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?