(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
With the final week of the college football regular season in the books, the landscape for the postseason has been firmly cemented in place. For the likes of Oklahoma and Clemson, it was a foregone conclusion that both programs would receive a place in the Playoff after two dominating victories over their respective conference championship opponents. However, Alabama was one of two teams that were on the outside looking in and were fortunate enough to be the beneficiaries of some slight chaos. Although there were some pundits that believed the battle-tested Ohio State Buckeyes should have been in the final four despite two losses, the Crimson Tide earned the benefit of the doubt as their lone loss came against a formidable SEC opponent in Auburn on the road.
College Football Playoff Rankings 2017: Final Week
For both Ohio State and Wisconsin, it was a highly disappointing turnout for the BIG 10 as the Buckeyes victory over the Badgers kept both teams from receiving a Playoff berth. Considering the Badgers were one crucial victory away from clinching a spot in the Playoff, the end result of being 6th overall has to sting tremendously. While Buckeye fans will vehemently exclaim that they were unjustly snubbed from the Playoff, the fact is that Ohio State was rewarded with a spot in the top four last year despite not participating in a conference championship game. Now, Alabama has understandably been given the same opportunity to prove that their reputable pedigree as a competitive football program is for real.
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Clemson |
| 2 | Oklahoma |
| 3 | Georgia |
| 4 | Alabama |
| 5 | Ohio State |
| 6 | Wisconsin |
| 7 | Auburn |
| 8 | USC |
| 9 | Penn State |
| 10 | Miami |
| 11 | Washington |
| 12 | UCF |
| 13 | Stanford |
| 14 | Notre Dame |
| 15 | TCU |
| 16 | Michigan State |
| 17 | LSU |
| 18 | Washington State |
| 19 | Oklahoma State |
| 20 | Memphis |
| 21 | Northwestern |
| 22 | Virginia Tech |
| 23 | Mississippi State |
| 24 | NC State |
| 25 | Boise State |
After another exhilarating season of college football, the highly anticipated contests of the postseason should be a thrilling send off. With Clemson and Alabama squaring off for the third year in a row in the Playoff, dedicated fans will get to witness what is an unprecedented showdown between two perennial Playoff contenders. On the other side of the bracket, the crushing defense of Georgia will face the best offense in the country in the Oklahoma Sooners.
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Dropped From Rankings: Fresno State
New Additions: Boise State (25)
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