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AP College Football Poll 2017: Complete Week 12 Rankings Revealed
November 12, 2017
Alabama survived a scare, Georgia got routed, and The U is back following a wild weekend of college football.
The Crimson Tide remained in their perch atop the sport in the latest Associated Press poll. Miami moved into the second slot following an emphatic win over Notre Dame, and Oklahoma, Clemson and Wisconsin rounded out the latest Top Five.
Here is a look at the entire poll:
1. Alabama
2. Miami
3. Oklahoma
4. Clemson
5. Wisconsin
6. Auburn
7. Georgia
8. Ohio State
9. Notre Dame
10. Oklahoma State
11. TCU
12. USC
13. Penn State
14. UCF
15. Washington State
16. Washington
17. Mississippi State
18. Memphis
19. Michigan
20. Stanford
21. LSU
22. Michigan State
23. South Florida
24. West Virginia
25. NC State
The departure of Georgia from the No. 2 spot—it was also the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff rankings—was the most notable storyline of the weekend. The Bulldogs went on the road and got blown out by Auburn, 40-17. The Tigers trailed 7-0 after a Nick Chubb touchdown run and point after but then scored the game's next 30 points, holding Georgia to 230 yards while they gained more than that on the ground alone.
"Humility is always a week away, and I think this team will answer and respond the right way," Georgia coach Kirby Smart told reporters. "We've got some good leaders in that room, and they want to improve on what they just showed."
Third a week ago, Notre Dame fell to ninth after a 41-8 trouncing at Miami. The Hurricanes, who put together their best all-around performance of the season against Virginia Tech last weekend, topped it in every facet Saturday. The Miami defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions, to thwart what had been an excellent Notre Dame offense.
The Hurricanes also held possession for nearly 34 minutes on the back of their 237 rushing yards.
"Say whatever you want about us," Miami wide receiver Braxton Berrios told reporters. "But at the end of the day, we're going to make you respect us."
The only Top Three team to survive Saturday was Alabama, but the Tide had their issues. Mississippi State held a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter, and Jalen Hurts' game-winning touchdown pass did not come until just 25 seconds remained on the game clock. Hurts hit DeVonta Smith from 26 yards out to cap a breezy 44-second drive and move Alabama to 10-0.
"Sometimes you need hard," Alabama coach Nick Saban told reporters. "If we're going to beat really good teams, if we're going to compete, we've got to learn how to compete in close games where every play counts. Where you've got to play every play for 60 minutes."
No. 20 Stanford, which defeated Washington 30-22 on Friday, led three new teams in the Top 25. No. 21 LSU and No. 25 NC State also moved into the rankings.