Tag: AP Top 25

The Oregon Duck is lifted up by cheerleaders on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, after the Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Oregon Ducks defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions, 45-37.

Oregon, Georgia sit atop final Top 25 poll before CFP announcement

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Oregon and Georgia, which won their conference championships on Saturday, finished 1-2 in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll of the regular season.

The poll was released just hours before the College Football Playoff selection committee was set to announce the field of 12 teams that will meet in the first-ever expanded playoff.

Oregon, at 13-0 and the only undefeated team in the poll, garnered all 62 first-place votes after its 45-37 win over Penn State in the Big Ten title game. Georgia (11-2) rose three places in the poll after defeating Texas 22-19 in overtime in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Notre Dame (11-1) jumped one spot to No. 3, followed by No. 4 Texas and No. 5 Penn State – both 11-2 – which dropped two places with their losses.

Rounding out the Top 10 were Ohio State (10-2), Tennessee (10-2), Boise State (12-1), Indiana (11-1) and Arizona State (11-2).

Arizona State had not been in the Top 10 since reaching No. 7 in 2014. Before this season, Boise State last reached the Top 10 in 2011.

Each of those Top 10 teams likely will be in the final CFP field, as will Clemson. The Tigers (10-3) defeated SMU (11-2) in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game on Saturday to lock up an assured berth – giving the selection committee a tough choice for the at least one remaining spot.

In the Top 25, Alabama (9-3) held on to its No. 11 spot, followed by SMU, Clemson, South Carolina (9-3) and No. 15 Miami (10-2). SMU plunged four spots while Clemson rose five.

The remaining Top 25 teams:

16: Ole Miss (9-3)
17: BYU (10-2)
18: Iowa State (10-3)
19: Army (11-1)
20. Colorado (9-3)
21. Illinois (9-3)
22. Syracuse (9-3)
23. Missouri (9-3)
24. UNLV (10-3)
25. Memphis (10-2)

–Field Level Media

Ohio State University football coach Ryan Day tries to join the team to sing Carmen Ohio after the Michigan game Saturday, November 30, 2024 in Ohio Stadium. As he was standing here, the melee was starting behind him as Michigan players tried to plant a flag at midfield.

Ohio State, Miami, Clemson tumble in AP Top 25 after losses

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Upset losses by Ohio State, Miami and Clemson sent those teams plummeting in the latest Associated Press Top 25 college football poll, released Sunday, as Oregon again was a unanimous No. 1.

This is the seventh consecutive week atop the poll for the Ducks (12-0).

Ohio State (10-2), which lost to Michigan for the fourth year in a row, fell from No. 2 to No. 7, with Miami (10-2) crashing from No. 8 to No. 14 with a loss to Syracuse. Clemson (9-3) lost to South Carolina and moved from No. 12 to No. 18.

A trio of 11-1 teams slotted in behind Oregon, with Texas at No. 2, followed by Penn State and Notre Dame. Georgia and Tennessee, both 10-2, jumped a spot to rank at Nos. 5 and 6, respectively.

Two of next weekend’s conference championship games will feature top-five matchups, with Oregon to play Penn State in the Big Ten title game, and Texas to meet Georgia in Atlanta for the Southeastern Conference crown.

The Longhorns and Bulldogs played in October, with Georgia victorious 30-15.

Following the Buckeyes are three 11-1 teams, all of which moved up one spot: No. 8 SMU, No. 9 Indiana and No. 10 Boise State.

The decision as to which teams will play in the expanded 12-team playoff rests with the College Football Playoff selection committee, which next meets Tuesday.

With its fourth win over a ranked opponent in the past six games, South Carolina moved to No. 13 and will wait to see if it has impressed the committee.

Syracuse (9-3), which won its first game over a top-10 opponent since 2017, entered the poll for the first time in more than two years, slotting in at No. 23. Also entering the poll was No. 25 Memphis (10-2), which had not been ranked since October 2020.

Falling out of the Top 25 was Tulane, which lost to Memphis on Thanksgiving to move from No. 18.

Texas A&M, which entered Saturday’s loss to Texas at No. 20, also dropped out of the rankings after falling to 8-4.

