College Football Rankings: B/R's Top 25 Post-Bowl Games

And then there were two.

Next wee,k we'll have our national champion after Alabama and Clemson play in Tampa, Florida with everything at stake. Before we get there, though, we're giving you one last Bleacher Report Top 25 so tide you over.

Rather than do another poll after the final—when seemingly the winner will be No. 1 and the runner-up shouldn't be any lower than second—we're recapping the 2016-17 season now. These rankings are based on the entire body of work and while extra weight is given to how teams were playing at the end of the season, including in bowl games, they aren't entirely dependent on the most recent result.

That's a good thing for some teams, namely those that were beaten handily in the playoffs.

The Bleacher Report poll is voted on by 16 members of our college football staff: writers Greg Couch, Tyler Donohue, Matt Hayes, David Kenyon, Sanjay Kirpalani, Adam Kramer, Kerry Miller, Brian Pedersen, David Regimbal, Barrett Sallee, Damon Sayles, Brad Shepard and Christopher Walsh; video staff Michael Felder and Sean McManus and editor Eric Yates.

First-place votes are worth 25 points, with each subsequent point worth one fewer point all the way down to one for 25th place. The 25 teams with the most poll points make our list, with the rest falling into the "others receiving votes" category.

Check out where everyone stands after the end of the bowl slate, then give us your thoughts in the comments section.

Others Receiving Votes

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Georgia Tech used a 33-18 win over Kentucky in the TaxSlayer bowl to finish the 2016 at 9-4, tripling its win total from a year ago while beating a third different SEC East Division school. The Yellow Jackets also won against Georgia and Vanderbilt this season.

That wasn't enough for Tech to make it into our final rankings, though. They were one of 10 schools that received votes but not the requisite number to make the Top 25.

• Western Kentucky (22)
• Georgia Tech (21)
• Kansas State (14)
• Nebraska (11)
• Baylor (4)
• Tulsa (4)
• BYU (3)
• Georgia (2)
• James Madison (1)
• Troy (1)

No. 25 San Diego State Aztecs

David Becker/Associated Press

Poll points: 39

Final regular-season ranking: Not ranked

Bowl result: Won 34-10 vs. Houston in Las Vegas Bowl

San Diego State (11-3) followed up its second straight Mountain West title by pouring it on against Houston's strong defense, with senior running back Donnel Pumphrey making history in the process. Pumphrey's 115 rushing yards gave him 6,405 for his career, eight more than Wisconsin's Ron Dayne had for the previous FBS record.

Pumphrey also ran for a score to give him 62 for his career, good for ninth all-time, and his 7,444 yards from scrimmage are also first in FBS history.

SDSU held Houston to a season-low 254 yards and intercepted four passes, giving it an FBS-best 26 picks for the season.

No. 24 Louisville Cardinals

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Poll points: 55

Final regular-season ranking: 15th

Bowl result: Lost 29-9 vs. LSU in Citrus Bowl

Louisville (9-4) lost a third straight game to sour what had been a strong season, with Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson turning in his worst performance of 2016.

The sophomore was just 10-of-27 for 153 yards, his second-lowest passing total of the season, and he failed to throw a touchdown for the first time all year. He was sacked eight times against LSU. In 2016, he ended up taking 46 sacks yet still finished the season with 1,571 rushing yards, third-most by a quarterback in FBS history.

The Cardinals had been leading the nation in scoring at 45.3 points per game before the bowl.

No. 23 Miami (Florida) Hurricanes

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Poll points: 60

Final regular-season ranking: Not ranked

Bowl result: Won 31-14 vs. West Virginia in Russell Athletic Bowl

Miami (9-4) capped off its first season under coach Mark Richt with a fifth straight victory, matching the program's most wins in the past 13 years.

Quarterback Brad Kaaya threw for 282 yards and four touchdowns on 24-of-34 passing, giving him 3,532 yards with 27 TDs for the season and a school-record 9,968 yards for his career. His 69 TD passes are third-most in school history.

Miami allowed 18.5 points per game, its best rate since 2006.

No. 22 Auburn Tigers

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Poll points: 68

Final regular-season ranking: 17th

Bowl result: Lost 35-19 vs. Oklahoma in Sugar Bowl

Auburn (8-5) dropped a second straight game and third in its last four, its offense hamstrung by injuries to quarterbacks Sean White and John Franklin III.

The Tigers ran for 185 yards with Kamryn Pettway gaining 101 of that, but their pass game managed just 154 yards on 13-of-27 attempts among four passers. They led 7-0 after the opening drive, which gained 75 yards on 14 plays, and had 91 yards on a 10-play drive to end the game, but in between, they averaged 3.53 yards per play.

