Power Ranking All 120 College Football FBS Teams Heading into Bowl Season
Seems like yesterday that the LSU Tigers and Oregon Ducks were getting ready to get the season underway in Dallas, but as quickly as the season started, it has come to an end.
With the exception of the Army vs Navy game next week, the college football regular season has come to an end. Conference champions have been crowned, bowl games have been announced and the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide will meet for the BCS national title.
Before we start breaking down bowl games, here is a look at the power rankings before the bowl season kicks off.
No. 120: New Mexico
1 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 1-11
Quick Comment: The upside for New Mexico is at least they won a game this year. Something must be done in the offseason to improve the offense.
No. 119: Akron
2 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 1-11
Quick Comment: After an early season win, the Zips dropped eight straight games to end the year and will need major help on their defense in the offseason.
No. 118: Florida Atlantic
3 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 1-11
Quick Comment: First and only priority will be finding a coach who can turn this team around.
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No. 117: Tulane
4 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 2-11
Quick Comment: Tulane had a promising start to the season but dropped 10 straight games after receiving poor efforts from their defense.
No. 116: Memphis
5 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 2-10
Quick Comment: One week the offense is on and the defense is off and the next it is reversed. Finding consistency needs to be a priority.
No. 115: Middle Tennessee
6 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 2-10
Quick Comment: With a game this past weekend, Middle Tennessee got sent to the offseason by getting rolled by North Texas.
No. 114: UNLV
7 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 2-10
Quick Comment: The only good news from this year is the Rebels did not have an opportunity to lose an eleventh game like last year.
No. 113: Indiana
8 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 1-11
Quick Comment: Not a good year for the Hoosiers as they finished the season without a win in the Big 10.
No. 112: Central Michigan
9 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 3-9
Quick Comment: Central Michigan wrapped up their season two weeks ago with a loss to Toledo. In the offseason, the Chips must find a way to get their offseason jump started.
No. 111: Idaho
10 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 2-10
Quick Comment: After an overtime loss to Utah State last week, the Vandals season came to a rough end with a bad loss on the road to Nevada.
No. 110: Buffalo
11 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 3-9
Quick Comment: After a win over Akron, Buffalo ended the year on a down note by losing to Bowling Green and finishing with three wins.
No. 109: Colorado State
12 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 3-8
Quick Comment: After winning three out of their first four games, the wheels have come flying off Colorado State's season.
No. 108: Troy
13 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 3-9
Quick Comment: With a chance to use Arkansas State as a measuring stick, the Trojans saw they had a lot of work to do this offseason.
No. 107: Army
14 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 3-8
Quick Comment: While they may not be heading to a bowl game, this weeks game against Navy is extremely close to it.
No. 106: UL Monroe
15 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 4-8
Quick Comment: With one game remaining, UL Monroe put their best performance together against Florida Atlantic and won 26-0.
No. 105: UAB
16 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 3-9
Quick Comment: With a two game winning streak heading into last week, it appeared that UAB would make it three but they were stunned by Florida Atlantic, who earned their first win.
No. 104: Ole Miss
17 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 2-10
Quick Comment: As if the season wasn't bad enough, Ole Miss ended the year with a loss to rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl and changes are in need.
No. 103: Maryland
18 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 2-10
Quick Comment: In his first year, things didn't not go well for Randy Edsall. It will be interesting to see the changes he makes in his first offseason.
No. 102: Kansas
19 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 2-10
Quick Comment: This season went bad in a hurry. After a 2-0 start, Turner Gill and Kansas lost ten straight to end the year.
No. 101: Rice
20 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 4-8
Quick Comment: Inconsistent offense and defense performances plagued the Owls all year long.
No. 100: New Mexico State
21 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 4-9
Quick Comment: At one point this year, New Mexico State was 3-3 but then fell apart, only winning one of their last seven games.
No. 99: Bowling Green
22 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 5-7
Quick Comment: While the Falcons did come up short on making it to a bowl game, a win to end the year will give them a positive to go out on.
