It should come as no surprise, but Michigan retained the No. 1 spot in the final AP Top 25 of the 2023 season following its 34-13 win against Washington in Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship. It's the first time since 1997 that the Wolverines are finishing the year on top.
The Huskies didn't drop at all following their national title game loss, finishing a 14-1 campaign in which they posted an undefeated regular season and won the Pac-12 championship, beating top rival Oregon twice in the process, at No. 2. This is Washington's highest ranked finish since 2016 when it came in at No. 4 in after making its first CFP appearance in program history.
The final AP poll of the year also reflects a continuing shift towards two preeminent conferences in college football. Nine teams ranked inside the top 10 will compete in either the Big Ten or the SEC during the 2024 season, as each league is set to see its ranks swell following an over two-year long realignment arms race.
Outside the Power Five ranks, SMU and Liberty retained a spot in the poll, though both dropped following bowl losses. This does mark the first time since the 2019 season that a non-power conference team failed to finish inside the top 10.
AP Top 25 poll
1. Michigan (61)
2. Washington
3. Texas
4. Georgia
5. Alabama
6. Oregon
6. Florida State
8. Missouri
9.Ole Miss
10. Ohio State
11. Arizona
12. LSU
13. Penn State
14. Notre Dame
15. Oklahom
16. Oklahoma State
17. Tennessee
18. Kansas State
19. Louisville
20. Clemson
21. North Carolina State
22. SMU
23. Kansas
24. Iowa
25. Liberty
