Amway College Football Poll 2015: Top 25 Rankings for Week 15

The college football season's final coaches poll before the bowl and playoff games was released Sunday, and there weren't too many surprises to be found after the favorites largely prevailed Saturday in the conference championship games. 

Below, we'll take a look at those rankings, along with the Bleacher Report poll, break down the weekend's action and dig into the landscape heading into the postseason.  

Analysis

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

After a crazy year of college football, there weren't too many surprises during the conference title games. That doesn't mean there wasn't any drama, however. 

Michigan State knows a bit about drama this year. And it needed another nail-biting, last-minute score to win the Big Ten title, going on a 22-play, nine-minute, 82-yard drive capped off by L.J. Scott's dive into the end zone with 27 seconds remaining after breaking several Iowa tackles. 

It was a crazy season for the Spartans, who beat Michigan on a blocked punt returned for a touchdown as time expired and beat Ohio State on a game-winning field goal. Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports put into perspective just how close the Spartans cut it this season:

Of course, few teams are as resilient as this Spartans unit, as Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press noted:

Clemson had a bit of excitement as well in the ACC Championship Game, as North Carolina recovered an onside kick with just over a minute remaining and the Tigers up eight. But the officials incorrectly ruled that a North Carolina player was offside on the play, reversing the recovery and assuring Clemson a 45-37 win.

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson was spectacular, meanwhile, notching 420 yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns.

"If you sit down and watch our 13 games, he's the best player in the country—and there is no doubt about it," head coach Dabo Swinney said about the quarterback after the game, per ESPN. "This guy beats you not just with his legs, but his arm, his mind, his heart, his guts and his toughness. He's a great champion."

Of course, Alabama's Derrick Henry has made a pretty strong case that he's college football's best player this season as well. The bruising running back rushed 44 times for 189 yards in Alabama's 29-15 victory over Florida in the SEC title game, setting an SEC record with 1,986 rushing yards on the season and tying the conference's record for rushing touchdowns (23) on the year.

For the other three teams in the College Football Playoff, the formula to beat Alabama is pretty clear—stifle Henry and control the ball against Alabama's stingy defense. Of course, actually executing that plan is easier said than done.

With Oklahoma virtually already locked in as a playoff seed, the wins from Michigan State, Clemson and Alabama made the four selections for this year's playoff fairly simple. Wins from Stanford and Houston on Saturday put them in position for New Year's Day bowls, meanwhile, and Baylor's surprising loss to Texas likely cost the Bears a berth in one of the top bowls. 

But the real intrigue will be the playoff matchups. In a wacky year full of crazy finishes and shocking upsets, the fact that Saturday transpired without chaos atop the rankings was unexpected.

And for the playoff selection committee, that's likely a relief.