LOS ANGELES — Georgia left no doubt about who the No. 1 team in the country was to end the 2022 season. That much was evident with the Bulldogs’ complete destruction of TCU.

The 65-7 win set numerous records, from the most points ever scored in a national championship game to the most lopsided bowl win in history. Georgia outgained TCU by 401 yards and at one point deep in the fourth quarter, had more points, 65, than plays, 64.

Related: Georgia football instant observations as Bulldogs go back-to-back with 2023 National Championship win

The Bulldogs received all 63 first-place votes in the final AP Poll. TCU came in at No. 2, Michigan finished at No. 3, Ohio State is the No. 4 team and Alabama sits at No. 5.

Georgia ended the season with wins over the No. 2, 4, 6, 15, 16, 20 and 23 ranked teams. Of those results, only the Ohio State game was a one-score game. The only other team to play Georgia to single digits was Missouri, who went 6-7.

“They never run out of gas. So that goes a lot of credit to our strength and conditioning program, our training staff, our kids committing to actually doing that,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “Like, they actually go out and hit each other in the 15th week of the season over and over again, and they enjoy doing it.”

And the Bulldogs aren’t going anywhere it seems. While Georgia does have to replace some of its top players such as Jalen Carter, Stetson Bennett and Chris Smith, plenty of talent returns.

ESPN has already turned the page to next season and placed the Bulldogs as the No. 1 team in its “Way-Too-Early” Top 25 for the 2023 season.

Per Mark Schlabach’s rankings, Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State and Alabama follow Georgia in the top five next season. Georgia only has games against the No. 10 Tennessee Volunteers and the No. 20 Ole Miss Rebels and neither of those games will be played until November.

The Bulldogs, unlike this season, will enter the year as preseason title favorites. That will make the challenge of winning a national title next season even more difficult according to Smart.

“We’ll have a lot of guys coming back. We’ll lose some really talented guys, probably lose some juniors,” Smart said. “But the disease that creeps into your program is called entitlement. I’ve seen it firsthand. If you can stomp it out with leadership, then you can stay hungry.

“And we have a saying around our place: We eat off the floor. And if you’re willing to eat off the floor, you can be special.”

Georgia became the first team of the College Football Playoff era to win back-to-back championships. It will look to be the first team since Army from 1944 through 1946 to win three consecutive national championships. No team has won three-straight undisputed national championships.

The Bulldogs are still in Los Angeles this morning, with Smart, Stetson Bennett and Javon Bullard set to speak to reporters at 12 p.m. ET, 9 a.m. PT. Georgia opens the 2023 season against UT-Martin on Sept. 2.

Final 2022 AP Poll Top 25 rankings

  1. Georgia
  2. TCU
  3. Michigan
  4. Ohio State
  5. Alabama
  6. Tennessee
  7. Penn State
  8. Washington
  9. Tulane
  10. Florida State
  11. Utah
  12. USC
  13. Clemson
  14. Kansas State
  15. Oregon
  16. LSU
  17. Oregon State
  18. Notre Dame
  19. Troy
  20. Mississippi State
  21. UCLA
  22. Pitt
  23. South Carolina
  24. James Madison
  25. Texas

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart previews 2023 team

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