AP College Football Poll 2016: Week 13 Rankings Unveiled for Top 25 Teams

While it's unlikely the College Football Playoff committee's Top Four sees any changes this week, the latest Associated Press poll reflects a series of other changes that might be followed come Tuesday. 

Alabama remains the nation's unquestioned top team, followed by Ohio State, Michigan, Clemson and Wisconsin. Louisville, ranked third in last week's poll, fell all the way to No. 11 after a shocking 36-10 loss to Houston.

Here is a look at how the entire Top 25 played out:

The Cardinals, who were seemingly well-positioned for a playoff berth, since Ohio State and Michigan play each other in Week 13, saw their season fall apart Thursday night. Greg Ward Jr. threw two touchdowns, and Lamar Jackson had his worst game of the season, as Houston never trailed in a 36-10 romp over Louisville. The Cougars led, 31-0, at halftime and held Jackson to just 244 total yards.

Widely considered the Heisman favorite coming into Week 12, Jackson completed just 20-of-43 passes for 211 yards and was held to 33 yards on 25 carries. It was his second straight game of failing to account for multiple touchdowns.

"We hadn't gone anywhere," Houston coach Tom Herman told reporters. "We've been here all along. We were banged up. We were beat up. We were tired and exhausted in the month of October. That's not an excuse. That's reality. Our guys fought through that adversity and never wavered. We proved we can play with anybody in the country."

Houston previously rose as high as No. 6 after starting the season 5-0 and defeating Oklahoma. The Cougars then lost at Navy and SMU in a span of three weeks to fall out of the rankings.

Ohio State nearly saw its season crumble in a similar manner in a nail-biter against Michigan State. The Spartans failed on a fourth-quarter two-point conversion attempt that would have put them ahead with less than five minutes remaining and never got into scoring position again.

"I don't think they're far, just got a lot of respect," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer told reporters of Michigan State. "I've been in the fox hole against those guys and I know their coaching staff very well and I have great respect for them. I think they're tough, I think they shot everything they had at us today and they played very hard, but I don't expect anything different." 

Ohio State's 17-16 victory makes the Buckeyes seem vulnerable heading into next week's critical matchup with Michigan. The Wolverines, meanwhile, did not look much better in their 20-10 win over Indiana. They accounted for just 284 yards, with quarterback John O'Korn struggling his way to a 59-yard outing. O'Korn was making his first start in place of the injured Wilton Speight.

Saturday's matchup may rank as the biggest pre-playoff game of the season. The winner will almost certainly lock itself into a playoff spot, and Ohio State has the chance to open the door for Penn State as well. If the eighth-ranked Nittany Lions defeat Michigan State on Saturday and the Buckeyes beat Michigan, Penn State will then advance to the Big Ten title game.

Should Michigan win, it would represent the East in the conference championship.

Elsewhere, Oklahoma continued its return to power with a 56-28 win over West Virginia. The Sooners are undefeated in Big 12 play and may be creeping up on Penn State and Wisconsin among potential two-loss playoff teams.

Colorado also continued its impressive season by handing Washington State its first conference loss.