An historic end to a fantastic college football season. 2014 has been memorable for many reasons, with great record-setting performances, surprise teams (for better or for worse), and the first ever College Football Playoff. Now that the last game has been played, congratulations to the national champion Buckeyes of The Ohio State University.
LWOS CFB Final Top 25 Ranking
| 1 | Ohio State | Ohio State was viewed as a step behind when they lost consecutive NCGs in 2006 and 2007. They were viewed as done when they lost to Virginia Tech. They overcame all of that, though, for their 8th National Championship. – Yesh Ginsburg | |
| 2 | Oregon | The Ducks got this close to the mountaintop, but could not summit it. Again. Decorated QB Marcus Mariota could not overcome a tenacious OSU defense (and a GREAT gameplan) in the CFP Championship Game. – Donald King | |
| 3 | TCU | TCU saved its best for last, and absolutely destroyed Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl. Gary Patterson’s team returns Heisman finalist Trevone Boykin next season, and will shoot to crack the CFP Top Four next year and compete for a title. – Donald King | |
| 4 | Alabama | Even with the disappointing finish to the season, Alabama has another top five finish and looks poised to continue its success. – Mike Loveall | |
| 5 | Michigan State | The 2014-15 bowl season had its share of improbable comebacks, including what took place in the Cotton Bowl. Michigan State trailed Baylor 41-21 going into the fourth quarter before putting together three unanswered touchdown drives en route to a spectacular 42-41 victory. The win marks the Spartans fourth consecutive bowl triumph and also means they finish the season with 11 or more wins for the fourth time in five years. – John Bava | |
| 6 | Florida State | Off field issues and a defeat to Oregon overshadowed a historic win streak and another Top Ten season in Tallahassee. – Mike Loveall | |
| 7 | Baylor | The Bears got conservative too early in the Cotton Bowl, and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as a result. An 11-win season and a final Top Ten ranking concludes a highly successful season in Waco. – Donald King | |
| 8 | Georgia Tech | After Georgia Tech’s dismantling of Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl, it’s hard to believe this same team suffered mid-season losses to UNC and Duke. Imagine what the narrative would’ve been if they had been undefeated going into the ACC Championship Game vs. Florida State. Still, Tech fans have to be happy with the 11-win season. – Michael Gray | |
| 9 | UCLA | UCLA ended the season with a close victory over Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl. UCLA ends the year with another ten win season and according to most, the second best team in the PAC-12. UCLA looks to enter 2015 with a new QB and a defensive squad led by Myles Jack. – Kaden Kotinek | |
| 10 | Georgia | Georgia finished its up-and-down season with an emphatic win over Bobby Petrino, Todd Grantham and the Louisville Cardinals. With Todd Gurley going pro, Hutson Mason graduating and Mike Bobo going to Colorado State, 2015 will take a concerted adjustment for UGA. But, here are four words all UGA fans should know: “Give it to Chubb”. – Michael Gray | |
| 11 | Clemson | This was one of the most dominant performances in this year’s bowl games as Clemson destroyed Oklahoma 40-6 in the Russell Athletic Bowl. All of this was without DeShaun Watson so the future is bright for the Tigers. – Matthew Atkinson | |
| 12 | Boise State | Boise State just keeps on doing Boise State things. It’s a Top 15 finish for a team considered to be rebuilding and should be a monster on defense next year. They’ll be happy with any Access Bowl, but you have to wonder if people in Boise are thinking Fiesta Bowl again next year–because it’s a national semifinal. – Yesh Ginsburg | |
| 13 | Mississippi State | The Bulldogs got off to a strong 9-0 start, but lost two of their last three games and dropped the Capital One Orange Bowl to Georgia Tech, 49-34. – Lindsay Higgins | |
| 14 | Arizona | The season ended in a bitter way for the Wildcats after losing a close one to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. However, it was a fantastic season for Arizona; as they finished the year at 10-4. – Elijah Klein | |
| 15 | Missouri | Gary Pinkel’s Tigers ran all over Minnesota in the Citrus Bowl, completing a successful (if surprising) 11-3 season, after repeating as SEC East champs. – Donald King | |
| 16 | Arizona State | The Sun Devils pulled out a nail-biting Sun Bowl victory against Duke in a game that was surprisingly very close. With Taylor Kelly graduating, Mike Bercovici is ready to takeover at quarterback and lead Arizona State to another successful season. – Al Preziosi | |
| 17 | Wisconsin | The Badgers finished their season with an enthralling Outback Bowl victory over a solid Auburn team in overtime. They will have to replace star running back Melvin Gordon next season, but Corey Clement looks ready to step up. – Al Preziosi | |
| 18 | Kansas State | KSU fought back well against UCLA but couldn’t recover and fell to defeat in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Still a solid 9-4 season for the Wildcats with a great season for Tyler Lockette and Curry Sexton at wide receiver. – Matthew Atkinson | |
| 19 | USC | The Trojans ended their season with a thrilling Holiday Bowl victory over a quality Nebraska team. The four-loss season was a bit disappointing, but they should be national contenders next season with one of the strongest recruiting classes in the country coming in. – Al Preziosi | |
| 20 | Stanford | Stanford finished the season red-hot, reeling off big wins at California, at UCLA and in the Foster Farms Bowl against an overmatched Maryland team. Next year looks promising for the Cardinal, with its staff intact and a much more favorable schedule than in 2014. – Donald King | |
| 21 | Utah | Utah finished the year with a blowout victory over Colorado State in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl. The Utes were 9-4 in what was considered by many to be a successful season. The Utes open next season with a home match against Michigan. – Kaden Kotinek | |
| 22 | Auburn | The Tigers were expected to be a contender this year, after dropping the BCS Title game a year ago. After a 5-0 start, however, they lost four of their last seven and were beaten in OT by Wisconsin in an Outback Bowl thriller. – Lindsay Higgins | |
| 23 | Louisville | Louisville had a successful first season in the ACC, but was trounced in the Belk Bowl by Nick Chubb and the Georgia Bulldogs. The Cardinals figure to compete well in Coach Petrino’s second year of his second stint with Louisville. – Donald King | |
| 24 | Marshall | The Boca Raton Bowl was an intriguing showdown between two mid-major conference champions that did not live up to the pregame hype. Marshall and Northern Illinois were expected to go toe-to-toe with one another. Instead, the Thundering Herd dominated in a 52-23 victory where quarterback Rakeem Cato concluded his college career with a bang, throwing for three touchdowns and tying an NCAA all-time record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass (46). – John Bava | |
| 25 | Mississippi | It was a cathartic season for the Rebels; from the top of the college football world to a humbling loss to TCU in the Peach Bowl. Ole Miss finishes just inside the Top 25. – Mike Loveall | |
| Others receiving votes: Memphis (5), Duke (3), Nebraska (2), Air Force (2), LSU (1), Texas A&M (1) | |||
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