CFB Roundup: Imact of Holiday weekend on Top 25, Bowl Games
In the latest AP Top 25, Georgia remained No. 1 as the two-time defending national champion has for 24 straight polls, dating back to the middle of last season. The Bulldogs received 52 of 62 first-place votes.
Michigan returned to No. 2 following a week at No. 3 and received 10 first-place votes after beating Ohio State 30-24 in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
Ohio State falls to No. 6 in AP Top 25; Michigan up to No. 2
No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Florida State and No. 5 Oregon all moved up a spot, giving the Pac-12 two top-five teams for the first time since the final ranking of the 2016 season.
AP Top 25 college football poll
First-place votes in parentheses
RANK, TEAM REC. PTS. LW
1. Georgia (52) 12-0 1540 1
2. Michigan (10) 12-0 1495 3
3. Washington 12-0 1413 4
4. Florida State 12-0 1358 5
5. Oregon 11-1 1277 6
6. Ohio State 11-1 1251 2
7. Texas 11-1 1205 7
8. Alabama 11-1 1125 8
9. Missouri 10-2 1011 10
10. Penn State 10-2 961 11
11. Mississippi 10-2 936 12
12. Oklahoma 10-2 857 13
13. LSU 9-3 809 14
14. Arizona 9-3 712 16
15. Louisville 10-2 689 9
16. Notre Dame 9-3 592 17
17. Tulane 11-1 557 18
18. Iowa 10-2 458 20
19. Oklahoma State 9-3 407 21
20. Liberty 12-0 293 22
21. NC State 9-3 269 -
21. Oregon State 8-4 269 15
23. Toledo 11-1 176 23
24. James Madison 11-1 121 24
25. SMU 10-2 108 -
The Buckeyes slipped from second to No. 6, clearing the way for Washington to reach its best ranking since finishing the 2000 season at No. 3 and setting up a top-five matchup with Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game on Friday in Las Vegas.
The final Pac-12 championship game in the conference's current form before 10 members leave for other Power 5 conferences will be its first matching top-five teams.
The last time there were two Pac-12 teams in the top five of the AP poll was 2016, when USC finished No. 3 and Washington No. 4. The last time it happened during the season was Oct. 6, 2013, when Oregon was No. 2 and Stanford was fifth.
No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Alabama held their places Sunday. Missouri moved up one spot to ninth and Penn State to No. 10.
The same eight teams have been the top eight in the country for five straight weeks, with the only loss among those teams during that span being Ohio State's to Michigan.
The last time there was no team turnover in the top eight for that long was during Weeks 11-15 in 2008. That year, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, USC, Penn State, Utah and Texas Tech held the top eight spots in some order for five weeks.
Among the top eight teams, there are only four losses, one each for Oregon, Ohio State, Texas and Alabama. Of those four losses, three have come to other teams in the top eight: Oregon lost to Washington, Ohio State lost to Michigan and Alabama lost to Texas.
Texas' loss came to No. 12 Oklahoma. Extend it out to the top 12 to include No. 11 Ole Miss, and the only loss to a currently unranked team among that group is Oklahoma's to Kansas.
MOVING IN; MOVING OUT
NC State and SMU made their AP Top 25 season debuts this week, raising to 44 the total number of teams to be ranked for at least a week this season.
Falling out for the first time this season was Tennessee, which finished its regular season 8-4 with a victory over Vanderbilt after barely hanging on at No. 25 last week.
Kansas State also dropped out again after losing a high-scoring game in the snow to Iowa State.
Rivalry Week delivered as always, with Michigan outlasting Ohio State, Alabama stunning Auburn in the final minute and Washington surviving Washington State on a last-second field goal. Georgia ran its winning streak to 29 games, while Florida State shook off a slow start to take down Florida in its first full game without Jordan Travis.
Here is a review and preview on team's in the AP Top 25.
All times Eastern
No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs
Previous ranking: 1
2023 record: 12-0
Week 13 result: Defeated Georgia Tech 31-23
Fact: The Dawgs now own the longest winning streak of any SEC team in history at 29 consecutive victories.
