College football rankings: AP top 25 poll for Week 12 announced
The college football season took a few notable turns over the weekend and now it's time to get a look at the updated top 25 rankings heading into Week 12.
Up next on the schedule: the AP top 25 poll.
The voters cast their ballots overnight and the counts are in after an intriguing Saturday of games that saw three teams in the top 10 of the latest College Football Playoff rankings go down, including two would-be contenders in the Pac-12.
Oregon and UCLA both absorbed losses at home that likely dropped them from whatever slim chances they had at fighting for spots in this year's playoff semifinal, while leaders Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, and TCU all stay undefeated.
In total, eight ranked teams lost over the weekend, setting up some important changes in the middle of the updated polls.
Where do things stand now with just two games left in the regular season?
Here's your look at the latest top 25 rankings, according to the AP vote.
College football rankings: AP top 25 poll for Week 12 announced
The updated AP top 25 college football rankings
- Georgia (62 1st-place votes)
- Ohio State (1)
- Michigan
- TCU
- Tennessee
- LSU
- USC
- Alabama
- Clemson
- Utah
- Penn State
- Oregon
- North Carolina
- Ole Miss
- Washington
- UCLA
- UCF
- Notre Dame
- Kansas State
- Florida State
- Tulane
- Cincinnati
- Coastal Carolina
- Oklahoma State
- Oregon State
AP top 25 notes: Georgia leads the way with 1,574 total votes, followed by Ohio State with 1,501, and Michigan's 1,453.
Others receiving votes
NC State 77, Texas 65, UTSA 51, Troy 22, Duke 16, Liberty 15, Illinois 13, Minnesota 7, Florida 6, Boise State 5, South Alabama 1
AP top 25 biggest movers
Washington (Up 9). The Huskies rode Michael Penix's 400-plus yard passing effort to get past Oregon on the road.
Kansas State (Up 4). The Wildcats needed Will Howard back after Adrian Martinez was injured again, and Deuce Vaughn had 156 total yards in a rout over Baylor.
UCF (Up 5). A solid showing against then-AAC leader Tulane to take a share of first place in the conference thanks to John Rhys Plumlee's excellent day.
Teams that entered the rankings: Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Oklahoma State, and Oregon State
And those that dropped out: No. 17 NC State, No. 18 Texas, No. 19 Liberty, and No. 21 Illinois
College football top 25 losers
Rankings reflect College Football Playoff
No. 6 Oregon. A back and forth affair at Autzen went in Washington's favor thanks to the Huskies' aggressive passing offense and the Ducks' relative inability to stop it, and with that goes Oregon's (and maybe the Pac-12's) shot at the College Football Playoff, not to mention Bo Nix's Heisman Trophy hype after such a brilliant season up to now. Prior to Saturday, Oregon had won eight straight games and scored over 40 points in each game.
No. 11 Ole Miss. This was one Lane Kiffin and this program really wants back. A strong performance from running back Quinshon Judkins had the Rebels within striking distance to take down Alabama, but Jaxson Dart's last-ditch pass fell incomplete, dropping Ole Miss to an 8-2 mark, and likely handing the Crimson Tide a decent New Year's bowl bid in the process.
No. 12 UCLA. Being a double-digit favorite at home against an Arizona team that hasn't defeated a ranked team since 2014 is a game you just have to win. But the Bruins had no answer for Jayden de Laura as the Wildcats quarterback ran wild and now after taking this costly L, the Pac-12 loses another, if never entirely convincing, shot at the College Football Playoff.
No. 16 NC State. A 2-win Boston College got its first win over a team in the top 25 rankings since 2014 by upsetting the Wolfpack, who scored just six points from the second quarter onward as quarterback MJ Morris hit 50% of his passes for 135 yards and the Pack lost four turnovers while failing to surpass 340 total yards. NC State falls to 3-3 in ACC play and lost two of its last four.
No. 17 Tulane. With a golden opportunity to strengthen their hold on the top spot in the AAC at home against challenger UCF, the Green Wave stumbled out of the gate, surrendering 17 first quarter points and didn't really have an answer for Knights quarterback John Rhys Plumlee, who ran for almost 200 yards and 2 scores, including a long 67-yarder, while passing for a third. Tulane tacked on a pair of TDs in the fourth, but by then it was too late.
No. 18 Texas. The Longhorns' offense took the week off, but its defense made it interesting with a late touchdown. Still, it wasn't enough to hold off TCU at home, and now the Steve Sarkisian experience shifts into neutral at 11-11 overall.
No. 21 Illinois. Make it two straight Ls for a team that appeared to have the Big Ten West title sewn up, this time a 7-point decision to Purdue. Illinois still has the tiebreaker over Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, but lost the No. 1 spot in the division to the Boilermakers with this loss, and there are questions about lead rusher Chase Brown after he went down with a leg injury. And now comes a trip to undefeated Michigan.
No. 24 Kentucky. The looming subplot in the SEC the last few years was which team was going to let Vanderbilt snap its long conference losing streak. The answer was Kentucky, which allowed Vandy to convert a late fourth down and then score the winning touchdown, allowing the Commodores to snap a 26-game losing skid in SEC games. UK is now 6-4.
Undefeated college football teams remaining
And then there were four
Georgia (10-0). College football's defending national champions took care of business against Mississippi State, clinching the SEC East and setting up a date with LSU in the SEC Championship Game.
Ohio State (10-0). An easy win for the Buckeyes at home over Indiana to stay perfect, but they're dealing with depth issues at running back thanks to injuries suffered by both their top two options.
Michigan (10-0). For the first time since 2006, the Wolverines are a perfect 10-0 and now have a date against a reeling Illinois at home next weekend.
TCU (10-0). The Horned Frogs did it with their defense on the road against Texas and booked a trip to the Big 12 Championship Game in the process.
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