Michigan moves past Georgia for No. 1 spot in college football's NCAA Re-Rank 1-133
There's a new No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-133.
Georgia has been a fixture atop the rankings for well over a year but has been supplanted by Michigan, which has weathered Jim Harbaugh's three-game suspension to open the year and played like the best team in the Bowl Subdivision.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have managed to start 5-0 without resembling the juggernaut that captured the past two national championships. Georgia needed late heroics on Saturday from tight end Brock Bowers to escape what would've been a monumental upset against Auburn after struggling against South Carolina in its SEC opener.
Neither team has faced a legitimate opponent. But Michigan has played five Bowl Subdivision opponents to Georgia's four — the Bulldogs opened against Tennessee-Martin — and has faced two FBS teams with a winning record (UNLV and Rutgers, both 4-1) to Georgia's one (Auburn). The Wolverines have also yet to allow more than a touchdown in any game while scoring at least 30 points in every game, while the Bulldogs have allowed 20 points in each of the past two weeks and failed to score more than 27 points in two games against Power Five competition.
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That the Bulldogs have played and beaten two SEC teams does count for something, which is why they come in at No. 2, ahead of No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Washington and No. 5 Penn State. But the statistics and eyeball test do not say that Georgia is currently the best team in the country.