College Football Postseason Power Rankings

What a season! There were many upsetting shutouts, definite blowouts, and the fan’s favorite—overtime thrillers!

For most of the season, there was a lively playoff discussion, but it looks like the BCS is here to stay for a little bit longer.

Although I believe it is time to throw out the dusted contraption that is the BCS that is barely in running order—we did find the undisputed champion.

I would like to apologize to those of you who were mentioned or caught a glimpse of my previous article: "The Ten Best Bleacher Report Articles From 2009." It was moved to the Forum.

For most of the season, I gave my predictions and followed it with a weekly list of unbiased power rankings.

Needless to say, they always did have a small amount of bias, but not as biased as the BCS, Associated Press, and Coaches Poll.

In this edition, there will be bias as it is my take, but once again it will stay clear of the overwhelming drenched amount the other polls blindly serve on a platter each week.

Starting with No. 35....

No. 35 Connecticut

Connecticut had a very emotional season. After a 4-2 start, Cornerback Jasper Howard was killed during an on-campus altercation.

For the next three weeks, things got more daunting, as the Huskies came up short against Cincinnati, Rutgers, and West Virginia, by a combined ten points.

But in late November, Connecticut got their swagger back , conquering Notre Dame in double overtime, crushing on the Orange of Syracuse, defeating South Florida in a thriller, and ending with a bowl victory over South Carolina 20-7.

No. 34 Rutgers

The Scarlet Knights had another sensational season and they’re ready to emit triumph.

Receiver Mohamed Sanu looked like a superstar in the St. Petersburg Bowl against the Knights from Central Florida.

He goes after the deep balls, lines up in the Wildcat, returns kicks, and fills in the backfield.

Rutgers can only expect more of the same next year, as they line up more arduous opponents.

No. 33 Oklahoma State

Okay State never seemed impressive. They were a good team, but certainly not a contender, which would explain the nickname.

They took care off business against Missouri, Baylor, and Iowa State, but they only dealt with the mediocre teams from the Big XII.

They did pull away with a “w” against Georgia and Texas Tech, but those wins were overshadowed by defeats to Texas, Houston, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.

No. 32 Houston

Houston took down the 5th ranked Cowboys of Oklahoma State in Week 2, and survived Texas Tech in a 29-28 thriller the following week.

After a loss to UTEP, Houston went on a five-game winning streak, blowing out the Green Wave and Mustangs, escaping Mississippi State, Southern Miss, and Tulsa by one-point.

After a loss to Central Florida, the Cougars decided they had to make up some how. So they decided to put up some style points against their next two opponents. Houston didn’t take the idea lightly.

They went on to bash Memphis 55-14, followed by a 73-14 bombing over Rice.

But their idea for world dominance came to an end, when Chase Keenum was forced to throw 75 passes a week later in the Conference Championship against East Carolina.

Their thrilling defeat was followed by a dreadful performance against Air Force in the Armed Force Bowl, suffering a 47-24 defeat.

Houston ended the season with a 10-4 record, and although the way they ended the season was disappointing, you can’t help but acknowledge the many accomplishments, as their future only looks to get better.

No. 31 East Carolina

East Carolina never jumped off the page until their victory over Houston in the C-USA Championship.

The Pirates fell short against Virginia Tech (13 points), North Carolina (14 points), and West Virginia (15 points).

But they took care of business of their inner-conference rivals and took Arkansas into overtime.

No. 30 Air Force

Before the bowl season, Air Force appeared to only be a run of the mill team, but once they soared past Houston, their true colors started to unravel.

In the first week of the season, the Air Force took flight in a game of style points, destroying Nicholls State, 72-0.

They went on to hold a 5-4 record at the end of October, having lost to Minnesota, Navy, TCU, and Utah, the last two ending in overtime, all in slugfests.

But Air Force put together a few blowouts, gave Brigham Young a tough battle, and then unloaded on Houston.

No. 29 Stanford

Stanford was extremely balanced on offense, sought after the ball on defense, had a Heisman candidate, and finished fourth in the PAC-10.

Wins against Washington, UCLA, Notre Dame, and Oregon certainly put this team on the map, but falling short against Arizona, Oregon State, Cal, and Oklahoma hindered them from finishing in the Top 25.

No. 28 North Carolina

After a stellar 3-0 start with wins against Citadel, Connecticut, and East Carolina, the team stumbled losing three of their next four games to Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Virginia.

But North Carolina was determined to make a run with the elite, as they put together a four-game winning streak against Virginia Tech, Duke, Miami (FL), and Boston College (blowout).

No. 27 Oregon State

The Dam Workers finished third in the Pac-10, with wins against Stanford and UCLA, and blowout victories over Cal and Washington.