The remainder of the Top 25:
11. Alabama (9-3)
12. Arizona State (10-2)
13. South Carolina (9-3)
14. Miami (10-2)
15. Ole Miss (9-3)
16. Iowa State (10-2)
17. BYU (10-2)
18. Clemson (9-3)
19. UNLV (10-2)
20. Colorado (9-3)
21. Illinois (9-3)
22. Missouri (9-3)
23. Syracuse (9-3)
24. Army (10-1)
25. Memphis (10-2)

–Field Level Media

Notre Dame wide receiver Jayden Thomas (83) celebrates a touchdown during a NCAA college football game against Virginia at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in South Bend.

Notre Dame edges up to No. 6 in AP Top 25

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A lack of upsets at the top of college football resulted in little movement at the top of the Associated Press Top 25 poll on Sunday, as Oregon remained undefeated and keeps its hold on the No. 1 ranking after avoiding an upset at Wisconsin.

The Ducks (11-0) prevailed 16-13 in Madison, Wis., while No. 2 Ohio State (9-1), No. 3 Texas (9-1) and No. 4 Penn State (9-1) all won as well, preserving the top four. Indiana (10-0) remained No. 5 after a bye week.

Previous No. 6 Tennessee lost to Georgia, and previous No. 7 BYU was upset by Kansas, opening the door for Notre Dame (9-1) to move up to No. 6 with its 35-14 blowout of Virginia.

The Fighting Irish have barely been tested since their shocking upset loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2, only once winning by less than 18 (31-24 vs. Louisville on Sept. 28). That could change soon with next weekend’s game against No. 18 Army (9-0).

Four SEC schools round out the Top 10 with identical 8-2 records: No. 7 Alabama, No. 8 Georgia, No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 10 Tennessee.

BYU (9-1) fell seven spots to No. 14 after losing for the first time this season, landing one spot below a team it beat earlier this year, SMU (9-1), who survived an upset bid from Boston College.

Arizona State (8-2) rejoined the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2021 at No. 21 after its 24-14 road win at previous No. 20 Kansas State. Other newcomers included No. 22 Iowa State (8-2), No. 23 UNLV (8-2) and No. 24 Illinois (7-3).

Kansas State, LSU, Louisville and Missouri all fell from the rankings following losses.

The third in-season edition of the College Football Playoff committee’s rankings will be released Tuesday night.

The full AP Top 25 poll after Week 12:
1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Texas
4. Penn State
5. Indiana
6. Notre Dame
7. Alabama
8. Georgia
9. Ole Miss
10. Tennessee
11. Miami
12. Boise State
13. SMU
14. BYU
15. Texas A&M
16. Colorado
17. Clemson
18. Army
19. South Carolina
20. Tulane
21. Arizona State
22. Iowa State
23. UNLV
24. Illinois
25. Washington State

–Field Level Media

Nov 9, 2024; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) passes the ball in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Indiana moves to No. 5 in AP Top 25; Oregon still on top

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Oregon was ranked No. 1 in the country by the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the fourth week in a row, while Big Ten counterpart Indiana stole the show by climbing to No. 5.

The last time Indiana football reached the top five of the poll was in 1967. Both the Ducks and the Hoosiers are 10-0 after Oregon cruised 39-18 past Maryland and Indiana defeated defending national champion Michigan 20-15.

Ohio State, Texas and Penn State, each 8-1, occupy the second through fourth spots of the poll. Tennessee (8-1), BYU (9-0), Notre Dame (8-1), Alabama (7-2) and Ole Miss (8-2) round out the top 10.

Indiana rose three places thanks to Georgia and Miami falling out of the top 10. The Bulldogs (7-2) dropped from second to 11th in the poll after Ole Miss beat them 28-10 in Oxford, Miss. Miami (9-1) slipped from fourth to 12th due to its first loss of the season, 28-23 at Georgia Tech.

By beating its SEC rival, Ole Miss moved up six spots, the largest rise in the poll this week.

There were three newcomers to the poll: South Carolina, Missouri and Tulane in Nos. 23-25, respectively. South Carolina knocked out then-No. 24 Vanderbilt 28-7 on the road at Nashville, Tenn.

