6:30 AM
The college football season ended Monday night with the Georgia Bulldogs winning the national championship.
The Georgia football team reclaimed their top spot in the final edition of the power rankings after they defeated Alabama in the College Football Playoff title game. Georgia's emphatic win was one of the highlights of the bowl season.
In the Fiesta Bowl, Oklahoma State overcame a 21-point deficit to beat Notre Dame, while in the Rose Bowl, Ohio State overcame a 21-point deficit to beat Utah. Oklahoma won a bowl game with Bob Stoops at the helm, Michigan State won a bowl game without Kenneth Walker III, and the Bears went from a two-win team in 2020 to a 12-win team in 2021.
The bowl season led to a lot of shuffling within the power rankings and, now that the season has ended, it's time to see where college football's best teams landed in the final rankings.
1. Georgia is 13-1
After 41 years of frustration, the bulldogs finally defeated their arch nemesis Alabama in the national championship. It was Georgia's first national title in 33 years, but it shouldn't have to wait that long to win another one because of what Kirby Smart has built at his alma mater. Georgia will have to replace several star players who are likely headed to the NFL, including linebacker Nakobe Dean, defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt and offensive tackle Jamaree Salyer. The futures of quarterback Stetson Bennett, tailback James Cook, and receiver George Pickens are going to be big decisions for them. The Bulldogs are going to be happy to have an end to the long dry spell.
2. The Alabama Crimson Tide are 13-2
The dynasty is not in danger despite the loss. Not when Nick Saban has two of his best players, quarterback Bryce Young and outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr., back. Not when the schedule is as manageable as it appears, with Texas and LSU on the out-of-conference slate, and LSU in transition under a new coaching staff. The SEC Championship Game is when a potential second game with Georgia would take place. Brian Robinson Jr. will leave for the NFL, but the addition of a former Georgia Tech star should bolster an already deep running back room. Replacing the production of John Metchie III and Jameson Williams will be difficult, but there's a lot of young talent at the position.
Despite the loss in the national championship, Alabama is in good shape to make another run at the College Football Playoff with Will Anderson Jr. and Bryce Young returning.
3. The Michigan Wolverines are 12-2
The Michigan team shocked a lot of people along the way after a bad season in 2020. The defense under Mike Macdonald produced a runner up in the Heisman, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, as well as edge rusher David Ojabo, both of whom are projected as first-round picks in the upcoming draft. The Michigan run game improved with the addition of Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum, who helped power the team to a win over Ohio State. The offense improved from the beginning of the season under Josh Gattis. Michigan won its first Big Ten Championship since 2004. Jim Harbaugh said this is the beginning of the program. There is more stability in Ann arbor than there has been in the past, but there will be a lot of talent to replace.
4. The Ohio State Buckeyes are 11-2
The Rose Bowl showed a lot of things, including why the Buckeyes didn't win the Big Ten and why they should contend for a national title in 2022. Utah's offense racked up yards and points in the first half and finished with a balanced performance, as the defense remained mostly bad. Although Ohio State was better in the second half, new head coach Jim Knowles has a lot of work to do. A moderate upgrade is enough to complement the offense that lit up Utah without Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. Quarterback C.J. Stroud had a historic performance with 573 pass yards, six touchdown, while wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a bowl-record 347 receiving yards. The nation's top triple-threats in the future could be Stroud, Smith-Njigba and Henderson.
5. The Cincinnati Bearcats are 13-1
Cincinnati was the first Group of 5 team to make the College Football Playoff. The 13-1 season, the greatest in school history, a second straight conference championship, a playoff berth, and Coach of the Year honors, for example, is what anyone in Cincinnati would want, even though the outcome against Alabama in the Cotton Bowl Classic is not what they wanted. The foundation has been set, but this will be a new-look team in 2022, with veteran players such as Coby Bryant, Ahmad Gardner, and others moving on.
6. The Bears are 12-2
While the Big 12 could end up being just as tight and competitive next fall, Dave Aranda's Bears are well-stocked for further contention after breaking through with a Big 12 title, a Sugar Bowl victory and the school's first 12-win season. The offensive and defensive lines will be stocked with experience, and the quarterback should return after fighting off injuries to finish a decent 35th in Total QBR. The entire two-deep on the D-line is scheduled to return. They have a proven star pass-rusher in Gabe Hall. The secondary will undergo a remodeling job, which could cause trouble, but they will have star power.
7. The Oklahoma State Cowboys are 12-2
A very experienced Cowboys team came within inches of winning a Big 12 championship, only to be stopped short of the goal-line on fourth down. One of the greatest seasons in OSU history was just completed by Mike Gundy. He lost one of the nation's stingiest units to Ohio State, along with stars like Malcolm Rodriguez, who had more than 400 career tackles. One of the country's most intriguing players is Spencer Sanders. He was unstoppable against Notre Dame with Gundy has a good track record of hiring off-the-radar coordinators and hasn't decided on a replacement yet. The Cowboys were reminded that you can never count them out. They've won 10 or more games seven times. A 12-2 record with a rivalry win over the hated Sooners and a 21-point comeback against Notre Dame is worthy of celebration.