Next: SEC championship, Saturday vs. No. 8 Alabama, 4 p.m., CBS
No. 2 Michigan Wolverines
Previous ranking: 3
2023 record: 12-0
Week 13 result: Defeated Ohio State 30-24
Fact: The Wolverines have now won three straight against the Buckeyes (for the first time since 1995-97) after losing 15 of the previous 16 meetings. Blake Corum ran for two scores to set the school record for single-season rushing touchdowns.
Next: Big Ten championship, Saturday vs. No. 18 Iowa, 8 p.m., Fox
No. 3 Washington Huskies
Previous ranking: 4
2023 record: 12-0
Week 13 result: Defeated Washington State 24-21
Fact: The Huskies have now won eight straight games by 10 points or fewer, the longest streak in the AP poll era.
Next: Pac-12 championship, Friday vs. No. 5 Oregon, 8 p.m., ABC
No. 4 Florida State Seminoles
Previous ranking: 5
2023 record: 12-0
Week 13 result: Defeated Florida 24-15
Fact: The Seminoles have won 18 straight games, the second-longest winning streak in school history and third-longest active FBS streak.
Next: ACC championship, Saturday vs. No.15 Louisville, 8 p.m., ABC
No. 5 Oregon Ducks
Previous ranking: 6
2023 record: 11-1
Week 13 result: Defeated Oregon State 31-7
Fact: The Ducks have scored 30 or more points in every game this season thanks to another stellar effort from quarterback Bo Nix, who completed 33 of 40 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for a third score.
Next: Pac-12 championship, Friday vs. No. 3 Washington, 8 p.m., ABC
No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes
Previous ranking: 2
2023 record: 11-1
Week 13 result: Lost to Michigan 30-24
Fact: Despite Marvin Harrison Jr.'s 118 receiving yards and one touchdown, Ryan Day fell to 1-3 against Michigan while going 55-4 (40-0 in the Big Ten) against everyone else.
Next: Bowl game TBD
No. 7 Texas Longhorns
Previous ranking: 7
2023 record: 11-1
Week 13 result: Defeated Texas Tech 57-7
Fact: The Longhorns won a conference game by 50 points for the first time since 2007 and now get a chance at their first Big 12 title in 13 years, the longest gap between league titles in school history.
Next: Big 12 championship, Saturday vs. TBD, noon, ABC
No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide
Previous ranking: 8
2023 record: 11-1
Week 13 result: Defeated Auburn 27-24
Fact: Jalen Milroe's 31-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal gave Nick Saban's squad a fourth straight Iron Bowl win, its longest streak since it won nine in a row from 1973 to 1981.
Next: SEC championship, Saturday vs. Georgia, 4 p.m., CBS
No. 9 Missouri Tigers
Previous ranking: 10
2023 record: 10-2
Week 13 result: Defeated Arkansas 48-14
Fact: Cody Schrader now has the third-most single-season rushing yards in Missouri history with 1,435, behind only Tyler Badie and Devin West.
Next: Bowl game TBD
No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions
Previous ranking: 11
2023 record: 10-2
Week 13 result: Defeated Michigan State 42-0
Fact: This was the third-largest shutout of a Big Ten opponent in the AP poll era (since 1936).
Next: Bowl game TBD
No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels
Previous ranking: 12
2023 record: 10-2
Week 13 result: Defeated Mississippi State 17-7
Fact: Quinshon Judkins recorded his 15th rushing touchdown of the season Thursday, becoming the first SEC player with 15 or more rushing scores in his first two years since Herschel Walker.
Next: Bowl game TBD
No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners
Previous ranking: 13
2023 record: 10-2
Week 13 result: Defeated TCU 69-45
Fact: The Sooners have scored more than 65 points three times this season, the most among FBS programs.
Next: Bowl game TBD
No. 13 LSU Tigers
Previous ranking: 14
2023 record: 9-3
Week 13 result: Defeated Texas A&M 42-30
Fact: Jayden Daniels threw four touchdown passes to become the fifth SEC player to be responsible for 50 touchdowns in a season -- the previous four all won the Heisman Trophy. He also finished the game with 16,056 yards of total offense in his career, only the sixth FBS player to eclipse the 16,000-yard mark.
