Georgia is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason college football poll for the second straight year as the superconference era begins with the SEC and Big Ten dominating the top 10 of the rankings.
The Bulldogs received 46 first-place votes and 1,532 points in the Top 25 released Monday and the SEC powerhouse finished comfortably ahead of No. 2 Ohio State (15 first-place votes and 1,490 points) of the Big Ten.
New Big Ten member Oregon is No. 3, receiving one first-place vote from the panel of 62 media members who cover college football. Texas, which joins Georgia in the Southeastern Conference this season, is fourth.
The Big Ten and SEC each have four teams in the top 10.
Conference realignment has reduced the Power Five to the Power Four, with the Pac-12 whittled to just two schools. The Big Ten now has 18 schools. The Atlantic Coast Conference has 17 football teams, and the SEC and Big 12 each have 16.
All the movement created an unprecedented preseason poll with just four conferences represented: The SEC leads with nine ranked teams. The Big Ten has six, the Big 12 has five and the ACC has four.
Alabama, in its first season without coach Nick Saban since 2006, starts No. 5. No. 6 Mississippi gives the SEC half the top preseason top six.
Independent Notre Dame is the highest ranked team from outside the SEC and Big Ten at No. 7.
No. 8 Penn State and No. 9 Michigan give the Big Ten four top 10 teams. Florida State from the ACC is No. 10.
The defending national champion Wolverines said goodbye to coach Jim Harbaugh, quarterback J.J. McCarthy and 12 other players who were selected in April’s NFL draft. All that attrition led to Michigan receiving the lowest preseason ranking for a defending national champion since 2011, when Auburn was No. 23 after the departure of Cam Newton.
Before that, the last time a defending national champion was ranked worse than No. 7 in the following preseason poll was Colorado at No. 13 in 1991.
Washington, which lost to Michigan in the College Football Playoff championship game, took an even bigger fall after losing its head coach (Kalen DeBoer replaced Saban at Alabama), star quarterback and a mountain of talent to the draft and transfer portal. The Huskies are the first team to reach the CFP and be unranked the following season, and the first team to be unranked after finishing the previous season No. 2 in the AP poll since Army in 1951. The rankings were a Top 20 then.
The only team to finish No. 1 and start the next season unranked was Minnesota in 1961, but the AP poll was only a Top 10 then.
Georgia started last season at No. 1 in pursuit of a record third straight national championship. Coach Kirby Smart's Bulldogs stayed there the whole regular season, and then missed the four-team playoff by losing the SEC title game to Alabama.
“We’re dealing with new challenges this year,” Smart said at SEC media days. "We don’t have a chip on our shoulder in terms of people trying to use that as motivation. I’ve never used a failure from the previous year as motivation and never used the success of a previous year as motivation; we won’t do that this year. That’s not who we are. We want to recreate ourselves to stay in the best light we can.”
There will be more room for error this season with the playoff expanding from four to 12 teams.
The Bulldogs are 42-2 over the last three seasons and loaded again. Quarterback Carson Beck leads the offense and edge rusher Mykel Williams is in line to be the next defensive star at Georgia.
Beck is a rarity in college football these days, a star quarterback in his fifth season with the same school who waited three years to become starter. Beck completed 72% of his passes last year, with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.
“He is a great elder for us and great example of resiliency in college football,” Smart said.
Repeating as preseason No. 1 is a recent trend. Going back eight seasons, Alabama had separate streaks of three (2016-18) and two (2021-22) years as preseason No. 1. Clemson was top-ranked in the 2019 and '20 preseason rankings.
Georgia will try to become the 12th team since the AP preseason poll started in 1950 to start No. 1 and finish No. 1. The last was Alabama in 2017.
Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP
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Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) throws in drills during an NCAA college football practice, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, at the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
TOKYO (AP) — Japan erupted with joy Monday as the samurai series “Shogun” won a record 18 Emmys for its first season.
It took home prizes including Outstanding Drama Series, as star and co-producer Hiroyuki Sanada became the first Japanese actor to win the Emmy for best lead actor in a dramatic series. Co-star Anna Sawai won best actress in a dramatic series, also a first for Japan.
“You did it. You did it. Congratulations,” Takashi Yamazaki, director of ” Godzilla Minus One,” wrote on social media.
People followed the awards live as the wins made national headlines. Entertainment media Oricon proudly reported that a work whose spoken lines were mostly in the Japanese language “made Emmy history.”