8. The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.
Cincinnati made the College Football Playoff after losing to the Irish. The team saw coach Brian Kelly leave for LSU and Marcus Freeman take over. Jack Coan, Kyle Hamilton, and Kyren Williams will all leave the new coaches in the year 2022, with some talent to replace. The school is getting good news recently, with defensive end Isaiah Foskey announcing his return to the school. A good nucleus of players with talent and experience returning, along with younger players and talented recruits, should make for a good team. It should give him a chance to have success in his first full season as a coach.
9. The Michigan State Spartans are 11-2
The Spartans won 11 games after only two in 2020. Coach Mel Tucker was able to find a few gems, including running back Kenneth Walker III, thanks to the transfer portal. The Spartans went from 123 in rushing yards per game in 2020 to 53 in 2021. The staff came up with a new way to rebuild a roster quickly through the transfer portal, but it wasn't just transfers that helped the team win. The quarterback had an excellent season, finishing 23rd in total pass yards. The Spartans will need to shore up the secondary and replace Walker's production at running back, but Tucker has built a solid foundation. They should see similar success in 2022.
Michigan State defeated Pittsburgh in the final game of the season to win the Peach Bowl.
10. The Utah Utes are 10-4.
The Utes had established themselves as one of the most consistent performers in the conference since arriving in 2011, but they had never won a conference title. The first conference title game to be held in Las Vegas will be held in the final three-fourths of the season, after the change at quarterback set the tone for a strong final three-fourths of the season. The game between Ohio State and the Grandaddy will be remembered as one of the best in the history of the Grandaddy. The season will be a testament to the players' ability to honor the memory of both Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe.
11. The Ole Miss Rebels are doing well.
Lane Kiffin's second year in Oxford was amazing. For the first time in program history, the Rebels had a 10-win regular season. It got Kiffin a new contract that averaged $7.5 million a year and kept him at the school. They lost the Sugar Bowl after quarterback Matt Corral was injured in the first quarter. Ole Miss will not look the same in 2022, but the program is likely to be secure with Kiffin at the helm.
12. The Oklahoma Sooners are 11-2
The season that ended with Bob Stoops celebrating a bowl victory was in 2021. Spencer Rattler was benched and transferred to South Carolina. The legendary rally against Texas in Dallas was held by his replacement, Caleb Williams. The Sooners lost to Oklahoma State in their first Bedlam loss in four years, and then Lincoln Riley went west to USC. Despite some defections to the USC, the OU recruiting class was still a solid one, and there was enthusiasm for the return of coach Venables. Williams went into the portal and is shopping around, as is Mario Williams, another top recruit at the club. Venables and Jeff Lebby were the ones who landed the quarterback. We don't know what to expect with the Sooners right now. It's a new era in Norman.
13. The Pittsburgh Panthers have a winning record.
The encore will be difficult, but Pat Narduzzi's team should still have a lot to offer. For the first time in 40 years, the Pitt team won 11 games, and they won the conference title. The team loses star quarterback Kenny Pickett and offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, but they get USC quarterback transfer Kedon Slovis, and they await the decision of star end Habakkuk Baldon. Narduzzi has built a program full of attitude and should have plenty of it in the future.
14. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are doing well.
The Demon Deacons opened the season with the slogan "Good to great," but they ended up doing more than that and winning 11 games, just the second team in program history to win double-digit games. Texas A&M was forced to withdraw from the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl due to coronaviruses. Sam Hartman is the third quarterback in the history of the conference to have 50 total touchdown. Hartman will be back in the year 2022. Expectations will be higher after a successful season.
15. The Tigers are 10-3.
In six of their 13 games, the Tigers were held to less than 20 points, as they struggled to find offensive consistency. The quarterback position and the coaching staff that has been changed will be the focus of attention next season. The continuity of the staff has not been affected by the departures of Tony Elliott andBrent Venables. Brandon Streeter, quarterbacks coach, was promoted from within to fill the position that was left vacant by Venables. The 10th consecutive season of 10 or more wins was ensured by the six-game winning streak that ended the 2021 season.
16. The NC State Wolfpack is 9-3).
The Holiday Bowl in San Diego was canceled just hours before the game was to start because UCLA had a coronavirus issue. NC State decided to count the game as a 10th win in its official record books, even though the NCAA did not declare the game a forfeited victory. This season will always have an asterisk next to it because of that. NC State put together a historic season, with wins over Florida State and North Carolina, and the Wolfpack could be even better in the future with players like quarterback Devin Leary, linebackers Drake Thomas and Isaiah Moore, and All-ACC defensive tackle Cory Durden returning.
