Georgia football during the 2023 season wasn’t able to become the first FBS team since Minnesota in the 1930s to win three consecutive national championships.

The Bulldogs, of course, fell to Alabama in the SEC championship game and, despite amassing 12-1 record, missed out on the 2024 College Football Playoff. But if preseason projections are to be believed, Georgia might only have to wait a year to return to the pinnacle of its sport.

The Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in a slew of early top 25 rankings for the 2024 season, which were released in the hours after Michigan’s 34-13 win against Washington in this year’s national championship game.

REQUIRED READING: Where Georgia football finished in final 2023 polls. No. 1 projections all around for 2024

Under Kirby Smart, Georgia has been a frequent inclusion on such lists, though it’s somewhat uncommon for there to be such a consensus on who the top-ranked team should be eight months before the start of next season. In the Bulldogs’ case, there are ample reasons to believe they can follow through on those expectations.

For one, Georgia has won 30 of its past 31 games and 46 of its past 48, a run that has made it the preeminent program in the sport. Several of the team’s top contributors from last season are returning, including quarterback Carson Beck and the entire starting front seven on defense from a 63-3 demolition of Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

Smart and his staff made some impactful additions in the transfer portal, namely former Florida running back Trevor Etienne. Though not every player will pitch in as a freshman, the Bulldogs also brought in the top-ranked 2024 recruiting class, a haul that includes three five-star prospects according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings: cornerback Ellis Robinson IV, linebacker Justin Williams and safety KJ Bolden.

Some questions remain for Georgia, but those doubts are more than made up for by what the program boasts heading into next season.

REQUIRED READING: Georgia football adds transfer quarterback. What it means for 2024 and beyond

Georgia football early 2024 season rankings

Here is where the Bulldogs have been picked by various outlets in their early rankings for the 2024 college football season. Smart's squad is a near-unanimous No. 1 selection, with only one outlet ranking them differently (and at No. 2, at that).

• USA TODAY: No. 1

• ESPN: No. 1

• 247Sports: No. 1

• CBS Sports: No. 1

• The Athletic: No. 1

• The Sporting News: No. 1

• Yahoo Sports: No. 2

Yahoo, the lone outlet among those seven not to put Georgia at No. 1, had Alabama as its top-ranked team. The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide will get a chance to settle it on the field when Georgia visits Alabama in Week 5 of the 2024 college football season.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia football rankings: Bulldogs' early top 25 rank for 2024 season