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.

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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.

CINCINNATI: Tommy Tuberville resigned as Cincinnati’s coach after his first losing season in four years with the Bearcats.

Cincinnati ended the season with five straight losses and a 4-8 record, missing out on a bowl appearance for the first time in Tuberville’s tenure. Before the season, the Bearcats gave Tuberville a two-year extension that took him through 2019.

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SOUTH CAROLINA: Former South Carolina starting quarterback Lorenzo Nunez is leaving the Gamecocks.

South Carolina Coach Will Muschamp said Sunday that Nunez wants to transfer somewhere he can play quarterback.

Nunez started two games at quarterback his freshman season in 2015, but left the second one against Missouri with a shoulder injury.

He played sparingly after that, then was shifted to wide receiver after Muschamp took over as coach.


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