Although this team was ranked 18th in the BCS prior to the Las Vegas Bowl, the immense fall was necessary, having lost to Arizona, Brigham Young, Cincinnati, Oregon, and USC.

No. 26 Arizona

In what was thought to be one of the most thrilling bowl games of the decade, the Holiday Bowl ended in a route, as Nebraska obliterated Arizona in shutout fashion, 33-0.

Arizona fell short against Nebraska, California, Iowa, Oregon, and Washington — the last four losses were by a combined 24 points.

Their best wins were against Central Michigan, Oregon State, Stanford, and on the road at USC.

No. 25 Utah

It took a long time for me to jump on the Utes’ bandwagon, and I’m still a little hesitant about the move.

The Utes ended the season with a tremendous comeback victory over the Cal Bears, but the team wasn’t introduced to style points until November.

Their seven victories prior to November accumulated to only 90 points against Air Force, Colorado State, Louisville, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, and Wyoming.

Their unimpressive victories kept them from making their mark in 2009.

Albeit Utah detained a 10-3 record and their bowl game winning streak is mind-blowing, TCU ran all over them, and they couldn’t win the close ones against Oregon and Brigham Young.

No. 24 Texas Tech

The Red Raiders have only one common opponent with Utah, and it happens to be injured Lobos from New Mexico. Imagine my surprise — Utah won by a wider margin.

Texas Tech didn’t wait until November to light up the scoreboard. The following games were expected to be extremely close, but ended up being victims of notable steamrolls:

Kansas State (66-14), Nebraska (31-10), Kansas (42-21), Oklahoma (41-13).

Despite blowing a gasket against A&M, the Red Raiders only finished with four losses that accumulated to ten points per game against Houston, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M.

No. 23 West Virginia

West Virginia didn’t appear to be among the elite at any point in the season.

They outlasted their first two opponents—East Carolina and Liberty, but fell short the following week against Auburn.

After handling a few cupcake teams, West Virginia won a thriller against a heart-broken UConn team.

The Mountaineers proceeded to finish the season winning three of their last six games.

No. 22 Arkansas

Ryan Mallett and company had a high-flying offense and a perpetual defense to boot.

The Razorbacks ended the season with an 8-5 record, but they made a colossal dent in the toughest conference in college football.

After a shaky (1-2) start losing to Georgia and Alabama, the Razorbacks were determined to riposte, as they routed Auburn and Texas A&M by 49 points (combined).

After losing to Florida in a stolen game and losing a tough SEC showdown against the Rebels, Arkansas returned with furry, thumping their next four opponents by more than a 100-point margin of victory.

Arkansas finished their last two games with a loss to LSU and a win over East Carolina—both in overtime.

No. 21 Oklahoma

The Sooners were ranked third in the preseason rankings. That didn’t last long, losing their first game to Brigham Young in the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium.

It was actually a double-whammy because Sam Bradford injured his shoulder and was out for weeks.

Oklahoma was on a quest to win the close games the entire season.

They ended the season undefeated at home, with blowout victories against Baylor, Idaho State, Oklahoma State, Texas, ‘A&M, and Tulsa.

No. 20 Miami (FL)

Miami inevitably held back on their swagger in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando.

The Badgers had the advantage, saying it was “Spring-like temperatures”, which was very favorable.

Miami (FL) recovered an onside kick, but couldn’t put together the victory in time.

But bare in mind, Swagga had a sensational season, beating the Seminoles, spinning the Georgia Teach into a whirl, blowing out South Florida and Virginia, and nudging past Oklahoma with a slim one-point victory.

No. 19 Clemson

Clemson is often over-looked and not given enough credit. They gave Georgia Tech all they could handle in both meetings, pounced on Florida State and N.C. State, and clawed away at Boston College and Wake Forest in blowout fashion.

Clemson also gave TCU a hard fought battle, won the cat fight against Kentucky, shook the Hurricanes free of a victory (in overtime), and won the ACC Atlantic.

No. 18 Wisconsin

Unlike the majority of the Big Ten, Wisconsin was about a powerhouse offense.

Wisconsin stepped on a few cupcakes, but for the most part, they were forced to stick it out in the close games.

The Badgers ended up winning six games by eight points or less.

Wisconsin lost to the premier teams in the Big Ten, but they came away with a win against Fresno State, survived Michigan State, and rolled past Michigan.

The Badgers also escaped Miami (FL) in frigid conditions (based on opinions from The U players) and steamrolled Purdue in shutout fashion.

No. 17 LSU

Oddly enough, LSU has four wins by eight points or less. Their four losses against Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Penn State combine for only 23 points.

The Tigers' best wins of the season transpired against Georgia in a slugfest, Mississippi State on the last play of the game, Auburn in a blowout, and Arkansas in a Thanksgiving overtime thriller.

