ATHENS — Preseason No. 1-ranked Georgia led the country with five selections on ESPN’s preseason All-American team.

The Bulldogs, who have won the past two CFP Championship Games, most recently completing a 15-0 season, are indeed on top of the college football world with the start of the season rapidly approaching.

The five players who were selected:

• Brock Bowers

• Sedrick Van Pran

• Mykel Williams

• Jamon Dumas-Johnson

• Malaki Starks

Georgia coach Kirby Smart, however, made sure to remind his players on Saturday that preseason accolades mean little.

“This team, number one, I asked them after the scrimmage and after we ran, ‘What have you done to deserve anything you’ve gotten?’ And they’ve done nothing,” Smart said. “They’ve done nothing. And we’ve got to get the right guys in the right spots, find the guys that can really tough it out and compete.”

To Smart’s point, players get selected for preseason All-American teams based on what they did the previous season.

In that regard, one could make the case that two-time CFP Defensive MVP Javon Bullard could have been selected among the defensive backs. It’s fair to speculate Bullard likely would have been if he wasn’t changing position from star to safety.

Receiver Ladd McConkey is another player with All-American potential, as he produced more than 1,000 yards last season between his receiving, rushing and punt returns despite playing hurt much of the season.

Here’s ESPN’s preseason All-American team

Offense

QB Caleb Williams, USC

RB Blake Corum, Michigan

RB Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss

WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State

WR Rome Odunze, Washington

TE Brock Bowers, Georgia

OT Joe Alt, Notre Dame

OG Tyler Booker, Alabama

OC Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia

OG Cooper Beebe, Kansas State

OT Olu Fashanu, Penn State

AP Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State

Defense

DE Jared Verse, Florida State

DT Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois

DE Mykel Williams, Georgia

LB/edge Dallas Turner, Alabama

LB Harold Perkins Jr., LSU

LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia

LB Barrett Carter, Clemson

CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

CB Karen King, Penn State

S Kamren Kinchens, Miami

S Malaki Starks, Georgia

Special Teams

K Joshua Karty, Stanford

P Kai Kroeger, South Carolina

KR Lideatrick Griffin, Mississippi State