By late afternoon, a College Football Playoff bracket will be set with 12 teams competing for a national championship.
Before that can take place, though, there will be one last iteration each of the US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 — rankings that, while not relevant to the final CFP bracket, will surely be looked at comparative to the CFP selection committee’s final top 25.
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The Dec. 6 schedule of games began with No. 6 Texas Tech (No. 4 in CFP rankings) securing a first-round bye with a commanding 34-7 win over BYU in the Big 12 Championship game thanks to a four-turnover day from its top-ranked defense.
REQUIRED READING: CFP bracket: Who made 12-team College Football Playoff field?
No. 3 Georgia (No. 3 in CFP rankings) nearly pitched a shutout against No. 10 Alabama (No. 9 in CFP rankings) in the SEC Championship game, before the Crimson Tide got on the board with a fourth-quarter 23-yard touchdown connection between Ty Simpson and Germie Bernard. Gunner Stockton threw three touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ their fourth SEC championship under Kirby Smart.
Both night games delivered instant thrillers. In the Big Ten, Curt Cignetti and No. 2 Indiana (No. 2 in CFP rankings) completed their historic program turnaround with a 13-10 upset over No. 1 Ohio State (No. 1 in CFP rankings).
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Speaking of historic moments, Manny Diaz’s five-loss Duke squad created CFP chaos by holding on in overtime against No. 16 Virginia (No. 17 in CFP rankings) in the ACC Championship game for its first ACC title. Darian Mensah threw a touchdown on fourth-and-1 in overtime to Jeremiah Hasley, while Luke Mergott intercepted Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris on the next series to seal the upset.
Here’s a look at how Week 15’s results in college football were reflected in the US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 rankings:
College football rankings after Week 15
Others receiving votes: Iowa 102; North Texas 89; Missouri 51; Duke 43; SMU 32; Washington 24; Illinois 10; Boise State 10; TCU 9; Pittsburgh 9; Arizona State 8; South Florida 7; Louisville 7; Connecticut 7; Penn State 6; Kennesaw State 3; UNLV 2; Old Dominion 2; Western Michigan 1; San Diego State 1.
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AP Top 25
Others receiving votes: Houston 82; Iowa 74; Tennessee 61; New Mexico 21; Duke 18; Boise State 16; UNLV 10; South Florida 10; SMU 8; Arizona State 6; Louisville 6; UConn 5; Washington 4; Pittsburgh 3; Kennesaw State 3; Illinois 2; Iowa State 2; Western Michigan 1; TCU 1.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football rankings: Updated top 25 in Coaches, AP polls
