Grading College Football's Final AP Top 25

The 2012 college football season is in the rearview mirror, and Alabama, once again, emerged as national champion, knocking off Notre Dame in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. But did Alabama really ace its final exam?

And what about the Irish, or the Boise State Broncos for that matter?

There were certainly some impressive surprises this season, but there were also bitter disappointments. Failing to live up to expectations will have just as much bearing on our final marks as beating them, and we'll throw in a little extra credit here and there.

Let's break down the final Associated Press College Football Top 25 Poll and see who finished at the head of the 2012-13 class.

And, no, we're not grading on a curve.

25. Nebraska

2012 Record: 10-4

Everything looked so good for Nebraska heading into conference championship week.

The Huskers had captured the Legends Division title and was facing an unranked Wisconsin team that had backed its way into the Big Ten championship game—the Badgers even had to back their way into the game through the back door as the top two teams in the Leaders Division were ineligible. What could possibly go wrong for Bo Pelini's boys?

A lot.

The Badgers had the game completely out of reach by halftime, and when the dust settled, Wisconsin had run up over 500 yards on the ground against a shell-shocked Cornhuskers defense.

Nebraska stumbled into the Capital One Bowl to face SEC East champion Georgia. Despite hanging around for three quarters, the Bulldogs eventually pulled away in the fourth quarter to hand Nebraska one final loss on what will turn out to be a very forgettable season.

Final Grade: C+

24. Michigan

2012 Record: 8-5

Despite finishing behind Nebraska in the Big Ten standings—and lost head-to-head—we're giving the Michigan Wolverines a slightly better grade than classmate Nebraska.

The Wolverines came within 11 seconds of beating the feisty South Carolina Gamecocks in the Outback Bowl, and there's just something about Brady Hoke's team that has us eager to see what's in store for 2013.

Michigan isn't quite the program it once was, but we might, maybe, just possibly be seeing the start of something special in Ann Arbor.

Final Grade: B-

23. Vanderbilt

2012 Record: 9-4

A nine-win season for the Commodores is certainly better than expected for this perennial doormat of the SEC. But the dumbest kid in class doesn't automatically get an “A” just because he didn't utterly fail.

The problem for Vanderbilt is that this 9-4 season was still only good enough for fourth in the SEC East and included a regular-season loss to a team from the reviled Big Ten (Northwestern).

Were it not for some great teams in the SEC like Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M, Vandy might find itself with a much higher grade. But the Commodores are still completely overshadowed by their conference mates.

Final Grade C-

22. Northern Illinois

2012 Record: 12-2

Northern Illinois is a very difficult team to grade this season.

On one hand, the Huskies won 12 games, knocked off Kent State in a Top 25 versus Top 25 MAC championship game (something neither the ACC or Big Ten could boast) and earned the conference's first ever BCS berth.

Northern Illinois was also the first team from a non-automatic qualifying conference to find its way to a BCS game without a perfect regular-season record. And that Week 1 loss to Iowa really is a drag on NIU's grade.

Add in a crushing defeat to Florida State in the Orange Bowl that only served to reinforce the belief that the Huskies didn't belong in the BCS and we think a “B” is a very generous mark.

Final Grade: B

21. San Jose State

2012 Record: 11-2

One of the best non-AQ teams that was completely overlooked this season by the national media.

When you look at the résumé of the Spartans in 2012, it's OK to wonder why you didn't know about this team sooner. SJSU was 11-2 this season with the two losses coming at the hands of WAC champion Utah State and Pac-12 champion Stanford.

Oh yeah, that Stanford loss? It was by three points.

Sure, San Jose State didn't exactly have a difficult schedule this season, but a final Top 25 spot after a bowl victory and 11 wins on the season is well-deserved.

Final Grade: B+

20. Oregon State

2012 Record: 9-4

Compared to what everyone thought of the Beavers when the season began, 9-4 is pretty darn good. But a 3-4 record over the last seven games of the season (which includes the Alamo Bowl) killed any shot of Oregon State earning anything better than a “B-” this season—especially when you consider the success the top tier of the conference had in the BCS.

