College football rankings: Predicting the AP top 25 poll after Championship Week
Now with Championship Week is in the books and the college football season moves to bowl season and playoff selection, it's time to get a look at the latest AP top 25 rankings.
TCU and USC both lost in their respective conference championship games, and while the Trojans are out of the playoff standings as a result, the Horned Frogs are widely expected to remain in the top four come Selection Sunday.
Where do things stand at this crucial point in the postseason? Here's our prediction for this week's top 25 rankings.
College football rankings: Predicting the AP top 25 poll after Championship Week
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25. Fresno State. After earning some votes from AP voters last week, the Bulldogs should crack the rankings after dominating in the Mountain West title game and moving to 9-4.
24. Troy. Jon Sumrall finishes his debut season with an 11-2 mark and a Sun Belt title after beating Coastal Carolina.
23. Mississippi State. The Bulldogs weren't in action this week, but finished with a statement win over rival Ole Miss on Thanksgiving.
22. UTSA. Two straight Conference USA titles for the Roadrunners after a big win over North Texas.
21. Texas. Not qualifying for the Big 12 Championship Game this year, the Longhorns are still in line for a bowl game.
20. South Carolina. Beating a pair of AP top 10 teams, Tennessee and Clemson, late in the season has the Gamecocks rising in the rankings.
19. Notre Dame. A late-season five-game win streak ended at USC, but the Fighting Irish have a foundation to build on.
18. UCLA. Losing to USC late moved the Bruins out of Pac-12 title contention, but they beat Cal in the regular season finale two weeks ago.
17. Oregon State. The Beavers ended on a high note with a win over rival Oregon.
16. Oregon. Despite the head-to-head loss to Oregon State, top 25 voters kept the Ducks ahead in the rankings and likely will this week, too.
15. Tulane. A year ago, the Green Wave won two games. This year, it won 11 and the AAC title, and is going to the Cotton Bowl as the Group of Five rep.
14. LSU. Allowing Georgia to score 50 in the SEC Championship Game wasn't a great look, and should find this team moving down the rankings ahead.
13. Florida State. Not in action this week, the Seminoles won 8 or more games for the first time since 2016 and appear to be on solid footing heading into 2023.
12. Washington. The Huskies have one of college football's premier offenses and will have a chance to show it off when bowl season comes around.
11. Clemson. Dabo finally made the switch at quarterback and Cade Klubnik helped lead the Tigers to a dominant win over UNC in the ACC title game.
10. Penn State. A strong finish down the stretch has PSU at 10 wins going into likely the Rose Bowl against Pac-12 champ Utah.
9. USC. Dropping a 23-point decision to Utah in that league title matchup dumps the Trojans out of the College Football Playoff.
8. Kansas State. AP top 25 voters could keep the new Big 12 champions behind some other teams that didn't play for their league title.
7. Utah. Expect the Pac-12 champs to crack the top 10 of the rankings after a dominant win over the then-No. 4 Trojans.
6. Tennessee. The Vols are headed to a New Year's bowl after having a shot at the College Football Playoff if not for two late season losses.
5. Alabama. Nick Saban made an appeal to the College Football Playoff to include his team, but the Crimson Tide appear to be out at two losses.
4. Ohio State. The big winner in the rankings this week after USC's loss allows the one-loss Buckeyes to crack the top four again despite not playing on Saturday.
3. TCU. Despite losing the Big 12 title game, the Horned Frogs should stay put when considering other movement further down in the rankings.
2. Michigan. For the second-straight year, the Wolverines are Big Ten champs, and 13-0 for the first time since 1879, which to say, ever. But still not enough to move into pole position given how well their SEC counterparts fared on Saturday.
1. Georgia. The consensus No. 1 team in college football, and the defending national champions, stomped on LSU by scoring 50 points to take the league title and move decisively into the uncontested top spot heading into the semifinal.
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