AP College Football Poll 2024: Complete Week 12 Rankings Revealed
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVNovember 10, 2024
Bleacher Report
Oregon maintained its grip on the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, but the rest of the Top Five looks quite different following an eventful Saturday.
Upsets for Georgia and Miami opened the door for Penn State and Indiana to each move up into one of the first five spots. The Hoosiers (No. 5) are the highest they’ve been in the AP poll since 1967.
The Bulldogs and Hurricanes slipped to 11th and 12th respectively with their losses.
Week 12 AP Top 25 Poll
1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Texas
4. Penn State
5. Indiana
6. Tennessee
7. BYU
8. Notre Dame
9. Alabama
10. Ole Miss
11. Georgia
12. Miami
13. Boise State
14. SMU
15. Texas A&M
16. Army
17. Clemson
18. Colorado
19. Washington State
20. Kansas State
21. LSU
22. Louisville
23. South Carolina
24. Missouri
25. Tulane
This year’s Georgia team simply isn’t on the same level as some of the best squads of the Kirby Smart era, and something like the 28-10 loss to Ole Miss was inevitable. The Bulldogs allowed 397 yards to the Ole Miss offense while gaining 245 yards themselves.
Quarterback Carson Beck accounted for two turnovers. He threw an interception, his ninth in the last four games, midway through the fourth quarter and lost a fumble on Georgia’s next drive.
On the other side of the ball, the Bulldogs watched Rebels quarterbacks Jaxson Dart and Austin Simmons combine to throw for 263 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
The misery of Georgia fans was compounded as Georgia Tech handed Miami its first loss.
The Yellow Jackets jumped ahead 21-10 with 6:46 left in the third quarter and led by 12 early into the fourth, only to watch the Hurricanes try to storm their way back. A Xavier Restrepo touchdown catch made it a one-score game with six minutes remaining.
The stage was set for Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward to have a trademark Heisman moment as he and the offense took possession with 1:52 on the clock. He was sacked and fumbled on the second play of the drive, though, and that was that.
This was a performance from the Yellow Jackets that would’ve made former head coach Paul Johnson proud. They ran for 271 yards while totaling fewer than 100 passing yards. In the second quarter, Georgia Tech had a scoring drive that lasted 17 plays and nearly 11 minutes.
A lot of college football fans had fallen asleep by the time BYU secured a 22-21 win over Utah in the Holy War. The Cougars overcame an 11-point halftime deficit as Will Ferrin drilled a 44-yard field goal with three seconds remaining.
As dramatic as that was, postgame comments from Utah athletic director Mark Harlan overshadowed what happened on the field.
“This game was absolutely stolen from us,” he told reporters. “We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not. We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. Very disappointed.
“I will talk to the commissioner. This was not fair to our team. I’m disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight.”
Harlan didn’t specify the way in which the win was “stolen” from the Utes, but fans were left to assume he was referencing a holding penalty on cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn. The flag wiped out a sack that would’ve given Utah the ball inside the BYU 5-yard line.
Instead, the Cougars had new life and marched down the field for the winning score.
On paper, Week 12 doesn’t look like it will shake up the college football hierarchy.
Oregon, Ohio State, Texas and Penn State are all matched up against unranked teams. Indiana is on a bye before it heads to Columbus to play the Buckeyes on Nov. 23.
The stakes for Clemson vs. Pittsburgh and Tennessee vs. Georgia are lower now thanks to results from Saturday. In the case of the latter, it’s at least a must-win situation in terms of the Bulldogs’ playoff hopes, and slipping to three losses would ramp up the pressure on Smart.
