My College Football Final Rankings

The final rankings are out, and in general there isn't a lot to disagree with.  My top 4 looks the same, except I have Michigan State and Alabama reversed.  I also have Ohio State, Iowa, and Stanford in a slightly different order in the 5-7 spots.  Ohio State and Iowa have very similar resumes, with each suffering a 3-point loss to Michigan State.  However, given the circumstances of the Buckeye's loss (bad weather, star running back hospitalized days before the game), I give them a slight edge over the Hawkeyes.  And I think that 1-loss non-champs in a strong-looking Big Ten should be ahead of a 2-loss Stanford, despite the Cardinal's beefier resume and Pac 12 title.  Remember - one of Stanford's two losses came at the hands of Northwestern, a team that Iowa beat by 30 points.  Speaking of which, I think the Wildcats should be ranked higher, and so should Houston.  On the flip side, I think Ole Miss is over-ranked and I punished Baylor and Florida more significantly for ugly losses.

The playoff field:

1. Clemson (13-0), ACC

The Tigers danced their way into the playoffs as the only remaining undefeated team.  They'll hope to fare better than Florida State did last year, the lone unbeaten in the first iteration of the College Football Playoff.  The Seminoles were crushed 59 - 20 by Oregon in the Rose Bowl.  This year, Clemson will take on Oklahoma in the Orange bowl to vie for a spot in the title game.

2. Michigan State (12-1), B1G ⇧3

The B1G champ moved up into the top 4 with a victory over Iowa in Indy.  I have them above Alabama, and to me it's not even that close.  The Spartans own wins over #5 Iowa (12 - 1), #7 Ohio State (11 - 1), and #14 Michigan (9 - 3).  Alabama's best wins are vs #19 Florida (10 - 3) and #20 LSU (8 - 3).  The committee has made it painfully clear that it's not about who you lose to, but who you beat.  And so Michigan State's resume makes them look like the best 1-loss team without a doubt.

3. Alabama (12-1), SEC ⇩1

They took care of business against Florida in the SEC championship game, and punched their ticket to the playoffs for the second straight year as a result.  They'll face off against a Big Ten opponent in the semi-final round once again, but will be hoping for a different result this time around.

4. Oklahoma (11-1), Big 12

The Sooners had already wrapped up their playoff spot with a win over Oklahoma State and an outright conference title.  The Big 12 was left out last year - can Oklahoma prove they belong despite the lack of a league championship game?

The rest:

Rank	Team	Record	Conf	Trend
5	Ohio State	11-1	B1G	⇧1
6	Iowa	12-1	B1G	⇩4
7	Stanford	11-2	Pac 12	⇧1
8	Florida State	10-2	ACC	⇧1
9	Notre Dame	10-2	Indep	⇧1
10	Northwestern	10-2	B1G	⇧1
11	North Carolina	11-2	ACC	⇩4
12	Houston	12-1	AAC	⇧3
13	Oklahoma State	10-2	Big 12	--
14	TCU	10-2	Big 12	--
15	Michigan	9-3	B1G	⇧2
16	Oregon	9-3	SEC	⇧2
17	Ole Miss	9-3	Pac 12	⇧2
18	Navy	9-2	AAC	⇧3
19	Utah	9-3	SEC	⇧3
20	LSU	8-3	SEC	⇧3
21	Baylor	9-3	Big 12	⇩9
22	Wisconsin	9-3	B1G	⇧2
23	Florida	10-3	SEC	⇩7
24	Temple	10-3	AAC	⇩4
25	Western Kentucky	11-2	C-USA	New

Dropped from rankings: USC 25

Previous rankings:
Week 14
Week 13
Week 12
Week 11
Week 10