Rece Davis explains having Georgia at No. 2 on his AP Poll ballot

When the preseason AP Top 25 poll dropped on Monday, Georgia came in as the preseason No. 1 team. The Bulldogs weren’t unanimous, though, with two other teams — Michigan and Ohio State — also receiving first-place votes.

One of the voters to pick against UGA was ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis, who went with Michigan in the top spot and the Bulldogs at No. 2 on his ballot. During an appearance on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt, Davis said his decision to pick Michigan atop his top 25 stemmed from some question marks on Georgia’s roster.

The biggest, he said, is under center.

“Quarterback,” Davis said. “And it’s not that they don’t have talented guys. Carson Beck [is] likely the starter. I was told by someone close to the Georgia program just a couple of days ago that Brock Vandagriff’s been really terrific in in fall camp. So they’ve got a couple of talented options, but they’re unproven.”

Beck and Vandagriff have been battling it out this offseason to replace Stetson Bennett, who’s off to the NFL after leading Georgia to back-to-back national titles and ending a 40-year drought. Beck appeared in 10 games over the last two years. That includes seven games in 2022 as he threw for 310 yards on 26 of 35 passing and four touchdowns.

Vandagriff, however, has only appeared in four games since arriving on campus in 2021 and didn’t complete any of the three passes he attempted over two years. He saw some action in the spring game, though, as he completed 13 of 25 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns.

That kept him close to Beck, who totaled 231 yards and a touchdown on 15-of-22 passing, and he opted to stay at Georgia rather than enter the transfer portal after the conclusion of spring practice.

Despite the fact that neither quarterback has proven himself, Davis pointed out one thing Georgia has going in its favor. The Bulldogs have a favorable schedule, which he said could give Kirby Smart and Co. a chance to get back to that No. 1 ranking.

“While I don’t have them ranked No. 1 to start as the preseason poll — I have Michigan on top — it’s not unreasonable to think that Georgia is just going to reload,” Davis said. “And the schedule suggests that they really only have two games that they can even find a way to give away over the course of the regular season.”