The other teams to drop out of the rankings were then-No. 17 Iowa State, which lost at Kansas, and then-No. 18 Pitt, which lost at home to Virginia.

The second in-season edition of the College Football Playoff committee’s rankings will be released Tuesday night.

The full AP Top 25 poll after Week 11:
1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Texas
4. Penn State
5. Indiana
6. Tennessee
7. BYU
8. Notre Dame
9. Alabama
10. Ole Miss
11. Georgia
12. Miami
13. Boise State
14. SMU
15. Texas A&M
16. Army
17. Clemson
18. Colorado
19. Washington State
20. Kansas State
21. LSU
22. Louisville
23. South Carolina
24. Missouri
25. Tulane

–Field Level Media

Oct 12, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks mascot The Duck in the middle of the crowd storming the field after the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Top 25 poll: Oregon strengthens hold on No. 1 ranking

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Oregon held on to its No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, released Sunday, and this time it was a unanimous choice for the top spot.

This is the third consecutive week at No. 1 for Oregon (9-0), which posted a 38-17 win at Michigan, and the last poll before the College Football Playoff selection committee issues its first rankings this week.

Georgia (7-1), which defeated rival Florida on Saturday, stayed at No. 2, followed by Ohio State (7-1). The Buckeyes rose a spot after handing then-No. 3 Penn State its first loss, 20-13 in Happy Valley.

Miami (9-0) and idle Texas (7-1) also moved up one place and completed the top five, with the Nittany Lions (7-1) slotting in at No. 6, down three spots.

Rounding out the top 10 were Tennessee (7-1), Indiana (9-0), BYU (8-0) and Notre Dame (7-1).

The Hoosiers moved into the top 10, rising five places from No. 13.

The biggest gain in the rankings went to SMU (8-1), which climbed seven places to No. 13 after routing previously undefeated Pitt (7-1).

Taking the biggest plunges of the week were No. 15 Texas A&M (7-2, down five), No. 17 Iowa State (7-1, down six), No. 19 Clemson (6-2, down eight), No. 22 Kansas State (7-2, down five) and No. 23 Pitt (7-1, down five).

Entering the Top 25 were No. 24 Vanderbilt and No. 25 Louisville, both 6-3. Vanderbilt defeated Auburn 17-7 to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2018 and Louisville toppled Clemson 33-21 on the road.

Dropping out of the poll were Illinois (6-3) and idle Missouri (6-2).

The full AP Top 25 poll after Week 10:
1. Oregon
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Miami
5. Texas
6. Penn State
7. Tennessee
8. Indiana
9. BYU
10. Notre Dame
11. Alabama
12. Boise State
13. SMU
14. LSU
15. Texas A&M
16. Ole Miss
17. Iowa State
18. Army
19. Clemson
20. Washington State
21. Colorado
22. Kansas State
23. Pitt
24. Vanderbilt
25. Louisville

–Field Level Media

Duck fans show their support for Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and coach Dan Lanning during the game against Oregon State.

AP Top 25: Oregon hits No. 5, Ohio State falls to No. 6

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Ohio State’s loss to Michigan sent the Buckeyes plummeting four spots to No. 6, making room for Oregon to move into the first five of the Associated Press Top 25 poll, released Sunday.

Georgia held the No. 1 spot for the 24th straight week, gaining 52 of 62 first-place votes. The other 10 votes went to Michigan, who defeated Ohio State 30-24 and rose one place to No. 2.

Washington moved to No. 3, with Florida State also climbing one rung to No. 4.

The top four teams all are 12-0.

Georgia, Michigan, Florida State and Washington all have cemented berths in their respective conference championship games. The Huskies will meet No. 5 Oregon (11-1) in the Pac-12 title game Friday at Las Vegas.

This is the first time the Pac-12, which is set to disband after this season as 10 teams defect to other leagues, had two teams in the top five since the last ranking of the 2016 season.

The College Football Playoff committee ultimately determines the four teams that will compete for the national championship, and its latest rankings will be unveiled on Tuesday.

Following No. 6 Ohio State are two other 11-1 teams — No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Alabama.

No. 9 Missouri and No. 10 Penn State, both 10-2, round out the top 10.