Auburn dropped to 1-5 in games in which it failed to score at least 23 points, the only victory coming in September against LSU.

No. 21 West Virginia Mountaineers

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Poll points: 75

Final regular-season ranking: 13th

Bowl result: Lost 31-14 vs. Miami (Florida) in Russell Athletic Bowl

West Virginia (10-3) was held to a season-low in points and yards in its bowl game, putting a sour finish on its best season since joining the Big 12.

The Mountaineers' seven league wins were two more than their previous best and a three-game improvement from 2015. Helping with that was a second consecutive 3,000-yard passing season from senior Skyler Howard, who threw 26 touchdown passes and ran for 10 scores.

Howard was one of four players to rush for more than 400 yards. Another was junior Justin Crawford, whose 1,184 yards included 331 against Oklahoma and 209 in a win over Baylor.

No. 20 Utah Utes

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Poll points: 99

Final regular-season ranking: 21st

Bowl result: Won 26-24 vs. Indiana in Foster Farms Bowl

Utah (9-4) leaned on workhorse running back Joe Williams for another big game to win a bowl game for the third consecutive year and reverse a late-season slide that saw the Utes drop three of four after a 7-1 start.

Williams ran for 222 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, giving him 1,407 yards and 10 scores for the season. The senior retired from the team in mid-September only to return a month later, with 1,332 yards and all 10 TDs coming in Utah's final seven games.

Andy Phillips had four field goals, including the game-winning 27-yarder with 1:24 to go. His 84 career makes are fifth-most in FBS history.

No. 19 Tennessee Volunteers

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Poll points: 102

Final regular-season ranking: Not ranked

Bowl result: Won 38-24 vs. Nebraska in Music City Bowl

Tennessee (9-4) wasn't able to win the SEC East as hoped, but it did match last year's win total and finished with a victory over a Big Ten school for the third straight season.

Quarterback Joshua Dobbs wrapped up his career with one of his best games ever, throwing for 291 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 118 yards and three scores. It was the third time in 2016 and fifth time in his career he's had at least 400 yards of total offense, and his 9,298 career yards are third-most in school history.

Tennessee finished with at least nine wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2006-07.

No. 18 South Florida Bulls

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Poll points: 127

Final regular-season ranking: 22nd

Bowl result: Won 46-39 (in OT) vs. South Carolina in Birmingham Bowl

South Florida (11-2) wrapped up its best season in program history by recording its second win in seven tries against an SEC school.

Quinton Flowers accounted for 366 of the Bulls' 469 yards of total offense, throwing for 261 and two touchdowns while rushing for 105 and three scores. For the season he tallied 4,342 yards, seventh-best in FBS, along with 42 TDs. His 1,530 rushing yards are the fourth-most ever by a quarterback and just 41 behind Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson.

The Bulls averaged 43.8 points per game and 7.2 yards per play, both among the top 10 in the country.

No. 17 Western Michigan Broncos

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Poll points: 133

Final regular-season ranking: 12th

Bowl result: Lost 24-16 vs. Wisconsin in Cotton Bowl

Western Michigan (13-1) fell short of finishing with a perfect record and a third win this season over a Big Ten school in the program's first-ever major bowl appearance.

The Broncos, who won at Illinois and Northwestern earlier this season, fell behind 14-0 but pulled within eight with 3:27 left on Corey Davis' 11-yard touchdown catch. (Butch Hampton missed the extra point.) Davis, who had six receptions for 73 yards, finished his career as the FBS all-time leader in receiving yards with 5,278 yards, and his 331 catches are fourth-most.

Zach Terrell threw for 157 yards and a TD and ran for a score in his final game. He finished the season with 3,533 yards, and his 12,100 yards are 28th in FBS history.

No. 16 Florida Gators

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Poll points: 152

Final regular-season ranking: 19th

Bowl result: Won 30-3 vs. Iowa in Outback Bowl

Florida (9-4) had its highest scoring output since mid-October to snap a two-game losing streak and beat a Big Ten school for the first time since the 2012 Gator Bowl.

Quarterback Austin Appleby threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, overcoming a pair of early interceptions on tipped passes. Florida held Iowa to just one field goal on those takeaways before scoring 30 unanswered points, with two of its three touchdowns going for more than 50 yards.

Mark Thompson hauled in a screen pass and took it 85 yards late in the first half, while Chauncey Gardner returned an interception 58 yards for a TD early in the fourth.

The Gators, who allowed 54 points to Alabama in the SEC title game, held an opponent to single digits for the sixth time this season.

