Mizzou Central

Where Did Mizzou Football End up in the Final AP Top 25?

Shortly after the national championship was won, the Associated Press released its final poll of the season, with some surprising results.

Christopher Walsh

Where Did Mizzou Football End up in the Final AP Top 25?
Where Did Mizzou Football End up in the Final AP Top 25? /
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The question wasn't whether Missouri football would move up in the final rankings, but how much? After beating Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, 14-3, the Tigers felt they had a good chance to improve their final standing in the longest established college football poll. 

The answer turned out to be just one spot. 

Tuesday morning, shortly after Michigan dispatched Washington 34-13 in the National Championship Game, the final AP Top 25 for the 2023-24 college football season was released and had Mizzou at No. 8.  

For the Tigers, it was their best finish since landing at No. 5 in 2013. It also helped give the Southeastern Conference four teams in the top 10, as Ole Miss came in at No. 9.  

Meanwhile, Ohio State dropped three spots, down to No. 10. It's the worst ranking by the Buckeyes since they came in at No. 12 in 2013. 

Probably the biggest surprise of the poll was that Alabama dropped to No. 5, after taking eventual champion Michigan to overtime in the Rose Bowl. Moving up to No. 4 was Georgia, which lost to the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game.  

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 publisher of MizzouCentral. He's covered college athletics since 2004, and is the author of 26 books. 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 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's also the publisher of BamaCentral and Cowbell Corner in the SI/FanNation network

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