After being left outside of the Top 25 in the final college football Coaches Poll for 2012, the Missouri Tigers (8-5) took an even bigger hit in the final AP Top 25 Poll. Their Independence Bowl win over the North Carolina Tar Heels did very little to earn them any favor with national writers, as they finished outside the poll and finished fourth among teams also receiving votes behind BYU, Auburn and Northern Illinois.
The Big 12 once again did well, as the Oklahoma State finished No. 3, Baylor slid in at No. 13, Kansas State hit No. 15 and Oklahoma rounded out the conference qualifiers at No. 16. Here is the final AP Top 25 Poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Votes | Prev |
| 1 | Alabama (55) | 12-1 | 1,495 | 2 |
| 2 | LSU (1) | 13-1 | 1,425 | 1 |
| 3 | Oklahoma State (4) | 12-1 | 1,399 | 3 |
| 4 | Oregon | 12-2 | 1,250 | 6 |
| 5 | Arkansas | 11-2 | 1,198 | 7 |
| 6 | USC | 10-2 | 1,181 | 5 |
| 7 | Stanford | 11-2 | 1,167 | 4 |
| 8 | Boise State | 12-1 | 1,127 | 8 |
| 9 | South Carolina | 11-2 | 1,013 | 10 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 11-3 | 905 | 9 |
| 11 | Michigan State | 11-3 | 873 | 12 |
| 12 | Michigan | 11-2 | 839 | 13 |
| 13 | Baylor | 10-3 | 780 | 15 |
| 14 | TCU | 11-2 | 653 | 16 |
| 15 | Kansas State | 10-3 | 621 | 11 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 10-3 | 572 | 19 |
| 17 | West Virginia | 10-3 | 547 | 23 |
| 18 | Houston | 13-1 | 518 | 20 |
| 19 | Georgia | 10-4 | 439 | 18 |
| 20 | Southern Miss | 12-2 | 411 | 22 |
| 21 | Virginia Tech | 11-3 | 329 | 17 |
| 22 | Clemson | 10-4 | 188 | 14 |
| 23 | Florida State | 9-4 | 154 | 25 |
| 24 | Nebraska | 9-4 | 143 | 21 |
| 25 | Cincinnati | 10-3 | 103 | NR |
Others Receiving Votes: Brigham Young51, Auburn40, Northern Illinois33, Missouri23, Texas15, Rutgers3, Penn State2, North Dakota State2, Virginia1
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