AP Top 25: Michigan St up to 3rd behind, Clemson, Alabama

Michigan State moved up two spots to No. 3 behind Clemson and Alabama in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday. The last regular-season rankings

Michigan State moved up two spots to No. 3 behind Clemson and Alabama in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday.

The last regular-season rankings were released before the College Football Playoff selection committee revealed the field for the national semifinals.

No. 1 Clemson received 59 first-place votes, No. 2 Alabama got nine, and Michigan State one from media panel.

The Spartans, who were No. 2 early in the season, edged up after beating Iowa 16-13 in the Big Ten championship game.

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

• Georgia
• Utah
• Alabama
• UCLA
• Notre Dame
• Texas
• Miami (FL)
• Tennessee
• Indiana
• BYU
• Kentucky
• Texas Tech

PREREGISTER TO PLAY

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See Official Rules for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

Oklahoma slipped one spot to No. 4. Stanford moved up two spots to No. 5 after winning the Pac-12 title and Iowa dropped two spots to sixth after its first loss of the season.

Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida State and North Carolina round out the top 10.

---

AP college football website: collegefootball.ap.org