With the regular season coming to a close, the final Associated Press (AP) Polls were released.
While the top ten mostly stayed the same, Ohio State was the only one that slid as they fell to the No. 7 spot after losing 13-10 to Michigan. The loss puts the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten Championship Game and vaults the Penn State Nittany Lions into it as they face the undefeated Oregon Ducks on Saturday night in Indianapolis.
Each week, the polls have served as a weekly reminder of the chaos fans have been witnessing. However, not many can compare to the drop of the Miami Hurricanes as they fell six places to the No. 14 ranking after a 42-38 defeat to Syracuse. The loss was a tough one for the Hurricanes as they took a 21-0 lead before losing the lead near the end of the third quarter. This also means that they will not get the chance to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship Game as they needed a win and a loss by the Clemson Tigers to face the SMU Mustangs in Charlotte, North Carolina next weekend.
One of the biggest moves up in the poll was the South Carolina Gamecocks who defeated the Clemson Tigers 17-14. The win moved the Gamecocks up three places to the No. 13 spot, where they will hope to receive a bid by the College Football Playoff committee. While there is a compelling case for them to go to the playoff, the ESPN College Football Playoff Predictor only gave the Gamecocks a 21 percent chance at being picked. The predictor has been a key guide to fans over the last month as to what programs have a good chance of reaching the playoff and which ones do not.
With the College Football Playoff rankings being released on Tuesday, the AP Polls are a way to see which teams are trending upward and which are trending downward. With Conference Championship games being played next weekend, the playoff landscape could continue to change as several programs continue to make their case to the committee.
NCAA College Football Rankings: AP Top 25 Football Poll | AP News
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