Amway College Football Poll 2014: Complete Week 16 Rankings Released

The 2014 college football regular season and conference championships are in the books. Now, it’s time to look at the Week 16 Amway Coaches Top 25 poll to see how the action shook up the rankings.    

With Alabama, Oregon and TCU winning in dominant fashion and Florida State pulling off a close victory in the ACC Championship Game, the final weekend of the regular season lived up to the lofty expectations.

Here are the Week 16 Amway Coaches and Bleacher Report Top 25 polls and a breakdown of Week 15.

Breaking Down Week 15

There weren’t as many matchups on the Week 15 schedule due to conference championships, but the action on the field was just as unpredictable as it has been all season.

Starting with the teams in contention for the College Football Playoff, it was a week filled with high expectations and elite performances. The No. 1 team in the nation was the Alabama Crimson Tide, and they dominated the SEC Championship game by beating Missouri 42-13. Any doubts that the Crimson Tide were the best program were erased Saturday.

Another elite program that came to play in Week 15 was the Oregon Ducks. In a Friday night matchup against an Arizona team that beat Oregon earlier in the season, the Ducks found redemption and sent a message to the CFP voting committee, easily defeating the Wildcats by a score of 51-13.

The surprise team in the Top Four was the TCU Horned Frogs. Many fans thought Baylor or Florida State deserved the honor of being in playoff contention, but TCU did its best to prove the program earned its spot. In lopsided fashion, the Horned Frogs destroyed Iowa State, 55-3, and added another impressive win to their resume.   

One team that didn’t emerge victorious in such decisive fashion was the Florida State Seminoles. In the ACC Championship Game against Georgia Tech, Florida State managed to pull out a thrilling 37-35 win during the most entertaining battle of the week. While the Seminoles finished the season undefeated, the team won many games by close scores, and that hasn’t benefited the program in the eyes of the voting committee.

When asked about the difference between last year’s team and this year’s group, Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher told reporters, “Last year's team was dominating, this year's team is more amazing. It is really is. ... They compete together. They have had some struggles together and I think that's what makes them so tight.”

Two teams looking to make a case to jump into the College Football Playoff were Baylor and Ohio State. Each team won its respective matchup and will put pressure on those voting on the Top Four teams in the nation—especially OSU, who dominated Wisconsin, 59-0, behind Cardale Jones following J.T. Barrett's season-ending injury last week.

Even if the Bears and Buckeyes don’t make the playoff, each has been part of a great season.

Not all the notable top-ranked teams in the league were able to win, however, as some talented programs took losses in crucial season-finale battles. Arizona, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas State faltered in the biggest moment of the season.

The college football regular season might be over, but fans can find solace in the fact that the next month will be spent watching entertaining bowl games and the inaugural CFP bracket unfolding.

If bowl season is half as entertaining as the regular season and conference championship weekend, college football fans will enjoy the most enjoyable month of the year.

*Stats via ESPN.com.