OXFORD – The longest college football season in history still somehow seemed a bit too short, didn’t it?
With its 34-23 victory over Notre Dame on Monday, Ohio State became the first national champion of the 12-team College Football Playoff era. It was a wild season all around – No. 1-seeded Oregon was dominated by the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl after having beaten them in the regular season, Alabama was at one point the No. 1 team in the country and wound up losing four games, and the Fighting Irish made it to the national title game after losing to Northern Illinois in their second game.
The 2024 season was my first as an AP voter, and it was a privilege and honor to serve in that capacity. Whether you agreed with my choices or not this season, I hope this column provided some transparency.
Here is how I ranked teams on the final AP top 25 ballot, and here is a link to the actual rankings. I can’t wait to do this again next fall. As always, thanks for reading.
1. Ohio State
2. Notre Dame
3. Texas
4. Oregon
5. Penn State
6. Georgia
7. Arizona State
8. Boise State
9. Indiana
10. Ole Miss
11. Tennessee
12. Clemson
13. SMU
14. BYU
15. Iowa State
16. Illinois
17. Alabama
18. South Carolina
19. Army
20. Syracuse
21. Miami
22. Missouri
23. UNLV
24. Colorado
25. Memphis
The top 10
Well, one and two were pretty easy here. What an ending to the season for the Buckeyes, who were stunned at home by unranked Michigan in their regular-season finale before going on a run for the ages through the playoffs. Huge kudos are also in order for Notre Dame, which was left for dead after the second week of the season before winning its next 13 games. I opted for Texas at No. 3 over Oregon; I know the Ducks were undefeated prior to the Rose Bowl, but the Longhorns making it all the way to the semifinals has to count for something. Oregon is above Penn State, however, because they beat them in the Big Ten title game. Georgia’s hopes for the national title came crashing down when quarterback Carson Beck was injured in the SEC title game, and the Bulldogs were unable to muster enough offense against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.
Arizona State was one of the biggest surprises in college football this year, and the Sun Devils almost upset Texas in the Peach Bowl. Boise State put up a solid fight against the Nittany Lions in the Fiesta Bowl, and Indiana was more than respectable against Notre Dame in the first round of the CFP.
It’s been all CFP teams up until this point, which makes sense. But here is where I went a little against the grain – I ranked Ole Miss ahead of Tennessee, despite the Volunteers earning a playoff berth. Tennessee was outclassed in its first-round CFP matchup against Ohio State (and there is no shame in that in hindsight), and the Rebels took out their frustrations on missing out on the tournament by throttling Duke in the Gator Bowl. Are Ohio State and Duke comparable as opponents? Of course not. But I always felt Ole Miss was one of the 12 best teams in the country despite three confounding losses, and their performance in the bowl game did nothing but solidify that for me.
The rest
The ACC’s two CFP representatives are back-to-back for me at 12 and 13, with Clemson getting the nod having won the ACC championship bout between the two. BYU dominated Colorado in an All-Big 12 Alamo Bowl, and fellow Big 12 member Iowa State took down Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Illinois upset South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl and finishes at No. 16 for me.
The aforementioned Crimson Tide were upset by Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl, ending a topsy-turvy first season for head coach Kalen DeBoer. The Gamecocks were as hot as anyone to end the regular season, but the loss to the Illini hurts. Army and Syracuse are next for me – did the Black Knights put together one of the quietest 12-win seasons in history? – followed by Miami. Miami finished above the Orange in the actual final poll, but with identical records and a head-to-head victory, I opted for Syracuse. Missouri secured another double-digit win season with a win over Iowa in the Music City Bowl, and UNLV won 11 games for just the second time ever, making them worthy of a spot here. Yes, Colorado got destroyed by BYU in the Alamo Bowl, but the Buffaloes had a strong season regardless. Memphis, a quiet 11-game winner, wraps up my top 25.
Cases for Navy, LSU and Louisville – the top three teams who received votes in the final poll but were not ranked – are understandable. Ultimately, I felt UNLV, Colorado and Memphis were more deserving.
Michael Katz covers Ole Miss Athletics for the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.
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