The final weekend of the regular season, Rivalry Week, delivered its expected drama but largely confirmed the established hierarchy in college football, leading to a significant but predictable reshuffling in the latest college football rankings today. The most consequential result came on Friday, as No. 16 Texas upset previously unbeaten No. 3 Texas A&M 27-17, ending the Aggies’ perfect season and knocking them out of SEC championship contention. That loss caused Texas A&M to tumble four spots to No. 7 in the latest AP Poll Top 25, while Georgia ascended into the coveted top three. The Bulldogs held off Georgia Tech 16-9 to secure their spot in the SEC title game.
Elsewhere, the top of the polls remained rock solid. No. 1 Ohio State solidified its status with a commanding win over rival Michigan, setting up a colossal Big Ten Championship Game against No. 2 Indiana. The Hoosiers completed their own perfect regular season with a rout of Purdue. The updated AP Poll Top 25 reflects the new pecking order: Ohio State (61 first-place votes), Indiana (5), Georgia, Oregon, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and Alabama rounding out the top ten. The US LBM Coaches Poll mirrored this order at the summit, with Ohio State, Indiana, and Georgia occupying the top three slots.
While the Aggies’ fall was the headline, other ranked teams navigated close calls to preserve their postseason positioning. No. 8 Oklahoma survived a scare from LSU, winning 17-13 on a late John Mateer touchdown pass to Isaiah Sategna. No. 10 Alabama needed a fourth-down touchdown pass from Ty Simpson to Isaiah Horton in the final minutes to escape Auburn with a 27-20 Iron Bowl victory, a win that likely clinched a College Football Playoff berth for the Crimson Tide. In the SEC, Vanderbilt bolstered its own playoff case with an emphatic 45-24 win over Tennessee, powered by 433 total yards from quarterback Diego Pavia.
With the regular season complete, all eyes now turn to conference championship weekend and the impending College Football Playoff selection. The results solidified the playoff picture, with Ohio State and Indiana battling for the top seed, and Georgia and Alabama set for a rematch in the SEC Championship Game with a first-round bye likely on the line. Texas’s victory propelled them to No. 14, keeping their at-large CFP hopes alive. In the Group of Five race, James Madison leads at No. 19, followed closely by North Texas and Tulane, setting the stage for a tense selection Sunday to see which team earns the automatic bid.