Alabama positioned to become 3rd wire-to-wire AP No. 1

Alabama heads into the postseason with a chance to become the third wire-to-wire champion in the history of The Associated Press college football poll.

The Crimson Tide was No. 1 in the final AP Top 25 of the regular season Sunday, just as it has been since the preseason. Ohio State is No. 2, Clemson is No. 3 and Washington is No. 4.

The College Football Playoff pairings were to be released later Sunday.

Penn State was fifth, followed by Michigan, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.

The Crimson Tide enters the postseason looking to win back-to-back championships and to join Florida State in 1999 and Southern California in 2004 as the only teams to be AP No. 1 from start to finish.

Alabama would be the 12th team to win two straight AP championships.

POLL POINTS

UP

With so few teams playing on championship weekend, there was not much movement in the rankings.

- Penn State jumped three spots by winning the Big Ten title game.

- No. 7 Oklahoma moved up two after beating Oklahoma State to win the Big 12.

- No. 18 Virginia Tech lost 42-35 to Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game and moved up one spot.

DOWN

- No. 20 Florida dropped five spots after getting blown out by Alabama in the Southeastern Conference title game.

IN

- No. 23 Temple beat Navy for the American Athletic Conference championship and moved into the rankings for the first time this season.

OUT

- Navy dropped out.

CONFERENCE CALL

Big Ten - 6

ACC - 5

Pac-12 - 4

SEC - 4

Big 12 - 3

American - 2

MAC - 1

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Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

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More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25