The Tulane Green Wave football team continues to climb in the latest AP Top 25 rankings following their decisive 37-13 win over the Temple Owls in Week 13 that was a sound four-quarter performance from all three phases. 

The Green Wave landed in the rankings for the first time this season last week after beating the FAU Owls 35-24 at No. 24, and are now at No. 22 in the rankings. In terms of the Group of Five race, these rankings really don't matter, but Tulane is chasing conference foe North Texas Mean Green and the James Madison Dukes from a Group of Five perspective. 

One should expect the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday to reflect the Green Wave's decisive win, but here's a look at the complete Week 14 rankings.

1. 1. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-0)
2. 2. Indiana Hoosiers (11-0)
3. 3. Texas A&M Aggies (11-0)
4. 4. Georgia Bulldogs (10-1)
5. 5. Oregon Ducks (10-1)
6. 6. Ole Miss Rebels (10-1)
7. 7. Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-1)
8. 8. Oklahoma Sooners (9-2)
9. 9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-2)
10. 10. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-2)
11. 11. BYU Cougars (10-1)
12. 12. Vanderbilt Commodores (9-2)
13. 13. Miami Hurricanes (Fla.) (9-2)
14. 14. Utah Utes (9-2)
15. 15. Michigan Wolverines (9-2)
16. 16. Texas Longhorns (8-3)
17. 17. Virginia Cavaliers (9-2)
18. 18. Tennessee Volunteers (8-3)
19. 19. USC Trojans (8-3)
20. 20. James Madison Dukes (10-1)
21. 21. North Texas Mean Green (10-1)
22. 22. Tulane Green Wave (9-2)
23. 23. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-2)
24. 24. Pittsburgh Panthers (8-3)
25. 25. SMU Mustangs (8-3)

• Others receiving votes: Arizona State Sun Devils (77), Navy Midshipmen (44), Missouri Tigers (23), Arizona Wildcats (20), San Diego State Aztecs (19), Washington Huskies (16), Iowa Hawkeyes (10), UNLV Rebels (7), South Florida Bulls (4), UConn Huskies (3), Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2), Illinois Fighting Illini (1).

The American Conference race is set to be a showdown between Tulane and the Mean Green should both teams win out. If so, the American Conference championship will be held at Yulman Stadium, and the winner of that contest is either all-but guaranteed or a strong favorite to make the College Football Playoff. While the Dukes lead the G5 teams in this poll, they didn’t land in the CFP rankings.

There’s no logic that would predict the Green Wave to be caught by James Madison or North Texas should they beat the Charlotte 49ers and eventual conference title opponent. If the Mean Green beat a ranked CFP team in the American championship, it’s hard to see a better resume for the Dukes. If Tulane does its job and wins out, they will have accomplished head coach Jon Sumrall’s goal from his press conference in December. Their next goal would be to win that CFP game.