College football teams have returned to the field, and the next stage of the 2024 preseason has officially arrived.

It's ranking season, folks.

First on that slate is the Coaches Poll, which is compiled by USA Today Sports and includes a panel of head coaches from the 134 programs in the Football Bowl Subdivision. And for the second straight year, Georgia stands atop the coaches' initial Top 25.

Big Ten newcomer Oregon and SEC debutant also checked in with top-five rankings as they begin life in a new conference.

Along with a couple of takeaways from the Coaches Poll, we have a projection for the Associated Press Top 25. That ranking will be unveiled on Monday, Aug. 12.

Coaches Poll Top 25

Official 2024 Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Oregon
4. Texas
5. Alabama
6. Ole Miss
7. Notre Dame
8. Michigan
9. Penn State
10. Florida State
11. Missouri
12. LSU
13. Utah
14. Clemson
15. Tennessee
16. Oklahoma
17. Kansas State
18. Oklahoma State
19. Miami
20. Texas A&M
21. Arizona
22. North Carolina State
23. USC
24. Kansas
25. Iowa

SEC Dominates the Poll

No surprise here, my friends.

Georgia has long been viewed as the likely preseason No. 1, while SEC newcomer Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss have consistently landed attention as championship contenders in 2024. They checked in fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in this initial Coaches Poll.

As expected, though, the list of ranked SEC teams was nowhere close to ending after those four programs.

Missouri (11th), LSU (12th), Tennessee (15th) and Oklahoma (16th) appeared in their expected ranges, and Texas A&M (20th) received a favorable forecast from the voting body.

In total, the SEC boasted nine representatives ahead of the Big Ten (six), Big 12 (five) and ACC (four).

Washington Opens Unranked

Washington rode a prolific offense to a fantastic year in 2023, finishing the season as the national runner-up.

But the Huskies are opening 2024 in a much different spot.

Not necessarily shockingly, UW is not listed in the Coaches' Top 25. Nevertheless, it can be jarring to see an elite contender from a previous season fall so quickly in the rankings.

Look, every year is different—and especially so in Washington's context this season. Head coach Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama, and few rosters in the country return less production that the Huskies. They'll basically have a completely rebuilt offense in 2024. It's not unreasonable to have lower expectations for Jedd Fisch and the Dawgs.

At the same time, Washington has a very favorable opening month to the season and could be 5-0 entering October.

That juxtaposition as the program makes its Big Ten debut is an intriguing storyline to follow.

Predicted AP Top 25

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Oregon
4. Texas
5. Alabama
6. Ole Miss
7. Michigan
8. Notre Dame
9. Penn State
10. Florida State
11. Missouri
12. LSU
13. Clemson
14. Tennessee
15. Utah
16. Oklahoma
17. USC
18. Washington
19. Arizona
20. Kansas State
21. Miami
22. Oklahoma State
23. North Carolina State
24. Iowa
25. Texas A&M

AP Top 25 will be released on Monday, Aug. 12.