No. 15 Colorado Buffaloes

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Poll points: 160

Final regular-season ranking: 10th (tie)

Bowl result: Lost 38-8 vs. Oklahoma State in Alamo Bowl

Colorado (10-4) dropped a second straight game to end what was otherwise a breakthrough season, one that saw the Buffaloes win more Pac-12 games (eight) than in the previous five seasons (five) and reach the conference title game.

The Buffaloes didn't score until the fourth quarter, but they avoided being shut out for the first time since 2012 when quarterback Sefo Liufau scored on a six-yard run for his 74th career TD. The school's career passing leader finished the season with 2,366 yards, and for his career, he threw for 9,763 yards.

Colorado, which won 10 games for the first time since 2001, also got 166 yards from scrimmage from Phillip Lindsay. He had 1,819 all-purpose yards with 17 TDs for the season.

No. 14 Virginia Tech Hokies

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Poll points: 162

Final regular-season ranking: 20th

Bowl result: Won 35-24 vs. Arkansas in Belk Bowl

Virginia Tech (10-4) rallied from a 24-0 halftime deficit to reach the 10-win plateau for the first time since 2011, making for a seamless transition from longtime coach Frank Beamer to successor Justin Fuente.

Quarterback Jerod Evans added to his many school single-season records with 330 yards of total offense and four total touchdowns. The junior threw for 3,552 yards and 29 TDs and added team highs in rushing yards (846) and rushing TDs (12).

Receiver Isaiah Ford broke his own school mark for receptions with 79, with six coming in the Belk Bowl. The 35.0 points per game the Hokies averaged were their best since 2003.

No. 13 LSU Tigers

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Poll points: 182

Final regular-season ranking: 18th

Bowl result: Won 29-9 vs. Louisville in Citrus Bowl

LSU (8-4) made Ed Orgeron a winner in his first game as full-time head coach and stifled Heisman winner Lamar Jackson in the process.

The Tigers held Jackson to 186 yards of total offense, 224 below his average coming in, and kept him from producing a touchdown for the first time all season. LSU finished 2016 allowing 15.8 points per game, with only three opponents reaching the 20-point mark.

Derrius Guice ran for 138 yards and a touchdown to finish with 1,387 yards and 15 scores. His 7.6 yards per carry was third-best among players with at least 150 touches.

No. 12 Stanford Cardinal

MARK LAMBIE/Associated Press

Poll points: 193

Final regular-season ranking: 16th

Bowl result: Won 25-23 vs. North Carolina in Sun Bowl

Stanford (10-3) finished the 2016 season with six straight victories and got a glimpse of its future with Christian McCaffrey heading to the NFL.

Sophomore Bryce Love ran for 115 yards on 22 carries and finished the year with 783 yards on just 111 touches. Combined with McCaffrey's 1,603 yards, the Cardinal averaged 208.9 rushing yards per game.

Quarterback Keller Chryst tore his ACL during the bowl after throwing for 68 yards and a touchdown. He threw 10 of Stanford's 15 TD passes this season.

No. 11 Oklahoma State Cowboys

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Poll points: 241

Final regular-season ranking: 14th

Bowl result: Won 38-8 vs. Colorado in Alamo Bowl

Oklahoma State (10-3) reached 10 wins for the fifth time since 2010 by holding Colorado to 318 yards, the fewest it allowed all season to an FBS opponent.

The Cowboys topped 500 yards for the sixth time, getting 314 passing yards and three touchdowns from Mason Rudolph. Rudolph, a junior who has announced he is returning in 2017 along with top receiver James Washington, finished the year with 4,091 passing yards and 28 TDs. Washington, who had nine catches for 171 yards and a touchdown, had 71 receptions for 1,380 yards and 10 scores in 2016.

Justice Hill, who had 19 carries for 100 yards and a TD in the bowl win, ran for a freshman school-record 1,142 yards to become Okie State's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2012.

No. 10 Michigan Wolverines

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Poll points: 276

Final regular-season ranking: 6th

Bowl result: Lost 33-32 vs. Florida State in Orange Bowl

Michigan (10-3) fell for the third time in its final four games as its late-season offensive issues continued

The Wolverines failed to gain 300 yards for the third time since mid-November, with its four lowest yards-per-play averages coming over the final four contests, which included losses at Iowa and Ohio State by a combined four points. After averaging 6.7 yards per play during an 8-0 start, Michigan gained 3.7 per play over the last four.

