Pac-12 Dominance: Washington and Oregon Make Top 5 of AP Top 25 for First Time since 2016

No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Florida State and No. 5 Oregon moved up in the AP college football poll Sunday, giving the Pac-12 two top-five teams for the first time since the final ranking of the 2016 season. Georgia remains No. 1 with the Bulldogs receiving 52 of 62 first-place votes. The Buckeyes slipped to No. 6, paving the way for Washington to reach its best ranking since finishing the 2000 season at No. 3. The final Pac-12 championship game in the current format before 10 members leave for other Power Five conferences will feature two top-five teams. This is the first time there have been two Pac-12 teams in the top five of the AP poll since 2016. Texas and Alabama held their places at No. 7 and No. 8, respectively. Missouri moved up to No. 9 and Penn State to No. 10. The top eight teams have been the same for five weeks, with the only loss among those teams being Ohio State’s loss to Michigan. There are only four losses among the top eight teams, with three losses coming to other teams in the top eight. North Carolina State and SMU made their AP Top 25 season debuts this week, bringing the total number of ranked teams this season to 44. Tennessee, which finished its regular season 8-4, and Kansas State fell out of the rankings. Five non-Power Five conference teams are in the AP Top 25, the most since the final 2021 poll. The SEC has five teams in the top 25, followed by the Pac-12 with four teams, the Big Ten and ACC with three teams each, and the Big 12 with three teams. The American, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and Mid-American each have one team in the top 25. Championship matchups include No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship, No. 18 Iowa vs. No. 2 Michigan in the Big Ten Championship, No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 3 Washington in the Pac-12 Championship, No. 15 Louisville vs. No. 4 Florida State in the ACC Championship, No. 19 Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Texas in the Big 12 Championship, and No. 25 SMU at No. 17 Tulane in the American Athletic Conference Championship.