“The grand scale of Hollywood combined with the high quality of the production, including costuming, props and mannerisms; the collaboration between the Japanese professional team, headed by producer Sanada, and the local production team; as well as the acting that delivered a strong sense of reality, all came together,” the report said.
Actor Kento Kaku, who starred in the 2024 series "Like a Dragon: Yakuza,” said he was feeling inspired to pursue Hollywood dreams.
“After seeing how cool that was, who’s not going to want to take up the challenge,” he wrote on X.
Actress Tomoko Mariya said she broke into tears the moment Sanada’s win was announced.
“What hardships you must have endured, choosing to leave your entire career behind in Japan and going to America alone. But it has borne fruit,” she wrote, referring to Sanada’s move to Los Angeles 20 years ago.
The accolades for “Shogun” reflect not only the growing diversity in American entertainment, but also the legacy of Japan's “jidaigeki” samurai films, which have influenced directors worldwide.
The first Asian actor to win the Emmy for Best Lead Actor in a Dramatic Series was Lee Jung-jae, for the hit 2022 Korean series “Squid Game.”
Sanada is one of a handful of Japanese actors to land major Hollywood roles, including “The Last Samurai,” released in 2003, and “The 47 Ronin,” starring Keanu Reeves in 2013.
The role Sanada plays in “Shogun” was first portrayed by Toshiro Mifune in the 1980s.
Sanada, who also starred in Yoji Yamada ’s 2002 “Twilight Samurai,” alluded to those who went before him in his acceptance speech.
“I thank all those who supported and kept the legacy of jidaigeki alive,” he said in his speech in Japanese, clutching his trophy.
“The passion and dreams we inherited traveled across the seas and crossed borders.”
Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://x.com/yurikageyama
Michael Cliett, winner of the award for outstanding special visual effects in a season or a movie for "Shogun", poses in the press room during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Anna Sawai, left, winner of the award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for "Shogun", and Hiroyuki Sanada, winner of the awards for outstanding lead actor in a drama series, and outstanding drama series for "Shogun" pose in the press room during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Gina Torres, far left, Viola Davis, center, and Christine Baranski present the award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series to Anna Sawai for "Shogun" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Michael Cliett, winner of the award for outstanding special visual effects in a season or a movie for "Shogun", poses in the press room during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Ezra Frech, from left, and Jane Lynch present the award for outstanding directing for a drama series to Frederick E.O. Toye for "Shogun" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Ilona Mahler, from left, Brendan Hunt, Caeleb Dressel, Ezra Frech, and Jane Lynch present the award for outstanding directing for a drama series to Frederick E.O. Toye, center, for "Shogun" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Justin Marks, left center, and Hiroyuki Sanada, center right, and the team from "Shogun" accepts the award for outstanding drama series during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Hiroyuki Sanada, center, winner of the award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series for "Shogun" poses in the press room with the team from "Shogun", winners for award for for outstanding drama series, during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Justin Marks, left, and Hiroyuki Sanada embrace as they accept the award for outstanding drama series for "Shogun" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Anna Sawai wipes her tears as she accepts the award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for "Shogun" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Ludmila Cliett, left, and Michael Cliett, winner of the award for outstanding special visual effects in a season or a movie for "Shogun", pose in the press room during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Justin Marks, center, Hiroyuki Sanada, and the team from "Shogun" accept the award for outstanding drama series during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Justin Marks, left center, and Hiroyuki Sanada, center right, and the team from "Shogun" accepts the award for outstanding drama series during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Martin Sheen, far left, Dule Hill, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney, and Richard Schiff present the award for outstanding drama series to Justin Marks, center, and Hiroyuki Sanda for "Shogun" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Justin Marks, left center, and Hiroyuki Sanada, center right, and the team from "Shogun" accepts the award for outstanding drama series during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Justin Marks, left center, and Hiroyuki Sanada, center right, and the team from "Shogun" accepts the award for outstanding drama series during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Hiroyuki Sanada, center, and the team from "Shogun" accepts the award for outstanding drama series during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Anna Sawai wipes her tears as she accepts the award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for "Shogun" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Anna Sawai accepts the award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for "Shogun" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Hiroyuki Sanada accepts the award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series for "Shogun" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Anna Sawai, left, winner of the award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for "Shogun", and Hiroyuki Sanada, winner of the awards for outstanding lead actor in a drama series, and outstanding drama series for "Shogun" pose in the press room during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
