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Mike Strange: Ups, downs of Top 25 college football polls

Mike Strange
USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee
Alabama coach Nick Saban congratulates Clemson coach Dabo Swinney after the Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide 35-31 in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Jan. 9, 2017.

At the top, the Amway Coaches' poll from USA Today is pretty much how the voters had it figured back in August. They came within one second of hitting the 1-2-3 trifecta.

But that one second made all the difference to Clemson and Alabama. The Tigers claimed the top spot with a 35-31 national championship win Monday night, spoiling Alabama's wire-to-wire ride atop the Top 25. Oklahoma started third and ended third.

Penn State made the biggest jump, from nowhere to No. 7. The Nittany Lions were one of 11 teams that landed in the final poll who had begun the season on the outside looking in. They weren't even among the "receiving votes" hopefuls.

The AP Top 25 Poll

Headed the other direction, Notre Dame took the biggest fall, from No. 9 preseason to lost somewhere on a highway between Elkhart and Kokomo.

Michigan State, Ole Miss, Houston, TCU, Iowa and Georgia also slid off the board along the way. So did North Carolina, Baylor, Oregon and UCLA. Small, if any consolation, Iowa and Georgia clung to the "receiving votes" fringe in the final poll.

Here is a rundown of the final poll released Tuesday:

1. Clemson (14-1), preseason-2. Comment: Survived N.C. State 24-17 in overtime on Oct. 15 after the Wolfpack missed 33-yard field goal for the win.

2. Alabama (14-1), preseason-1. Comment: One second away from staying No. 1 and claiming fourth title in seven years.

3. Oklahoma (11-2), preseason-3. Comment: Lost to Houston and Ohio State in first three weeks, then won 10 straight. Beat Auburn in Sugar Bowl.

4. Washington (12-2), preseason-18. Comment: Easy non-conference schedule, then Pac 12 title. Losses were to Southern Cal and then  Alabama in playoff.

5. Southern Cal (10-3), preseason-17. Comment: Lost three of first four, then won nine in a row after freshman Sam Darnold took over at quarterback. Beat Penn State 52-49 in Rose Bowl.

6. Ohio State (11-2), preseason-5. Comment: Beat Michigan in a 30-27 overtime thriller to make playoff despite missing Big Ten title game. Reward? Pounded 31-0 by Clemson in semifinals.

7. Penn State (11-3), preseason-not ranked. Comment: From hot seat to Big Ten title, but early losses to Pitt and Michigan kept Nittany Lions out of CFP playoff. Lost Rose Bowl thriller.

8. Florida State (10-3), preseason-4. Comment: Routed 63-20 by Louisville, then lost squeakers to North Carolina and Clemson. Beat Michigan in Orange Bowl.

9. Wisconsin (11-3), preseason-receiving votes. Comment: Opened with win over LSU, but lost to Big Ten elite Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. Beat Western Michigan in Cotton Bowl.

10. Michigan (10-3), preseason-8. Comment: Opened 9-0, then lost to Iowa (gasp), Ohio State (groan) and, finally, Florida State in Orange Bowl.

11. Oklahoma State (10-3), preseason-19. Comment: Cowboys overcame early losses to Central Michigan and Baylor and were trending up until finale against Oklahoma. Beat Colorado in Alamo Bowl.

12. Stanford (10-3), preseason-7. Comment: Strong start then mid-season losses to Washington, Washington State and Colorado. Beat North Carolina in Sun Bowl.

13. Florida (9-4), preseason-25. Comment: Huge win at LSU propelled Gators to the SEC East title, where they lost to Alabama for second consecutive year. Beat Iowa in Outback Bowl.

The Vols beat the Gators on Sept. 24 but Florida got the last word in the Top 25.

14. LSU (8-4), preseason-6. Comment: Early losses to Wisconsin and Auburn completed the firing process of Les Miles begun last November. Interim Ed Orgeron went 6-2 to win the job and beat Louisville in Citrus Bowl.

15. Colorado (10-4), preseason-not ranked. Comment: The Buffaloes went from 4-8 to 10-4 and Pac 12 South champions, for which Mike  MacIntyre was named national coach of the year. Lost Pac12 title game and Alamo Bowl.

16. Virginia Tech (10-4), preseason-not ranked. Comment: Justin Fuente’s first year was a success. Lost to Clemson in ACC title game, then beat Arkansas in Belk Bowl.

17. West Virginia (10-3), preseason-not ranked. Comment: Light schedule contributed to 6-0 start. Lost to Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and then Miami in bowl.

18. Western Michigan (13-1): Preseason-not ranked. Comment: Beat Northwestern and Illinois early, swept to MAC title at 13-0. The Big Ten got its revenge, Wisconsin by winning Cotton Bowl and Minnesota by stealing coach P.J. Fleck.

19. South Florida (11-2), preseason-receiving votes. Comment: Only losses were to Florida State and Temple, which kept Bulls out of American Conference title game. Beat South Carolina in Birmingham Bowl to clinch first appearance in final poll.

20. Louisville (9-4), preseason-23. Comment: After a 9-1 start in which the only loss was to Clemson, Cards lost their last three to Houston, Kentucky and LSU in Citrus Bowl.

21. Utah (9-4), preseason-not ranked. Comment: A 7-1 start faded with November losses to Washington, Oregon and Colorado. Beat Indiana in Foster Farms Bowl.

22. Auburn (8-5), preseason-receiving votes. Comment: Three of five losses were to Clemson, Alabama and Oklahoma, the top three in the poll.

23. Miami ( 9-4), preseason-receiving votes. Comment: Mark Richt’s first season was compartmentalized by four wins, a four-game losing streak and then five more wins, including West Virginia in Russell Athletic Bowl.

24. Tennessee (9-4), preseason-10. Comment: Losses to South Carolina and Vanderbilt caused the Vols to fall farther (14 spots) from preseason than anyone who stayed in the final poll.

25. San Diego State (11-3), preseason-receiving votes. Comment: After 9-1 start, the Aztecs stumbled but still beat Wyoming in Mountain West title game and Houston in Las Vegas Bowl. First time in final poll since 1977.

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