Plenty of things happen when a team loses its final game of the season 31-0, especially if it comes in a national semifinal.
That is what Ohio State did to close out its 2016 football season, falling to eventual national champion Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve. As a result, the Buckeyes are No. 6 in the final AP Poll of the season, released Tuesday. That is down four spots from conference championship weekend when the Buckeyes made the College Football Playoff.
Clemson is the unanimous No. 1 team in the country. Alabama, USC, Washington and Oklahoma round out the top five. Ohio State defeated Oklahoma 45-24 in Norman on Sept. 17.
The 11-2 Buckeyes are the highest ranked Big Ten team, one spot ahead of Penn State, who lost to USC in the Rose Bowl 52-49 on Jan. 2 but beat Ohio State in October. Other Big Ten teams include Wisconsin at No. 9 and Michigan at No. 10.
The AP ranked Ohio State No. 4 in its final poll last season.
Full poll:
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | 1st VOTES | PREV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CLEMSON | 14-1 | 1,500 | 60 | 3 |
| 2 | ALABAMA | 14-1 | 1,440 | – | 1 |
| 3 | USC | 10-3 | 1,292 | – | 9 |
| 4 | WASHINGTON | 12-2 | 1,277 | – | 4 |
| 5 | OKLAHOMA | 11-2 | 1,252 | – | 7 |
| 6 | OHIO STATE | 11-2 | 1,240 | – | 2 |
| 7 | PENN STATE | 11-3 | 1,130 | – | 5 |
| 8 | FLORIDA STATE | 10-3 | 1,105 | – | 10 |
| 9 | WISCONSIN | 11-3 | 1,032 | – | 8 |
| 10 | MICHIGAN | 10-3 | 1,001 | – | 6 |
| 11 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 10-3 | 920 | – | 13 |
| 12 | STANFORD | 10-3 | 730 | – | 16 |
| 13 | LSU | 8-4 | 651 | – | 19 |
| 14 | FLORIDA | 9-4 | 640 | – | 20 |
| 15 | WESTERN MICHIGAN | 13-1 | 619 | – | 12 |
| 16 | VIRGINIA TECH | 10-4 | 610 | – | 18 |
| 17 | COLORADO | 10-4 | 585 | – | 11 |
| 18 | WEST VIRGINIA | 10-3 | 368 | – | 14 |
| 19 | SOUTH FLORIDA | 11-2 | 358 | – | 25 |
| 20 | MIAMI (FL) | 9-4 | 338 | – | – |
| 21 | LOUISVILLE | 9-4 | 277 | – | 15 |
| 22 | TENNESSEE | 9-4 | 253 | – | – |
| 23 | UTAH | 9-4 | 222 | – | – |
| 24 | AUBURN | 8-5 | 206 | – | 17 |
| 25 | SAN DIEGO STATE | 11-3 | 113 | – | – |
