College football rankings: Big Ten teams in updated Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 after Week 12
What was assumed to be a foregone conclusion for the 2023 college football season is now a reality heading into Week 13.
No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan, both 11-0 and 8-0 in Big Ten play, will face off for the right to represent the East division in the final conference title game that features the division format. The Wolverines, of course, will be without coach Jim Harbaugh as he serves the final of a three-game suspension levied by the Big Ten.
REQUIRED READING: College football schedule today: TV coverage, channels, scores for Week 12 Big Ten games
Michigan got everything it could handle from Taulia Tagovailoa and Maryland (6-5, 3-5) in a 31-24 victory (the program's 1,000th all time). The Buckeyes, meanwhile, romped to a 37-3 victory over Minnesota to set up the "College GameDay" game of the week.
The winner of that game will play No. 16 Iowa (9-2, 6-2) which won the Big Ten West on Saturday as it once again relied on its defense in a 15-13 victory over Illinois. The last ranked Big Ten team in Week 12 action, No. 12 Penn State (9-2, 6-2), withstood a first-half slugfest with Rutgers, holding the Scarlet Knights scoreless in the second half in a 27-6 victory.
The Nittany Lions will finish their regular season Friday at Ford Field against Michigan State (4-7, 2-6), which secured a wild last-minute victory over Indiana to give Harlon Barnett his second win in three weeks in East Lansing. Elsewhere, Northwestern (6-5, 4-4) beat Purdue to earn bowl eligibility while Wisconsin (6-5, 4-4) beat Nebraska to 24-17 to retain the Freedom Trophy.
Here's how those games and more impacted the post-Week 12 college football rankings, including the US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25.
College football rankings for Week 13
US LBM Coaches Poll
This section will be updated when the US LBM Coaches Poll is released.
Big Ten teams in bold. No. 1 places in parentheses.
11-0 Georgia (61)
11-0 Ohio State (1)
11-0 Michigan (1)
11-0 Florida State
11-0 Washington
10-1 Oregon
10-1 Texas
10-1 Alabama
10-1 Louisville
9-2 Missouri
9-2 Penn State
9-2 Ole Miss
9-2 Oklahoma
8-3 LSU
8-3 Oregon State
8-3 Arizona
8-3 Notre Dame
10-1 Tulane
9-2 Iowa
8-3 Kansas State
8-3 Oklahoma State
11-0 Liberty
7-4 Tennessee
8-3 NC State
9-2 SMU
Others receiving votes: North Carolina 79; UNLV 76; Utah 75; Toledo 49; James Madison 48; Clemson 25; Troy 17; Texas A&M 6; UCLA 5; Kansas 4; Fresno State 3; West Virginia 2; UTSA 1; Air Force 1;
AP Top 25
This section will be updated when the AP Top 25 poll is released.
Big Ten teams in bold. No. 1 votes in parentheses.
11-0 Georgia (61)
11-0 Ohio State (1)
11-0 Michigan
11-0 Washington
11-0 Florida State
10-1 Oregon
10-1 Texas
10-1 Alabama
10-1 Louisville
9-2 Missouri
9-2 Penn State
9-2 Ole Miss
9-2 Oklahoma
8-3 LSU
8-3 Oregon State
8-3 Arizona
8-3 Notre Dame
10-1 Tulane
8-3 Kansas State
9-2 Iowa
8-3 Oklahoma State
11-0 Liberty
10-1 Toledo
10-1 James Madison
7-4 Tennessee
Others receiving votes: Utah 69, NC State 66, UNLV 56, SMU 49, North Carolina 26, Clemson 20, Kansas 7, Fresno St. 6, New Mexico St. 3, UCLA 1, Miami (Ohio) 1, Texas A&M 1.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: College football rankings: Big Ten in updated Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 Week 12