Final Grade: B-

19. Texas

2012 Record: 9-4

Texas is a really confusing program. At times, we believe the Longhorns are completely and utterly overrated for no articulate reason. Then, sometimes during the course of the same game, we thing Texas is drastically underrated.

That leads us to believe two things. First, the Longhorns aren't living up to their potential. In the words of every high school English teacher, “This isn't your best work. You can do better.”

Secondly, this up-and-down performance belies the Longhorns' inconsistency. And we're not about to reward inconsistency.

To put it succinctly, we expect more from Mack Brown and Texas.

Final Grade: C-

18. Boise State

2012 Record: 11-2

Well, 2012 wasn't a complete bust for the Broncos.

Boise State started out with yet another road challenge against a power conference program; only this time, the Broncos came up short. As the season wore on, it became clear just how much Kellen Moore meant to Boise State and how much his leadership and talent would be missed.

But Boise recovered nicely down the stretch in time to earn a share of their first Mountain West title with Fresno State and San Diego State.

The Broncos weren't ever a real threat to bust up the BCS this season, and a home loss for Boise State—its second in two seasons—keeps the Broncos' grade from being anything higher than what it is: a generous “B+.”

Final Grade: B+

17. Northwestern

2012 Record: 10-3

Northwestern was probably the feel-good story of the bowl season, unless you're an SEC fan.

The Wildcats won their first bowl game since the 1948 season when they won the 1949 Rose Bowl Game. Well, over half a century later, Northwestern has finally put an end to a drought that even had Cubs fans feeling for their fellow Chicagoans.

Northwestern lost three conference games this season, meaning it was one of the few teams from the Big Ten to emerge from non-conference play unscathed. The Wildcats' two in-division losses came to Nebraska by one point and Michigan in overtime. Add a young roster to the mix, and we're developing some very high expectations for Pat Fitzgerald in 2013.

An undefeated non-conference schedule (which included games against the ACC, an SEC bowl team, and a Big East co-champion) combined with finally seeing Northwestern lift a bowl trophy after so many decades is worth a little extra credit, don't you think?

Final Grade: A-

16. Utah State

2012 Record: 11-2

This season was a banner year for the non-AQ conferences, and the WAC has its own submission to the Top 25 with conference champion Utah State.

The Aggies put together an 11-2 record that included a perfect 8-0 conference mark and two non-conference losses at Wisconsin and at in-state rival BYU. Additionally, those two losses came by a combined five points.

The Aggies also brought home the Beehive Boot in 2012, the rivalry trophy in the three-way series between Utah, Utah State and BYU. Each team won one game in the 2012 series, and the Aggies were awarded the trophy based on a vote by the state's media.

Final Grade: B+

15. Oklahoma

2012 Record: 10-3

We can't flunk Oklahoma simply because of yet another big bowl game loss, no matter how much we think we should. If we were handing out individual grades to coaches, Mr. Stoops would likely need his parents to sign and return his report card. But since we're talking about the team as a while, we begrudgingly give the Sooners a “B-.”

With the exception of the Red River Rivalry, Oklahoma lost every other big game on its 2012 schedule. Still, that was somehow good enough to earn a share of the Big 12 title this season—an accomplishment not lost on us.

But where conference AQ conference champions would ordinarily get a fair amount of extra credit, we could only bring ourselves to give partial credit to the Sooners. After all, they did lose to the other co-champion, Kansas State, head-to-head, making Oklahoma's co-championship seem a little hollow.

Add in an ugly loss to Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl Classic and we think the Sooners are lucky to leave our class with a passing grade.

Final Grade: B-

14. LSU

2012 Record: 10-3

Grading LSU this season proved to be one of the more difficult tasks. Our red pen got quite a workout going through the Tigers' seasonal assignments, and we continue to be baffled by some of the poor performances against weaker competition.

Isn't this the team that beat Texas A&M on the road and almost knocked off Alabama? Yeah, but it's also the team that had terrible showings against Auburn, Florida, Arkansas and FCS Towson.

