The voting habits of the AP Top 25 poll voters and the College Football Playoff selection committee have often differed, but the way Week 12 played out with two top-10 teams losing and Ohio State putting on a show in one of the most-typed top-10 matchups of the season bring some interesting debates to the top of the rankings. After Sunday’s balloting, the AP voters have Georgia still the unanimous No. 1, but the Buckeyes have jumped from No. 5 all the way to No. 2 in the new poll.
Ohio State is followed by Alabama at No. 3 and Cincinnati at No. 4, with each team giving up one spot in the poll because of the Buckeyes notable leap. Notre Dame moved up to No. 5, followed by Michigan, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Baylor and Oklahoma to round out the top 10.
Oregon predictably had one of the most notable drops in the rankings, down seven spots to No. 11 after its loss at Utah. Michigan State also joined the Ducks on the slide down following its defeat to the Buckeyes, dropping five spots to No. 12. The Spartans opponent might not have warranted a major adjustment, but the 56-7 final score made it tough for voters who favor recent results or recent form for tiebreakers.
Clemson’s win against Wake Forest sent the Demon Deacons spiraling down eight spots to No. 21, while the Tigers got more votes than they did last week but did not crack the top 25, checking in as the first team in Others Receiving Votes.
Check out the full AP Top 25 poll below:
- Georgia (62 first-place votes)
- Ohio State
- Alabama
- Cincinnati
- Notre Dame
- Michigan
- Oklahoma State
- Ole Miss
- Baylor
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Michigan State
- BYU
- Texas A&M
- UTSA
- Utah
- Iowa
- Wisconsin
- Houston
- Pittsburgh
- Wake Forest
- San Diego State
- Louisiana
- NC State
- Arkansas
Others receiving votes: Clemson 101, Mississippi State 44, Penn State 26, Appalachian State 24, Kentucky 10, Purdue 3
Dropped out: None
