In Athens, Georgia, as well as Valdosta, Macon and Savannah, they’re ready to party like it’s 1980.
Georgia ended a 41-year drought Monday night, defeating Alabama 33-18 in the College Football Playoff championship game, for its first title since coach Vince Dooley roamed the sidelines. Georgia also ended a seven-game losing streak to the Tide and Nick Saban.
That finish is reflected atop the final AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank, where the Bulldogs were the unanimous choice of voters across the country, supplanting the Crimson Tide. The two SEC rivals were the only teams to top the poll throughout the 2021 season.
Thank you for following the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank this season on Doing More Today.
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- The Bulldogs received all 61 first-place votes to be a unanimous No. 1 for the ninth time this season. Georgia’s only other time finishing No. 1 was at the conclusion of the 1980 season.
- The Tide finished No. 2, giving the Southeastern Conference the top two teams in the final rankings for the third time since 2011.
- Michigan was No. 3, the Wolverines best final ranking since winning the national championship in 1997 and their first top-10 finish since 2006.
- No. 4 Cincinnati, which became the first team from outside the Power Five conferences to reach the playoff, finished with its best final ranking.
As did No. 5 Baylor. The Bears previous best finish in the AP poll was No. 7 in 2014.
- Ohio State was No. 6 and Oklahoma State finished seventh. The Cowboys had their best finish in the poll since they were third in 2011.