Bama Central

Final AP Top 25 Poll Stunningly Drops Alabama to No. 5

Crimson Tide falls behind team it beat in SEC Championship Game, Georgia, after losing in overtime to eventual national champion Michigan in Rose Bowl.

Christopher Walsh

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Shortly after the National Championship Game was played on Monday night, the final AP Top 25 was released for the 2023-24 season, and had a shocking change regarding the Alabama Crimson Tide.

After losing in overtime to eventual national champion Michigan in the Rose Bowl, Alabama dropped to No. 5. The team it fell behind? The one it beat in the SEC Championship Game to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff, two-two reigning national champion, Georgia. 

Meanwhile, Oregon (12-2) tied Florida State (13-1), the team Georgia crushed in the Orange Bowl, 63-3, at No. 6. The Seminoles were the first unbeaten Power Five conference champion to be left out of the playoff, largely due to starting quarterback Jordan Travis suffering a season-ended knee injury.

As the lone unbeaten team, Michigan received all 61 first-place votes. 

Final AP Top 25 Poll

Rank, Team, Record, Points (First)

  1. Michigan 15-0, 1,525 (61)
  2. Washington 14-1, 1,459
  3. Texas 12-2, 1,356
  4. Georgia 13-1, 1,328
  5. Alabama 12-2, 1,321
  6. (tie) Oregon 12-2, 1,175
  7. (tie) Florida State 13-1, 1,175
  8. Missouri 11-2, 1,092
  9. Ole Miss 11-2, 1,030
  10. Ohio State 11-2, 1,006
  11. Arizona 10-3, 861
  12. LSU 10-3, 853
  13. Penn State 10-3, 796
  14. Notre Dame 10-3, 745
  15. Oklahoma 10-3, 691
  16. Oklahoma State 10-4, 528
  17. Tennessee 9-4, 442
  18. Kansas State 9-4, 402
  19. Louisville 10-4, 398
  20. Clemson 9-4, 327
  21. North Carolina State 9-4 244
  22. SMU 11-3, 183
  23. Kansas 9-4, 153
  24. Iowa 10-4, 150
  25. Liberty, 13-1, 139 

Others receiving votes: Oregon St. 96, West Virginia 90, Tulane 76, James Madison 52, Southern Cal 35, Memphis 32, Utah 14, Troy 10, Air Force 8, Toledo 7, Duke 6, Kentucky 4, UCLA 4, Miami (Ohio) 4, UTSA 3, Wyoming 2, Northwestern 2, Ohio 1.

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Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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