1. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-0) LW 1
It's now official the Fighting Irish are now in the National Championship Game with their 22-13 win over USC. Now Notre Dame gets to wait to face the winner of the Alabama and Georgia game. The good thing about the Irish is that with their elite defense and neither Alabama or Georgia having explosive offenses, they'll have a great shot to win.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) LW 2
There was no sleep walking in Alabama's final regular season game against rival Auburn. The 49-0 beatdown of the Tigers puts the Tide in the SEC Title game and helps the Tigers end one of the worst seasons in their program's history. Now the Tide moves on to Georgia and a chance at the National Title.
3. Georgia Bulldogs (11-1) LW 3
Just think about this for a second. It was two years ago that Georgia finished 6-7 on the season. Then in 2010 the Bulldogs lost their first two games of the season. Richt's seat was red hot and he was in danger of losing his job. The Bulldogs rattled off 10 straight wins and he kept he job. Now he has the Bulldogs at 11 wins and a chance to go to the National Title Game.
4. Oregon Ducks (11-1) LW 4
Even with their win over Oregon State, there is nothing the Ducks can do to get into the Pac 12 Title Game. That's unfortunate for a team that only lost one game all year. Instead they'll have to wait and see what bowl game they will be going to. They are likely headed the the Fiesta Bowl against either KState or maybe Oklahoma.
5. Florida Gators (11-1) LW 7
The Gators won a hard fought battle with in state rival Florida State. The game went back and forth, but a 24 point 4th quarter gave the Gators the final lead. The win gives the Gators their 11th of the season, but that one loss to Georgia is keeping them out of the SEC Title Game and possible National Title Game. But we should see the Gators back in the BCS as an at large team.
6. Kansas State Wildcats (10-1) LW 6
After losing the week before the Wildcats have an extra week to stool about it. But with Texas coming up this weekend they can't think too much about Baylor or they could suffer a second straight loss and really ruin their once promising season. A win against the Longhorns would give the Wildcats their first conference title since 2003.
7. LSU Tigers (10-2) LW 8
It got a little nerve racking in the second half, but the Tigers were able to hold off Arkansas and secure their 10th win of the year. But the season didn't go the way they wanted with two losses and no BCS game in their future. Instead they'll have to settle for the Cotton Bowl against a 2nd tier Big 12 team.
8. Texas A&M Aggies (10-2) LW 9
In a battle of former Big 12 teams and now new SEC foes, the Aggies were able to keep their momentum going and keep Missouri's struggles going for another week. Not only did A&M win 59-29, but Johnny Manziel might have sown up the Heisman by breaking Cam Newton's single season yardage record in the SEC. Not a bad year for their first in the SEC.
9. Stanford Cardinal (10-2) LW 11
Not too many people gave Stanford a chance this year. Losing all those pieces on offense and another year removed from Jim Harbaugh. Instead they exceed expectations and with the win against UCLA the Cardinal got their 3rd straight 10 win season. But they can't get ahead of themselves because if they want to win the Pac 12 they'll have to beat UCLA twice in two weeks. A very tough thing to do.
10. Ohio State Buckeyes (12-0) LW 12
Without a chance at winning the conference or going to a bowl game, the Buckeyes finished the season with a perfect 12-0 record. They did so by beating hated rival Michigan with 9 straight points to get a 5 point win. They may be undefeated, but I'm not sold on this team as one of the best. They did win their games, but they struggled in all but one. I'd take every team ranked ahead of them here any day over the Buckeyes.
11. South Carolina Gamecocks (10-2) LW 13
Steve Spurrier loves to talk and he has never pulled any punches against in state rival Clemson. However Spurrier and the Gamecocks were able to back it up. South Carolina's defense was able to slow down the Clemson offense and put 27 points on the board themselves. The win also made Spurrier the all time winningest coach in South Carolina history.
12. Florida State Seminoles (10-2) LW 5
The Seminoles may have lost against the Gators, but they are still going to the ACC Championship Game and with a win over Georgia Tech will get back to a BCS Bowl. But you have to look at their two losses and wonder what could have been. They lost in the final seconds to NC State and then lost a 2nd half lead against Florida. Win those two and they could be in the National Title Game.
13. Oklahoma Sooners (9-2) LW 14
Landry Jones threw for 500 yards and 3 TDs in Oklahoma's overtime win against Oklahoma State. But you have to wonder what has happen to the Sooners defense. Remember when that is what they were known for. I mean Bob Stoops is suppose to be a defensive genius. Instead it's their offense that is getting them most of their wins. They finish the season against TCU who is looking for a signature moment to end their season.
