PSU football stays in top 10 in final AP ranks

TAMPA, Fla. - Clemson finished atop The Associated Press College football poll Tuesday, knocking Alabama from the spot it held all season, and Southern California became the first team to finish as high as No. 3 with three losses.

The Tigers were voted No. 1 in the final poll for the first time since 1981. The Crimson Tide was trying to become only the third team to go wire-to-wire as No. 1, but lost 35-31 to Clemson on Monday night in the College Football Playoff championship game.

USC, which started the season 1-3 — including a 52-6 opening loss to Alabama — jumped from all the way from ninth in the final regular-season rankings to third. USC beat Penn State, 52-49, on a last-second field goal in the Rose Bowl.

MORE RANKINGS: Four Big Ten teams in top 8 in USA TODAY's final re-ranking.

Washington was fourth and Oklahoma finished fifth.

Ohio State was sixth and Penn State seventh, followed by Florida State at eighth.

Wisconsin was No. 9 and Michigan 10th, putting four Big Ten teams in the top 10.

MORE: Find full coverage of Penn State's Rose Bowl season.

AP Top 25

The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, final records, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:
Record    Pts    Pv
1. Clemson (60)    14-1    1500    3
2. Alabama    14-1    1440    1
3. Southern Cal    10-3    1292    9
4. Washington    12-2    1277    4
5. Oklahoma    11-2    1252    7
6. Ohio St.    11-2    1240    2
7. Penn St.    11-3    1130    5
8. Florida St.    10-3    1105    10
9. Wisconsin    11-3    1032    8
10. Michigan    10-3    1001    6
11. Oklahoma St.    10-3    920    13
12. Stanford    10-3    730    16
13. LSU    8-4    651    19
14. Florida    9-4    640    20
15. W. Michigan    13-1    619    12
16. Virginia Tech    10-4    610    18
17. Colorado    10-4    585    11
18. West Virginia    10-3    368    14
19. South Florida    11-2    358    25
20. Miami    9-4    338    NR
21. Louisville    9-4    277    15
22. Tennessee    9-4    253    NR
23. Utah    9-4    222    NR
24. Auburn    8-5    206    17
25. San Diego St.    11-3    113    NR
Others receiving votes: Kansas St. 83, Georgia Tech 47, Nebraska 38, W. Kentucky 32, Air Force 30, Pittsburgh 21, Boise St. 19, Iowa 14, Minnesota 12, Tulsa 10, BYU 9, Temple 8, Houston 8, North Carolina 8, Navy 1, Washington St. 1.