USA Today releases Kirby Smart’s final Coaches Poll ballot of 2023 college football season

AndrewEdGraham

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart failed to lead his team to what would’ve been a historic third-straight national championship in 2023. But the Bulldogs, having finished the year 13-1, are certainly one of the top teams in America.

And Smart’s final ballot in the USA Today Coaches Poll, which the outlet published this week, has his squad squarely at No. 5, right behind the four teams that played in the College Football Playoff. There’s likely not much deep meaning, but it’s a sign that Smart and Co. feel similar to many: Georgia was on-par with the teams in the CFP.

Check out Smart’s full final ballot for the coaches poll below.

Smart’s ranking of his own team is actually lower than where the final tally placed the Bulldogs. While Smart placed his squad at No. 5, they finished No. 3 in the full poll.

Including his own team, Smart had six SEC squads in his final Top 25, with four in the Top 10. He also respected head-to-head well in his rankings, placing Missouri ahead of Ohio State, Ole Miss ahead of Penn State, Arizona ahead of Oklahoma and Ole Miss ahead of LSU. However, a few were not entirely held up, as the Sooners finished ahead of Oklahoma State, which prevailed in the Bedlam Game between the two squads.

Georgia could be the favorites again heading into 2024

Georgia might have fallen short of a threepeat this season, but the Bulldogs remain a national championship contender looking ahead to 2024. In fact, On3‘s Jesse Simonton has them ranked No. 1 in his way-too-early top 25.

Simonton joined Andy Staples on his podcast Tuesday to explain his reasoning. He argued that Georgia still has the most talented team in the country, beginning with returning quarterback Carson Beck.

“The key for Georgia is when you look at these 10 teams in the top 10 that I have, they probably feel the best about their quarterback,” Simonton said. “Texas likes Quinn Ewers. Jaxson Dart at Ole Miss. Drew Allar, Penn State. But I think Carson Beck, him coming back and announcing that decision to return for 2024.

“I’m here at the coaches convention. Folks still believe that’s the best roster 1-85. They believe based on some of the guys that entered the portal and some of the guys that didn’t that Georgia did a really good job when push came to shove of who they were able to keep in Athens for next season.”