Seventeen ranked teams were in action in Week 12, including three matchups between AP Top 25 teams. When the dust settled, four ranked teams lost, including two that were ranked in the top 10.
On Sunday afternoon, the latest AP Top 25 poll was released, reflecting the results of Week 12. NCAA.com is here with a complete analysis and takeaways from the latest poll.
First, here's the latest poll:
2020 College football rankings: After Week 12
|
RANK |
SCHOOL |
POINTS |
PREVIOUS |
RECORD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (62) | 1,550 | 1 | 7-0 |
| 2 | Notre Dame | 1,471 | 2 | 8-0 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 1,440 | 3 | 4-0 |
| 4 | Clemson | 1,358 | 4 | 7-1 |
| 5 | Texas A&M | 1,249 | 5 | 5-1 |
| 6 | Florida | 1,223 | 6 | 6-1 |
| 7 | Cincinnati | 1,201 | 7 | 8-0 |
| 8 | BYU | 1,109 | 8 | 9-0 |
| 9 | Oregon | 951 | 11 | 3-0 |
| 10 | Miami (FL) | 936 | 12 | 7-1 |
| 11 | Northwestern | 922 | 19 | 5-0 |
| 12 | Indiana | 899 | 9 | 4-1 |
| 13 | Georgia | 828 | 3 | 5-2 |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 693 | 18 | 6-2 |
| 15 | Iowa State | 658 | 17 | 6-2 |
| 16 | Coastal Carolina | 622 | 15 | 8-0 |
| 17 | Marshall | 498 | 17 | 7-0 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 540 | 10 | 2-1 |
| 19 | Southern California | 461 | 20 | 3-0 |
| 20 | Texas | 321 | 22 | 5-2 |
| 21 | Oklahoma State | 289 | 14 | 5-2 |
| 22 | Auburn | 259 | 23 | 5-2 |
| 23 | Louisiana | 218 | 24 | 7-1 |
| 24 | Tulsa | 164 | 25 | 5-1 |
| 25 | North Carolina | 108 | NR | 6-2 |
A unanimous No. 1
For the first time during the 2020 college football season, the 62 AP poll voters voted in unison for the No. 1 team in the land, and that's Alabama. The Crimson Tide received 60 first-place votes after Week 11, with Notre Dame and Ohio State each receiving one vote, but the two voters who hadn't voted for the Crimson Tide changed their minds after Alabama's 63-3 drubbing against Kentucky on Saturday.
Overall, the top eight teams stayed in the same order as last week: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Clemson, No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 6 Florida, No. 7 Cincinnati and No. 8 BYU.
Oregon is on the move
The highest-ranked team that improved from the Week 11 AP poll was Oregon, which climbed two spots from No. 11 to No. 9 after squeaking by UCLA 38-35. The Ducks are one of two Pac-12 schools to be ranked in the latest poll, along with No. 19 Southern California.
Clarity in the Big Ten
There were two matchups between undefeated Big Ten teams on Saturday – one in the Big Ten East and one in the Big Ten West. No. 3 Ohio State held off a second-half rally from No. 9 Indiana to win 42-35, while No. 19 Northwestern won a low-scoring affair 17-7 against No. 10 Wisconsin.
Now, Ohio State and Northwestern are the clear frontrunners in the Big Ten East and Big Ten West, respectively.
In the latest AP poll, those four teams are ranked as follows: No. 3 Ohio State, No. 11 Northwestern, No. 12 Indiana and No. 18 Wisconsin.
Liberty's undefeated start comes to an end
Liberty entered the AP poll for the first time ever this season and the Flames climbed to No. 21 after an 8-0 start that included wins over Syracuse and Virginia Tech on the road. As they tried to sweep their ACC regular-season opponents, NC State had other plans, winning 15-14 after blocking a field goal attempt by Liberty in the game's closing moments.
The loss knocked Liberty out of the AP poll.
Welcome back, North Carolina
The Tar Heels were ranked No. 18 in the preseason AP poll and they peaked at No. 5, before falling out of the poll entirely. After a 59-53 win over Wake Forest, North Carolina is back in the AP poll at No. 25 as the only new team to enter the poll since last week.
