AP Poll Top 25 College Football Rankings released after National Championship

The final AP Poll Top 25 rankings are here now that the college football season has reached its conclusion.

Ohio State beat Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff National Championship to end the season on top. They’ll live on in the history books forever.

So without further ado, let’s dive into the final AP Poll of the season until the 2025 season kicks off in the fall.

1. Ohio State (+5)

Ohio State’s comeback story is complete with a national championship win over Notre Dame. Following an awful loss to Michigan, Ryan Day pushed all the right buttons for four games in a row.

Dominant wins over Tennessee and Oregon got it going. Then they gutted it out against Texas and held off a late rally against Notre Dame. Day has been vindicated and Ohio State is back on top of the college football world.

2. Notre Dame (+1)

Notre Dame had one heck of a season, finishing 14-2. Winning three straight playoff games to get to the finals is no easy task.

Marcus Freeman proved where he belongs among the elite coaches but now it’s up to the Fighting Irish staff to maintain this excellence and get back to this point. It seems like they’ll be more than capable.

3. Oregon (-2)

Oregon went undefeated and won the Big Ten this season, getting the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. However, the Ducks went one-and-done in the postseason.

They ran into Ohio State for the second time and were blasted 41-21 by the Buckeyes. Still, Oregon had its best season under Dan Lanning but there was some meat left on the bone.

4. Texas

So while Texas didn’t win the SEC, the Longhorns made it back to the CFP semifinals. Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning were the biggest story on offense while Texas had an elite defense all year.

It was a tough ending against Ohio State falling one game short. Manning is slated to take over next season and this could be the preseason No. 1 when it’s all said and done.

5. Penn State

It was kind of an odd season for Penn State, since the Nittany Lions lost to Ohio State in the regular season but still made the Big Ten title game, a loss to Oregon. Still, PSU made a run in the playoff for the first time.

Beating SMU and Boise State back to back gave Penn State a shot against Notre Dame. The James Franklin magic ran out in a 27-24 loss to the Irish. Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen and guys like Nick Dawkins are all slated to come back next season on offense.

6. Georgia (-4)

Georgia won the SEC and got a bye but fell to Notre Dame in the quarterfinals. Without Carson Beck, the offense struggled against the Irish.

Still, Kirby Smart overcame earlier losses to Alabama and Ole Miss to make a run to the No. 2 seed. This team isn’t going away anytime soon as long as he’s steering the ship.

7. Arizona State (+3)

Arizona State was the other darling of the playoff. Kenny Dillingham’s team was picked to finish last in the Big 12 in the preseason.

So with that, the Sun Devils won the conference crown, Sam Leavitt broke out at QB and Cam Skattebo turned into a Heisman contender. What a player. ASU took Texas to the brink in the quarterfinals.

8. Boise State

Boise State was everyone’s darling this year, led by Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty. The Mountain West champs took Oregon to the brink so they were a legit playoff team.

However, the run ended after their bye week at the hands of Penn State. Can Boise State do something like this again next year? Sure. But they’ll miss their star running back.

9. Tennessee (-2)

It was another solid season for Tennessee under Josh Heupel, finishing 10-3. Although it was a bit of a dud with a 42-17 loss to Ohio State in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Nico Iamaleava is back next season so this team should be in SEC contention and make another run at the playoff. But they’ll be thinking about what might have been with a one-and-done appearance this year.

10. Indiana (-1)

Indiana blew out pretty much everyone they played this season in Curt Cignetti’s first season. However, a loss to Ohio State had everyone questioning if they were a legit playoff team.

Still, the Hoosiers made the postseason, but couldn’t quite get going against Notre Dame in the first round. But if anything, Indiana set up a foundation under Cignetti moving forward.

AP Poll Top 25 at conclusion of season

11. Ole Miss (+5)
12. SMU (+1)
13. BYU (+4)
14. Clemson (-2)
15. Iowa State (+3)
16. Illinois (+5)
17. Alabama (-6)
18. Miami (-3)
19. South Carolina (-5)
20. Syracuse (+2)
21. Army (-2)
22. Missouri (+1)
23. UNLV (+1)
24. Memphis (+1)
25. Colorado (-5)

Others receiving votes in AP Poll: Navy 55, LSU 39, Louisville 38, Michigan 36, Kansas St. 11, Marshall 8, Ohio 8, Florida 7, TCU 2, Texas A&M 1.