Next: Bowl game TBD
No. 14 Arizona Wildcats
Previous ranking: 16
2023 record: 9-3
Week 13 result: Defeated Arizona State 59-23
Fact: Quarterback Noah Fifita threw for a school-record 527 yards to go along with four touchdowns as the Wildcats scored their most points against the Sun Devils since 1946.
Next: Bowl game TBD
No. 15 Louisville Cardinals
Previous ranking: 9
2023 record: 10-2
Week 13 result: Lost to Kentucky 38-31
Fact: The Cardinals have now lost five straight games to the Wildcats, their longest losing streak in the rivalry since Kentucky won the first seven games between the teams.
Next: ACC championship, Saturday vs. Florida State, 8 p.m., ABC
No. 16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Previous ranking: 17
2023 record: 9-3
Week 13 result: Defeated Stanford 56-23
Fact: Audric Estimé ran for 238 yards and four scores, becoming the first Notre Dame player to run for more than 225 yards and add four scores in a game.
Next: Bowl game TBD
No. 17 Tulane Green Wave
Previous ranking: 18
2023 record: 11-1
Week 13 result: Defeated UTSA 29-16
Fact: The Green Wave reached 11 wins for the fourth time in program history as Michael Pratt threw two touchdown passes, running his streak of consecutive games with a TD pass to 26 games.
Next: AAC championship, Saturday vs. SMU, 4 p.m., ABC
No. 18 Iowa Hawkeyes
Previous ranking: 20
2023 record: 10-2
Week 13 result: Defeated Nebraska 13-10
Fact: This was the Hawkeyes' ninth win this season when scoring fewer than 27 points, breaking a tie for the most in a season over the past 40 years.
Next: Big Ten championship, Saturday vs. Michigan, 8 p.m., Fox
No. 19 Oklahoma State Cowboys
Previous ranking: 21
2023 record: 9-3
Week 13 result: Defeated BYU 40-34 (2OT)
Fact: Ollie Gordon II ran for five touchdowns, tying the school's single-game record with Barry Sanders, who did it three times in 1988.
Next: Big 12 championship, Saturday vs. Texas, Noon, ABC
No. 20 Liberty Flames
Previous ranking: 22
2023 record: 12-0
Week 13 result: Defeated UTEP 42-28
Fact: The Flames ran for 441 yards, their most since becoming an FBS team in 2018, as they completed the first perfect regular season in the team's 50-year history.
Next: Conference USA championship, Friday vs. New Mexico State, 7 p.m., CBSSN
No. 21 NC State Wolfpack
Previous ranking: NR
2023 record: 9-3
Week 13 result: Defeated North Carolina 39-20
Fact: Star linebacker Peyton Wilson finished with 15 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble as the Wolfpack won their fifth game in a row.
Next: Bowl game TBD
No. 21 Oregon State Beavers
Previous ranking: 15
2023 record: 8-4
Week 13 result: Lost to Oregon 31-7
Fact: Against the rival Ducks, the Beavers set season lows in points (7), yards (273) and time of possession (25:57).
Next: Bowl game TBD
No. 23 Toledo Rockets
Previous ranking: 23
2023 record: 11-1
Week 13 result: Defeated Central Michigan 32-17
Fact: Peny Boone rushed for 186 yards and two scores in the win, giving him eight 100-yard rushing games this year, tied for the most in FBS.
Next: MAC championship, Saturday vs. Miami (Ohio), Noon, ESPN
No. 24 James Madison Dukes
Previous ranking: 24
2023 record: 11-1
Week 13 result: Defeated Coastal Carolina 56-14
Fact: The Dukes' 42-point win is their largest against an FBS opponent since the FCS/FBS division split in 1978.
Next: TBD
No. 25 SMU Mustangs
Previous ranking: NR
2023 record: 10-2
Week 13 result: Defeated Navy 59-14
Fact: QB Preston Stone threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns as the Mustangs scored 52 first-half points en route to the win over Navy.
Next: AAC championship, Saturday vs. Tulane, 4 p.m., ABC
Stats courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information.