College football chaos came back with a vengeance during Week 12 of the season, seeing two one-loss, top-10 teams fall out of contention for the College Football Playoff.
One of those losses was expected, though not perhaps in the manner it happened. No. 4 Ohio State absolutely demolished No. 7 Michigan State, upending the Spartans 56-7 after jumping out to an absurd 49-0 halftime lead. The other top-10 team to lose was Oregon, which was similarly dismantled in a 38-7 defeat to No. 23 Utah. (The Utes jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead by way of a last-second punt return for touchdown).
MORE: College Football Playoff Picture for Week 13
Those losses and more will affect the latest set of AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll rankings. Another game to consider is No. 2 Alabama’s 42-35 win over No. 21 Arkansas, a game that didn’t feel particularly close but somehow ended up with a one-possession difference. Will that score, coupled with Ohio State’s dominance, sway voters to put the Buckeyes ahead of the Crimson Tide? If nothing else, the battle between those teams on the Heisman Trophy front — quarterbacks C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young are the clear frontrunners at this point of the season — will be worth watching as well.
With that, Sporting News takes a look at the latest top-25 rankings following Week 12 action:
TOP-10 LOSSES: Michigan State | Oregon
College football rankings for Week 13
Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Points (No. 1 votes) |
| 1 | Georgia | 11-0 | 1,550 (62) |
| 2 | Alabama | 10-1 | 1,450 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 10-1 | 1,428 |
| 4 | Cincinnati | 11-0 | 1,388 |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 10-1 | 1,258 |
| 6 | Michigan | 10-1 | 1,250 |
| 7 | Oklahoma State | 10-1 | 1,210 |
| 8 | Ole Miss | 9-2 | 1,049 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 10-1 | 1,010 |
| 10 | Baylor | 9-2 | 977 |
| 11 | Oregon | 9-2 | 864 |
| 12 | Iowa | 9-2 | 722 |
| 13 | Michigan State | 9-2 | 698 |
| 14 | Texas A&M | 8-3 | 683 |
| 15 | BYU | 9-2 | 675 |
| 16 | Houston | 10-1 | 572 |
| 17 | Pitt | 9-2 | 507 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 8-3 | 485 |
| 19 | Utah | 8-3 | 478 |
| 20 | UTSA | 11-0 | 475 |
| 21 | Wake Forest | 9-2 | 404 |
| 22 | San Diego State | 10-1 | 257 |
| 23 | Louisiana | 10-1 | 236 |
| 24 | N.C. State | 8-3 | 196 |
| 25 | Kentucky | 8-3 | 91 |
Others receiving votes: Arkansas 67; Clemson 56; Mississippi State 42; Penn State 22; App State 20; Purdue 10; Coastal Carolina 9; Air Force 9; Oregon State 2.
DAN MULLEN FIRED: Coaching replacements | Why Florida moved on
AP Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Points (No. 1 votes) |
| 1 | Georgia | 11-0 | 1,550 (62) |
| 2 | Ohio State | 10-1 | 1,434 |
| 3 | Alabama | 10-1 | 1,423 |
| 4 | Cincinnati | 11-0 | 1,416 |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 10-1 | 1,262 |
| 6 | Michigan | 10-1 | 1,246 |
| 7 | Oklahoma State | 10-1 | 1,209 |
| 8 | Ole Miss | 9-2 | 1,060 |
| 9 | Baylor | 9-2 | 1,046 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 10-1 | 1,001 |
| 11 | Oregon | 9-2 | 849 |
| 12 | Michigan State | 9-2 | 778 |
| 13 | BYU | 9-2 | 771 |
| 14 | Texas A&M | 8-3 | 628 |
| 15 | UTSA | 11-0 | 583 |
| 16 | Utah | 8-3 | 561 |
| 17 | Iowa | 9-2 | 538 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 8-3 | 517 |
| 19 | Houston | 10-1 | 516 |
| 20 | Pitt | 9-2 | 445 |
| 21 | Wake Forest | 9-2 | 344 |
| 22 | San Diego State | 10-1 | 273 |
| 23 | Louisiana | 10-1 | 246 |
| 24 | N.C. State | 8-3 | 141 |
| 25 | Arkansas | 7-4 | 105 |
Others receiving votes: Clemson 101; Mississippi State 44; Penn State 26; App State 24; Kentucky 10; Purdue 3.
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