Michigan, Washington, Texas and Florida State were the top four teams in the final AP Top 25 poll before the College Football Playoff rankings were revealed Sunday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Alabama, which is No. 4 in the CFP rankings, was No. 5 in the AP poll after its win against Georgia, which fell five spots to No. 6.
- Michigan moved to No. 1 for the first time since winning the 1997 national championship, ending Georgia’s run of 24 consecutive appearances atop the AP poll. Washington’s No. 2 ranking is its highest since 1997 as well.
- No. 7 Ohio State, No. 8 Oregon, No. 9 Missouri and No. 10 Penn State round out the AP top 10.
Full AP Top 25
1. Michigan (51 first-place votes)
2. Washington (11)
3. Texas
4. Florida State
5. Alabama
6. Georgia
7. Ohio State
8. Oregon
9. Missouri
10. Penn State
11. Ole Miss
12. Oklahoma
13. LSU
14. Arizona
15. Notre Dame
16. Louisville
17. SMU
18. Liberty
19. NC State
20. Iowa
21. Oregon State
22. Oklahoma State
23. Tulane
24. James Madison
25. Tennessee
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Others receiving votes: Clemson 87, Troy 65, Utah 39, Kansas State 38, Miami (OH) 31, Toledo 22, Kansas 8, Kentucky 4
GO DEEPER
Behind the AP Top 25 ballot: How does the poll compare to the College Football Playoff?
Who should be in the top four?
The top of my ballot was No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Washington, No. 3 Florida State and No. 4 Texas. In most years, Alabama would warrant inclusion in the top four as a 12-1 SEC champion with a win against previously unbeaten Georgia, but this is not an ordinary year. It’s clear unbeaten Michigan and Washington can’t be denied as the top two. Beyond them, yes, Florida State lost quarterback Jordan Travis to an injury, but it won at rival Florida and in the ACC title game against a top-15 Louisville team without him. Even if the Seminoles clearly aren’t quite the same, I felt they earned a top-four spot over the course of the season as an unbeaten Power 5 champion with a runaway win against LSU.
For the fourth spot on my ballot, I didn’t hesitate to pick Big 12 champion Texas, which owns a 10-point road win against Alabama. Yes, Alabama has improved greatly since that day in September … but then again we’re just a week removed from Alabama needing a miracle fourth-down touchdown to beat 6-6 Auburn. The Crimson Tide have a strong resume, but not enough to overcome the head-to-head loss to the Longhorns and the undefeated record of the Seminoles — at least in the eyes of this one AP voter out of 62.
Rare disagreement with the CFP
The AP poll and the College Football Playoff rankings have typically matched each other. Prior to this season, the only time AP voters and the selection committee differed on who a top-four team should be was the first year of the CFP in 2014. That year, the AP poll tabbed Baylor fourth; the CFP opted for Ohio State, which went on to win the national title. Otherwise, the only top-four differences have been flipped No. 2 and No. 3 teams in 2014 and 2016.
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However, there has never been a debate quite like this one in the 10 years of the four-team format. After years of relatively clear selections, we finally got a different result again with Alabama picked in the top four instead of Florida State. The decade of four-team Playoff fields started with rankings disagreement, and it’ll finish with it too before the bracket expands to 12 in 2024.
Required reading
(Photo: Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images)
