Georgia unanimously captured the postseason No. 1 spot in the final AP Top 25 after winning its first national championship since the 1980 season with a 33-18 victory over Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship. The Bulldogs earned their third top-five finish in the past five years, matching the same number of top-five finishes the program achieved over the 31 years before coach Kirby Smart took over the program in 2016.
Alabama fell to the No. 2 spot following Monday night's loss, while Michigan captured the No. 3 spot in the final rankings after losing 34-11 to the Bulldogs in the Orange Bowl semifinal, marking the Wolverines' first top-five finish since 1999. Cincinnati finished No. 4 and Baylor finished No. 5 as each claimed its first top-five finish in program history.
Down ballot, Oklahoma jumped back into the top 10 after crushing No. 22 Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. Utah State broke its way into the rankings after winning both the Mountain West and the LA Bowl, while San Diego State snuck its way into the final group. No. 18 Kentucky and No. 17 Houston played their way into the top 20 after bowl victories, while Ole Miss fell out of the top 10 following a loss to Baylor in the Sugar Bowl.
Check out the full AP Top 25 below. First-place votes are in parentheses:
- Georgia (61)
- Alabama
- Michigan
- Cincinnati
- Baylor
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma State
- Notre Dame
- Michigan State
- Oklahoma
- Ole Miss
- Utah
- Pittsburgh
- Clemson
- Wake Forest
- Louisiana
- Houston
- Kentucky
- BYU
- NC State
- Arkansas
- Oregon
- Iowa
- Utah State
- San Diego State
Others receiving votes: Texas A&M 115, Wisconsin 97, Minnesota 47, Purdue 44, UTSA 9, Army 6, Fresno State 2, Coastal Carolina 2, Air Force 1, UAB 1
