Georgia football comes in at No. 1 in ESPN’s future power rankings

Georgia has been the best team in college football in recent years, winning national championships in 2021 and 2022.

And ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg doesn’t see the Bulldogs falling off any time soon. In his future power rankings for ESPN, Rittenberg felt very comfortable slotting Georgia into his No. 1 spot in his future power rankings, which attempts to account for not just the upcoming 2024 season but the next three seasons as well.

“Georgia retained the top spot in the team rankings and the choice wasn’t very difficult,” Rittenberg wrote. “If the Bulldogs had stayed healthier down the stretch last season, they might have claimed a third consecutive national title after being ranked No. 1 for most of the fall.”

Rittenberg had Georgia ranked No. 4 in his future QB rankings, No. 3 in his future offense rankings and No. 1 in his future defense rankings. Georgia had the No. 1 spot in last year’s rankings as well.

Georgia is primed for another big season entering 2024, as the Bulldogs return a slew of proven contributors from quarterback Carson Beck to safety Malaki Starks. Both will likely be All-American candidates to start the season.

If all goes according to plan, Beck and Starks will likely be first-round draft picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. But Georgia has gone to considerable lengths to make sure it will never operate at a real talent deficit.

Georgia signed the No. 1 recruiting class for the 2024 recruiting cycle. While the likes of safety KJ Bolden or quarterback Ryan Puglisi may not make immediate contributions, there’s a lot of reason to be excited about their long-term potential.

The Bulldogs recruit better than anyone, as they currently have the No. 3 ranked recruiting class for the 2025 recruiting cycle. Talent acquisition matters to head coach Kirby Smart, as he believes it is the key to keeping Georgia at the top of the sport.

“We want to sign high school players, develop high school players and grow them as men and retain our roster,” Smart said at SEC spring meetings. “I think when you look across the country we’ve done as good a job of anybody of retaining our roster and not having to go wholesale into the portal, which is what I prefer to do when you talk about roster management.”

Georgia has also used the transfer portal in certain spots the add to the talent on the roster. The Bulldogs brought in nine players via the transfer portal this offseason, including big names such as running back Trevor Etienne and wide receiver Colbie Young.

Behind Georgia in Rittenberg’s power rankings was Ohio State at No. 2, Texas at No. 3, Alabama at No. 4 and Michigan at No. 5. Georgia will face Texas and Alabama in each of the next two seasons.

The Bulldogs also have games scheduled against No. 12 Clemson, No. 13 Tennessee and No. 15 Ole Miss.