No extra credit this season for the Tigers, either. A tie for second in the SEC's West Division and a Chick-fil-A Bowl loss is only good enough to earn Les Miles' squad a “B” this year.

Final Grade: B

13. Louisville

2012 Record: 11-2

It's really hard not to like Teddy Bridgewater, Charlie Strong and the Louisville Cardinals. Well, unless you're a Florida Gators or SEC fan.

The Cardinals took the constant media snubs, Vegas disbelief and the “Big Least” moniker and turned it into some sort of super fuel that was more than enough to outdistance the Florida Gators in the 2013 Sugar Bowl.

While sharing the Big East title with three other teams isn't nearly enough to earn a team much respect these days, a win over a top-ranked team from the SEC in a BCS bowl sure is.

Final Grade: A-

12. Kansas State

2012 Record: 11-2

It's amazing how close a team can come to earning an “A” only to foul it up on the final exam.

Kansas State looked primed for a national championship run this season, even all the way to Nov. 17, when the then-No. 1 Wildcats traveled to Baylor for what was sure to be a blowout.

It was—except Kansas State was the team that got blown out.

With that one loss, Kansas State kissed its national title hopes good-bye, and Collin Klein likely lost the Heisman Trophy.

A not-so-close loss to Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl only adds to the belief that K-State was more “pretender” than “contender” this season.

Final Grade: B+

11. Clemson

2012 Record: 11-2

The problem from Clemson in 2012 was the fact that the Atlantic Division-deciding game took place way back in September.

That loss to Florida State kept Clemson out of the ACC championship game and a season finale loss at the hands of South Carolina ended any shot of an at-large BCS berth. Still, a very good Clemson team rebounded to knock off a very good LSU team in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on New Year's Eve. For that, a “B+” is well-earned.

Final Grade: B+

10. Florida State

2012 Record: 12-2

We really wanted to give Florida State an “A-” this season. Honestly.

But looking back at the résumé for the 2012 ACC champions and 2013 Orange Bowl champions, we just can't get over that loss to North Carolina State.

Add in a season finale loss to arch nemesis Florida, and we think a “B+” is about as good as can be expected. After all, it's not like the Seminoles even really needed to break a sweat against Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl.

Final Grade: B+

9. Florida

2012 Record: 11-2

Here we were, all set to shower Will Muschamp and his Gators with praise while lamenting the unfairness of the whole current BCS model that kept Florida from having a shot at a national championship.

Then, along came a guy named Teddy Bridgewater and made all of those arguments seem silly.

Florida and its vaunted defense was completely dismantled by Bridgewater and the Louisville Cardinals in the 2013 Sugar Bowl. From the very first play from scrimmage, Louisville captured the lead and never let it go.

As if to mirror the lack of Florida fans in the stands, the Gators seemed utterly disinterested in the game at times, and the Cardinals took full advantage. By the time Florida realized something was amiss, it was too late.

While Florida fans will point to an 11-1 2012 that ended with a No. 3 ranking in the BCS, the only thing everyone else in the country will remember from this season is how terrible Florida was in the 2013 Sugar Bowl.

Final Grade: B

8. South Carolina

2012 Record: 11-2

South Carolina finished off the 2012 season with an impressive come-from-behind victory in the final seconds over Michigan in the 2013 Outback Bowl.

But the winning score with 11 seconds left probably wasn't the biggest highlight of the day. For that, we look to Jadeveon Clowney and his bone-shattering hit on Michigan's Vincent Smith.

The Gamecocks had just two slip-ups during the season which came in back-to-back games against LSU and Florida. That two-game skid was the surprisingly follow-up to a Oct. 6 victory over then-No. 5, and eventual SEC East champion, Georgia.

South Carolina's “almost, but not quite” tenure in the SEC East continues, but it may not be long before Clowney propels his team to new heights in 2013. But since we're handing out grades for this past season, we're giving USC a solid “B+” for its 11-2 finish.

Final Grade: B+

7. Stanford

2012 Record: 12-2

Who would have thought that the pinnacle of success for Stanford this decade would come after Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh left for greener pastures?

