According the Phil Steele, Georgia ranks No. 7 nationally and fourth-best in the SEC behind Alabama, Texas A&M and LSU.
His brand new 350-page college football season preview is available online at PhilSteele.com and goes very in-depth about teams entering the 2020 season.
This upcoming season, Georgia returns 8 of 11 starters on defense as the unit led the nation in scoring defense and rushing defense in 2019. The unit also finished third in total defense and eighth in pass efficiency defense. The Bulldogs only gave up two rushing touchdowns last season as well, which is a pretty incredible feat considering the talent that they faced last season.
Kirby Smart decided to shake up things on offense in the offseason by going out and hiring Todd Monken as the new offensive coordinator. After the departure of Sam Pittman, Smart also hired former Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke as the new offensive line coach. Georgia also added graduate transfer quarterback Jamie Newman and USC transfer quarterback JT Daniels in the offseason.
The Bulldogs are the only team in the country to rank in the final AP Top 7 in each of the past three seasons, and Steele’s pick is considered very conservative in regards to UGA.
Many expect Smart’s team to be one of the top contenders this upcoming season, but Steele has three other SEC West programs in front of them. To add more gripe for Georgia fans, Steele’s magazine predicts former UGA quarterback Justin Fields to lead his team to the national championship.
Interestingly enough, Steele has the Texas A&M Aggies ranked No. 5 in his preseason rankings.
| No. | School | Conference |
| 1. | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| 2. | Clemson | ACC |
| 3. | Alabama | SEC |
| 4. | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| 5. | Texas A&M | SEC |
| 6. | LSU | SEC |
| 7. | Georgia | SEC |
| 8. | Notre Dame | Independent |
| 9. | Oregon | Pac-12 |
| 10. | Penn State | Big Ten |
| 11. | USC | Pac-12 |
| 12. | Texas | Big 12 |
| 13. | Florida | SEC |
| 14. | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 15. | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 16. | North Carolina | ACC |
| 17. | Miami | ACC |
| 18. | Virginia Tech | ACC |
| 19. | Auburn | SEC |
| 20. | Tennessee | SEC |
| 21. | Kentucky | SEC |
| 22. | UCF | AAC |
| 23. | Iowa | Big Ten |
| 24. | Oklahoma State | Big 12 |
| 25. | Memphis | AAC |