Final AP Poll: UCLA Football Falls Several Spots, Remains in Top 25
The college football season has come to a close, and a lackluster end to the campaign knocked the Bruins down the rankings.
UCLA football (9-4, 6-3 Pac-12) earned 243 points in the final edition of the AP Poll on Tuesday, slotting them in at No. 21 in the country. The Bruins were at No. 18 after conference championship weekend, but their performance in the Sun Bowl wound up costing them three spots.
Still, this marks the first time UCLA earned a single vote in the final AP poll through five seasons of coach Chip Kelly donning the headset in Westwood.
After starting the year 6-0 and sitting at 8-1 midway through November, the Bruins closed the year on a 1-3 skid that prevented them from hitting 10 wins for the first time in eight years. That all came to a head in El Paso on Dec. 30, when UCLA blew a 14-point second half lead and lost to Pittsburgh 37-35.
The Panthers had just four points in the receiving votes section in early December, but they moved up to No. 22 after the Sun Bowl.
UCLA also came in at No. 21 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll, and they ended the year at No. 27 in ESPN's Football Power Index.
Towards the top of the AP Poll, Georgia stayed at No. 1 after dismantling TCU in Monday night's College Football Playoff national championship game. The Horned Frogs still moved up to No. 2, considering they beat Michigan in the semifinals, bumping the Wolverines down to No. 3.
Washington climbed all the way to No. 8 after beating Texas in the Alamo Bowl, solidifying them as the highest-ranked team in the Pac-12. Utah fell three spots to No. 10 after losing the Rose Bowl to Penn State, while USC fell four spots to No. 12 after losing to Tulane in the Cotton Bowl. The Green Wave locked in a spot in the final AP Poll for just the second time in the last 49 years after coming back to defeat the Trojans 46-45, moving up to No. 9 in the process.
Oregon stayed put at No. 15 after sneaking by North Carolina in the Holiday Bowl, while Oregon State remained at No. 17 after blowing out Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl.
UCLA was the lowest-ranked of the six Pac-12 programs that ended the year in the top 25. Still, the Conference of Champions tied the SEC for most top 25 teams in Tuesday morning's rankings, and they doubled the output of the Big Ten and ACC.
The full AP Poll is listed below:
1. Georgia (15-0), 1575 points (63 first-place votes)
2. TCU (13-2), 1484
3. Michigan (13-1), 1438
4. Ohio State (11-2), 1382
5. Alabama (11-1), 1303
6. Tennessee (11-2), 1294
7. Penn State (11-2), 1200
8. Washington (11-2), 1097
9. Tulane (12-2), 1025
10. Utah (10-4), 876
11. Florida State (10-3), 814
12. USC (11-3), 795
13. Clemson (11-3), 791
14. Kansas State (10-4), 784
15. Oregon (10-3), 758
16. LSU (10-4), 757
17. Oregon State (10-3), 742
18. Notre Dame (9-4), 535
19. Troy (12-2), 322
20. Mississippi State (9-4), 320
21. UCLA (9-4), 243
22. Pittsburgh (9-4), 233
23. South Carolina (8-5), 180
24. Fresno State (10-4), 164
25. Texas (8-5), 95
Others Receiving Votes: Duke 49, UTSA 45, Air Force 40, Boise State 38, Minnesota 35, Texas Tech 19, North Carolina 8, North Carolina State 6, Iowa 4, Louisville 3, Purdue 3, Maryland 2, Marshall 2, Cincinnati 1, Illinois 1
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