14. Clemson Tigers (10-2) LW 10
With all the talent on the Clemson team, they just can't beat their in state rival South Carolina. Their 27-17 loss was their 4th straight to the Gamecocks. Offensively they were held to only 17 points which is 25 points under their average. You would have thought if they held SC to only 27 they would probably win with their offense. Not the case here.
15. Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-2) LW 1514. Clemson Tigers (10-2) LW 10
With all the talent on the Clemson team, they just can't beat their in state rival South Carolina. Their 27-17 loss was their 4th straight to the Gamecocks. Offensively they were held to only 17 points which is 25 points under their average. You would have thought if they held SC to only 27 they would probably win with their offense. Not the case here.
It had all the makings of a trap game. The Huskers had the Legends Division all but wrapped up and were looking ahead to the Big 10 Title Game and possibly their first conference title since 1999. All that stood in their way was a 4 win Iowa team. And for the better part of the game it looked like they were going to lose. But a late Rex Burkhead TD gave them the lead and they never looked back.
16. Kent State Golden Flashes (11-1) 22
Kent State continued their record setting season with win over Ohio in their season finale. The 28-6 win was impressive considering many thought Ohio could go undefeated this year. Now the Golden Flashes will face off against another 11 win team in Northern Illinois to decide the MAC Title.
17. Northern Illinois Huskies (11-1) LW 25
In one of the worst weather condition games of the year, the Huskies were able to throttle Eastern Michigan 49-7 and set up their match up against Kent State in the MAC Title Game. The win was even more impressive considering that the field was covered in snow and had to be hard to move at full speed. But that didn't stop the Huskies from racking up the yards.
18. Texas Longhorns (8-3) LW 16
Just when you think Texas righted the ship after a couple of losses, they fall right back down with an ugly loss against TCU. QB David Ash was terrible with 3 turnovers and was pulled for Chase McCoy. It's too bad because they have a ton of talent on that team, but just can't put it together at the QB position. With KState coming this weekend, it could get worse.
19. Louisville Cardinals (9-2) LW 17
In typical Big East fashion, the Cardinals dropped a game they should have won heading into their final game against Rutgers. But that is the story of the Big East. Just when you think you have a team or two separating themselves, they end up losing to a weaker team. Now we have a four way tie atop the conference standings. These teams are lucky that they still have a automatic bid to the BCS, because if this was next year, we wouldn't see a Big East Champion in the BCS.
20. UCLA Bruins (9-3) LW 18
With UCLA's loss to Stanford that sets up a rematch with the Cardinal this week in Palo Alto. It will be interesting to see how the Bruins do in the second game. You would think that their chances would go down since they already lost to Stanford at home and now the game is at Stanford. Unless you buy in that UCLA didn't go 100% in the first match up.
21. Oregon State Beavers (8-3) LW 19
Unlike most Pac 12 teams, the Beavers season is not over. They still have Nichols State this weekend in a game that was suppose to be played first week but because of a hurricane was pushed back. This will allow the Beavers to finish their season on a high note after getting blown out in state rival Oregon.
22. Northwestern Wildcats (9-3) LW NR
The Wildcats have been a yo-yoing in and out of the top 25 the past couple of weeks. However with their win over in state rival Illinois the Wildcats got their 9th win of the season and a pretty successful season at that. It's too bad that the Wildcats are in the Legends Division because they could have easily won the Leaders Division and made it to the Big 10 Title Game.
23. Michigan Wolverines (8-4) LW 20
On the surface 4 losses isn't a great season. But when you look at who they lost to, it's still a good season none the less. The Wolverines dropped games to #1 Notre Dame, #2 Alabama, #10 Ohio State, and #14 Nebraska. It's not like they were losing to Illinois or Purdue.
24. Utah State Aggies (10-2) LW NR
Gotta give some love to the Aggies from Utah State. Their win over Idaho gives the Aggies an undefeated record in the WAC and their first WAC Conference Title. Pretty good for a program that hasn't had much success at the FBS level. But their success comes at a price because their HC Gary Anderson is likely going to be pursued for a BCS level job and probably will be gone.
25. Boise State Broncos (10-2) LW NR
I've been reluctant to put the Broncos in my rankings in the past because I don't feel they are that great of a team. Top 25 sure. But I don't see them being a top 16 team like a lot of AP voters. Who have the Broncos really beat? The only BCS level team they played they lost to, and Michigan State isn't very good. Other than that, Boise has been average.
Dropped From the Rankings: Michigan, Rutgers, Oklahoma State, Mississippi State
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