National title puts Michigan at No. 1 in college football's final NCAA Re-Rank 1-133
Michigan ends the year No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-133 after beating Washington 34-13 for the program’s first unshared national championship since 1948.
Washington comes in at No. 2, followed No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Texas and No. 5 Alabama.
Michigan was ranked No. 2 in the preseason 1-133 behind Georgia. The Huskies were ranked No. 21. The same preseason re-rank had Pittsburgh at No. 25, so it’s obviously not an exact science.
While Texas beat Alabama and the Crimson Tide beat Georgia, the Bulldogs’ 13-1 record and 60-point win against depleted Florida State in the Orange Bowl lands them in third.
Rounding out the top 10 are the Seminoles, Oregon, Missouri, Ohio State and Mississippi. Teams that jumped into the final top 25 after bowl play include No. 18 Clemson (up nine spots), No. 20 Tennessee (up eight) and No. 23 Kansas (up nine). The top 25 features three Group of Five teams in No. 21 Liberty, No. 22 James Madison and No. 25 Memphis.
LOOKING AHEAD: Next season's way-to-early Top 25 heavy on SEC, Big Ten
Those falling after the postseason include No. 26 SMU (down 10), No. 30 Oregon State (down 10) and No. 56 Miami (Fla.) (down 13). The Hurricanes easily qualify as one of the re-rank’s most disappointing teams, along with No. 47 Southern California, No. 58 Texas A&M and No. 73 Florida.