Georgia ninth, Tech 17th in preseason coaches poll

Georgia is ranked No. 9 and Georgia Tech is No. 17 in the preseason coaches poll, which was released Thursday morning.

The Bulldogs were one of eight SEC teams represented in the poll, including three from the Eastern Division. Defending East champion Missouri is No. 23, and Tennessee came in at No. 25.

Among ACC teams, Tech is third, behind Florida State at No. 8 and Clemson at No. 12. The next highest-ranked ACC team is Virginia Tech, which is fourth among teams also receiving votes.

Tech finished at No. 8 in the final poll of last season, and Georgia was No. 9.

It’s the third time in coach Paul Johnson’s tenure that the Yellow Jackets have started in the preseason poll, following 2009 (No. 15) and 2010 (No. 17).

Alabama received the SEC’s highest ranking at No. 3. The SEC’s other ranked teams were Auburn (7), LSU (13), Ole Miss (15) and Arkansas (20). Defending national champion Ohio State opens at No. 1.

Georgia opened last season ranked No. 12. It is the third time in the past four seasons the Bulldogs will open the year in the Top 10. They were sixth in 2012 and fifth in 2013. In three of the past four seasons, Georgia has finished with a better ranking at the end of the season than in the preseason.