ATHENS — Kirby Smart went with the tide, and the Tide, when he voted in Sunday’s coaches poll.

The ballot, the final one before the playoffs and bowls were announced, is the first one made public this season. USA Today provided a link to the ballots for each coach who has a vote, and Georgia’s first-year head coach is among them.

(It’s well-known that many head coaches delegate the vote to a staffer, but don’t disclose that. Smart, to be fair, has never been asked how he handles it.)

Either way, the first team on Smart’s ballot is his former team, Alabama, the nation’s consensus top team.

After that, Smart went with Ohio State at No. 2, Clemson at No. 3 and Washington at no. 4. That’s the same four that is expected to be chosen for the National Football Playoff.

Then smart chose Penn State at No. 5, followed by Michigan, Oklahoma, Southern California, Wisconsin and Florida State.

Georgia did not appear on Smart’s ballot. Nor did it appear on any coaches ballot.

Among SEC teams, Smart put Florida at 16th, Auburn at 18th and LSU at 22nd.