Tag: Associated Press

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

Oct 18, 2024; Provo, Utah, USA; Brigham Young Cougars cheerleaders run with flags after a score against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the fourth quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Oregon still No. 1, but top teams shuffled in AP Top 25 poll

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The top four teams in the Associated Press Top 25 held their spots in the latest poll, released Sunday, and were joined by three new teams.

Oregon (8-0) received 61 of the 62 first-place votes to remain at No. 1, followed by Georgia (6-1), which received the other vote. They were followed by Penn State (7-0), Ohio State (6-1) and Miami (8-0), which jumped a spot to round out the top five.

Texas (7-1), which rebuffed a stiff challenge from Vanderbilt on Saturday, dropped a spot to No. 6, with Tennessee (6-1) staying at No. 7.

New to the top 10 this week are Notre Dame (7-1), which jumped four spots to No. 8; BYU (8-0), up from No. 9; and Texas A&M, No. 14 last week and one of four Southeastern Conference programs in the group.

Idle Clemson (6-1) fell out of the top 10 and landed at No. 11, followed by Iowa State (7-0), Indiana (8-0), Alabama (6-2) and Boise State (6-1), up two places to No. 15.

Taking the biggest plunge was LSU (6-2), which fell eight rungs to No. 16 after being trounced by Texas A&M 38-23. Missouri and Illinois, both 6-2, each dropped four places after losses. Illinois is No. 24, one spot ahead of Missouri.

Leaving the poll this week were the two teams at the bottom of the poll last week: No. 24 Navy and No. 25 Vanderbilt. Navy (6-1) was manhandled by Notre Dame, 51-14, while Vanderbilt gave Texas all it could handle as the Commodores lost 27-24.

Entering the Top 25 were No. 22 Washington State (7-1) and No. 23 Colorado (6-2).

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

–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

Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day walks into Ohio Stadium behind Brutus Buckeye prior to the NCAA football game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

AP Top 25: Georgia stays at No. 1; Ohio State, Michigan trade places

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Ohio State overtook Michigan to capture the No. 2 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, released Sunday, as the bitter rivals prepare to meet next weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Wolverines, without suspended coach Jim Harbaugh, earned their 1,000th program victory on Saturday against Maryland but dropped one spot to No. 3.

Georgia, which has sat atop the poll all season, remained No. 1 and earned 61 of 62 first-place votes, with the remaining vote going to the Buckeyes.

Washington, after a 22-20 win over then-No. 10 Oregon State, rose a spot to No. 4, trading places with No. 5 Florida State. The Seminoles defeated North Alabama on Saturday but lost their starting quarterback, Jordan Travis, to an apparently serious left leg injury.

Each of the teams in the top five is 11-0. The College Football Playoff committee, which ultimately determines the four teams that will contest for the national championship, will issue its updated rankings on Tuesday.

This week, the CFP had Georgia at No. 1, followed by Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State and Washington.

The AP Top 25 ranking for the No. 6 through 9 teams remained unchanged Sunday, with No. 6 Oregon followed by Texas, Alabama and Louisville — a quartet of 10-1 teams.

Oregon State (8-3) plummeted five spots to No. 15.

Moving up one spot to No. 10 was Missouri, followed by Penn State, Ole Miss and Oklahoma, all 8-2. LSU (9-3) stands at No. 14.

With losses Saturday, James Madison (10-1) plunged six spots to No. 24, with Tennessee falling four positions to No. 25.

The biggest riser was No. 19 Kansas State (8-3), which climbed four places after defeating Kansas.

Falling out of the Top 25 for the first time this season is Utah, which was ranked No. 16 before its 42-18 loss at Arizona. The Wildcats (8-3) assumed the No. 16 position.

Also out is North Carolina following a loss to Clemson.

No. 20 Iowa rejoined the Top 25 with a win over Illinois that clinched the Big Ten west division title. Entering the poll for the first time was Toledo (10-1) at No. 23.

