Tulane finishes ahead of LSU in final AP college football poll of regular season

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Georgia, Michigan, TCU and Ohio State were the top four in the final Associated Press college football poll of the regular season released Sunday (Dec. 4).

And, after winning its first American Athletic Conference championship on Saturday, Coach Willie Fritz’s Tulane Green Wave (11-2) moved up four spots to No. 14, finishing the regular season ranked ahead of LSU.

The Tigers dropped five spots to No. 16 in the poll, after Saturday’s 50-30 loss in the SEC championship game left first-year coach Brian Kelly’s team with a 9-4 record.

Georgia’s Bulldogs (13-0) are No. 1 for the ninth straight week and 12th time this season in the AP Top 25. Georgia received 62 of 63 first-place votes and Michigan (13-0) received the other one.

The final College Football Playoff rankings to set the four-team field for the national championship tournament were scheduled to be released later Sunday.

TCU (12-1) remained third in the AP poll, despite losing for the first time this season in the Big 12 title game on Saturday. The Horned Frogs lost in overtime to Kansas State.

The Buckeyes moved up a spot to No. 4, ahead of Alabama and Tennessee.

Utah was No. 7 after beating Southern California in the Pac-12 championship game. The Trojans fell four spots to No. 8.

Penn State was ninth and Clemson stayed at No. 10 after winning the Atlantic Coast Conference title.

Big 12 champ Kansas State moved up two spots to No. 11.

Tulane reached a season-high 14th after beating the University of Central Florida in the AAC title game, and Sun Belt Conference-winner Troy made its season debut in the poll at No. 23.

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