Georgia’s third 12-win season in program history produced the third top-five finish under coach Mark Richt.
AJ Reynolds/Staff
Linebacker Christian Robinson (45) runs with a Georgia flag after the Bulldogs beat Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1 in Orlando, Fla.
The Bulldogs are No. 4 in the final USA Today coaches’ poll and No. 5 in the final Associated Press rankings. They were released early this morning after Alabama dominated Notre Dame 42-14 to win the BCS title on Monday night.
It’s the first time Georgia ended a season in the top five since 2007 when the Bulldogs were No. 2 in the AP poll and No. 3 in the coaches’ poll after an 11-2 season that included a Sugar Bowl win over Hawaii. Georgia also finished in the top five under Richt in 2002 with a No. 3 ranking when the Bulldogs went 13-1 and won the SEC championship.
Alabama, which won the SEC’s seventh straight SEC title, is No. 1 in the coaches’ poll. The Crimson Tide finished 13-1. Oregon (12-1) and Notre Dame (12-1) are the only other teams ahead of Georgia (12-2). Texas A&M (11-2) rounded out the top five.
In the AP poll, the Bulldogs finished behind Alabama, Oregon, Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Georgia and Texas A&M were tied for the No. 5 spot.
The Bulldogs were five yards away from going to the BCS title game, but lost 32-28 to Alabama in the SEC championship. Texas A&M dealt Alabama its only loss, 29-24.
Georgia moved up a spot in the rankings after its 45-31 win over Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl.
Richt gets a $100,000 bonus for finishing in the top five in either poll.
The SEC had five of the top 10 teams in the AP poll, becoming the first conference to do that. South Carolina was No. 8 and Florida was No. 9. The SEC had seven ranked teams in all—LSU was No. 14 and Vanderbilt No. 23.
Now, it’s on to the 2013 season.
Georgia has already been installed as 30 to 1 favorites to win the BCS title next season, according to RJ Bell of Pregame.com. Alabama is 3 to 1.
Associated Press
Record Pts Pv
1. Alabama (59) 13-1 1,475 2
2. Oregon 12-1 1,358 5
3. Ohio St. 12-0 1,302 3
4. Notre Dame 12-1 1,288 1
5. Georgia 12-2 1,230 6
5. Texas A&M 11-2 1,230 10
7. Stanford 12-2 1,169 8
8. South Carolina 11-2 1,038 11
9. Florida 11-2 933 4
10. Florida St. 12-2 922 13
11. Clemson 11-2 889 14
12. Kansas St. 11-2 871 7
13. Louisville 11-2 781 22
14. LSU 10-3 756 9
15. Oklahoma 10-3 615 12
16. Utah St. 11-2 456 18
17. Northwestern 10-3 443 21
18. Boise St. 11-2 419 20
19. Texas 9-4 358 NR
20. Oregon St. 9-4 303 15
21. San Jose St. 11-2 243 24
22. N. Illinois 12-2 227 16
23. Vanderbilt 9-4 180 NR
24. Michigan 8-5 147 19
25. Nebraska 10-4 119 23
Others receiving votes: Baylor 95, Penn St. 90, Cincinnati 78, Oklahoma St. 42, Tulsa 34, UCLA 31, Arkansas St. 28, TCU 9, UCF 9, Wisconsin 6, N. Dakota St. 1.
USA Today Coaches’
Record Pts Pvs
1. Alabama (56) 13-1 1,400 2
2. Oregon 12-1 1,322 3
3. Notre Dame 12-1 1,253 1
4. Georgia 12-2 1,213 5
5. Texas A&M 11-2 1,171 9
6. Stanford 12-2 1,167 8
7. South Carolina 11-2 1,064 10
8. Florida State 12-2 942 12
9. Clemson 11-2 916 13
10. Florida 11-2 886 4
11. Kansas State 11-2 841 6
12. LSU 10-3 775 7
13. Louisville 11-2 772 18
14. Boise State 11-2 633 15
15. Oklahoma 10-3 600 11
16. Northwestern 10-3 580 17
17. Utah State 11-2 444 20
18. Texas 9-4 398 25
19. Oregon State 9-4 366 14
20. Vanderbilt 9-4 248 NR
21. San Jose State 11-2 244 24
22. Cincinnati 10-3 186 NR
23. Nebraska 10-4 175 21
24. Northern Illinois 12-2 156 16
25. Tulsa 11-3 110 NR
Others receiving votes: Michigan 101; UCLA 75; Baylor 52; Oklahoma State 36; Wisconsin 18; Central Florida 15; Arkansas State 13; Arizona State 10; Rutgers 9; Kent State 5; Louisiana Tech 2; Arizona 1; Ohio 1.
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