Following Ohio State’s 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in the national championship, the final Associated Press college football poll for the 2024–25 season was made public.
The Buckeyes and Fighting Irish are, predictably, ranked first and second, with Oregon, Texas, and Penn State rounding out the top five.
View the complete poll here, starting with the national champs and concluding with the Colorado Buffaloes, led by Deion Sanders.
Final Associated Press Poll for the 2024–25 Season.
1. Ohio State
2. Notre Dame
3. Oregon
4. Texas
5. Penn State
6. Georgia
7. Arizona State
8. Boise State
9. Tennessee
10. Indiana
11. Ole Miss
12. SMU
13. BYU
14. Clemson
15. Iowa State
16. Illinois
17. Alabama
18. Miami (Florida)
19. South Carolina
20. Syracuse
21. Army
22. Missouri
23. UNLV
24. Memphis
25. Colorado
With victories over No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 3 Oregon (41-21 in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals to offset a 32-31 regular-season loss), No. 4 Texas (28-14 in the CFP semifinals), No. 5 Penn State (20-13 in the regular season), No. 9 Tennessee (42-17 in the CFP first round), and No. 10 Indiana (38-15 in the regular season), Ohio State concluded the season with a strong record.
The Buckeyes outperformed their rivals 145-75 in the CFP and 571-206 overall.
This is the highest ranking Notre Dame has had in the AP poll since the Fighting Irish came in second place in 1993. After losing to Northern Illinois 16–14 at home on September 7, Notre Dame roared back with 13 consecutive victories, capping an incredible season.
Oregon was properly ranked third considering that its only defeat came at the hands of eventual CFP winner Ohio State. The Ducks, who finished 13-0, entered the CFP as the top seed and Big Ten champions. But in the Rose Bowl, they were at a loss to the Buckeyes by 20 points after falling down 34-0. Eugene’s future is still bright, though.
A first-and-goal on the one-yard line with a few minutes left put Texas within striking distance of tying their semifinal matchup with Ohio State, but Buckeyes linebacker Jack Sawyer made history in Columbus by fumbling back a pass 83 yards for a score to seal the victory.
However, the Longhorns’ first SEC season was a huge success, as they finished 13-3 overall and advanced to the conference championship game before falling to Georgia. With a 7-1 record, Texas took top place in the SEC rankings.
Penn State, which is consistently in the forefront of the national championship talk, completes the top five. The team put up a strong fight this year, finishing 13-3 overall, including 8-1 in the regular season in the Big Ten.
Its only losses were to Notre Dame (27-24 in the CFP semifinal), Ohio State (45-37 in the Big Ten Championship), and Oregon (by a single point). This year’s AP poll finish is the highest since 2005.
