 12 points under the 'Also Receiving Votes' heading.

Clemson was No. 15 going into the Georgia game.

Miami, USC and Oklahoma State were the new poll entrants, claiming the Nos. 10, 12 and 16, respectively. the Hurricanes' appearance in the poll is their first since September 11, 2022 and their highest since reaching No. 8 over six years ago (August 20, 2018).

The SEC leads all conferences with seven teams, followed by the Big Ten with five, Big 12 with two and the ACC and FBS Independents with one each.

This week's top game, and the only matchup where both teams are in the Top 16, sees No. 3 Texas headed to No. 9 Michigan.

Congrove Ballot

(1) Texas, (2) Ole Miss, (3) Ohio State, (4) Georgia, (5) Oregon, (6) USC, (7) Notre Dame, (8) Utah, (9) Alabama, (10) Auburn, (11) Oklahoma, (12) Penn State, (13) Tennessee, (14) Miami, (15) Missouri, (16) Oklahoma State.

Also Receiving Votes

Kansas State (49), LSU (32), Iowa (20), Washington (18), Texas A&M (12), Boston College (12), Auburn (12), Clemson (12), Florida State (11), Kansas (11), Georgia Tech (9), Iowa State (8), Rutgers (7), Arizona (6), North Carolina (6), Vanderbilt (5), TCU (4), Louisville (2), Florida (2), Nebraska (1), NC State (1), Mississippi State (1).

This Week's Schedule for Ranked Teams

Tennessee Tech at No. 1 Georgia
Western Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State
No. 3 Texas at No. 9 Michigan
South Florida at No.4 Alabama
Northern Illinois at No. 5 Notre Dame
Boise State at No. 6 Oregon
Bowling Green at No. 7 Penn State
Middle Tennessee at No. 8 Ole Miss
Florida A&M at No. 10 Miami, Fla.
Buffalo at No. 11 Missouri
Utah State at No. 12 USC
Baylor at No. 13 Utah
No. 14 Tennessee at North Carolina State (Charlotte)
Houston at No. 15 Oklahoma
Arkansas at No. 16 Oklahoma State

ABOUT THE FWAA-NFF SUPER 16 POLL: The poll was established at the conclusion of the 2013 season by two long-time partners, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the National Football Foundation (NFF). Voters rank the top 16 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, and the results will be released every Sunday of the 2023 season. The individual votes of all members will also be made public. The first regular season poll will be released on Tuesday, September 3 (to account for Labor Day games), and the final poll will be released Sunday, December 8. The poll utilizes a computer program designed by Sports Systems to compile the rankings and the Cody Kellner Points Index to publish the individual votes.

ABOUT THE FWAA: Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME: Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.