Each week, the Sports editorial team selects its Top 25 Division I college football teams for the Student Media Poll.
The SMP is a nationwide poll featuring 122 student journalists from all Football Bowl Subdivision conferences. There are voters from 69 different schools across 34 states.
The Post Sports will break down its ballots each week. Here are the top five, those it kicked out of the Top 25 and those it added:
Molly Burchard, Asst. Sports Editor
Top 5
Georgia
Michigan
TCU
USC
Ohio State
The last week of the college football regular season was crazy. There were a lot of upsets the past few weeks, and Week 13 was no different. Therefore, I did some shifting.
The only thing that remained the same in my Top 5 is Georgia, still standing at No. 1. Michigan brought their A game and tears to Columbus Saturday. Even I, someone who was born and raised in Columbus, was impressed with their offense. Ohio State could not stop the big play, as all but one of Michigan’s touchdowns came on a play of 45 yards or more.
TCU finished its regular season undefeated for the first time since 2010, and with the help of Michigan’s dominant win and its own 62-14 win, it moved up to No. 3. TCU’s 62 points scored against Iowa State Saturday were the most it scored against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent since it played Baylor in 2016.
USC entered my Top 5 for the first time this season after LSU dropped out, and Ohio State dropped to No. 5. USC has had back-to-back exciting wins against ranked teams and has been fun to watch all season, it would be cool to see them in the College Football Playoff.
Who I added
Troy, South Carolina, Mississippi State
Troy has been on a tear to end the season, winning its last nine games. Even if some of the wins have been close, a win is still a win.
I had to rank South Carolina after two monster wins, one over Tennessee and one over Clemson. It wasn’t the first or second time the Gamecocks beat a ranked team, though. They beat Kentucky back in Week 6.
I briefly thought about ranking Mississippi State last week, but decided its win over Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl warranted it a spot. Ole Miss has struggled in recent weeks, but even if you take that game out of Mississippi State’s schedule, it still has some wins with big margins.
Who I dropped
North Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Cincinnati
Per usual, all of these teams were slipping towards the bottom of my rankings and suffered losses this weekend, which is why they dropped out. North Carolina's loss was its second in a row, Coastal Carolina lost by 40 points, and Cincinnati notched its third loss of the season against Tulane.
Will Cunningham, Sports Editor
Top 5
Georgia
Michigan
TCU
USC
Alabama
This is the most change I have had in my Top 5 all season, mostly fueled by Ohio State’s embarrassing loss to Michigan. The Buckeyes drop out of the Top 5 for the first time this year after their first loss, and while they are certainly still alive for the playoff, they don’t deserve a spot after that performance.
LSU also drops out of the Top 5 after a loss to Texas A&M that totally destroyed any chance it had at a College Football Playoff appearance. Jayden Daniels’ shortcomings in the passing game were exposed, and the loss has rendered the SEC Championship game totally uninteresting.
USC and Alabama enter the Top 5 after beating their biggest rivals this weekend. The Crimson Tide easily dispatched Auburn to give themselves an outside chance at the playoff and USC beat Notre Dame to make sure that a win over Utah will definitely put them in.
Who I added
Ohio
Ohio destroyed Bowling Green at home to clinch a spot in the Mid-American Conference Championship game after going 3-9 last year. With two games left, the Bobcats have a great chance to reach double digit wins and break their 54-year MAC Championship drought. To make this win even more impressive, they were without star quarterback Kurtis Rourke, but C.J. Harris played admirably in his place. It has been an incredible turnaround for Ohio, and it has a great chance to cap it off with a MAC title against a Toledo team with major questions at quarterback.
Who I dropped
North Carolina
The Tar Heels dropped their second game in a row, this time to an NC State team that was still without Devin Leary. A promising season with outside playoff hopes has ended with a whimper for Mack Brown’s squad. North Carolina is going into the ACC Championship game on the back of two dreadful losses and have blown a great chance at a New Year’s Six bowl slot.
Ashley Beach, sports writer
Top 5
Michigan
Georgia
TCU
USC
Ohio State
Well, here is the change you’ve all been waiting for. Ohio State and Michigan finally faced off and it ended with an embarrassing loss for Ohio State in Ohio Stadium. Ryan Day is officially 0-2 in The Game and Michigan is officially No. 1 on my ballot.
TCU is one of the last undefeated teams in the FBS and it's in the Big 12 Championship. Its social media presence may be impressive, but its play is ten fold.
Ohio State and USC both only have one loss, which means they can hang in the Top 5. I personally did not believe that another team was worthy of a spot.
Who I added
Texas
Texas picked up a 38-27 win against Baylor on Saturday and is currently third in the Big 12. It has definitely had a rocky season, but Texas is on the climb at probably the wrong time.
Who I dropped
Oklahoma State
I should have dropped the Cowboys weeks ago, but I tried to give them a chance. My poll has always been Big 12 heavy and I wasn’t quite sure who to kick out from the conference.
Oklahoma State has been shut out. After it lost to Oklahoma and West Virginia, it deserved to be removed from my ballot.