No. 16 Mississippi

The Rebels were just another team that didn’t live up to their stunning preseason ranking.

They fell short against four conference opponents (Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, and South Carolina), but held off Arkansas, and erupted against Tennessee in a monstrous game.

Mississippi also won a thriller against LSU, and secured a victory over Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl.

No. 15 Pittsburgh

PITT was a force to be reckoned with in 2009. They attacked the football on both sides of the ball with a stellar running game, and accumulating 399 total yards per game.

Pittsburgh didn’t have to deal with any of the elite teams from the SEC, but they won every game they were expected to win.

Pittsburgh’s defeats were against NC State, West Virginia, and against Cincinnati in one of the most thrilling games of the season.

The Panthers pounced on South Florida and survived Connecticut, Navy, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Rutgers.

True freshman Dion Lewis accumulated over 1,700 yards with 17 TDs.

Borrowing an injury like Sam Bradford’s, Lewis will be in the running for the Heisman next season.

No. 14 Penn State

Penn State was always in contention to win the Big Ten, but they were never capable of playing for the Title this past season.

The Nittany Lions had a powerful defense that allowed less than 12 points per game.

They prowled on Michigan and Northwestern, but couldn’t get the job done against the Hawkeyes and Buckeyes.

Penn State was ranked in the top 10 in the AP Poll and Coaches Poll, but this team isn't quite top 10 calibar, as they just barely nudged a victory past LSU in an equally matched game.

No. 13 Brigham Young

On the surface, Brigham Young is hardly considered to have a place next to the top dozen, but this team had a dominating performance in the Las Vegas Bowl against Oregon State.

BYU trounced Air Force, won an overtime thriller against Utah, brought the boomer to the Sooners, and routed both Wyoming and Oregon State.

No. 12 Oregon

Quack Attack was a powerhouse the entire season, finishing 10-3, and winning the Pac-10.

Albeit the Ducks didn’t start or end the season on a high note, they took down their arch nemeses and gave the mighty Trojans a beat down.

Oregon has two common opponents with Brigham Young (Utah and Oregon State), and both teams prevailed.

Even though Brigham Young manhandled the Dam Workers, Oregon ended up playing a tougher schedule, which gave them the edge.

No. 11 Nebraska

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?

The world may never know.

The same answer goes for the following question: Who was the real champion in the Big XII?

At their worst point, Nebraska was 4-3 with only a 4th quarter comeback victory against Missouri and three wins over Sun Belt teams.

Their defeats came against Virginia Tech in a narrow intense slugfest, Iowa State in a shocker, and Texas Tech in a mind-blowing landslide.

But the Cornhuskers got their act together and were resilient, winning (arguably) six of their last seven games.

Coincidentally, every one of their wins in the five-game winning streak was by two scores or less.

It’s an endless debate, whether Texas was the true champion of the Big XII, but after Nebraska clobbered Arizona in what was predicted to be one of the best bowls of the last decade, you have to wonder far Nebraska could have gotten.

No. 10 Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech did lose three games, one to North Carolina in a mild upset, Georgia Tech in a thriller, and to the National Champions Alabama. The average margin of those defeats was only six points.

The Hokies had a very balanced offensive scheme and an excellent defense that always sought after the football.

The Hokies also wrapped The U into a tailspin, soared past Boston College, and finished on a five-game winning streak—doing so in blowout fashion by more than tripling their opponents' total.

No. 9 Georgia Tech

The Yellow Jackets faltered against Miami (FL), but were sitting quite comfortably with a 10-1 record in the middle of November.

They had escaped Virginia Tech, overcame Clemson, and had to survive shootouts against Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Wake Forest, and Florida State with their explosive offense.

Josh Nesbitt only completed 75 passes the entire season. But it was their innovative triple-option that got the job done every week until their slipping and sliding took place in late November.

No. 8 Cincinnati

Many were content with just letting this team fall out of the top ten or even the top dozen, but this team won every game they should have and won many games that they weren’t expected to win.

In Week 1, the Bearcats traveled to Rutgers. In the first edition of College Gameday of the season, all of the “experts” blatantly selected Rutgers.

The Bearcats went on to pounce on the Scarlet Knights in a 47-15 steamroll.

The fearless Bearcats went on to beat Fresno State, knock off the Beavers from Oregon State, fool the Bulls of South Florida into a sense of false security, and defeat West Virginia.

Cincy also won emotional thrillers against Pittsburgh and Connecticut by an amalgamated total of 92-89.

This team was clearly not in contention for a national title without Brian Kelly, as the team’s distractions played a huge role in their disappointing departure against Florida.

No. 7 Iowa

The Big Ten clearly showed there was room for improvement from their lackluster performance in previous bowl seasons, as they finished to a sound 4-3 record, only to have the bottom three come up short.

