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MSU football finishes No. 6 in the final AP Top 25 Poll

January 12, 2016
Sophomore running back Gerald Holmes makes the Spartan's second touchdown of the night during the fourth quarter of the football game against Ohio State on Nov. 21, 2015 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The Spartans defeated the Buckeyes, 17-14.
Sophomore running back Gerald Holmes makes the Spartan's second touchdown of the night during the fourth quarter of the football game against Ohio State on Nov. 21, 2015 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The Spartans defeated the Buckeyes, 17-14. —
Photo by Catherine Ferland | and Catherine Ferland The State News

After Alabama defeated Clemson in the national championship, 45-40, the Associated Press released its final college football poll of the 2015 season.

MSU wound up ranked No. 6 overall, which is a three-spot drop after losing to the Crismon Tide 38-0 in the College Football Playoff Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

AP Poll top 10

  1. Alabama
  2. Clemson
  3. Stanford
  4. Ohio State
  5. Oklahoma
  6. MSU
  7. TCU
  8. Houston
  9. Iowa
  10. Ole Miss

For the remaining Big Ten schools in the top 25, U-M finished at No. 12, Wisconsin at No. 21 and Northwestern at No. 23.

MSU began the season ranked No. 5 in the AP Preseason Poll. After wins over Western Michigan, then-No. 7 Oregon and Air Force, the Spartans moved up to No. 2 in the week four poll. MSU dropped to No. 4 in week six, and after a 39-38 loss to Nebraska, the Spartans found themselves all the way back at No. 13 in week 11. MSU bounced back and found its way into AP top 4 and CFP after strong wins over then-No. 3 Ohio State, Penn State and then-No. 4 Iowa.


The Spartans have lost to the eventual national champion in each of the past two seasons: Ohio State in 2014 and Alabama this year.

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