That's exactly what happened this season as the Cardinal finally captured that long-elusive Pac-12 title, earning a trip to the Rose Bowl Game—which they won. Knocking off teams like USC and Oregon would have been impressive enough, but a conference title followed by a Rose Bowl Game championship propels the 2012 Cardinals to an “A-” final grade.

Final Grade: A-

T-5. Texas A&M

2012 Record: 11-2

When the season began, no one gave Texas A&M much of a chance in the SEC West, and no one had heard of this freshman going by the moniker “Johnny Football.”

The nickname seems almost presumptuous. Not any more.

After becoming the first freshman in history to win the Heisman Trophy, Johnny Manziel has ensured that the nation will be talking about the Aggies for at least the next few seasons.

Texas A&M may not have won the division this season, but the Aggies sure made it tough on the team that did. Alabama's only loss of the season came to A&M, and the Aggies weren't through knocking off conference champions.

A final dagger into the heart of Big 12 co-champion Oklahoma in the 2013 Cotton Bowl was all that was needed for the Aggies to earn an “A-” this season.

Final Grade: A-

T-5. Georgia

2012 Record: 12-2

Remember that whole “Mark Richt on the hot seat” nonsense?

Just two seasons later, Georgia has won back-to-back SEC East titles and emerged this year as one of the best teams in the nation. Not only did Georgia win the East Division, the Bulldogs came within five seconds, four yards, or one play from knocking off the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC championship game.

An electric offensive attack combined with a stellar defense makes Georgia an entertaining team to watch. Big wins over then-No. 3 Florida and in the 2013 Capital One Bowl makes Georgia one of the few teams to break into the “A's” on its final report card.

Final Grade: A-

4. Notre Dame

2012 Record: 12-1

Coming from an 8-5 finish in 2011 and an unranked start to the 2012 season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are certainly deserving of the first “A” we're handing out on this list.

Brian Kelly did something no one thought possible a few years ago: put Notre Dame back into the national championship picture.

OK, so the BCS national championship game didn't go as expected for the Golden Domers. Still, considering where the program began 2012 to where it ended, we can't help but give Notre Dame its due.

Final Grade: A

3. Ohio State

2012 Record: 12-0

Ohio State finished 2012 as the only undefeated team in the FBS. The problem is that such an undefeated records doesn't mean a thing when you can't play in the conference championship game or a bowl game. Thanks for that, Jim Tressel.

While we were initially inclined to give the Buckeyes something close to an “A” for their performance this season, we've opted to go with a simple "Pass,” given to students at many universities who choose to audit a class or take it on a pass/fail basis. In this case, we're giving Ohio State a passing grade without much credit beyond that.

While 12-0 looks great, we have to face the fact that some of those wins weren't exactly what we'd consider “quality.” An overtime squeaker against a terrible Purdue team? A one-point nail-biter against Michigan State? A one-score win over Cal? A field goal decision against Indiana?

Looks like an “A” would have been stretching it.

Final Grade: Pass

2. Oregon

2012 Record: 12-1

Oregon may not have won the Pac-12 title again this season, but the Ducks were still the only non-sanctioned team in the nation to make it all the way through a 12-game regular season without losing in regulation.

The Ducks finished 12-1, thanks to an overtime loss to Stanford but still managed to earn the program's fourth-straight BCS bowl trip—where the Ducks promptly destroyed the Kansas State Wildcats.

Final Grade: A

1. Alabama

2012 Record: 13-1

Why wouldn't we give Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide an “A” for yet another national championship season?

What makes this title so impressive is the fact that it didn't even seem likely—or possible—after a crushing defeat at home to Texas A&M on Nov. 10. But thanks to a little help from Baylor and Stanford, the Tide quickly regained the No. 2 spot in the BCS rankings, and an SEC title was all that was needed to secure another shot at the crystal football.

All that talk about Alabama not being as dominant as previous incarnations of the Crimson Tide were finally laid to rest in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. Alabama jumped out to an early lead and never let Notre Dame up for air, cruising to a, 42-14, victory and a solid “A” on the final exam.

Final Grade: A

Follow @davidrluther