College football rankings 2023: Michigan edges Ohio State, trails Georgia in preseason AP Top 25

With the 2023 college football season right around the corner, let’s turn our attention to the first AP Top 25 Poll of the year.

While Georgia certainly earned the right to enter the 2023 college season ranked No. 1 inside the initial AP Top 25 Poll, Michigan did just enough to edge out arch rival Ohio State for the No. 2 spot.

The USA TODAY Sports AFC Coaches Poll gave us somewhat of an idea as to what the AP Top 25 could look like. While the coaches assess teams way differently than the Associated Press, most people who follow this sport closely tend to have a pretty good feel for who is good to great. It is the usual suspects at the top of it, but the meat of the top 25 is always incredibly interesting, too.

Let’s take a look at who will start this upcoming college football season ranked inside the top 25.

College football rankings 2023: Preseason AP Top 25 Poll

Here is the preseason AP Top 25 Poll. Where did your favorite college football team end up?

1. Georgia Bulldogs
2. Michigan Wolverines
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
5. LSU Tigers
6. USC Trojans
7. Penn State Nittany Lions
8. Florida State Seminoles
9. Clemson Tigers
10. Washington Huskies
11. Texas Longhorns
12. Tennessee Volunteers
13. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
14. Utah Utes
15. Oregon Ducks
16. Kansas State Wildcats
17. TCU Horned Frogs
18. Oregon State Beavers
19. Wisconsin Badgers
20. Oklahoma Sooners
21. North Carolina Tar Heels
22. Ole Miss Rebels
23. Texas A&M Aggies
24. Tulane Green Wave
25. Iowa Hawkeyes

Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama and LSU are the top five. USC, Penn State, Florida State, Clemson and Washington round out the top 10. No. 11 to 15 are Texas, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Utah and Oregon. No. 16 to 20 are Kansas State, TCU, Oregon State, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. North Carolina, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Tulane and Iowa round out the first AP Top 25 Poll for 2023.

Over the next few weeks, we all will dissect this initial poll until our eyes bleed. Upon first glance, there is not a lot to be massively upset by. The top five feel right, but maybe in a slightly different order, depending on your personal biases. One could argue for any of the teams ranked No. 6 to 12 being pretty much anywhere in that range. No. 13 to 18 feel like they are in the right tier currently.

As for No. 19 to 25, those seven teams will need to prove to the voters that they will have staying power in coming weeks. Obviously, the top 25 will look vastly different in each poll, but we seem to have the right group of teams to start out with. However, teams like Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Wisconsin are living on past reputation, as opposed to what they actually did on the field in 2022.

Let the first AP Top 25 Poll cascade over you in preparation for what will surely be a great season.