Latest ESPN SP+ rankings show a sizable gap between Georgia and other top contenders (2024)

ATHENS — There’s some debate about who the top team in college football is at this point in time.

More than a handful of national writers have Georgia in the No. 1 spot. But there is equal support for Ohio State as well, with Texas and Oregon lingering.

But in ESPN’s updated SP+ rankings, which factor in returning production, recruiting rankings and recent history into the metric, the Bulldogs are clearly the No. 1 team.

Georgia comes in at No. 1 in Bill Connelly’s system, with a value of 36.3. Ohio State is No. 2 at 32.7. The gap of 3.6 is the same between Ohio State and the No. 5 team in the rankings, Alabama.

The Bulldogs are the only team in Connelly’s rankings to be in the top 5 of offensive SP+, defensive SP+ and special teams SP+. Georgia ranks second, fifth and fourth in those rankings respectively.

Georgia went 13-1 last season and is 42-2 over the previous three seasons. The Bulldogs have signed a top-four recruiting class every year dating back to the 2017 recruiting cycle.

The Bulldogs though also dipped into the transfer portal this offseason, bringing in eight additions. Running back Trevor Etienne, wide receiver Colbie Young and tight end Benjamin Yurosek are all expected to fill some of the few holes Georgia has.

Georgia does have a more difficult schedule this coming season, with games against the No. 4, 5, 8, 14 and 16 in Connelly’s rankings.

“Some people will find things wrong with us,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said in a recent interview with Paul Finebaum. “We have a really hard schedule. We play three top-15 teams on the road in our conference. That’s tough. But we’ve got a good football team. We’ve got a very consistent football team. We say it all the time, we’re built to sustain at Georgia. We don’t want to be a one-hit wonder.”

Yet even with the No. 5 strength of schedule, Georgia still has the best chance of going 10-2 or better per Connelly at 78 percent.

Smart recently spoke about the importance of analytics in football and how he factors them into his decision-making.

“You want to get it right more often,” Smart said. “If you can statisticallyget it right more often, it gives you a better chance at winning. Everybody is looking for a competitive edge. That’s whatanalytics is. It’s everybody looking for a competitiveedge. We use analytics. We study it. WE don’t obsessourselves in it. We still make our decisions based on flow of the game and also analytics. I like to know the analyticsbecause I want to know why they made the decision they made and you try to learn from other people’s mistakes.”

Georgia will get a chance to prove itself on Aug. 31, when the Bulldogs take on the Clemson Tigers. The game is set for a 12 p.m. ET start on ABC.