Super 16 Poll: Georgia Jumps From 5 To 2, 'Bama Stays at 11, SMU Drops From 8 To 12

December 8, 2024 by FWAA, NFF, CollegeFootballPoll.com

SPECIAL NOTE: This is the final Super 16 Poll for the 2024 season. The FWAA and the NFF do not release a poll after the postseason, and the NFF automatically awards its MacArthur Bowl National Championship Trophy to the winner of the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Oregon picked up 52 of 54 first-place votes and remained No. 1 for the eighth consecutive week after a 45-37 win over Penn State in the Big Ten Championship. Penn State fell three spots to No. 6 by virtue of the loss to the Ducks. Oregon is the first team outside of the SEC since Ohio State in 2015 to hold the No. 1 spot in the poll for at least eight consecutive weeks.

Georgia advanced three spots to No. 2 after a 22-19 overtime victory against Texas in the SEC Championship. The Longhorns dropped two slots to No. 4 after the narrow loss in Atlanta.

Notre Dame climbed one spot to No. 3 after being idle during conference championship weekend.

Boise State moved up one spot to No. 9 after a 14-point victory over UNLV in the Mountain West Conference Championship.

Arizona State advanced three spots to No. 10 by virtue of a 45-19 win against Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship. The Cyclones fell out of the poll completely after the loss to the Sun Devils.

Clemson returned to the poll after defeating SMU 34-31 in the ACC Championship. SMU fell four spots to No. 12 after the last-second loss to the Tigers in Charlotte.

The SEC leads all conferences with six teams. The Big Ten has four, the ACC has three, the Big 12, Mountain West Conference and FBS Independents have one each.

Congrove Ballot

CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove has been on the voting panel since the September 24, 2017 poll. He is one of the 54 voters who put Oregon at No. 1.

Here is his entire Top 16 ballot:

(1) Oregon, (2) Notre Dame, (3) Georgia, (4) Texas, (5) Ohio State, (6) Indiana, (7) Penn State, (8) Arizona State, (9) SMU, (10) Boise State, (11) Clemson, (12) Tennessee, (13) Ole Miss, (14) Alabama, (15) South Carolina, (16) Army West Point.

By order of conference, he has 4 schools from the B1G, 6 from the SEC, 2 from the ACC, 1 independent , 1 from the Big 12, 1 from the Mountain West, and 1 from the American.

FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll 

Rank Team Pts. 1st LW
1. Oregon (13-0) 862 52 1
2. Georgia (11-2) 790 1 5
3. Notre Dame (11-1) 716   4
4. Texas (11-2) 655 1 2
5. Ohio State (10-2) 608   7
6. Penn State (11-2) 595   3
7. Tennessee (10-2) 564   6
8. Indiana (11-1) 430   9
9. Boise State (12-1) 399   10
10. Arizona State (11-2) 362   13
11. Alabama (9-3) 290   11
12. SMU (11-2) 259   8
13. Clemson (10-3) 238   N/A
14. Ole Miss (9-3) 194   15
15. South Carolina (9-3) 161   14
16. Miami-FL (10-2) 151   12

Also Receiving Votes

BYU (28), Army West Point (11), Colorado (10), Texas A&M (8), Iowa State (5), Pittsburgh (5), Illinois (2), LSU (1)

ABOUT THE FWAA-NFF SUPER 16 POLL: The poll was established at the conclusion of the 2013 season by two long-time partners, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the National Football Foundation (NFF). Voters rank the top 16 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, and the results will be released every Sunday of the 2023 season. The individual votes of all members will also be made public. The first regular season poll will be released on Tuesday, September 3 (to account for Labor Day games), and the final poll will be released Sunday, December 8. The poll utilizes a computer program designed by Sports Systems to compile the rankings and the Cody Kellner Points Index to publish the individual votes.

ABOUT THE FWAA: Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME: Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).