Georgia football missed out on the College Football Playoff and a historic three-peat national championship, but it finished with a top four ranking for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

The Bulldogs were ranked No. 4 in the final Associated Press poll released early Tuesday, moving up from No. 6 after the 63-3 drubbing of Florida State in the Orange Bowl Dec. 30.

National champion Michigan is No. 1 after its 34-13 win Monday night over Washington which finished No. 2 in the AP poll. Texas is No. 3, then Georgia and No. 5 Alabama. Florida State tied with Oregon for No. 6.

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The Bulldogs are No. 3 in the final US LBM Coaches Poll behind only Michigan and Washington.

Georgia, which saw its SEC record 29-game winning streak end, finished 13-1.

“We feel like we’re one of the best four teams in the country,” safety Javon Bullard said after the Orange Bowl. “It’s just a testament to how we practiced and how we played. We had a chip in our shoulder coming into this game. We felt like we were one of the best four teams in the country, and I feel like we kind of played like that.”

Georgia has ranked in the top eight each of the last seven seasons and early rankings for 2024 are bullish on the Bulldogs again.

USA Today Sports, ESPN.com, CBSSports.com, The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, On3 and Bleacher Report have Georgia No. 1. Yahoo Sports puts Alabama at No. 1 and Georgia at No. 2.

The Bulldogs return quarterback Carson Beck, four of its five offensive line starters from the Orange Bowl and All-American safety Malaki Starks.

The Bulldogs’ transfer portal additions include running back Trevor Ettiene from Florida and three wide receivers and the roster was replenished with the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class.

The schedule is daunting. Based on USA Today Sports early top 25, Georgia plays at No. 2 Alabama. No. 4 Texas and No. 5 Ole Miss, faces No. 11 Clemson in Atlanta and No. 12 Tennessee at home.

The Bulldogs went 12-0 in the regular season this past season, but fell from No. 1 in the CFP rankings to No. 6 and out of the playoff after a 27-24 loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship game.

“We all felt like we should have been a top four team in the college playoff, but it is what it is,” wide receiver Dillon Bell said.

Associated Press final rankings for Georgia under coach Kirby Smart

2023: 4

2022: 1

2021: 1

2020: 8

2019: 4

2018: T7

2017: 2

2016: NR

Coaches Poll rankings under Kirby Smart

2023: 3

2022: 1

2021: 1

2020: 7

2019: 4

2018: 8

2017: 2

2016: NR

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia football in final 2023 poll2. No. 1 picks all around for 2024.