The latest version of the AP Top 25 college football rankings have been released, and there was some movement in the Week 14 poll.
Everyone was waiting for a week to really shake things up in the rankings and we finally got in thanks to Rivalry Week. College football fans were treated to an exciting slate of games which saw a couple of top-10 upsets.
The biggest game of the day had to be Michigan vs. Ohio State. With a win, the Wolverines would lock up their first Big Ten East title and a trip to the championship game against Northwestern with a more than likely chance to make the playoff. Ohio State needed to win just to stay relevant in the playoff conversation and win the division. The Buckeyes and Urban Meyer took care of business yet again, 62-39.
Oklahoma and West Virginia had an exciting game as well as the Sooners won the ‘defense optional’ battle, 59-56. Kyler Murray and Will Grier put on a show as Oklahoma kept its playoff hopes afloat.
Washington went on the road to win the Apple Cup over a red-hot Washington State team in the snow and Notre Dame likely locked up the first playoff spot with a win over USC, improving to 12-0 on the season.
Moreover, Florida knocked Florida State out of bowl contention for the first time in 36 years, Boise State and Utah State battled for Mountain West supremacy and LSU and Texas A&M battled in the longest, highest-scoring FBS game in history.
With all of that action, there was plenty of movement in the Week 14 AP Top 25, right before conference championship week.
Here’s what the latest AP Top 25 looks like.
1. Alabama (61)
2. Clemson
3. Notre Dame
4. Georgia
5. Oklahoma
6. Ohio State
7. UCF
8. Michigan
9. Texas
10. Washington
11. Florida
12. Washington State
12. LSU
14. Penn State
15. West Virginia
16. Kentucky
17. Utah
18. Syracuse
19. Boise State
20. Mississippi State
21. Northwestern
22. Texas A&M
23. Army
24. Iowa State
25. Fresno State
Others receiving votes: Utah State 92, Missouri 88, NC State 39, Cincinnati 33, Stanford 10, Iowa 4, Appalachian State 1, Buffalo 1, Oregon 1.
The biggest winners of this week’s poll had to be Ohio State, Texas A&M, Washington and Oklahoma. Two of those teams still have playoff aspirations while the others shifted into better bowl position. The biggest winner of the week was easily the Buckeyes as they are now in prime position.
The biggest losers? Michigan easily takes the cake, dropping from that No. 4 spot. Washington State and LSU also dropped out of the top-10 with losses. Rough week for some playoff hopefuls.