TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State finished tied for No. 6 in the final Associated Press top 25 college football poll of the 2023 season.
The Seminoles (13-1) were tied with Oregon (12-2) in the final poll released early Tuesday after Michigan beat Washington 34-13 in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Florida State's only loss was a lopsided 60-point margin against Georgia (13-1) in the Orange Bowl after the Seminoles became the first undefeated Power Five conference champion to be left out of the playoff. Many of Florida State's star players opted out of the bowl, leaving the Seminoles shorthanded and uninspired in their 63-3 loss to the Bulldogs, who finished fourth.
The Wolverines (15-0) were a unanimous No. 1 in the final AP poll, receiving all 61 first-place votes as the only undefeated team in the country.
Washington (14-1) finished second. It was the best final ranking for the Huskies since finishing No. 2 in 1991.
Miami was the top-ranked team in the final AP poll that season, but Washington was No. 1 in the final coaches poll to claim its only national title.
Michigan laid claim to its first national championship since 1997 when the Wolverines were first in the final AP poll. Nebraska was No. 1 in the final coaches poll that season.
Texas (12-2) was third and Alabama (12-2), which ended Georgia's 29-game winning streak in the Southeastern Conference title game, was fifth. Both teams jumped Florida State in the final College Football Playoff rankings to make the field of four.
Missouri (11-2), Mississippi (11-2) and Ohio State (11-2) round out the top 10.
The No. 6 ranking is Florida State's best finish in a decade. The Seminoles finished fifth in the final AP poll of the 2014 season after Oregon snapped their 29-game winning streak in the inaugural College Football Playoff, losing 59-20 in a semifinal game at the Rose Bowl.
Florida State defeated three opponents that finished the 2023 season ranked in the final AP poll – No. 12 LSU (10-3), No. 19 Louisville (10-4) and No. 20 Clemson (9-4). The Seminoles were ranked in the top 10 all season. Their lowest ranking was eighth to begin the season before their 45-24 rout of LSU in the opening game.