AP College Football Poll 2023: Week 13 Rankings Unveiled for Top 25 Teams | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Andrew Mccoy The top four of the Associated Press Top 25 poll looks a little different following Week 12 of the 2023 season.
Georgia led the way heading into the final slate of games before championship week kicks off. Ohio State leapfrogged Michigan for No. 2, while Washington overtook Florida State for No. 4 and bumped the Seminoles down into the fifth position.
AP Top 25 Poll Week 13
1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. Washington
5. Florida State
8. Alabama
9. Louisville
10. Missouri
11. Penn State
12. Ole Miss
13. Oklahoma
15. Oregon State
16. Arizona
17. Notre Dame
18. Tulane
19. Kansas State
21. Oklahoma State
22. Liberty
23. Toledo
24. James Madison
25. Tennessee
Michigan and Ohio State remained perfect Saturday to set the stage for what is likely to be a College Football Playoff eliminator in Ann Arbor two days after Thanksgiving.
The Buckeyes broke things open against Minnesota in the third quarter thanks to a 75-yard touchdown run by TreVeyon Henderson and a pair of Golden Gophers turnovers. Just over a minute into the second half, what had been a 13-0 game turned into a 27-point lead for OSU.
Big Ten Football @B1GfootballTreVeyon Henderson continues to show he is so back. 💥<a href="">@TreVeyonH4</a> x <a href="">@OhioStateFB</a><br><br>📺: <a href="">@BigTenNetwork</a> <a href="">
Michigan's 31-24 victory over Maryland featured the opposite trajectory. The Wolverines were up 23-3 in the second quarter following a Blake Corum touchdown run before the Terrapins slowly started chipping away at the deficit.
Maryland had the ball down five points inside the final five minutes of the game, but Taulia Tagovailoa's intentional grounding in the end zone resulted in a safety that ended the Terps' comeback bid.
FOX College Football @CFBONFOXIntentional grounding for a safety 😬<br><br>Tough penalty for Maryland <a href="">
Out on the West Coast, Washington survived Oregon State's upset bid.
The Huskies went scoreless in the second half to leave the door wide open for the Beavers. A five-yard touchdown run by Damien Martinez and an Atticus Sappington field goal with 10:40 to play trimmed Washington's advantage to two points.
A fourth-quarter drive that lasted nearly six minutes ended in an incompletion by DJ Uiagalelei, though. The Huskies only needed one first down to run out the clock and preserve the win.
Perhaps the most consequential outcome as it relates to the College Football Playoff unfolded in Tallahassee, Florida.
Florida State shook off a rough first quarter to coast past North Alabama 58-13, but the Seminoles saw star quarterback Jordan Travis suffer a major leg injury. While the full extent of the injury is unknown, he's all but guaranteed to miss the rest of the season.
You'd expect Washington to potentially leapfrog FSU when the CFP selection committee releases its next rankings, and Travis' injury could have an even bigger impact when it's time for the committee to finalize the playoff field.
Dan Wolken @DanWolkenIt sucks but I'm just trying to be a realist here. The committee's self-proclaimed job is to pick the 4 "best" teams which means the evaluation of FSU basically starts from square 1 next week. So we will see.
With Travis healthy, a 13-0 Florida State wouldn't have been the favorite to come out on top in the postseason. Now, the 'Noles will have long odds of just advancing out of the semifinals if they can get there.
Looking ahead to Week 13, all eyes will obviously be on Michigan vs. Ohio State, a result that could have consequences extending beyond the playoff. One wouldn't think a third straight loss to the Wolverines will cost Ryan Day his job, but he might occupy one of the hottest seats in college football.
Elsewhere, Oregon will try to maintain its outsider CFB bid when it hosts its biggest rival, Oregon State. Florida vs. Florida State and Washington vs. Washington State are among the other headliners.