No. 98: Fresno State
23 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 4-9
Quick Comment: The high expectations proved to be the undoing of Pat Hill as he has been added to the list of coaches without a job.
No. 97: Oregon State
24 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 3-9
Quick Comment: After a couple of great seasons in 2008 and 2009, the Beavers will miss a bowl game for the second straight year and have lost four straight to Oregon.
No. 96: North Texas
25 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 5-7
Quick Comment: The offense and defense put together one of their best performances of the year and took out Middle Tennessee 59-7 in their final game of the year.
No. 95: Minnesota
26 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 3-9
Quick Comment: After a tough season, Minnesota ended the year with a win over Illinois and may have ensured the firing of Ron Zook with the Illini.
No. 94: Kent State
27 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 5-7
Quick Comment: Kent State saw their bowl dreams and four games win streak come to an end this week with a loss to Temple on the road.
No. 93: Miami of Ohio
28 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 4-8
Quick Comment: The Redhawks appeared to be hitting their stride midyear with four wins in five games but fell off with three straight losses.
No. 92: Colorado
29 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 3-10
Quick Comment: Colorado ruined things with a win for Utah and knocked them out of the Pac-12 title game and put UCLA in instead.
No. 91: Duke
30 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 3-9
Quick Comment: After three straight wins put them at 3-2, Duke then dropped seven straight and looked more like the team people expected.
No. 90: Eastern Michigan
31 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: Despite the two game losing streak to end the year, Ron English and Eastern Michigan exceeded all expectations.
No. 89: UTEP
32 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 5-7
Quick Comment: With a 5-5 record, UTEP lost two straight and will not head to a bowl game.
No. 88: East Carolina
33 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 5-7
Quick Comment: With a bowl birth on the line, the Pirates lost in overtime to Marshall and saw those hopes slip away.
No. 87: San Jose State
34 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 5-7
Quick Comment: Too little, too late for the Spartans as their two game win streak still brings them a game short of being bowl eligible.
No. 86: Navy
35 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 4-7
Quick Comment: Neither Navy or Army are heading to a bowl game but will play college footballs final game this week.
No. 85: Ball State
36 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: After some strong performances in the middle of the year, Ball State stumbled down the stretch and has lost three of their final four games.
No. 84: Hawaii
37 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-7
Quick Comment: Offensively, this was a very disappointing season for the Warriors.
No. 83: Boston College
38 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 4-8
Quick Comment: After a rough start to the season, Boston College has able to win three out of their last five game and salvage a 4-8 season.
No. 82: UCF
39 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 5-7
Quick Comment: With a three game losing streak heading to the end of the year, UCF ended the year on a good note with a 31-14 win over UTEP.
No. 81: Western Kentucky
40 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: After a rough loss to LSU, Western Kentucky has bounced back with two straight wins and finished the regular season with a strong effort against Troy.
No. 80: FIU
41 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 8-4
Quick Comment: Before their bowl game, FIU has already won more games this year than they did last season.
No. 79: Nevada
42 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: After a 1-3 start to the year, the Wolf Pack turned things around but did not reach the heights they did last year.
No. 78: Utah State
43 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: After falling to 2-5, the Aggies turned things around and ended the year on a five game winning streak.
No. 77: Marshall
44 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: Needing two straight wins to get to a bowl game, Marshall did just that with wins over Memphis and East Carolina.
No. 76: Kentucky
45 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 5-7
Quick Comment: Despite coming up short of a bowl game, Kentucky goes out on a strong defensive performance and win over Tennessee.
No. 75: Western Michigan
46 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: After last years 6-6 season, Western Michigan has taken a step forward and notched seven wins this season.
No. 74: Syracuse
47 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 5-7
Quick Comment: With a bowl appearance on the line, the Orange came up short and lost to Pitt to end the year.
No. 73: Connecticut
48 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 5-7
Quick Comment: Last years Big East champions ended the year with a loss and will not even go to a bowl game this year.
No. 72: UL Lafayette
49 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 8-4
Quick Comment: UL Lafayette headed on the road and gave Arizona a great game but came up just short. It should provide them with a confidence boost regardless of the outcome.
No. 71: Washington State
50 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 4-8
Quick Comment: Washington State lost the Apple Cup for another year and while they certainly improved this year, they only managed to win four games. Next year will start the Mike Leach era.
No. 70: Arizona
51 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 4-8
Quick Comment: Now that the season is over, Wildcat fans can look forward to the Rich Rod era.
No. 69: Purdue
52 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: With a win over Indiana, Purdue hits the six win mark and will be heading to a bowl game.
No. 68: Air Force
53 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: After all of the service academies made a bowl game last year, Air Force will be the only one to return this year.
No. 67: Tennessee
54 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 5-7
Quick Comment: With a chance to become bowl eligible, Tennessee came out flat on the road and lost a big game to Kentucky 10-7. The loss will have them kicking themselves all offseason.
No. 66: UCLA
55 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-7
Quick Comment: While many expected the Bruins to be blown out, the did play inspired football but showed they had no business being in the Pac-12 title game.
No. 65: South Florida
56 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 5-7
Quick Comment: After starting out 4-0, it is hard to believe that South Florida failed to reach the six game plateau.
No. 64: Texas Tech
57 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 5-7
Quick Comment: After beating Oklahoma on the road, Texas Tech has fallen apart and has lost five straight and will not be going to a bowl game.
No. 63: Arkansas State
58 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 10-2
Quick Comment: Arkansas State finished perfect in the Sun Belt conference and secured a 10 win season.
No. 62: Louisiana Tech
59 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 8-4
Quick Comment: With a 6-1 performance in conference, Louisiana Tech locked up the WAC conference.
No. 61: Pittsburgh
60 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: With a final game victory over Syracuse, Pitt became bowl eligible.
No. 60: Wyoming
61 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 8-4
Quick Comment: After last years 3-9 season, the Cowboys bounced back in a big way with a 8-4 season.
No. 59: Vanderbilt
62 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: With a final victory in their last game of the season, Vanderbilt got their sixth win and have become bowl eligible, making this year a success.
No. 58: Temple
63 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 8-4
Quick Comment: Despite the three game winning streak to end the year, Temple still came up short of securing a spot in the conference title game.
No. 57: Northwestern
64 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: Northwestern did a great job of responding to a five game losing streak by winning four out of their last five games and becoming bowl eligible.
No. 56: Ohio
65 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 9-4
Quick Comment: With their chance to win the MAC title, Ohio came up three points short as Northern Illinois kicked a last second field goal.
No. 55: NC State
66 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: NC State found a way to have a strong finish to the year. They won five out of their final seven games and got themselves into a bowl game.
No. 54: Mississippi State
67 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: With another win in the Egg Bowl, Mississippi State will be another SEC team that will be going bowling.
No. 53: San Diego State
68 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 8-4
Quick Comment: With their win this past week, San Diego State matched last years record and will once again head to a bowl game.
No. 52: Rutgers
69 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 8-4
Quick Comment: Rutgers just wrapped up an outstanding season as they were able to put last years 4-8 mark behind them and go 8-4 this year.
No. 51: Louisville
70 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: While Louisville got a share of the Big East title, they will not be heading to a BCS bowl game.
No. 50: Toledo
71 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 8-4
Quick Comment: While they finished tied for first in the MAC West, the loss to Northern Illinois kept Toledo out of the conference championship.
No. 49: SMU
72 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: SMU will be bowling this year and has a chance to improve on last years seven win mark.
No. 48: Wake Forest
73 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: After a 5-2 start to the year, Wake Forest struggled down the stretch and ended the regular season with a loss to Vanderbilt.
No. 47: Illinois
74 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: After a 6-0 start, the Illini lost six straight and their final loss to Minnesota may have sealed Ron Zook's fate.
No. 46: Florida
75 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: With only two wins over their last eight games, Florida has their work cut out for themselves in the offseason both on offense and on defense.
No. 45: Texas A&M
76 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: Texas A&M proved to be one of the most inconsistent teams on a quarter by quarter basis and it led to a 6-6 record and Mike Sherman getting fired.
No. 44: Arizona State
77 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: Dennis Erickson's time has come to an end at ASU as the Sun Devils lost five of their last six games. The Sun Devils need to find a coach that can help this program live up to its talents.
No. 43: Northern Illinois
78 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 10-3
Quick Comment: With their last second field goal, the Huskies won the MAC conference championship.
No. 42: Ohio State
79 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: For the first time in seven years, Ohio State lost to Michigan and it is not a feeling that Buckeye fans are enjoying. What they are enjoying is the hiring of Urban Meyer, a move that could pay off big.
No. 41: North Carolina
80 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: At 5-1, you wouldn't have expected North Carolina to only finish with seven wins but that is the boat the Tar Heels find themselves in.
No. 40: Miami
81 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: Inconsistent play was the key all year long as Miami was able to put together back-to-back wins only one time this year.
No. 39: Iowa State
82 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 6-6
Quick Comment: After beating Oklahoma State a few weeks ago, the Cyclones stumbled down the stretch with two straight losses.
No. 38: Iowa
83 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: After an up and down year, Iowa ended the year with a road loss to Nebraska in which their offense couldn't do much of anything.
No. 37: Washington
84 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: After a 6-6 regular season last year, the Huskies took a step forward this year and ended the year with a win over Washington State.
No. 36: Auburn
85 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: There was no magic for Auburn this year as they feel behind and stayed there against Alabama and struggled to get through the SEC schedule.
No. 35: Cal
86 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: After a lull in the middle of the season, Cal turned things on at the end of the year and will return to a bowl game this year.
No. 34: BYU
87 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 9-3
Quick Comment: Despite making the long flight out to the island of Hawaii, the BYU Cougars remained focused and gave themselves a chance at a 10 win season.
No. 33: Missouri
88 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: Missouri ended up finishing the year strong as they won their last three games of the season.
No. 32: Utah
89 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: Utah is another team to be done in by their kicking game as they missed two late field goals that would have put them in the Pac-12 title game.
No. 31: Texas
90 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 7-5
Quick Comment: With a chance to earn a big win, Texas seemed to mail in their performance against Baylor and it ended up costing them a win and gave Robert Griffin a platform to gain Heisman votes.
No. 30: Georgia Tech
91 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 8-4
Quick Comment: After a 6-0 start, the Yellow Jackets have limped to a 8-4 record to end the regular season.
No. 29: Cincinnati
92 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 9-3
Quick Comment: Despite being in a three-way tie for the conference title, the Bearcats were trumped by West Virginia for the BCS bid.
No. 28: Tulsa
93 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 8-4
Quick Comment: Tulsa gave Houston their best effort but eventually the Cougars wore them down and won the game. Seems they provided Southern Miss with a blueprint.
No. 27: Florida State
94 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 8-4
Quick Comment: The Seminoles finished up a disappointing season on a positive note as they took down Florida at the Swamp.
No. 26: Notre Dame
95 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 8-4
Quick Comment: For the second straight year, Notre Dame has eight wins but a bowl game will give the Irish a shot at a ninth victory.
No. 25: Virginia
96 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 8-4
Quick Comment: With a chance to go to the ACC title game, Virginia came out flat and couldn't hang with the Hokies. It will be interesting to see how they perform in their bowl game.
No. 24: Penn State
97 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 9-3
Quick Comment: With a chance at going to the Big 10 title game, Penn State was blown out by Wisconsin and lost control of the division.
No. 23: Nebraska
98 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 9-3
Quick Comment: After losing two of their last four games, the Huskers will were not part of the Big 10 title game but still have a shot at a 10 win season.
No. 22: West Virginia
99 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 9-3
Quick Comment: With their win over South Florida and the three-way tie in the Big East, the Mountaineers will represent the conference in the BCS.
No. 21: Michigan
100 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 10-2
Quick Comment: For the first time in seven years, Michigan stepped up and beat Ohio State. They now have a ten win season and are looking for No. 11.
No. 20: Houston
101 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 12-1
Quick Comment: With a chance to put themselves in a BCS bowl, the Cougars played poorly in the conference title game and will not be in a BCS game.
No. 19: Virginia Tech
102 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 11-2
Quick Comment: With a ticket to the BCS up for grabs, the Hokies lost to Clemson for the second time this year and failed to cap a great year with an ACC title.
No. 18: Baylor
103 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 9-3
Quick Comment: With their win over Texas, Baylor capped off a good season and Robert Griffin put a exclamation mark on his Heisman campaign.
No. 17: Georgia
104 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 10-3
Quick Comment: As expected, the LSU Tigers took care of Georgia in the SEC title game. Overall, the Bulldogs had a great year but failed to earn that signature win.
No. 16: Southern Miss
105 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 11-2
Quick Comment: Southern Miss stunned everyone by picking apart Houston and winning the Conference USA title.
No. 15: Oklahoma
106 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 9-3
Quick Comment: With a chance to take down any chance of their rivals getting into the national title, Oklahoma got blown out and ended the regular season on a sour note.
No. 14: Michigan State
107 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 10-3
Quick Comment: After forcing a three and out, it appeared the Spartans would at least force overtime in the Big 10 title game but a running into the kicker penalty cost them the game.
No. 13: Clemson
108 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 10-3
Quick Comment: After stumbling in the end of the year, Clemson bounced back and won the ACC title game over Virginia Tech and are now BCS bound.
No. 12: TCU
109 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 10-2
Quick Comment: TCU started the year 3-2 but then rattled off seven straight wins, including a road victory over Boise State.
No. 11: Boise State
110 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 11-1
Quick Comment: Once again Boise State fell short of their end goal of going to the BCS title game. In a year with so much chaos, it would have been interesting to see what voters would have done with an undefeated Bronco team.
No. 10: Kansas State
111 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 10-2
Quick Comment: Kansas State proved to be the surprise of the year as they went 10-2 and only lost to the Oklahoma schools this year.
No. 9: USC
112 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 10-2
Quick Comment: USC is just happy that their final year of sanctions are over. A Oregon and USC Pac-12 title game would have been much more entertaining.
No. 8: South Carolina
113 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 10-2
Quick Comment: With a win over Clemson, South Carolina should land in a good bowl game after their 10-2 season.
No. 7: Wisconsin
114 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 11-2
Quick Comment: With another instant classic against Michigan State, the Badgers earned their ticket to the Rose Bowl to take on Oregon.
No. 6: Arkansas
115 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 10-2
Quick Comment: Much like other teams, Arkansas found out they did not measure up well with LSU and also are on the outside looking in of the BCS.
No. 5: Stanford
116 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 11-1
Quick Comment: With a win over Notre Dame to end the year, Stanford punched their ticket to the BCS, the second Pac-12 team to be in.
No. 4: Oregon
117 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 11-2
Quick Comment: As many expected, the Ducks coasted to an easy win over the UCLA bruins but will now need to do what they haven't over the past two years, finish the season with a BCS win.
No. 3: Alabama
118 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 11-1
Quick Comment: Despite not winning their conference, something Nick Saban once spoke out about saying it should prevent that team from heading to the title game, the Tide will go up against LSU for the BCS national title.
No. 2: Oklahoma State
119 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 11-1
Quick Comment: While the win over Oklahoma was impressive, it was not enough to prevent the SEC rematch.
No. 1: LSU
120 of 120Final Regular Season Record: 13-0
Quick Comment: LSU's win over Georgia capped off a perfect season and put the Tigers into the national championship game.
Joe Penkala is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the Oregon Ducks. You can contact him @joepenkala
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