Wilton Speight threw for 163 yards with a touchdown and an interception on 21-of-38 passing, with the TD pulling the Wolverines within 27-22 in the fourth quarter. Chris Evans' 30-yard TD run put Michigan up 30-27 with 1:57 to go before Florida State scored with 36 seconds remaining.

The 33 points were the most allowed by Michigan all season, but it still finished second in FBS in scoring defense.

No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions

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Poll points: 287

Final regular-season ranking: 5th

Bowl result: Lost 52-49 vs. USC in Rose Bowl

Penn State (11-3) had another one of its explosive second halves but couldn't carry over that momentum into the fourth quarter, blowing a 14-point lead in the final 8:15 to have its nine-game win streak come to an end.

The Big Ten champions trailed 20-7 in the second quarter but scored on seven straight possessions to take a 49-35 lead late in the third quarter. The Nittany Lions scored on three straight offensive plays in the third, including a 79-yard run by Saquon Barkley and a 72-yard pass from Trace McSorley to Chris Godwin.

McSorley threw for 254 yards and four TDs but had three interceptions, two that enabled USC to take an early lead and another that set up the game-winning field goal as time expired. Barkley ran for 194 yards and two TDs and added 55 receiving yards and a scoring catch.

Penn State matched its most wins since going 12-0 in 1994.

No. 8 Florida State Seminoles

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Poll points: 294

Final regular-season ranking: 10th (tie)

Bowl result: Won 33-32 vs. Michigan in Orange Bowl

Florida State (10-3) scored a touchdown with 36 seconds left to rebound from blowing a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter for its fifth straight victory.

Nyqwan Murray's second TD of the game, a 12-yard catch from Deondre Francois, gave the Seminoles their fifth consecutive 10-win season after starting 3-2. Murray had two catches for 104 yards and two scores, giving him five for the season.

Dalvin Cook ran for 145 yards and a TD in his final game, finishing 2016 with 1,765 yards and 19 TDs to break his own single-season record set in 2015. He's FSU's career rushing leader with 4,464 yards in three seasons.

Francois threw for 222 yards and two TDs but was just 9-of-27, marking the third time he didn't complete at least 50 percent of his passes against a ranked opponent. The redshirt freshman threw for 3,350 yards and 20 TDs overall.

No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers

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Poll points: 310

Final regular-season ranking: 8th

Bowl result: Won 24-16 vs. Western Michigan in Cotton Bowl

Wisconsin (11-3) played one of the toughest schedules in the country and somehow came out with at least 10 wins for the third year in a row. Its three losses were each by a touchdown, and it's only fitting the Badgers ended things with their sixth one-score victory of the season.

An onside kick recovery and another big catch by tight end Troy Fumagalli sealed the win after Western Michigan pulled within eight with 3:27 remaining. Fumagalli had a career game with six receptions for 83 yards and a TD, and he also had a catch on Wisconsin's first drive that's sure to be seen on highlight reels.

Bart Houston was 11-of-12 for 159 yards, and Alex Hornibrook completed both of his passes, including the TD to Fumagalli. Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale each had rushing scores, and Clement finished the season with 1,375 yards and 15 TDs.

The Badgers, who allowed 15.6 points per game this season, held a 10th opponent to fewer than 20 points.

No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners

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Poll points: 320

Final regular-season ranking: 7th

Bowl result: Won 35-19 vs. Auburn in Sugar Bowl

Oklahoma (11-2) won its 10th straight game as all its offensive stars contributed while a maligned defense had arguably its best effort of the season.

The Sooners held Auburn to 339 yards including 185 on the ground, more than 93 below its season average. Their run game churned out 228 yards with Joe Mixon going for 91 yards and two touchdowns while junior Samaje Perine added 86 yards and a score. Perine became Oklahoma's career rushing leader with 4,122 yards, passing Billy Sims.

Mixon added 89 receiving yards while Dede Westbrook and Mark Andrews caught TD passes from Baker Mayfield, who threw for 296 yards on 19-of-28 passing.

No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Poll points: 322

Final regular-season ranking: 3rd

Bowl result: Lost 31-0 to Clemson in Fiesta Bowl

Ohio State (11-2) suffered one of its worst losses in school history, getting shut out for the first time since 1993 after an Urban Meyer-coached team failed to score for the first time ever.

The Buckeyes gained only 215 yards and turned the ball over three times while also failing to capitalize on two early Clemson turnovers. A pair of missed field goals by Tyler Durbin on their second and third drives set the tone early for the disappointing performance.

J.T. Barrett threw for 127 yards with two interceptions on 19-of-33 passing and ran for minus-two yards, only the second time in his career he didn't have positive rushing yardage. Barrett had run for 230 yards in OSU's previous two games and had 845 for the season.

