Just like the AP before them, college football's coaches believe Ohio State is the sixth-best team in the country upon completion of the 2016 season.
The final USA TODAY Amway Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday afternoon, a day after Clemson beat Alabama 35-31 in Tampa to win the national championship. Dabo Swinney's Tigers are the unanimous No. 1 team in the country, while Nick Saban's Crimson Tide dropped a spot to No. 2 following the loss. Ohio State fell four spots, just like in the AP Poll, after losing to Clemson 31-0 in a national semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve.
Oklahoma, Washington and USC round out the top five of the final rankings.
The 11-2 Buckeyes are the highest-rated Big Ten squad, however, one spot ahead of Penn State. The Nittany Lions defeated Ohio State 24-21 in October. Other Big Ten schools in the final top-25 are Wisconsin at No. 9 and Michigan at No. 10.
Full poll:
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | 1st VOTES | PREV | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CLEMSON | 14-1 | 1500 | 60 | 3 | +2 |
| 2 | ALABAMA | 14-1 | 1440 | – | 1 | -1 |
| 3 | OKLAHOMA | 11-2 | 1308 | – | 7 | +4 |
| 4 | WASHINGTON | 12-2 | 1265 | – | 4 | – |
| 5 | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | 10-3 | 1263 | – | 9 | +4 |
| 6 | OHIO STATE | 11-2 | 1186 | – | 2 | -4 |
| 7 | PENN STATE | 11-3 | 1123 | – | 5 | -2 |
| 8 | FLORIDA STATE | 10-3 | 1102 | – | 10 | +2 |
| 9 | WISCONSIN | 11-3 | 1044 | – | 8 | -1 |
| 10 | MICHIGAN | 10-3 | 986 | – | 6 | -4 |
| 11 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 10-3 | 922 | – | 13 | +2 |
| 12 | STANFORD | 10-3 | 791 | – | 16 | +4 |
| 13 | FLORIDA | 9-4 | 673 | – | 18 | +5 |
| 14 | LOUISIANA STATE | 8-4 | 641 | – | 20 | +6 |
| 15 | COLORADO | 10-4 | 634 | – | 11 | -4 |
| 16 | VIRGINIA TECH | 10-4 | 632 | – | 19 | +3 |
| 17 | WEST VIRGINIA | 10-3 | 522 | – | 12 | -5 |
| 18 | WESTERN MICHIGAN | 13-1 | 449 | – | 14 | -4 |
| 19 | SOUTH FLORIDA | 11-2 | 362 | – | 22 | +3 |
| 20 | LOUISVILLE | 9-4 | 338 | – | 15 | -5 |
| 21 | UTAH | 9-4 | 303 | – | 23 | +2 |
| 22 | AUBURN | 8-5 | 230 | – | 17 | -5 |
| 23 | MIAMI | 9-4 | 229 | – | 34 | +11 |
| 24 | TENNESSEE | 9-4 | 211 | – | 32 | +8 |
| 25 | SAN DIEGO STATE | 11-3 | 102 | – | 31 | +6 |