–Field Level Media

The Bulldog cheerleaders run out on the field ahead of the team before the start of the annual Florida vs Georgia football game at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL, Saturday, October 27, 2023. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]

Georgia holds No. 1 spot in Top 25 poll for 22nd straight week

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Georgia is No. 1 — again — in the Associated Top 25 poll released Sunday, a spot the Bulldogs now have held for 22 straight weeks.

It is the second-longest stretch at No. 1 for any team, trailing Southern California, which topped the poll 33 straight weeks from 2003-05.

Georgia captured 54 of 62 first-place tallies from poll voters, who disagree with the College Football Playoff committee. For the second straight week, the committee put Ohio State at No. 1, followed by Georgia and Michigan in its standings.

The next CFP standings come out Tuesday.

The top eight in the AP poll remained unchanged this week. Michigan, with seven first-place votes, was No. 2, followed by Ohio State (one first-place vote), Florida State and Washington. Each team in the top five owns a 10-0 record.

No. 6 Oregon led a quartet of 9-1 teams and was followed by Texas, Alabama, Louisville and No. 10 Oregon State (8-2).

Louisville and Oregon State moved into the top 10 for the first time this season. Louisville last reached the top 10 in November 2016. The Beavers haven’t climbed that high since October 2012.

Moving out of the top 10 was Penn State, which fell three spots to No. 12, after its loss to Michigan on Saturday. Ole Miss also dropped three ticks to No. 13 after being beaten by Georgia.

Big losses on Saturday led Tennessee and Oklahoma State, both 7-3, to plummet in the poll.

The Volunteers fell seven spots to No. 21 after Missouri defeated them 36-7. The Cowboys dropped nine places to No. 24 after being manhandled by UCF 45-3.

Missouri’s win sent the Tigers up five notches to No. 11.

A trio of teams from non-power conferences — No. 17 Tulane (9-1), No. 18 James Madison (10-0) and No. 25 Liberty (10-0) — remained in the rankings.

Falling out was Kansas after being upset by Texas Tech. Kansas State (7-3) replaced them and landed at No. 23.

The two Kansas teams meet next Saturday on the Jayhawks’ home field in Lawrence.

–Field Level Media

Nov 4, 2023; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) catches a 4-yard touchdown in front of Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive back Robert Longerbeam (7) during the second half of the NCAA football game at SHI Stadium. Ohio State won 35-16.

No. 1 Georgia, top teams hold places in AP Top 25

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The Associated Press Top 25 voters and the College Football Playoff committee disagree when it comes to the order of the top three teams in the nation.

In the most recent AP Top 25 poll, released Sunday, Georgia held on to the No. 1 spot, followed by Michigan and Ohio State. That’s the same result as last Sunday’s poll but a variance of the first CFP standings when they were announced Tuesday, which had Ohio State at No. 1, followed by Georgia and Michigan.

All three teams won Saturday to move to 9-0. They are followed by another pair of 9-0 teams — No. 4 Florida State and No. 5 Washington.

The top nine were unchanged from last week. No. 6 Oregon is followed by Texas, Alabama and Penn State in a collection of 8-1 teams. No. 10 Ole Miss moved up one spot when previous No. 10 Oklahoma fell to 17 following its rivalry loss to Oklahoma State.

Notre Dame (7-3) fell 10 places to No. 22 following its loss to unranked Clemson. Southern California dropped out of the Top 25 for the first time in the Lincoln Riley era as the Trojans now have lost three of their last four games — surrendering an average of 45.8 points per game.

In contrast to the Irish and Trojans was Oklahoma State (7-2), which had yet to be ranked this season but entered the poll at No. 15.

Three other teams moved into the rankings this week — No. 23 Arizona, No. 24 North Carolina and No. 25 Liberty. Arizona has bested three straight ranked opponents following its win Saturday over UCLA. Liberty is 9-0.

The Bruins fell out of the poll, as did previously unbeaten Air Force and Kansas State, which lost in overtime to Texas.

–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