A second-half surge Saturday allowed Michigan to bury Ohio State and take the matchup of bitter rivals for the second year in a row.
The 45-23 road win over the Buckeyes also pushed the Wolverines to new heights this season in the rankings.
Michigan moved up to No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll released Sunday, with Texas Christian University at No. 3 and the University of Southern California at No. 4 behind top-ranked Georgia after four teams that were ranked in the top 10 lost on Saturday, the final day of regular-season games for the Football Bowl Subdivision.
The Bulldogs (12-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) are No. 1 for the eighth straight week and the 11th time this season in the AP Top 25. The reigning national champions, who beat nonconference rival Georgia Tech 37-14 to finish the regular season undefeated for the second consecutive year, received 58 first-place votes.
Michigan received the other five first-place votes, with the Wolverines (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) reaching their season high in the poll and Ohio State (11-1, 8-1) dropping three spots to No. 5.
TCU (12-0, 9-0 Big 12) has its highest ranking since reaching No. 2 in the 2015 season, and USC (11-1, 8-1 Pac-12) has its best ranking this late in the season since finishing the 2016 season at No. 3.
TCU has had its share of close calls this season against league foes, but the Horned Frogs had no problem overwhelming defensive-minded Iowa State on Saturday, 62-14. Meanwhile, USC defeated nonconference rival Notre Dame 38-27, with Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams making his case for the Heisman Trophy with another impressive performance.
Beyond the Buckeyes, other top-10 teams to fall were LSU (9-3, 6-2 SEC), Clemson (10-2, 8-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) and Oregon (9-3, 7-2 Pac-12).
This was the eighth regular-season week since 2017 when four top-10 teams lost, including the second this season. Three of those weeks occurred in 2017. The most recent instance of five or more top-10 teams losing in the same regular-season week was in 2016.
LSU dropped five spots to No. 11 after losing 38-23 to Texas A&M, which entered the season with big goals but failed to reach bowl eligibility. Clemson's 31-30 loss to surging South Carolina of the SEC dropped it three spots to No. 10. Oregon's fourth-quarter collapse against Oregon State cost the Ducks a spot in the Pac-12 title game against USC and five spots in the poll, with the Ducks tumbling to No. 15.
Alabama (10-2, 6-2 SEC), which cruised to an Iron Bowl rivalry win against Auburn, was No. 6 -- just ahead of Tennessee, which beat the Crimson Tide on a last-second field goal at home earlier this season. The Volunteers (10-2, 6-2 SEC) closed the regular season by strolling past Vanderbilt 56-0 in Nashville.
No. 8 Penn State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten), a 35-16 winner against Michigan State, and No. 9 Washington (10-2, 7-2 Pac-12), which took back the Apple Cup with a 51-33 triumph over Washington State, both have their best rankings of the season. Washington hadn't been in the top 10 since the 2018 season, when the Huskies peaked at No. 6.
Ahead this week are the Tuesday night release of the newest College Football Playoff rankings and conference championship games on Friday and Saturday. The CFP selection committee will reveal the four-team bracket next Sunday, when the complete bowl schedule will also be released.
AP photo by John Bazemore / Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett passes during Saturday's home win against Georgia Tech.IN
— The University of Texas at San Antonio (10-2, 8-0 Conference USA) made its season debut in the poll at No. 23. The Roadrunners reached the AP Top 25 last year for the first time in the short history of the program, which joined the FBS in 2012. The reigning C-USA champions peaked at No. 15 last season and will head into a second straight league title game ranked.
— No. 20 South Carolina (8-4, 4-4 SEC) is back in the rankings after its second straight upset of a top-10 team. The Gamecocks beat in-state rival Clemson of the ACC on Saturday after taking down Tennessee one week earlier when the Vols were No. 5. South Carolina was ranked for one week in October, but then immediately lost to Missouri.
— No. 25 Mississippi State (8-4, 4-4 SEC) returned to the rankings for the second time this season, thanks to its Thanksgiving night win against Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl rivalry game.
OUT
— Speaking of Ole Miss (8-4, 4-4 SEC), the Rebels fell out of the rankings for the first time this season. They reached No. 7 after starting 7-0 but lost four of their final five regular-season games.
— Cincinnati (9-3, 6-2 American Athletic Conference) has bounced in and out of the poll for most of the season, and losing to Tulane on Friday dropped the Bearcats out again.
— Coastal Carolina (9-2, 6-2 Sun Belt) dropped out after being routed by James Madison -- which is in its first year of FBS competition -- but the Chanticleers still have a spot in the league title game.
CONFERENCE CALL
Pac-12: Six (Nos. 4, 9, 12, 15, 16, 17)
SEC: Six (Nos. 1, 6, 7, 11, 20, 25)
ACC: Three (Nos. 10, 14, 24)
Big Ten: Three (Nos. 2, 5, 8)
Big 12: Three (Nos. 3, 13, 21)
AAC: Two (Nos. 18, 22)
C-USA: One (No. 23)
Independent: One (No. 19)
RANKED vs. RANKED
Championship week features matchups of ranked teams in five conferences.
SEC: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 11 LSU
Big 12: No. 3 TCU vs. No. 13 Kansas State
Pac-12: No. 4 USC vs. No. 12 Utah
ACC: No. 10 Clemson vs. No. 24 North Carolina
AAC: No. 18 Tulane vs. No. 22 UCF