With a loss to Kentucky, Louisville fell out of the top 10 and dropped six places to No. 15. That allowed No. 11 Ole Miss to move up one place, followed by Oklahoma, LSU and Arizona.

Also dropping six spots was No. 21 Oregon State, which lost 31-7 to Oregon.

Out of the Top 25 this week are Kansas State and Tennessee. They were replaced by No. 21 North Carolina State and No. 25 SMU.

–Field Level Media

Sep 23, 2023; Athens, Georgia, USA; A general overall view of Sanford Stadium during the game between the UAB Blazers and the Georgia Bulldogs. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia stays No. 1 as top five in poll remains unchanged

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Georgia strengthened its position at the top spot of AP Top 25 as the first five places remained unchanged.

After the Bulldogs (8-0) defeated Florida 43-20 on Saturday, they received 48 of the 63 first-place votes, up 10 from a week ago. They earned 1,553 points overall.

Michigan (8-0) remained in the No. 2 spot after a bye week, getting nine first-place votes, after receiving 19 a week ago, and 1,494 points overall.

Ohio State (8-0), Florida State (8-0) and Washington (8-0) rounded out the top five. Ohio State pulled off a 24-10 victory over Wisconsin, Florida State had an easy time with Wake Forest 41-16 and Washington escaped with a 42-33 win over Stanford.

Oregon (7-1) moved up two spots to No. 6, while Texas (7-1) remained No. 7. No. 8 Alabama (7-1) moved up a spot, as did No. 9 Penn State (7-1). Oklahoma (7-1) dropped four spots to No. 10 after a 38-33 loss to Kansas.

The next five spots all moved up in the poll with Ole Miss (7-1) at No. 11, followed by Notre Dame (7-2), LSU (6-2), Missouri (7-1) and Louisville (7-1), which jumped three spots to No. 15.

Oregon State (6-2) dropped five spots to No. 16 after a 27-24 loss to Arizona, followed by No. 17 Air Force (8-0), No. 18 Utah (6-2), No. 19 Tennessee (6-2) and No. 20 UCLA (6-2), which pulled off a 28-16 victory over Colorado behind a stout defense.

Tulane (7-1), Kansas (6-2), James Madison (8-0), Southern California (7-2) and Kansas State (6-2) round out the poll. Kansas and Kansas State both entered the rankings, while USC made its return after a 50-49 victory over Cal.

Rivals Duke and North Carolina both dropped out of the poll following defeats.

–Field Level Media

Jan 14, 2023; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs fans at the national championship celebration at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia continues hold on No. 1 spot in AP Top 25

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Georgia retained the No. 1 spot in the latest AP Top 25 poll for a ninth straight week this season, but No. 2 Michigan is closing the gap.

The Bulldogs received 38 of 63 first-place votes and 1,536 total points in the poll released Sunday, while the Wolverines earned 19 votes and 1,504 points. No. 3 Ohio State (1,454) and No. 4 Florida State (1,408) each received three first-place votes.

Dating back to its national championship 2022 season, Georgia has occupied the top spot for 19 straight weeks, the third-longest streak in the poll’s history.

No. 5 Washington and No. 6 Oklahoma held their positions from a week ago.

Among the top six, Michigan is 8-0, while the remaining teams are 7-0.

Rounding out the top 10 are No. 7 Texas (6-1), followed by Oregon (6-1), Alabama (7-1) and Penn State (6-1).

The Nittany Lions fell three places after their 20-12 loss to Ohio State. The Crimson Tide returned to the Top 10, replacing North Carolina (6-1), which tumbled seven slots to No. 17 following its loss to unranked Virginia.

Southern California (6-2) plummeted six places to No. 24 after its last-second 34-32 loss to Utah. The Utes (6-1) rose a spot to No. 13.

Southeastern Conference teams LSU (6-2) and Missouri (7-1) each climbed four places to No. 15 and No. 16, respectively.

No. 20 Duke (5-2) and No. 21 Tennessee (5-2) fell four rungs after losses.

Making its season debut in the poll is No. 25 James Madison (7-0). Falling out was Iowa, which lost a Big Ten conference game to unranked Minnesota on Saturday.

