Purdue Receives Votes in Final AP College Football Top 25 Poll
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — In the final Associated Press College Football Top 25 poll of the season, four Big Ten programs were ranked among the top 25, but Purdue just missed the cut. After a 9-4 overall record that included a 48-45 overtime victory against Tennessee in the Music City Bowl, the Boilermakers received 44 votes.
In an emphatic victory in the College Football Playoff National Championship over Alabama on Monday, Georgia ended the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, followed by Georgia and Michigan.
Purdue's matchup with Tennessee was the most-watched Music City Bowl in more than a decade and the fourth-most viewed non-New Year's Six bowl in the last six seasons. About 5.6 million people watched the game.
The Boilermakers were led by fifth-year senior quarterback Aidan O'Connell, who threw for 534 yards and five touchdowns. Both were Music City Bowl records. In the absence of junior receivers David Bell and Milton Wright, Broc Thompson set a record with 217 receiving yards to go along with seven catches and a pair of touchdowns.
The win gave Purdue its first nine-win season since 2003, and the program is bringing 20 commits ahead of the 2022 season.
AP Top 25 Football Basketball Poll, Jan. 11
Here is the Week 16 Associated Press Top 25 College Football poll, with Big Ten teams in bold.
- Georgia (14-1)
- Alabama (13-2)
- Michigan (12-2)
- Cincinnati (13-1)
- Baylor (12-2)
- Ohio State (11-2)
- Oklahoma State (12-2)
- Notre Dame (11-2)
- Michigan State (11-2)
- Oklahoma (11-2)
- Ole Miss (10-3)
- Utah (10-4)
- Pittsburgh (11-3)
- Clemson (10-3)
- Wake Forest (11-3)
- Louisiana Lafayette (13-1)
- Houston (12-2)
- Kentucky (10-3)
- Brigham Young (10-3)
- North Carolina State (9-3)
- Arkansas (9-4)
- Oregon (10-4)
- Iowa (10-4)
- Utah State (11-3)
- San Diego State (12-2)
Others receiving votes:
Texas A&M 115, Wisconsin 97, Minnesota 47, Purdue 44, UTSA 9, Army 6, Fresno State 2, Coastal Carolina 2, Air Force 1, UAB 1
Stories Related to Purdue Football
- BOILERMAKERS DEFEAT TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS: Purdue and Tennessee combined for a record-setting Music City Bowl, but the Boilermakers came away with a timely stop to win in overtime. Wide receiver Broc Thompson was named the game's most valuable player after catching seven passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns. CLICK HERE.
- MUSIC CITY BOWL PHOTO GALLERY: Take a scroll through more than 40 photos from the TransPerfect Music City Bowl where the Boilermakers finished off the Tennessee Volunteers in a thrilling game that went into overtime. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.