Super 16 College Football Poll - Georgia No. 1

September 11, 2022 by FWAA, NFF, CollegeFootballPoll.com

Georgia picked up 39-of-52 first-place votes, advancing from No. 2 to No. 1 after defeating Samford, 33-0, at home. Alabama dropped to No. 2 after a 20-19 victory on the road against Texas. Ohio State and Michigan both posted wins, holding on to the No. 3 and No. 4 spots for a second consecutive week. No. 5 Clemson appeared in the poll for the 83rd time since 2014, which moves the Tigers to fifth for most all-time appearances.

A panel of 52 FWAA writers and College Football Hall of Famers vote in the poll. Voters were selected to create a balanced geographical perspective and include CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove.

No. 7 USC rose to its highest ranking since the Trojans took the No. 5 spot on September 24, 2017. Arkansas' No. 9 ranking marked the Razorback's highest position ever in the history of the poll.

Notre Dame dropped out of the poll completely after losing to Marshall, marking the first time the Fighting Irish failed to appear in the poll since October 1, 2017. Texas A&M, Baylor and Florida also dropped out of the poll after suffering defeats

NC State returned to the poll at No. 16 while Kentucky, BYU and Tennessee joined the poll for the first time this season, claiming Nos. 10, 12 and 14, respectively. Tennessee's appearance in the poll marks the Volunteers' first appearance since October 16, 2016.

The SEC leads all conferences with five teams, followed by the Big Ten and ACC, which had three each. The Big 12 and Pac-12 each had two and Independents with one.

Congrove kept Ohio State at the top with Georgia 2nd, and Alabama 3rd. His top 5 was rounded out with Michigan and Clemson, followed by Michigan State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, USC and Kentucky in the top ten. After that, he had BYU at 11, Tennessee 12. NC State 13, Miami (FL) 14, Marshall 15 and Appalachian State 16.

Congrove removed Baylor (4), Pitt (7), Notre Dame (10) and Texas A&M (13) from his rankings.

  Team Points 1st LW
1. Georgia (2-0) 816 32 2
2. Alabama (2-0) 773 17 1
3. Ohio State (2-0) 743 3 3
4. Michigan (2-0) 650 -- 4
5. Clemson (2-0) 600 -- 5
6. Oklahoma (2-0) 523 -- 6
7. USC (2-0) 505 -- 10
8. Oklahoma State (2-0) 381 -- 11
9. Arkansas (2-0) 344 -- 13
10. Kentucky (2-0) 317 -- --
11. Michigan State (2-0) 313 -- 14
12. BYU (2-0) 221 -- --
13. Miami (FL) (2-0) 202 -- 15
14. Tennessee (2-0) 137 -- --
15. Utah (1-1) 124 -- 16
16. NC State (2-0 93 -- --

Others receiving votes:

Baylor (59), Ole Miss (40), Texas (40), Penn State (36), Texas A&M (32), Florida (22), Mississippi State (22), Florida State (16), Appalachian State (14), Wake Forest (12), Washington State (10), Kansas State (8), Marshall (8), Oregon (2), Texas Tech (2), Minnesota (2), Pittsburgh (2), North Carolina (1), UCLA (1), TCU (1).

ABOUT THE FWAA-NFF SUPER 16 POLL: The FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll was established at the conclusion of the 2013 season by long-time partners, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the National Football Foundation (NFF). Voters rank the top 16 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, and the results will be released every Sunday of the 2022 season; the individual votes of all members will also be made public. The first regular season poll will be released on Tuesday, Sept. 6 (to account for Labor Day games), and the final poll will be released Sunday, Dec. 4. The pollsters consist of FWAA writers and College Football Hall of Famers who were selected to create a balanced-geographical perspective. The poll utilizes a computer program designed by Sports Systems, a TicketManager company, to compile the rankings.

ABOUT THE FWAA: Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA, visit www.footballwriters.com.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME: Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork.