Amway College Football Poll 2017: Top 25 Rankings for Week 15

In the wake of conference title games, the Amway Coaches Poll was released Sunday morning, and the coaches weighed in on the debate about whether Alabama or Ohio State deserved the No. 4 ranking.

Here's a look at the poll and a breakdown of the weekend's results and top storylines.

Rankings

1. Clemson

2. Oklahoma

3. Georgia

4. Alabama

5. Ohio State

6. Wisconsin

7. USC

8. Auburn

9. Penn State

10. UCF

11. Miami

12. Washington

13. TCU

14. LSU

15. Notre Dame

16. Stanford

17. Oklahoma State

18. Memphis

19. Michigan State

20. Northwestern

21. Washington State

22. Virginia Tech

23. Mississippi State

24. South Florida

25. Boise State

Analysis

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Clemson lost plenty of talent—most notably quarterback Deshaun Watson—after it won last year's national championship.

But led by junior quarterback Kelly Bryant and a fierce defense, the Tigers will head back to the College Football Playoff after they crushed Miami 38-3 in the ACC title game.

"We had a lot of questions about the guys who left," Bryant said, per the Associated Press. "Having the guys around me who've believed in me has helped. And like Coach Dabo [Swinney] says, just be the best version of Kelly B I can be."

He was on his game Saturday, finishing 23-of-29 for 252 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for a score.

If Clemson wins a second straight national title, however, the defense will have a major say. The Tigers have given up just 30 points in their past four games.

Georgia has a stout defense of its own, and it gave up only one touchdown to Auburn, winning the teams' rematch 28-7 to claim the SEC championship.

"It's great to bring it back to Georgia," coach Kirby Smart said, per the AP. "The Bulldog Nation is certainly starved."

Georgia played its physical brand of football, rushing for 238 yards and holding Auburn to just 259 yards.

The Bulldogs will play Oklahoma in the CFP. The Sooners won the Big 12 title by smoking TCU 41-17 on Saturday for their second win against the Horned Frogs this season. Heisman Trophy hopeful Baker Mayfield was up to the task, finishing an efficient 15-of-23 for 243 yards and four touchdowns.

Those three teams were a lock for the playoff, while Ohio State, Alabama and USC were left crossing their fingers after the Buckeyes and Trojans won the Big Ten and Pac-12, respectively.

In a wild season of college football, it was only fitting that the playoff announcement should have some level of controversy and debate. Had Wisconsin defeated Ohio State on Saturday, it wouldn't have fit a season highlighted by bizarre results and fluctuating rankings.

The Buckeyes won, but Alabama was given the No. 4 spot by the CFP selection committee, setting up a third straight matchup between the Tigers and Crimson Tide in the playoff. Alabama beat Clemson in the 2015 National Championship Game, while the Tigers got their revenge in last year's title matchup.