Leading rusher Mike Weber, who had 1,096 yards overall, had five carries for 24 yards with two fumbles (one lost), and OSU gained just 88 rushing yards.

No. 4 USC Trojans

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Poll points: 334

Final regular-season ranking: 9th

Bowl result: Won 52-49 vs. Penn State in Rose Bowl

USC (10-3) rallied from down 14 midway through the fourth quarter to win its ninth consecutive game thanks to a 46-yard field goal as time expired.

Matt Boermeester's kick came after he missed a pair of field goals earlier in the game and completed a 17-0 run in the final 8:15. The Trojans trailed 49-35 before Ronald Jones scored on a three-yard run with 8:15 left and then Sam Darnold connected with Deontay Burnett for 27 yards for his Rose Bowl-record fifth touchdown pass.

Darnold was 33-of-53 for 453 yards while Burnett had 13 catches for 164 yards and three scores. Burnett's second TD gave USC a 20-7 lead in the second quarter and the Trojans led 27-21 at halftime before Penn State erupted for three TDs in the first 4:34 of the second half.

USC began the season 1-3 with losses to Alabama, Stanford and Utah. It averaged 39.7 points during its nine-game win streak with Darnold throwing 29 TD passes in that stretch.

No. 3 Washington Huskies

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Poll points: 342

Final regular-season ranking: 4th

Bowl result: Lost 24-7 vs. Alabama in Peach Bowl

Washington (12-2) discovered what so many other teams have the last two seasons: how hard it is to move the ball against Alabama and how costly any mistakes can be. The Huskies had their fewest points and yards (194) while turning it over a season-high three times.

One of those giveaways led to a defensive touchdown, putting Washington behind 17-7 at halftime. The Huskies led 7-0 on a 16-yard TD throw from Jake Browning to Dante Pettis midway through the first quarter, but that was one of just two times they made it into Crimson Tide territory (the other coming late in the fourth quarter).

Browning threw for 150 yards with a TD and two interceptions on 20-of-38 passing. He threw 43 TDs for the season but had his two lowest yardage totals in the Pac-12 title game win over Colorado and the Peach Bowl.

No. 2 Clemson Tigers

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Poll points: 385 (one first-place vote)

Final regular-season ranking: 2nd

Bowl result: Won 31-0 vs. Ohio State in Fiesta Bowl

Clemson (13-1) gets a chance to avenge last year's national title game loss to Alabama after it destroyed Ohio State in the semifinals. The Tigers and Crimson Tide play Jan. 9 in Tampa, Florida, with Clemson seeking its first national championship since 1981.

The Tigers posted their third shutout of the season—the others were against South Carolina State and Syracuse—and held Ohio State to 215 yards while forcing three turnovers. They gained 470 yards, with Deshaun Watson accounting for 316 yards thanks to 259 passing yards and 57 on the ground with two rushing TDs. His 4,759 yards of total offense this season are fourth-most in FBS.

Wayne Gallman ran for 85 yards and a TD to enter the title game with 1,087 yards and 16 TDs. His 3,370 career yards are fifth-most in school history.

Clemson registered 11 tackles for loss to give it 123 for the season, second-most in the country and only three fewer than in 2015.

No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Poll points: 399 (15 first-place votes)

Final regular-season ranking: 1st

Bowl result: Won 24-7 vs. Washington in Peach Bowl

Alabama (14-0) continued its push for a repeat national championship with its usual formula of punishing defense and an offensive attack that pounds its opponents into submission. That resulted in the Crimson Tide's 26th consecutive win and a return to the title game, where a rematch with Clemson awaits on Jan. 9 in Tampa, Florida.

The Tide fell behind 7-0 midway through the first quarter and then scored 27 unanswered points. That run included their 11th defensive touchdown and 15th non-offensive score of the season, which came on a 26-yard interception return TD by Ryan Anderson late in the second quarter to take a 17-7 halftime lead.

Alabama's two other TDs came on runs by Bo Scarbrough, including a back-breaking 68-yard run with 11:56 left. The sophomore ran for a career-high 180 yards on 19 carries, the most yards any Alabama back has gained in a bowl.

Jalen Hurts had only 107 yards of total offense, including just 57 passing yards along with 50 rushing yards on 19 carries. His plays will be coming from someone new in the title game after Alabama announced Monday that offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin was leaving early for his new job as Florida Atlantic's head coach. Former Washington and USC coach Steve Sarkisian will be taking Kiffin's place in Tampa.

All slides written by Brian J. Pedersen. Follow the author on Twitter at @realBJP.