FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas is playing five of the 25 teams ranked in The Associated Press preseason football poll released Saturday, but the Razorbacks don’t face No. 1 Georgia.

The Bulldogs, who edged Ohio State for the top spot, don’t come back on Arkansas’ schedule until 2009 when Georgia replaces Kentucky in the SEC rotation.

Arkansas’ opponents who open this season in the AP poll are No. 5 Florida, No. 7 LSU, No. 10 Auburn, No. 11 Texas and No. 24 Alabama.

Tennessee is ranked No. 18, but the Vols are off the Razorbacks ’ schedule this season with Florida as a replacement.

ADVERTISEMENT

Another of Arkansas’ SEC opponents, South Carolina, just missed making the AP poll. The Gamecocks technically are No. 26 in the voting with 84 points.

The Razorbacks return just nine starters from last season’s 8-5 team and lost two first-round NFL Draft picks in running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, but Arkansas received 14 points, good for 37 th place in the AP voting.

Perhaps some voters have put their faith in the depleted Razorbacks because of their new coach, Bobby Petrino, who was 41-9 in four seasons at Louisville. His last three Cardinals teams from 2004-2006 finished No. 7, No. 19 and No. 6 in the AP polls.

Adding to the degree of difficulty with the Razorbacks ’ schedule is a four-game stretch in September and October in which every opponent is in the preseason poll.

Arkansas renews its series with Southwest Conference rival Texas at Austin on Sept. 13, plays Alabama on Sept. 20, then after an open date plays Florida on Oct. 4 and at Auburn on Oct. 11.

The Razorbacks’ schedule also includes the past three AP and BCS national championships — Texas in 2005, Florida in 2006 and LSU in 2007.

Georgia is attempting to become the third consecutive SEC team to win a national title.

The last time the SEC claimed three national championships in a row was when Alabama won in 1978 and 1979 and Georgia won in 1980.

No conference ever has had three different teams win consecutive national titles.

Georgia is a popular choice for No. 1 entering this season because the Bulldogs return 16 starters from an 11-2 team that finished No. 2 last year after beating Hawaii 41-10 in the Sugar Bowl.

The Bulldogs received 22 firstplace votes and 1, 528 points from a panel of 65 media members.

“To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it’s exciting for us,” Bulldogs Coach Mark Richt told the AP. “I don’t think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we’re pretty good.”

Ohio State, which lost to Florida and LSU by a combined 79-38 in the past two BCS title games, returns 20 starters from an 11-2 team and received 21 firstplace votes and 1, 506 points.

Southern California, where former Springdale and Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain could start the Aug. 30 opener against Virginia in place of injured Mark Sanchez, is ranked No. 3 and received 12 first-place votes.

Mustain, a redshirt sophomore who transferred from Arkansas to USC last year, is competing for the No. 1 job with redshirt freshman Aaron Corp while Sanchez recovers from a dislocated left kneecap.

Ohio State plays at USC on Sept. 12 in one of the early-season marquee matchups nationally.

Georgia also has a tough test out West with a game at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. That game is sandwiched between the Bulldogs’ SEC opener at South Carolina on Sept. 13 and playing Alabama on Sept. 27.

“I think it motivates the guys to prepare well,” Richt told the AP of being ranked No. 1. “But the big thing is, if you think about a championship way back in January... that can wear you down. It’s our responsibility as coaches to help these guys break it down to one day at a time, one workout at a time, one practice at a time. Just prepare to be in position for the challenge.

“ If we don’t work, we’ll have no chance.”