College Football Rankings 2018: Final post-bowl AP Top 25 projections

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-1)

Yes, Notre Dame was trounced by Clemson in a 30-3 Cotton Bowl walkover. The Fighting Irish never really had a chance as the Tigers ran away with the College Football Playoff semifinal showdown. After supplanting Brandon Wimbush as the starter at quarterback, Ian Book went just 17-of-34 for 160 yards against the Tigers. But Notre Dame is still one of just four one-loss teams in the country, and for that they will remain in the top five.

4. Oklahoma Sooners (12-2)

Oklahoma fell 45-34 to the Crimson Tide in an Orange Bowl contest that served as the other College Football Playoff semifinal. But the Sooners acquitted themselves well in defeat, as Heisman winner Kyler Murray threw for 308 yards, ran for another 109 yards, and accounted for three total touchdowns. The AP Top 25 is likely going to be generous to a Sooners side that looked far better in its semifinal loss than the Fighting Irish.

3. Ohio State Buckeyes (13-1)

Ohio State will be the beneficiary of several losses among teams that were ahead of them in the AP Top 25 that came out after the end of the regular season. The Buckeyes went to Pasadena as Big Ten champions and downed Washington 28-23 to send off Urban Meyer as a Rose Bowl champion in his final game before retiring from coaching. The AP will reward Meyer with his eighth top-five finish in the poll in his 17 seasons of coaching.

2. Alabama Crimson Tide (14-1)

Alabama went wire-to-wire atop the AP Top 25 until the final hurdle, as they fell 44-16 to Clemson in the College Football Playoff national championship. The Crimson Tide struggled to stop the potent Tigers offense, and Tua Tagovailoa had an uncharacteristically mediocre game. The Heisman runner-up finished with 295 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in the loss, though after the season they posted the pollsters won’t drop them more than one spot.

1. Clemson Tigers (15-0)

Clemson took care of business against Alabama in the College Football Playoff national championship game in Santa Clara, dominating in a 44-16 victory on January 7 to cap the 2018 season. The Tigers made it 2-2 over the past four years against the Crimson Tide as true freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence dominated the Alabama defense, finishing with three touchdowns and 347 yards through the air on 20-of-32 passing.

On top of that, Clemson’s defense made life miserable for Heisman runner-up Tua Tagovailoa, who finished with several interceptions in the disappointing finish. Clemson will likely enter 2019 as the front-runner to defend their national title.