There was drama in the final week of the regular season. Texas A&M lost its spot in the SEC championship game and its undefeated season with a loss to rival Texas in Austin. And with a chance to go to the ACC title game — and then perhaps the College Football Playoff — on the line, SMU lost a squeaker to Cal. Ohio State and Indiana took care of business to complete their undefeated seasons, and now will face off in the Big Ten championship game. The rest of the teams in position to reach the CFP all managed to win.
What does this all mean for the AP Top 25? Let’s break down the rankings.
Stats courtesy of ESPN Research.
All times ET.
Previous ranking: 1
2025 record: 12-0
Week 14 result: Defeated Michigan 27-9
Stat to know: Ohio State snapped its four-game losing streak against Michigan.
What’s next: Big Ten championship vs. Indiana (in Indianapolis); Saturday, 8 p.m., Fox
Previous ranking: 2
2025 record: 12-0
Week 14 result: Defeated Purdue 56-3
Stat to know: Indiana will be playing in its first conference championship game.
What’s next: Big Ten championship vs. Ohio State (in Indianapolis); Saturday, 8 p.m., Fox
Previous ranking: 4
2025 record: 11-1
Week 14 result: Defeated Georgia Tech 16-9
Stat to know: The win over Georgia Tech was Georgia’s eighth straight in the series.
What’s next: SEC championship vs. Alabama (in Atlanta); Saturday, 4 p.m., ABC
Previous ranking: 5
2025 record: 11-1
Week 14 result: Defeated Washington 26-14
Stat to know: Oregon has a 99.9 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff, according to ESPN Analytics.
Previous ranking: 7
2025 record: 11-1
Week 14 result: Defeated West Virginia 49-0
Stat to know: Texas Tech is playing in the Big 12 championship game for the first time in program history.
What’s next: Big 12 championship vs. BYU (in Arlington, Texas); Saturday, noon, ABC
Previous ranking: 6
2025 record: 11-1
Week 14 result: Defeated Mississippi State 38-19
Stat to know: Ole Miss had 11 regular-season wins, the most in program history.
Previous ranking: 3
2025 record: 11-1
Week 14 result: Lost to Texas 27-17
Stat to know: Marcel Reed had multiple interceptions in three of his past five games after having no multi-interception performances in the first seven games of the season.
Previous ranking: 8
2025 record: 10-2
Week 14 result: Defeated LSU 17-13
Stat to know: Oklahoma has a 99 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor.
Previous ranking: 9
2025 record: 9-2
Week 14 result: Defeated Stanford 49-20
Stat to know: Notre Dame has 119 points in its past two games, the most in a two-game stretch in the AP poll era.
Previous ranking: 10
2025 record: 10-2
Week 14 result: Defeated Auburn 27-20
Stat to know: Alabama has six consecutive wins in the Iron Bowl.
What’s next: SEC championship vs. Georgia (in Atlanta); Saturday, 4 p.m., ABC
Previous ranking: 11
2025 record: 11-1
Week 14 result: Defeated UCF 41-21
Stat to know: BYU had three wins this season after trailing by 14 or more points.
What’s next: Big 12 championship vs. Texas Tech (in Arlington, Texas); Saturday, noon, ABC
Previous ranking: 13
2025 record: 10-2
Week 14 result: Defeated Pittsburgh 38-7
Stat to know: Miami just completed back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time since joining the ACC.
Previous ranking: 12
2025 record: 10-2
Week 14 result: Defeated Tennessee 45-24
Stat to know: This is the first 10-win season in Vanderbilt history.
Previous ranking: 16
2025 record: 9-3
Week 14 result: Defeated Texas A&M 27-17
Stat to know: Texas went undefeated at home for the second time in the past three seasons.
Previous ranking: 14
2025 record: 10-2
Week 14 result: Defeated Kansas 31-21
Stat to know: Utah now has three consecutive wins against Kansas.
Previous ranking: 17
2025 record: 10-2
Week 14 result: Defeated Virginia Tech 27-7
Stat to know: Virginia’s 10 wins ties the program record for most in a single season.
What’s next: ACC championship vs. Duke (in Charlotte, North Carolina); Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC
Previous ranking: 19
2025 record: 9-3
Week 14 result: Defeated UCLA 29-10
Stat to know: USC is 3-1 against UCLA under Lincoln Riley.
Previous ranking: 15
2025 record: 9-3
Week 14 result: Lost to Ohio State 27-9
Stat to know: Michigan is now 3-19-1 all time against AP No. 1 teams.
Previous ranking: 20
2025 record: 11-1
Week 14 result: Defeated Coastal Carolina 59-10
Stat to know: JMU is the third team in the past 10 seasons to go unbeaten in Sun Belt conference play.
What’s next: Sun Belt championship vs. Troy (in Harrisonburg, Virginia); Friday, 7 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 21
2025 record: 11-1
Week 14 result: Defeated Temple 52-25
Stat to know: North Texas’ 11 wins this season represent the most in program history.
What’s next: American Athletic championship at Tulane; Friday, 8 p.m., ABC
Previous ranking: 22
2025 record: 10-2
Week 14 result: Defeated Charlotte 27-0
Stat to know: Tulane has had 10 or more wins in three of the past four seasons.
What’s next: American Athletic championship vs. North Texas; Friday, 8 p.m., ABC
Previous ranking: NR
2025 record: 9-3
Week 14 result: Defeated Arizona State 23-7
Stat to know: This was Arizona’s second consecutive road win against Arizona State.
Previous ranking: NR
2025 record: 9-2
Week 14 result: Defeated Memphis 28-17
Stat to know: Blake Horvath is the first player in Navy history to have consecutive seasons with 1,000 yards passing and rushing.
What’s next: Dec. 13 vs. Army, 3 p.m., CBS
Previous ranking: 23
2025 record: 9-3
Week 14 result: Lost to Georgia 16-9
Stat to know: Georgia Tech lost three of its past four games after starting the season 8-0.
Previous ranking: NR
2025 record: 8-4
Week 14 result: Defeated Arkansas 31-17
Stat to know: Missouri has now won four consecutive games against Arkansas.