College Football Top 25 Rankings

Official Bankroll Sports College Football Top 25
Final Regular Season NCAA Football Top 25 Rankings - Released: 12/4

1. LSU Tigers (13-0) – The LSU Tigers solidified their spot at the top of the rankings with the SEC title on Saturday. The Tigers got off to a slow start, including trailing 10-0 to the Georgia Bulldogs, before beginning the onslaught. Now, LSU has just one game remaining, with a chance to not only remain unbeaten, but to become national champions. The LSU Tigers will take on their conference rivals, the Alabama Crimson Tide in the BCS national title game on January 9th at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

2. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) – Alabama got a bit of a scare when Oklahoma State blasted Oklahoma, but the Crimson Tide remained #2 in the BCS standings. Now, the Crimson Tide will get a chance to claim their second national title in three years. The Crimson Tide/Tigers part two will take place January 9th in Louisiana for the national title. Even with an Alabama win, the Tigers and Crimson Tide may still split for the national title.

3. Oklahoma State Cowboys (11-1) – The Cowboys made one final statement to the BCS that they belong. It was not enough, despite the 44-10 win over Oklahoma, the Cowboys remained #3 in the power rankings. The Cowboys in the win scored all 44 of their points in the first three quarters. The win for Oklahoma State sealed the deal on the Big 12 title. The Cowboys will play in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl against the Stanford Cardinal on January 2nd.

4. Oregon Ducks (11-2) – Oregon made no mistake on who the best team in the Pac-12 was in 2011. The Oregon Ducks blasted the UCLA Bruins on Friday night to claim the title. Oregon scored 49 points, which completed their season average at 46.2 points per game. Oregon finished the season with losses to the LSU Tigers, and the USC Trojans. The Ducks will play in the Rose Bowl against the Wisconsin Badgers on January 1st in Pasadena.

5. Boise State Broncos (11-1) – Boise State finished the season strong, winning their final three games to finish the season 11-1. The Broncos scored 45 points, and held New Mexico scoreless in the game. The Broncos finished the regular season scoring 43.3 points per game, and allowing teams to score just 18.3 per game. The Broncos will play their final regular season game on December 22nd at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, against the Arizona State Sun Devils.

6. Arkansas Razorbacks (10-2) – The Razorbacks did not play on Saturday, and finished the regular season sixth in our poll. Many critics will argue that the Razorbacks do not belong in the Top Ten, due to their two losses being by double digits. We are giving them credit for their two losses being to the top two teams in the country. Arkansas will take on the Kansas State Wildcats on January 6th in the Cotton Bowl; in Dallas.

7. Stanford Cardinal (11-1) – Stanford closed the season with an 11-1 record; and second place in the Pac-12. The Cardinals lone loss came to the Oregon Ducks, at home. The Cardinals finished the seasons scoring nearly 44 points per game, while the defense allowed just over 20. The Cardinal will play in the “second best” BCS game; against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Stanford and Oklahoma will play in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on January 2nd.

8. USC Trojans (10-2) – Due to NCAA violations the USC Trojans will not play in a bowl game in 2011. Lane Kiffin and his crew finished the season very strong, winning their final four games; including wins over Oregon, and a 50-0 pasting of the UCLA Bruins. The two losses for the Trojans came to Arizona State on the road, and Stanford, in three overtimes. The Trojans saw Matt Barkley throw for 39 passing touchdowns on the season.

9. Kansas State Wildcats (10-2) – Kansas State finished the regular season an impressive 10-2. The Wildcats beat Iowa State on Saturday to complete the season, and tie for second place in the Big 12. Kansas State needed a 10-3 fourth quarter to finish off the Cyclones in the win. Kansas State’s two losses this season came to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Despite the solid season, the Wildcats were unable to get into a BCS bowl. The Wildcats will take on Arkansas on January 6th in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

10. TCU Horned Frogs (10-2) – TCU finished the season with a 10-2 record after blasting the UNLV Running Rebels on Saturday. The Horned Frogs put up 56 points in the win. On the season, the Horned Frogs averaged 41.7 points per game. TCU was the Mountain West Conference champions, beating out Boise State. The Horned Frogs were invited to the Poinsettia Bowl on December 21st against Louisiana Tech. This game will be played in San Diego.

11. Baylor Bears (9-3) – Robert Griffin III and the Baylor Bears beat Texas on Saturday to finish 9-3. The Bears scored 48 points in the game, to up their season average to 43.5 points per game. Baylor’s three losses came to Kansas State, Texas A+M and Oklahoma State.  The Bears will get to take on the Washington Huskies on December 29th. Baylor and Washington will be part of the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.

12. Wisconsin Badgers (11-2) – The Wisconsin Badgers needed a late rally to win the Big Ten title. The Badgers allowed Michigan State to score 39 points in the win. Wisconsin with the win, got revenge for one of the two losses on the season. The other loss for Wisconsin came to the Ohio State Buckeyes. The next game for the Badgers will be on New Year’s Day when they take on the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl. The game will be played in Pasadena.

