Big Ten earns six spots in AP Top 25 Poll

The final regular season AP Top 25 Poll has been released on Sunday morning. Once again, the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide remained on top. The Crimson Tide earned the SEC Championship win with a 54-16 win over the No. 20 Florida Gators. The Crimson Tide also received all 61 first-place votes to end the season. Furthermore, the Crimson Tide are expected to be named the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff rankings. 

Overall, the Big Ten earned six spots in the Top 25 rankings. However, their certainty in the playoff picture is murky at best. 

Despite not playing in the Big Ten Championship game, the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes stayed in place. The Buckeyes are trying to become the first team to make the College Football Playoff without a conference title in tow. Their only loss came to the No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions. Yes. The Nittany Lions were ranked ahead of the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines. They finished their thrilling season with a 38-31 win in the Big Ten title game. 

Meanwhile, the No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers dropped two spots after blowing a 21-point lead on Saturday. The Badgers had their chance to vie for the conference title by winning the Big Ten West. However, it was the Big Ten East that broke their heart. Simply put, the Badgers are three plays away from an undefeated season, possibly. Their three losses came by seven points apiece to Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan. 

Meanwhile the No. 21 Iowa Hawkeyes moved up one spot. The final Big Ten team in the Top 25 AP Poll are the No. 24 Nebraska Cornhuskers. All three of their losses came to ranked teams. However, they suffered a pair of blowout losses late in the season. 

The rest of the Top 5 includes No. 3 Clemson and No. 4 Washington. It remains to be seen which teams make the College Football Playoff. If the AP Top 25 is telling, the Nittany Lions will battle the Huskies for the final spot. 

Top 25 AP Poll

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (61)

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

3. Clemson Tigers

4. Washington Huskies

5. Penn State Nittany Lions

6. Michigan Wolverines

7. Oklahoma Sooners

8. Wisconsin Badgers

9. USC Trojans

10. Florida State Seminoles

11. Colorado Buffaloes

12. Western Michigan Broncos

13. Oklahoma State Cowboys

14. West Virginia Mountaineers

15. Louisville Cardinals

17. Auburn Tigers

18. Virginia Tech Hokies

19. LSU Tigers

20. Florida Gators

21.  Iowa Hawkeyes

22. Pittsburgh Panthers 

23. Temple Owls

24. Nebraska Cornhuskers

25. South Florida Bulls


Next Up: Will College Football Playoff selection committee choose Penn State?