For the first time in school history, Georgia is No. 1 in the preseason AP poll.

The Bulldogs, who are also preseason No. 1 in the USA Today Coaches poll, edged out Ohio State by one first place vote for the top spot, receiving 22 to the Buckeyes’ 21.

“To me, I can’t think of any other word than, just, excitement,” head coach Mark Richt said. “I think it’s exciting for our program, people to feel that way about us. It fires me up. There’s a lot of responsibility that goes along with it, but let’s face it, the football world thinks we’ve got a shot and are holding us in high esteem right now.”

Quarterback Matthew Stafford said the Bulldogs need to prove they deserve to be No. 1 first.

“It’s obviously an honor to be (No. 1) especially since Georgia has never been it,” Stafford said. “But it means nothing until you get on the field and prove it. That’s what we’ve got to do – play football the way we know how and see what happens.”

Although the national media thinks Georgia is the top team in the land, the SEC media didn’t think the Bulldogs were No. 1 in its own division at the SEC Media Days in July. The SEC media voted Florida as the preseason favorite to win the conference.

“They know it’s a very rugged schedule, and I’m sure they’re looking at LSU and Florida back to back as a factor and thinking that might be too much for us to overcome,” Richt said, reasoning why the SEC media voted Florida over Georgia. “That would be my guess.”

Injured King tied for No. 2 RB spot

Running backs coach Tony Ball said freshman running back Caleb King sat out Friday’s practice with a hamstring injury.

“I would have enjoyed watching him (Friday) just to see what improvements he would have made from the first scrimmage,” Ball said. “I was pleasantly surprised with how he protected in the first scrimmage, but did want to see him perform in the second, and the day before I think he tweaked the hamstring. So it was a surprise to us all that he wasn’t going to be able to go.”

Ball said King still is tied with freshman Richard Samuel for the No. 2 running back spot behind Knowshon Moreno. Samuel participated in the scrimmage and ran the ball six times for 51 yards, unofficially according to Richt.

Ball said both running backs bring different skill sets and can both “bring something to the table.”

“Richard’s stronger and a more powerful guy with great speed,” Ball said. “Caleb has quick feet, great vision and tremendous body control.”

Gray decisive as QB and punt returner

Backup quarterback Logan Gray is used to making tough decisions when reading the defense before the snap, when the pocket breaks down or when it’s time to cut it up the field and run by everyone.

In what could possibly be Gray’s other position as punt returner, Gray said he has to be decisive in order to be successful when returning punts.

“Playing quarterback, you have to make a lot of decisions and when you are a punt returner, making good decisions is a big part of it,” Gray said. “Hopefully I can do that and be consistent.”

It was announced Thursday that Gray, Moreno and Carlton Thomas had been getting a lot of looks at punt returner. Stafford said he’s tried to watch Gray when he could and that he’s done a good job so far.

“From what I hear, I watch him as much as I can, but he’s catching everything and that’s a good sign,” Stafford said. “That’s a tough thing if you haven’t done it before.”

The risk of injury to the backup quarterback is one of the coaching staff’s major concerns to having the speedy Gray returning kicks. However, Gray isn’t worried and just wants to get on the field and play.

“I’m not worried about getting hurt,” Gray said. “Obviously we still got Matthew (Stafford) and Joe (Cox) so I’m just trying to help my team with that. Punt return is going fine.”