–Field Level Media

Oct 14, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Fans hold up a Michael Penix Jr. (9) (not pictured) sign during the second half of the game between the Washington Huskies and the Oregon Ducks at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

AP Top 25: Washington moves to No. 5 after beating Oregon

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The first four teams remained unchanged in the Associated Press Top 25, released Sunday, with Georgia continuing its season-long grip on No. 1.

After that? Chaos.

Washington’s 36-33 victory over previously undefeated Oregon in an instant classic Saturday sent the Huskies up two spots to No. 5, while the Ducks fell one place to No. 9. Southern California, undefeated after beating Arizona in three overtimes the previous week, dropped from No. 10 to 18 after a shellacking from Notre Dame.

When all was settled Sunday, the Top 10 was reset.

No. 1 Georgia (43 first-place votes) was followed by Michigan (16), Ohio State (1), Florida State (1) and Washington, all undefeated.

Another pair of undefeated teams fell one spot, with idle Oklahoma dropping to No. 6 and Penn State to No. 7, despite a 63-0 rout of UMass on Saturday. Texas rose one place to No. 8, followed by Oregon and North Carolina, which climbed two places to No. 10.

Still on the outside looking in is No. 11 Alabama, followed by Oregon State, Ole Miss, Utah and Notre Dame. The Irish rose six spots to No. 15 after beating USC 48-20 in a prime-time game.

Louisville plummeted seven spots to No. 21 with a 38-21 loss to unranked Pitt.

Four teams moved into the Top 25, including undefeated Air Force, which at No. 22 is ranked for the first time since 2019.

Missouri rejoined the poll at No. 20, as did Tulane at No. 23 and Iowa at No. 24.

Dropping out of the Top 25 were Kansas, Miami (Fla.), Kentucky and Washington State.

–Field Level Media

Oklahoma fans cheer during the Red River Rivalry college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the University of Texas (UT) Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Oklahoma won 34-30.

Oklahoma and Louisville soar, Notre Dame plummets in AP Top 25

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Oklahoma’s big win over Texas in the Red River Rivalry and Notre Dame’s big loss in prime time on Saturday shuffled the Associated Press Top 25 poll, released Sunday.

Georgia remained No. 1 for the seventh consecutive week and secured 50 of 63 first-place votes after defeating Kentucky 51-13. No. 2 Michigan (11 first-place votes) held steady after a rout of Minnesota, and No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Florida State each moved up a spot and grabbed a first-place vote after lopsided wins over conference foes.

The Sooners, who defeated previously No. 3 Texas 34-30 with a final-minute touchdown, were one of the week’s biggest risers, climbing seven spots to No. 5 and joining Georgia and Michigan at 6-0. Ohio State and Florida State are 5-0.

No. 6 Penn State, No. 7 Washington and No. 8 Oregon, all idle and 5-0, retained their rankings from last week. Texas (5-1) slid to No. 9, while Southern California (6-0) dropped a place to No. 10 after a three-overtime win over Arizona.

Alabama (5-1) held at No. 11, and North Carolina (5-0) and Ole Miss (5-1) each used wins to move up to Nos. 12 and 13, respectively.

Then came Louisville (6-0), which eked into the poll last week at No. 25 but advanced 11 spots to No. 14 after defeating visiting Notre Dame 33-20. The Irish (5-2) plummeted out of the Top 10, falling 11 places to No. 21. Louisville’s win ended Notre Dame’s 30-game, regular-season winning streak against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The voters penalized Miami (4-1) for its inexplicable last-minute decision not to take a knee and run out the clock with 36 seconds left at the Georgia Tech 30. Instead, the Hurricanes ran a play, turned the ball over on a fumble and allowed the Yellow Jackets to score with 2 seconds left, handing Miami a 23-20 conference loss.

Washington State (4-1) tumbled six places to No. 19 after a 25-17 loss to UCLA, and Kentucky dropped four spots to No. 24 after the big defeat by Georgia.

Moving into the poll at No. 23 was Kansas (5-1) following its victory over UCF. Moving out was Missouri, last week’s No. 21, which fell to LSU.

–Field Level Media