College football rankings: Big Ten teams in final Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 of 2023 season
One day after Michigan won the College Football Playoff championship game against Washington, its spot at the top of the polls was confirmed.
The Wolverines, who never fell below No. 3 in the US LBM Coaches Poll during the 2023 season, will finish as the No. 1 team in the country in the AP Top 25, and almost certainly will boast the same ranking in the Coaches Poll, which will be released later on Tuesday, after their 34-13 win over Washington.
The two polls once crowned national champions, but ever since the advent of the Bowl Championship Series for the 1998 season, they’re largely formalities in determining what is recognized as the best team in the nation. Still, the polls are a final measuring stick for teams beyond the top spot in the rankings.
REQUIRED READING: Michigan football runs over Washington 34-13, wins 2023 national championship
Coach Jim Harbaugh’s team isn't alone among Big Ten programs in the rankings. The league entered bowl season with three top-10 teams in the Coaches Poll, but No. 7 Ohio State was stymied in the Cotton Bowl 14-3 by No. 9 Missouri and No. 10 Penn State was overwhelmed in the Peach Bowl 38-25 by No. 11 Ole Miss.
A fourth Big Ten team, Iowa, was No. 17 in the final Coaches Poll of the regular season, but the Hawkeyes were flattened 35-0 by No. 23 Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl.
Here are the final Coaches and AP polls of the 2023 season:
Final 2023 college football rankings
US LBM Coaches Poll
Big Ten teams in bold
(First-place votes in parentheses)
1. 15-0 Michigan (63)
2. 14-1 Washington
3. 13-1 Georgia
4. 12-2 Texas
5. 12-2 Alabama
6. 13-1 Florida State
7. 12-2 Oregon
8. 11-2 Missouri
9. 11-2 Ole Miss
10. 11-2 Ohio State
11. 10-3 Arizona
12. 10-3 LSU
13. 10-3 Penn State
14. 10-3 Notre Dame
15. 10-3 Oklahoma
16. 10-4 Oklahoma State
17. 9-4 Tennessee
18. 10-4 Louisville
19. 9-4 Kansas State
20. 9-4 Clemson
21. 9-4 NC State
22. 10-4 Iowa
23. 9-4 Kansas
24. 11-3 SMU
25. 9-4 West Virginia
Others receiving votes: Liberty 98, Oregon State 90, Tulane 34, James Madison 24, Memphis 23, Troy 17, North Carolina 17, USC 9, Air Force 7, UTSA 5, Northwestern 3, Fresno State 3, Boise State 3, Wyoming 1, UNLV 1, Duke 1
AP Top 25
Big Ten teams in bold
(First-place votes in parentheses)
15-0 Michigan (61)
14-1 Washington
12-2 Texas
13-1 Georgia
12-2 Alabama
12-2 Oregon
13-1 Florida State
11-2 Missouri
11-2 Ole Miss
11-2 Ohio State
10-3 Arizona
10-3 LSU
10-3 Penn State
10-3 Notre Dame
10-3 Oklahoma
10-4 Oklahoma State
9-4 Tennessee
9-4 Kansas Sate
10-4 Louisville
9-4 Clemson
9-4 NC State
11-3 SMU
9-4 Kansas
10-4 Iowa
13-1 Liberty
Others receiving votes: Oregon State 96, West Virginia 90, Tulane 76, James Madison 52, USC 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.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Big Ten teams in Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 after CFP championship game