13. South Carolina Gamecocks (10-2) – The Gamecocks did not play on Saturday, and finished the season ranked 13th in the country. The Gamecocks fought through several key injuries and a dismissal of their quarterback and still picked up 10 wins on the season. The Gamecocks two losses came to Auburn and Arkansas. The Gamecocks next game will be played on January 2nd in the Capital One Bowl. South Carolina will take on Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl.

14. Clemson Tigers (9-3) – The Clemson Tigers beat the Virginia Tech Hokies for the second time this season. The win for Dabo Sweeney’s bunch wrapped up the Atlantic Coast Conference title. Clemson outscored the Hokies 21-0 in the third quarter to seal the victory. The Tigers will play in the Discover Orange Bowl on January 4th against the West Virginia Mountaineers out of the Big East.

15. Virginia Tech Hokies (11-2) – Frank Beamer and the Hokies had one team that was their nemesis all season long, and that was the Clemson Tigers. Virginia Tech finished the season with just two losses; both coming to the Tigers. On Saturday, the Hokies fell in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game. Virginia Tech gets a chance to play in a BCS Bowl game, despite losing on Saturday. On January 3rd, the Hokies will take on the Michigan Wolverines.

16. Georgia Bulldogs (10-3) – Georgia shot themselves in the foot several times in the first half, and only were able to come away with a 10-0 early lead. The second half was all LSU, as the Tigers beat the Bulldogs for the SEC title. The loss for Georgia was their first loss since the middle of September, when they lost their first two games. The Bulldogs will take on the Michigan State Spartans on January 2nd in the Outback Bowl in Tampa Bay.

17. Michigan State Spartans (10-3) – Michigan State led through portions of the Big Ten title game on Saturday, but fell by a field goal late in the game. The Spartans with the loss fell to #17 in the rankings. Michigan State and Georgia, the SEC runner up will get together on January 2nd in the Outback Bowl in Tampa Bay, at the home of the Buccaneers – Raymond James Stadium.

18. Oklahoma Sooners (9-3) – Bob Stoopes and his Oklahoma Sooners saw their 2011 BCS hopes come to a crashing halt in the final weeks of the season. The Sooners fell to Baylor, and then in the final week of the season were downed by their rival Oklahoma State. The Sooners were unable to grab a BCS Bowl, and instead will play on December 30th in the Insight Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Insight Bowl is being played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.

19. Michigan Wolverines (10-2) – Michigan did not play on Saturday, and finished the regular season with a 10-2 record. The Wolverines two losses this season came to rival Michigan State and to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Denard Robinson finished the year with over 1,900 passing yards and 1,100 rushing yards. The Wolverines were invited to one of the BCS Bowl games, and will play January 3rd at the All State Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The Wolverines will take on the Virginia Tech Hokies.

20. Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-3) – In their first season in the Big-Ten, the Nebraska Cornhuskers finished with a 9-3 record. The Cornhuskers lost to Northwestern, Wisconsin and Michigan, and were the only conference school to beat the Michigan State Spartans. The Cornhuskers finished 13th in the country in rushing yards. The Cornhuskers will head to Orlando to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Capital One Bowl on January 2nd.

21. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-4) – Under Brian Kelly, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish finished with an 8-4 record. The Irish took losses to South Florida and Michigan to begin the season, and then lost to USC in mid-October, before falling in their season finale against the Stanford Cardinal. Notre Dame, will play on December 29th in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando Florida at the Citrus Bowl.

22.  Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3) – The Cincinnati Bearcats won a share of the Big East conference title with a win over the Connecticut Huskies on Saturday. The Bearcats finished in a three way tie with the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Louisville Cardinals. Cincinnati beat Louisville, but lost to West Virginia this season. The Bearcats will get to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores on December 31st in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee.

23. West Virginia Mountaineers (9-3) – The Mountaineers of West Virginia finished the season with a win over the South Florida Bulls. The Mountaineers won their final three games of the season, and moved into a three way tie for the Big East title. The Mountaineers finished 8th in passing yards with over 340 yards per game. The Mountaineers get a chance to take on the Atlantic Coast Conference champion Clemson Tigers on January 4th in the Orange Bowl.

24. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (11-2) – Southern Mississippi was one of the most impressive winners on Saturday. The Golden Eagles won the Conference USA title with a 49-28 win over previously unbeaten Houston Cougars. The most impressive part was the Golden Eagles winning on the Cougars home field. The win for the Golden Eagles garner them a December 24th bowl game in Hawaii. Southern Mississippi will take on Nevada in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

25. Houston Cougars (12-1) – Case Keenum and the Houston Cougars were a win away from reaching a BCS bowl to finish the season. The Cougars played their worst game of the season, and were waxed by the Golden Eagles of Southern Mississippi by three touchdowns on Saturday. Keenum finished the regular season with 5,099 passing yards and 45 touchdowns. The final game of the season for the Cougars will take place on January 2nd in the Ticket City bowl in Dallas. Houston will take on Big Ten representative, Penn State.