National Rankings: Buford No. 1 in ESPN, USA Today polls; Carrollton holds MaxPreps’ top spot
Georgia’s chances of winning a high school football national championship this season got another boost this week when Buford moved up to No. 1 in the ESPN rankings.
The ESPN poll was the second to elevate Buford to No. 1. The Wolves claimed the top spot in USA Today’s rankings last week after a quarterfinal victory over Douglas County. Buford defeated Valdosta 39-7 in the semifinals last Friday.
Buford’s opponent in the Class 6A championship game, Carrollton, also brings a No. 1 national ranking into Tuesday’s 8 p.m. game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Carrollton climbed to the top spot in the MaxPreps rankings last week after defeating previous No. 1 Grayson 34-14 in the quarterfinals.
The winner of the Buford-Carrollton game stands a good chance of finishing No. 1 nationally in at least one poll. No Georgia team has won a national championship since the 2015 Colquitt County team ended the year No. 1 in the High School Football America and Prep Force rankings.
Here is where Georgia teams stand in several national polls. The numbers on the left are this week's rankings; the numbers in parentheses are last week's rankings.
(Top 100)
1. (1) Carrollton
6. (7) Buford
13. (12) Grayson
31. (46) Gainesville
33. (33) Thomas County Central
35. (36) Creekside
40. (44) Roswell
42. (29) Hughes
68. (59) North Gwinnett
78. (72) Valdosta
80. (84) Lowndes
81. (87) Colquitt County
82. (91) Rome
(Top 25)
1. (1) Buford
2. (4) Carrollton
8. (8) Grayson
(Top 25)
1. (4) Buford
5. (15) Carrollton
17. (16) Grayson
(Top 100)
8. (8) Buford
14. (14) Carrollton
20. (20) Grayson
41. (47) Creekside
48. (51) Roswell
51. (61) Gainesville
53. (56) Thomas County Central
55. (28) Hughes
59. (58) Douglas County
74. (42) North Gwinnett
77. (66) Valdosta
80. (80) Colquitt County
(Top 100)
4. (4) Carrollton
5. (7) Buford
12. (13) Thomas County Central
14. (20) Creekside
21. (23) Grayson
53. (38) North Gwinnett
59. (96) Gainesville
61. (57) Rome
65. (31) Hughes
85. (84) Roswell
86. (83) Cartersville
91. (91) Douglas County
92. (64) Valdosta
93. (NR) Sandy Creek
98. (NR) Benedictine
(Top 25)
2. (2) Buford
3. (4) Carrollton
17. (18) Thomas County Central
22. (22) Grayson
(Top 25)
6. (6) Buford
7. (7) Carrollton
15. (15) Creekside
25. (NR) Roswell
(Top 25)
4. (4) Buford
5. (5) Carrollton
16. (16) Grayson