An authoritative win over previously top-ranked Georgia was enough to catapult Alabama to No. 1 in the new AP Top 25 released Sunday. The Crimson Tide were No. 4 in the previous poll, but made a compelling case for why they deserve to be No. 1 again during a 41-24 beating of the Bulldogs in Saturday’s SEC Championship Game.
Alabama’s elevation left Michigan at No. 2 even after the Wolverines thrashed Iowa 42-3 in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday night. Notre Dame was also on the rise in Sunday’s poll, despite the fact that the Fighting Irish lost head coach Brian Kelly to LSU last week and did not play in a conference championship game. The Fighting Irish are up to No. 5 after previously coming in at No. 6.
Other big risers in Sunday’s all included Baylor jumping from No. 9 to No. 6 after beating Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game and Utah rising from No. 14 to No. 10 following its win over Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
Check out the full AP Top 25 below. First-place votes are in parentheses.
1. Alabama (50)
2. Michigan (9)
3. Georgia
4. Cincinnati (3)
5. Notre Dame
6. Baylor
7. Ohio State
8. Ole Miss
9. Oklahoma State
10. Utah
11. Michigan State
12. BYU
13. Pitt
14. Oklahoma
15. Oregon
16. Louisiana
17. Iowa
18. NC State
19. Clemson
20. Wake Forest
21. Houston
22. Arkansas
23. Texas A&M
24. UTSA
25. Kentucky
Others receiving votes: Utah State 109, Wisconsin 66, San Diego State 63, Minnesota 38, Purdue 36, Louisiana Tech 11, Appalachian State 9, Army 7, Mississippi State 4, Penn State 4, Northern Illinois 1
