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Champs! LSU finishes No. 1 in AP Top 25 for third time

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - LSU finished No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the third time in school history, with Clemson No. 2 and Ohio State No. 3.

The Tigers (15-0) beat Clemson 42-25 in the national championship game Monday night and then received all 62 first-place votes from the media panel in the season's final Top 25 presented by Regions Bank.

LSU was No. 1 for the final eight weeks of the season and set a record by beating seven teams ranked in the top 10 at the time of the game. Miami in 1987 and Alabama in 2015 each beat five teams ranked in the top 10 at the time of their games.

LSU also did it impressively: The Tigers beat teams that were ranked 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8 in the final Top 25 by an average margin of 20 points.

'œNow I think that this team is going to be mentioned as one of the greatest teams in college football history,'ť LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. 'œ15-0, one of the greatest teams in LSU history, led by some of the greatest players. Give them all the credit.'ť

The Tigers also won AP titles in 2007 and 1958.

Georgia, LSU's Southeastern Conference rival, was fourth and Pac-12 champion Oregon was fifth. Florida was sixth and Oklahoma, which made the playoff, was seventh.

Alabama finished eighth, its lowest final ranking since 2010, giving the SEC four of the top 10. It's the fifth time one conference has had four teams in the final top 10, and fourth for the SEC.

No. 9 Penn State and No. 10 Minnesota gave the Big Ten three teams in the top 10.

Navy finished No. 20 and Air Force was ranked No. 22, marking the first time two service academies were in the final AP poll of the season since 1958.

Navy was one of four American Athletic Conference schools in the final rankings, a new high for the conference. Memphis was 17th, Cincinnati 21st and UCF 24th.

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More AP college football: https://apnews.com/APTop25CollegeFootballPoll and https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron holds the trophy after their win against Clemson in a NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, in New Orleans. LSU won 42-25.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip) The Associated Press
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow holds the trophy as safety Grant Delpit looks on after a NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game against Clemson, Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, in New Orleans. LSU won 42-25. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) The Associated Press
LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, left, and quarterback Joe Burrow, center, hold the trophy beside safety Grant Delpit after a NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game against Clemson, Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, in New Orleans. LSU won 42-25. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) The Associated Press
LSU fans celebrate at Varsity Theatre, in Baton Rouge, La., after LSU defeated Clemson 42-25 in the NCAA College Football Playoff championship game, Monday, Jan. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Brett Duke) The Associated Press
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