WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida State has finished in the final Associated Press top 25 poll for the first time since the 2016 season.
The Seminoles (10-3) are ranked No. 11 in the final poll released Tuesday morning, hours after top-ranked Georgia embarrassed No. 3 TCU 65-7 in the College Football Playoff National Championship game to win consecutive national titles.
Florida State ended its season on a six-game winning streak, defeating Oklahoma 35-32 in the Cheez-It Bowl for its first 10-win season since 2016 and first winning record in five years.
Florida State's strong finish, coupled with Clemson's 31-14 loss to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl, helped Florida State finish as the highest-ranked Atlantic Coast Conference team. Clemson dropped three spots to finish No. 13.
Final Associated Press Top 25 Poll
| Ranking | Team | Record | Previous Ranking |
| No. 1 | Georgia | 15-0 | No. 1 |
| No. 2 | TCU | 13-2 | No. 3 |
| No. 3 | Michigan | 13-1 | No. 2 |
| No. 4 | Ohio State | 11-2 | No. 4 |
| No. 5 | Alabama | 11-2 | No. 5 |
| No. 6 | Tennessee | 11-2 | No. 6 |
| No. 7 | Penn State | 11-2 | No. 9 |
| No. 8 | Washington | 11-2 | No. 12 |
| No. 9 | Tulane | 12-2 | No. 14 |
| No. 10 | Utah | 10-4 | No. 7 |
| No. 11 | Florida State | 10-3 | No. 13 |
| No. 12 | Southern California | 11-3 | No. 8 |
| No. 13 | Clemson | 11-3 | No. 10 |
| No. 14 | Kansas State | 10-4 | No. 11 |
| No. 15 | Oregon | 10-3 | No. 15 |
| No. 16 | LSU | 10-4 | No. 16 |
| No. 17 | Oregon State | 10-3 | No. 17 |
| No. 18 | Notre Dame | 9-4 | No. 19 |
| No. 19 | Troy | 12-2 | No. 23 |
| No. 20 | Mississippi State | 9-4 | No. 24 |
| No. 21 | UCLA | 9-4 | No. 18 |
| No. 22 | Pittsburgh | 9-4 | - |
| No. 23 | South Carolina | 8-5 | No. 20 |
| No. 24 | Fresno State | 10-4 | - |
| No. 25 | Texas | 8-5 | No. 21 |
The Seminoles could be ranked even higher when the 2023 preseason poll is released in August. They return almost all of their key contributors on both sides of the football, including quarterback Jordan Travis, who hails from West Palm Beach, and defensive end Jared Verse, who was projected to be a first-round draft pick.
Georgia, coached by former Florida State graduate assistant Kirby Smart, became the first team to finish No. 1 in consecutive seasons since Alabama did it in 2011 and 2012.
Despite the blowout loss, TCU finished second in the final AP rankings, ahead of No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Ohio State. TCU handed Michigan its lone defeat of the season – a 51-45 loss in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl.
No. 5 Alabama, which lost to Tennessee earlier in the season, won its final four games and finished one spot ahead of the Volunteers.
Penn State, Washington, Tulane and Utah rounded out the top 10.
The Southeastern Conference finished with six teams in the top 25. LSU is No. 16, Mississippi State is No. 20 and South Carolina is No. 23.
Six Pacific 12 Conference teams also finished in the top 25 – tied with the SEC for the most of any Power 5 league. The others are No. 12 Southern California, No. 15 Oregon, No. 17 Oregon State and No. 21 UCLA.
Outside of TCU, three other Big 12 Conference teams finished in the rankings. Kansas State is No. 14 and Texas is No. 25.
No. 22 Pittsburgh was the only other ACC team to finish in the top 25.