Tulane climbed two spots in each of the major national polls Sunday and trimmed its gap behind fellow Group-of-Six programs on each list.
The Green Wave (9-2, 6-1) head into the final week of the regular season as the No. 22 and No. 23 team in the AP and Coaches polls, respectively, and more tightly on the heels of No. 20/21 James Madison (10-1) and No. 21/22 North Texas (10-1, 6-1).
Coach Jon Sumrall and company earned the top — or, more accurately, only — billing of the group in the latest College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday.
But Sunday’s national polls suggested continued momentum for Tulane following its 37-13 road win at Temple (5-6, 3-4).
Slight shifts in the latest AP poll have the top 18 teams in the media’s rankings now matching the Coaches, who featured an unchanged top 11.
No. 1 Ohio State (11-0), No. 2 Indiana (11-0), No. 3 Texas A&M (11-0) and No. 4 Georgia (10-1) lead the Big Ten- and SEC-dominated lists.
No. 5 Oregon (10-1), No. 6 Ole Miss (10-1), No. 7 Texas Tech (10-1), No. 8 Oklahoma (9-2), No. 9 Notre Dame (9-2) and No. 10 Alabama (9-2) round out the top 10.
No. 11 BYU (10-1), No. 12 Vanderbilt (9-2), No. 13 Miami (9-2), No. 14 Utah (9-2), No. 15 Michigan (9-2), No. 16 Texas (8-3), No. 17 Virginia (9-2) and No. 18 Tennessee (8-3) all hold matching rankings on both lists.
The next round of College Football Playoff rankings will be released Tuesday evening.
Tulane entered that mix last week at No. 24 and as the only ranked team from a conference outside of the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 and ACC.
The Green Wave close the regular season at home Saturday against Charlotte (1-10, 0-7) and would advance to the American Athletic Conference title game with a win.
Automatic CFP bids are granted to the five highest-ranked conference champions.
AP POLL — WEEK 14 (NOV. 23)
1. Ohio State (11-0) — steady
2. Indiana (11-0) — steady
3. Texas A&M (11-0) — steady
4. Georgia (10-1) — steady
5. Oregon (10-1) — up 1
6. Ole Miss (10-1) — down 1
7. Texas Tech (10-1) — down 1
8. Oklahoma (9-2) — steady
9. Notre Dame (9-2) — steady
10. Alabama (9-2) — steady
11. BYU (10-1) — steady
12. Vanderbilt (9-2) — steady
13. Miami (9-2) — up 1
14. Utah (9-2) — down 1
15. Michigan (9-2) — up 1
16. Texas (8-3) — up 1
17. Virginia (9-2) — up 2
18. Tennessee (8-3) — up 2
19. USC (8-3) — down 3
20. James Madison (10-1) — up 1
21. North Texas (10-1) — up 1
22. Tulane (9-2) — up 2
23. Georgia Tech (9-2) — down 8
24. Pittsburgh (8-3) — previously unranked
25. SMU (8-3) — previously unranked
Others receiving votes: Arizona State, Navy, Arizona, San Diego State, Washington, Iowa, UNLV, South Florida, Connecticut, Wake Forest, Illinois.
COACHES POLL — WEEK 14 (NOV. 23)
1. Ohio State (11-0) — steady
2. Indiana (11-0) — steady
3. Texas A&M (11-0) — steady
4. Georgia (10-1) — steady
5. Oregon (10-1) — steady
6. Ole Miss (10-1) — steady
7. Texas Tech (10-1) — steady
8. Oklahoma (9-2) — steady
9. Notre Dame (9-2) — steady
10. Alabama (9-2) — steady
11. BYU (10-1) — steady
12. Vanderbilt (9-2) — up 1
13. Miami (9-2) — up 2
14. Utah (9-2) — steady
15. Michigan (9-2) — up 2
16. Texas (8-3) — up 2
17. Virginia (9-2) — up 2
18. Tennessee (8-3) — up 2
19. Georgia Tech (9-2) — down 7
20. USC (8-3) — down 4
21. James Madison (10-1) — up 1
22. North Texas (10-1) — up 1
23. Tulane (9-2) — up 2
24. Pittsburgh (8-3) — previously unranked
25. SMU (8-3) — previously unranked
Others receiving votes: Arizona State, Navy, Washington, Missouri, Iowa, Arizona, San Diego State, Houston, Penn State, Illinois, Connecticut, UNLV, South Florida.
