Alabama Ranked 4th in Final AP Top 25
The AP Poll voters wasted no time voting on the final top 25 rankings following Ohio State's victory of Oregon.
The Buckeyes and Ducks took the top two spots, while TCU (12-1) jumped Alabama for the No. 3. The Crimson Tide finished fourth and Florida State fifth.
Alabama had been the top-ranked team heading into the inaugural College Football Playoff, but lost the Sugar Bowl to Ohio State. Its the 7th-straight season that Nick Saban's team has finished in the top 10 of the final AP Top 25.
Here is the full list of top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, final records, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:
| Record | Pts | Pv | |
| 1. Ohio St. (59) | 14-1 | 1,475 | 5 |
| 2. Oregon | 13-2 | 1,402 | 3 |
| 3. TCU | 12-1 | 1,349 | 6 |
| 4. Alabama | 12-2 | 1,297 | 1 |
| 5. Florida St. | 13-1 | 1,212 | 2 |
| 5. Michigan St. | 11-2 | 1,212 | 7 |
| 7. Baylor | 11-2 | 1,098 | 4 |
| 8. Georgia Tech | 11-3 | 1,071 | 10 |
| 9. Georgia | 10-3 | 925 | 13 |
| 10. UCLA | 10-3 | 908 | 14 |
| 11. Mississippi St. | 10-3 | 767 | 8 |
| 12. Arizona St. | 10-3 | 756 | 15 |
| 13. Wisconsin | 11-3 | 724 | 17 |
| 14. Missouri | 11-3 | 710 | 16 |
| 15. Clemson | 10-3 | 683 | 18 |
| 16. Boise St. | 12-2 | 653 | 21 |
| 17. Mississippi | 9-4 | 543 | 9 |
| 18. Kansas St. | 9-4 | 509 | 11 |
| 19. Arizona | 10-4 | 499 | 12 |
| 20. Southern Cal | 9-4 | 315 | 24 |
| 21. Utah | 9-4 | 302 | 23 |
| 22. Auburn | 8-5 | 216 | 19 |
| 23. Marshall | 13-1 | 161 | NR |
| 24. Louisville | 9-4 | 116 | 20 |
| 25. Memphis | 10-3 | 94 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Notre Dame 28, Stanford 27, Nebraska 22, Air Force 21, Duke 18, LSU 12, Utah St. 11, Arkansas 10, Minnesota 9, Oklahoma 7, Texas A&M 7, N. Illinois 4, Colorado St. 2.