Ohio State finishes the season ranked No. 2.
As expected, the Buckeyes finished the college football season as the No. 2 team in the land.
After falling to top-ranked Alabama 52-24 in the College Football Playoff Championship Game, Ohio State checks in as the No. 2 team in the final AP Poll of the season, ranked just ahead of No. 3 Clemson, who the Buckeyes beat handily in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Ohio State finishes the season 7-1 with the lone loss coming against Alabama in Monday night's title game. The Buckeyes went a perfect 6-0 during the regular season and beat Clemson 49-28 in the Sugar Bowl.
Here is how the full top-25 shakes out:
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | PREV | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALABAMA | 12–0 | 1,525 (61) | 1 | SEC |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | 7–0 | 1,463 | 3 | Big Ten |
| 3 | CLEMSON | 10–2 | 1,378 | 2 | ACC |
| 4 | TEXAS A&M | 9–1 | 1,303 | 5 | SEC |
| 5 | NOTRE DAME | 10–2 | 1,279 | 4 | ACC |
| 6 | OKLAHOMA | 9–2 | 1,243 | 8 | Big 12 |
| 7 | GEORGIA | 8–2 | 1,144 | 11 | SEC |
| 8 | CINCINNATI | 9–1 | 1,074 | 6 | American Athletic |
| 9 | IOWA STATE | 9–3 | 1,035 | 12 | Big 12 |
| 10 | NORTHWESTERN | 7–2 | 893 | 15 | Big Ten |
| 11 | BRIGHAM YOUNG | 11–1 | 862 | 13 | IA Independents |
| 12 | INDIANA | 6–2 | 773 | 7 | Big Ten |
| 13 | FLORIDA | 8–4 | 764 | 10 | SEC |
| 14 | COASTAL CAROLINA | 11–1 | 725 | 9 | Sun Belt |
| 15 | LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE | 10–1 | 664 | 16 | Sun Belt |
| 16 | IOWA | 6–2 | 581 | 17 | Big Ten |
| 17 | LIBERTY | 10–1 | 576 | 23 | IA Independents |
| 18 | NORTH CAROLINA | 8–4 | 532 | 14 | ACC |
| 19 | TEXAS | 7–3 | 485 | 20 | Big 12 |
| 20 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 8–3 | 417 | – | Big 12 |
| 21 | USC | 5–1 | 306 | 21 | Pac-12 |
| 22 | MIAMI (FL) | 8–3 | 284 | 18 | ACC |
| 23 | BALL STATE | 7–1 | 183 | – | Mid-American |
| 24 | SAN JOSE STATE | 7–1 | 80 | 19 | Mountain West |
| 25 | BUFFALO | 6–1 | 51 | – | Mid-American |