The Hawkeyes made their presence known through their almost careless efforts to barely nudge their way past cupcake opponents.

The Hawkeyes beat Northern Iowa, Arkansas State, Michigan, and Michigan State all in comeback fashion by only eight points combined.

But this team had the most resilience of almost any team, beating Arizona, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Georgia Tech, all from cunning executions and pursuit in the 4th quarter.

No. 6 Ohio State

Say what you want to about this team’s “average” offense, they completely dominate on the defensive side, as it was proven on numerous occasions this season.

Oregon was favored in the Rose Bowl because they were ranked higher, had beaten both of the teams Ohio State lost to (USC and Purdue), and had a very explosive offense with Jeremiah Masoli and company.

But it was Ohio State that defined the odds, handing the Big Ten their third bowl win, 26-17 over the Ducks.

Believe it or not, it was Ohio State’s offense that got the job done, holding onto the football and keeping it out of the Ducks’ hands.

No. 5 Florida

The mighty Gators were one of the best teams of the season and they proved that notion throughout the entire season.

But Florida always had the officials by their side, getting away with countless penalties and abundant calls pulled out of a hat against the opponents.

The blatant accounts can be seen in the games against Arkansas and Mississippi State.

But despite the overwhelming amount of bias they received from the media, Florida pulled through the tough games against Tennessee and South Carolina.

The Gators ran over Kentucky, Georgia, Florida State, and Cincinnati—just to name a few. It won't be the same without Tim Tebow.

No. 3 TCU

Bringing one tie into the order in every edition is just part of my nature.

At the end of the day, these teams are just too identical to split hairs that don’t exist.

Best Wins:
at No. 13 Brigham Young, 38-7
at No. 19 Clemson, 14-10
No. 25 Utah, 55-28
(30) Air Force, 20-17

Common Opponent:
at Wyoming, W 45-10

Blemish:
vs. Boise State, L 10-17

Points Forced: 40.7
Points Allowed: 12.4
Rushing Yards Per Game: 256
Passing Yards Per Game: 212

No. 3 Texas

Best Wins:
vs. No. 11 Nebraska, W 13-12
vs. No. 21 Oklahoma, W 16-13
No. 24 Texas Tech, W 34-24
No. 33 Oklahoma State, W 41-14

Common Opponent:
at Wyoming, W 41-10

Blemish:
vs. Alabama, L 21-37

Points Forced: 40.7
Points Allowed: 15.2
Rushing Yards Per Game: 152
Passing Yards Per Game: 279

In the championship game, the Longhorns had to play catch up with a freshman quarterback, and overall they did a very good job of it.

I have to commend them for their exceptional efforts, but Alabama was the superior team, and the No. 1 team in the nation.

TCU-Texas Comparison:

TCU
W—No. 13 Brigham Young, 38-7
W—No. 19 Clemson, 14-10
W—No. 25 Utah, 55-28
W—No. 30 Air Force, 20-17

Texas
W—No. 11 Nebraska, 13-12
W—No. 21 Oklahoma, 16-13
W—No. 24 Texas Tech, 34-24
W—No. 33 Oklahoma State, 41-14

Can you really put one team above the other?
My point exactly.

No. 2 Boise State

The Broncos of Boise once again fell short of a title. Do they deserve a chance at the title?

Only four teams from the WAC made a bowl appearance, and only Boise and Idaho managed to snag a victory, both in thrilling fashion in the final seconds.

The best bowl game of the past decade was Boise State vs. Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, and even though I don’t care much for Boise, I get goose bumps every time I see that thrilling victory.

The team’s best victories were against Idaho, Nevada (who was destroyed against Southern Methodist), Oregon, in a hard-fought game, but it was the aftermath that got the most attention.

And lastly, the stunning victory over TCU, which was granted from a tipped pass that landed into the hands of a Boise State defender in Boise territory in the final seconds.

No. 1 Alabama

Unless you’re living with west coast propaganda, you are familiar with the notion of Alabama winning the crown of National Champion, for the 13 time in team history.

The Crimson Tide had a little trouble along the way with Tennessee, LSU, and Auburn, but they won every game without anyone saying the game was “pulled” and were clearly the better team in every account.

The Tide put Arkansas, Mississippi State, Florida, and Texas out to dry and are the undisputed champions, once again.

Nick Saban put this team back to its championship ways and they are the National Champions. Needless to say, they are back.

The victory gave the SEC its fourth straight title.

Congratulations to every team for making the list, proving us wrong, for providing a great season, and to the National Champions—the Alabama Crimson Tide!

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you liked or didn't like about the article, or anything of the sort. I appreciate all feedback and hope you enjoyed this piece!