Following a 52-24 win over Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship, it’s no surprise that Alabama will finish the 2020 season as the unanimous No. 1 team in the final AP Top 25 poll. Which team finished No. 4 may be more of a surprise.
Texas A&M felt strongly it should have been in this year’s playoff. While the Aggies were passed over in favor of Notre Dame, they will finish fourth in the AP top 25. Coming off an Orange Bowl victory over North Carolina, Texas A&M (9-1) finishes with its highest end-of-season ranking since 1939 when that team finished No. 1.
Though the Buckeyes lost to the Crimson Tide on Monday night, they remained No. 2 in the final rankings. Clemson dropped one spot to No. 3 while the Fighting Irish round out the top five. Oklahoma, with seven straight wins to close out the year, finishes sixth. The rest of the top 10 reflects the results of bowl season with Georgia, Iowa State and Northwestern jumping into the top 10 after victories.
Three news teams made the final rankings: No. 20 Oklahoma State, No. 23 Ball State and No. 25 Buffalo.
Here’s how the final AP Top 25 looks. First-place votes are in parenthesis.
1. Alabama (61)
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Texas A&M
5. Notre Dame
6. Oklahoma
7. Georgia
8. Cincinnati
9. Iowa State
10. Northwestern
11. BYU
12. Indiana
13. Florida
14. Coastal Carolina
15. Louisiana
16. Iowa
17. Liberty
18. North Carolina
19. Texas
20. Oklahoma State
21. USC
22. Miami (FL)
23. Ball State
24. San Jose State
25. Buffalo
Others receiving votes: Appalachian State 41, Tulsa 35, Army 24, Oregon 21, Texas Tech 21, Memphis 12, TCU 12, UAB 10, Washington 10, North Carolina State 7, Nevada 7, Wisconsin 3, West Virginia 1, Marshall 1