17. The Kentucky Cats (10-3) are doing well.
Kentucky had won 10 games once before Mark Stoops arrived. In the last four years, the Wildcats have done it twice. Will Levis and Chris Rodriguez are likely to return in 2022, but UK's ability to live up to increasing expectations next fall will likely be determined by new starters everywhere else. The offensive and defensive lines will get hit by attrition, and stars like receiver Wan'Dale Robinson and safety Yusuf Corker have declared for the draft. Stoops has dealt with turnover before, and the team has a strong identity as anyone in the SEC East outside of Georgia. It probably won't be very steep if there is a drop-off.
18. Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns are 13-1
The Ragin' Cajuns closed out Billy Napier's tenure with a 13-1 record and a transfer of power as seamless as a college football program could have. They finished their season with a 36-21 win over Marshall in the New Orleans Bowl. They'll look different next season, as running backs Montrell Johnson and Emani Bailey, right guard O'Cyrus Torrence and cornerback Mekhi Garner all entered the transfer portal. Some of the coaching staff left to go to Florida. The school's only seasons of 10+ wins were the three consecutive ones left by Napier.
19. The Cougars are 10-3.
A win against Utah gave the Cougars the regional bragging rights. The Independence Bowl loss was a sour note to end the season. Tyler Allgeier's 1,606 rushing yards ranked third in the country, and his 23 rushing scores were the most in the country. The future of the football program has never been so bright with coach Sitake locked up with a long term contract.
Sitake signed a contract extension in December that will keep him at the school until 2027.
20. The Houston Cougars are 12-2
In college football in 2021, the Cougars were one of the better jobs. In his second year as head coach, Dana Holgorsen went 5-5, but he led the team to a 12-2 record. His defense, led by first-year assistant Doug Belk, was one of the toughest in the country, despite the fact that his teams are notorious for having a potent offense. They were able to beat auburn in the bowl game despite losing to Cincinnati. One of the biggest things to watch is how the Big 12 move will affect the program.
21. The Oregon Ducks are 10-4.
The program is set up well to continue their success despite the fact that things will look a lot different in Eugene. When they hired Dan Lanning to replace Mario Cristobal, they made it clear that they wanted to continue what he had started. With Lanning coming from Georgia and bringing with him assistants from all over the sport, Oregon's recruiting should not suffer. It will be fascinating to see how Lanning handles the other responsibilities that come with being a first-time head coach and how he will transfer his SEC experience to a Pac-12 program. There have been signs so far. Oregon got a commitment from an SEC quarterback in Bo Nix, who is from the state of Alabama. The fit, at first glance, is unique to say the least, but after the Ducks struggled to find consistent quarterback play this season, it should be a needed shot in the arm.
22. The Arkansas Razorbacks are 9-4.
Sam Pittman has turned around an Arkansas program that was in dire straits when he arrived. The Razorbacks won their ninth game of the season with a victory over Penn State. They lost to Alabama by a touchdown and to Ole Miss by a point in a game that Arkansas lost because they failed to convert a 2-point conversion at the end of the game. The Razorbacks had a nine-win season that was close to being even better, and they have a staff that should keep them relevant in the SEC Western Division.
23. The Wisconsin Badgers are 9-4.
The Wisconsin Badgers rebounded from a dismal start to win the Las Vegas Bowl. After allowing 26 points per game in the first four contests, the Wisconsin Badgers settled down and allowed 12 per game from then on out, as freshman running back Braelon Allen exploded for 1,268 yards, 1,219 of which came during Wisconsin's 8-1 finish. They are waiting on a number of stay-or-go decisions from players who were listed as seniors this year, but Allen's return gives them a focal point, and the Badger identity that has remained so steady and won so many games over the last three decades will be very much intact
24. The Iowa Hawkeyes are 10-4.
The season that saw the Hawkeyes rise as high as No. 2 nationally ended with frustration and more questions about the program's direction. The team's revived run game was the reason why they led in the fourth quarter. Iowa's decision not to attempt a fourth-and-1 and an injury to All-America center Tyler Linderbaum opened the door for Kentucky to rally. The Iowa defense folded against Wan'Dale Robinson and then Spencer Petras' third pick up sealed the loss for the Hawkeyes. The team's trajectory on defense and special teams remains promising, but without significantly better quarterback play in 2022, Iowa will have a hard time taking the next step as a program.
25. Texas A&M is 8-4.
Jimbo Fisher's recruiting class is the best in Texas A&M history, after a season in which the Aggies lost four games but beat Alabama. Fisher has a talented roster, but there is another year of uncertainty at quarterback, a year after losing starter Haynes King to injury and his replacement, who had the game of his life against the Tide and then transferred to auburn. Max Johnson and King are both LSU transfers. Fisher replaced Mike Elko with D.J. Durkin from Ole Miss. The defense of the Aggies could be among the best in the country. The hope is that they have the pieces to finally unleash some of their skill weapons.
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