Final AP Top 25 Poll Stunningly Drops Alabama to No. 5

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Shortly after the National Championship Game was played on Monday night, the final AP Top 25 was released for the 2023-24 season, and had a shocking change regarding the Alabama Crimson Tide.
After losing in overtime to eventual national champion Michigan in the Rose Bowl, Alabama dropped to No. 5. The team it fell behind? The one it beat in the SEC Championship Game to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff, two-two reigning national champion, Georgia.
Meanwhile, Oregon (12-2) tied Florida State (13-1), the team Georgia crushed in the Orange Bowl, 63-3, at No. 6. The Seminoles were the first unbeaten Power Five conference champion to be left out of the playoff, largely due to starting quarterback Jordan Travis suffering a season-ended knee injury.
As the lone unbeaten team, Michigan received all 61 first-place votes.
Final AP Top 25 Poll
Rank, Team, Record, Points (First)
- Michigan 15-0, 1,525 (61)
- Washington 14-1, 1,459
- Texas 12-2, 1,356
- Georgia 13-1, 1,328
- Alabama 12-2, 1,321
- (tie) Oregon 12-2, 1,175
- (tie) Florida State 13-1, 1,175
- Missouri 11-2, 1,092
- Ole Miss 11-2, 1,030
- Ohio State 11-2, 1,006
- Arizona 10-3, 861
- LSU 10-3, 853
- Penn State 10-3, 796
- Notre Dame 10-3, 745
- Oklahoma 10-3, 691
- Oklahoma State 10-4, 528
- Tennessee 9-4, 442
- Kansas State 9-4, 402
- Louisville 10-4, 398
- Clemson 9-4, 327
- North Carolina State 9-4 244
- SMU 11-3, 183
- Kansas 9-4, 153
- Iowa 10-4, 150
- Liberty, 13-1, 139
Others receiving votes: Oregon St. 96, West Virginia 90, Tulane 76, James Madison 52, Southern Cal 35, Memphis 32, Utah 14, Troy 10, Air Force 8, Toledo 7, Duke 6, Kentucky 4, UCLA 4, Miami (Ohio) 4, UTSA 3, Wyoming 2, Northwestern 2, Ohio 1.
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Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites . He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 27 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.
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