College Football Rankings 2017: Bleacher Report's Final Regular-Season Top 25
Conference championship week didn't provide all the drama we'd hoped, with lopsided outcomes as Georgia whipped Auburn in the SEC Championship Game, Oklahoma handled TCU in the Big 12 finale, and Clemson ended all College Football Playoff aspirations for Miami in the ACC title game. But that doesn't mean it was a boring Saturday.
Wisconsin and Ohio State put together a quality product in the Big Ten Championship Game, and, if you're into some of the lower-level games, Central Florida and Memphis provided a high-flying show in coach Scott Frost's victorious finale with the Knights.
With so much on the line Saturday, playoff movement saw plenty of shifting. The Bulldogs surged into the Top Four. The Badgers will tumble out. With Oklahoma and Clemson definitely in, all eyes will be on whether the committee picks Ohio State or Alabama on Sunday.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
But who did Bleacher Report choose in our final rankings?
College football writers Matt Hayes, David Kenyon, Adam Kramer, Kerry Miller, Brad Shepard and Greg Wallace each submitted ballots in which a first-place vote counts for 25 points, a second-place one is worth 24, and so on.
Here's our updated poll. Take a look:
- 1. Clemson (Last week: 1)
- 2. Oklahoma (T1)
- 3. Georgia (6)
- 4. Alabama (5)
- T-4. Ohio State (9)
- 6. UCF (8)
- 7. Wisconsin (4)
- 8. Auburn (3)
- 9. USC (12)
- 10. Penn State (10)
- 11. Miami (7)
- 12. Washington (13)
- 13. TCU (11)
- 14. Stanford (14)
- 15. LSU (16)
- 16. Notre Dame (18)
- 17. Memphis (19)
- 18. Oklahoma State (15)
- 19. Northwestern (20)
- 20. Michigan State (17)
- 21. Washington State (21)
- 22. Florida Atlantic (24)
- 23. Virginia Tech (22)
- 24. Boise State (NR)
- 25. San Diego State (25)
Who's Hot: Georgia Bulldogs
Nobody helped themselves more on Saturday than the Bulldogs, who went from outside the Top Four to a lock for the CFP with a decisive 28-7 win over Auburn in the SEC Championship Game.
The win avenged the Bulldogs' only loss of the season, which came in lopsided fashion in a 40-17 annihilation on Nov. 11. That win over UGA put Auburn back in the national picture and thumped the Dawgs from the top of the rankings.
Georgia would much rather have this win. It not only paid the Tigers back but also knocked them back into the pack and catapulted itself into the playoff, which will officially be announced Sunday. Still, there's no way the Bulldogs can be left out after Saturday.
They handed Auburn its first SEC Championship Game loss since 2000 after the Tigers had won the last three they participated in. Now, Auburn must worry about coach Gus Malzahn, who reportedly is Arkansas' top target.
Not only did the Bulldogs make up for their only loss, but they also proved they respond well to tough lessons. In that first game, nothing went right. The normally terrific trio of running backs Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and D'Andre Swift were stagnant, but they responded in the rematch, combining for 276 total yards.
As bad as freshman quarterback Jake Fromm was in that first showdown, he was efficient and often terrific in Atlanta in the teams' first playing of the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry in the championship game. He wound up with 183 passing yards and two touchdowns.
The defense that was dominated by Kerryon Johnson and Auburn in the first showing pressured quarterback Jarrett Stidham throughout the game. It also neutralized Johnson, who was far from 100 percent.
Georgia was exceptional, and it deserves to at least be in the playoff, if not one of the top two teams.
This showing by the Bulldogs was as good as any you'll see in crunch time, and second-year coach Kirby Smart deserves a ton of credit for getting his players ready to take the stage in the biggest game of the season.
Who's Not: Miami Hurricanes
It took most of the college football season for America to buy into Miami and the idea that the "New U" is back. The Hurricanes were relatively new to the Top Four, entering the equation in following Week 11's games.
Two weeks later, all those good vibes about the newfangled swag of coach Mark Richt's team, the turnover chain, the emergence of quarterback Malik Rosier and the undefeated season have been whisked away by two losses.
Last weekend, a shocking setback to seven-loss Pittsburgh knocked Miami out of the rankings. With a chance to catapult back into the College Football Playoff this weekend with an upset of Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, the Tigers demoralized them.
Now, the U is through following a 38-3 loss.
Make no mistake: This is still a great season in Richt's second year, but this is far from the finish they wanted in Miami.
All season, the U won with some last-minute heroics and made bad teams like Florida State and North Carolina look good in ulcer-inducing wins. Against the Panthers last weekend, Rosier looked awful. This weekend, he was worse.
Also, the nation's most opportunistic defense was pedestrian against Clemson dual-threat quarterback Kelly Bryant and Co. As a matter of fact, the Hurricanes had no answer for Bryant, who looked perfect as the Tigers built an early lead.
Now, the Tigers are heading back to attempt a repeat championship run. The Hurricanes are going to have to settle for a gigantic step forward that falls way short of the hopes they had just two short weeks ago.
Keep an Eye on: Florida Atlantic Owls
Perhaps the only thing Lane Kiffin does better than troll on Twitter is coach football. His FAU Owls won their ninth consecutive game Saturday, completing their run as Conference USA champions with a decisive 41-17 win over North Texas.
It isn't every year a school from that league winds up ranked, but the 10-3 Owls definitely warrant consideration after what they've done. They began the year 1-3, but two of those losses came to Wisconsin and Navy. The only bad setback was a 34-31 loss to Buffalo.
But behind electric running back Devin Singletary and his 30 total touchdowns, Kiffin turned the program around. It may wind up being a one-year audition for a bigger job, but his name could help FAU draw a quality bowl.
The Owls endured three straight 3-9 seasons before Kiffin arrived. Now, they look like they could finish the year with a bowl against a big-name opponent.
Land of 10's Scott Dochterman has FAU playing Florida State in the Gasparilla Bowl, which would be a huge matchup. ESPN.com has the Owls playing San Diego State in the New Mexico Bowl. Unfortunately for Kiffin, he won't get to play Alabama like he wants.
One thing is for sure: Kiffin's name and Saturday's performance will help the final call.
Fun Fact: UCF-Memphis was Highest-Scoring Conference Championship Game Ever
We knew we were going to get plenty of points—Las Vegas predicted 80, per Odds Shark—but Saturday's American Athletic Conference showdown between Central Florida and Memphis surpassed even the wildest expectations.
The Knights ended coach Scott Frost's tenure and the program's remarkable turnaround from 0-12 to 12-0 in just three years with a wacky 62-55 double-overtime win over the Tigers.
The two teams combined for 117 points, 1,479 yards and 15 touchdowns. As CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli understated: "That's a lot!"
College football insider Brett McMurphy broke the news that Frost was leaving UCF for his alma mater, Nebraska, before the game was over. However, the Knights sent him out in style, intercepting Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson in the red zone in a game that looked like it may never end.
The victory solidified UCF's spot in a New Year's Six bowl game, but the Knights won't sniff the playoff, despite being 12-0.
Regardless of that, the Knights have been one of the nation's most entertaining teams all year, and they continued that on Saturday. Though the Tigers were a much more formidable opponent the second time around following a 40-13 loss during the season, they didn't quite have enough.
UCF is legit, and it will have the chance to prove it on New Year's Day.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
