The 2022 college football season is over, and while there were no changes at the top of the AP poll, Louisiana can tout the final rankings as a big step in the right direction.
Both LSU and Tulane began the season unranked, but punched above their weight and found themselves spending the second half of the season as mainstays in them. Georgia is the 2022 CFP champions after their, let's be real, boring 65-7 destruction of TCU in the title game.
The Tigers' 63-7 domination of Purdue didn't do much to up their stock, finishing at No. 16 and with no change from the previous rankings. LSU had risen has high as No. 6 in this year's poll and appeared to have a potential route to the CFP bracket late in the season, but a loss to Texas A&M in the season finale eliminated that, followed by a blowout loss to Georgia in the SEC title game.
But Tulane is a different story. The Green Wave used their first-ever AAC Championship and a thrilling, 46-45 upset of USC in the Cottom Bowl to make the largest climb of any team in the final rankings, rising five spots to No. 9 and marking their first top-10 finish in the AP poll since 1988. It's also the first time since 1988 that the Green Wave finished higher in the final rankings than LSU.
Related
USC dropped to 12 after the loss.
Scroll below for the final rankings of the 2022 season.
- 1. Georgia, 15-0 (no change)
- 2. TCU, 13-2 (up 1)
- 3. Michigan, 13-1 (down 1)
- 4. Ohio State, 11-2 (no change)
- 5. Alabama, 11-2 (no change)
- 6. Tennessee, 11-2 (no change)
- 7. Penn State, 11-3 (up 2)
- 8. Washington, 11-2 (up 4)
- 9. Tulane, 12-2 (up 5)
- 10. Utah, 10-4 (down 3)
- 11. Florida State, 10-3 (up 2)
- 12. USC, 11-3 (down 4)
- 13. Clemson, 11-3 (down 3)
- 14. Kansas State, 10-4 (down 3)
- 15. Oregon, 10-3 (no change)
- 16. LSU, 10-4 (no change)
- 17. Oregon State, 10-3 (no change)
- 18. Notre Dame, 9-4 (up 1)
- 19. Troy, 12-2 (up 4)
- 20. Mississippi State, 9-4 (up 4)
- 21. UCLA, 9-4 (down 3)
- 22. Pittsburgh, 9-4 (no change)
- 23. South Carolina, 8-5 (down 3)
- 24. Fresno State, 10-4 (no change)
- 25. Texas, 8-5 (down 4)
Related
