College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25 final rankings
By Zach Bigalke
While there is no question about the top two teams in the country, there will be a few surprises in the final AP Top 25 of the 2020 college football season.
Before the College Football Playoff championship game even kicked off in Miami, everything worked out perfectly for the selection committee. It is likely that the AP Top 25, the Coaches Poll, and every computer ranking recognized by the NCAA as an official national championship selector is going to declare Alabama the national champion after their victory over Ohio State on Monday to conclude the 2020 college football season.
There was real risk that an insurgent Group of Five team like Cincinnati or Coastal Carolina could swoop in and land at least a share of the national championship at the final hurdle. While it was impossible to win the playoff as a Group of Five program, or even one of the Top 25 human polls, the Bearcats and the Chanticleers both had a real chance to land atop the Colley Matrix rankings and secure an NCAA-recognized national championship claim. Cincinnati entered the postseason at No. 2 behind Alabama, and Coastal Carolina was right behind them at No. 3.
Instead midnight rang early for both Cinderella stories. Cincinnati lost to Georgia in the Peach Bowl and Coastal Carolina fell against Liberty at the Cure Bowl, dropping both teams from the ranks of the unbeaten. Mountain West champion San Jose State also missed out on a perfect season as they suffered a blowout loss to MAC title winner Ball State at the Arizona Bowl.
Then Alabama and Ohio State routed the top two teams from the ACC this year, Notre Dame and Clemson respectively, to set up the Crimson Tide and the Buckeyes for a title clash as the last two undefeated teams in the country.
There won’t be any real surprises at the top of the poll, as Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide claim their sixth national championship in 12 years. Alabama took over the top spot in the AP Top 25 on November 8 after Clemson lost at Notre Dame and held on to their position through the rest of a turbulent season. Their 31-14 takedown of Notre Dame was a comprehensive display of best Alabama has to offer on both offense and defense, while their victory over Ohio State capped what might be the most impressive coaching job of Saban’s career.
Alabama ran through a 10-game SEC slate in record fashion, outscoring conference opponents by an average of more than 30 points per game. The Crimson Tide finished second nationally in the regular season in average scoring and first in the SEC in points allowed per game. That dominance on both sides of the ball allowed the Crimson Tide to coast their way to the school’s third College Football Playoff championship.
While Alabama walked away as the top team in the polls this year, the season left as many question marks as it did exclamation points. Shifting gears from projecting the mindset of the College Football Playoff selection committee back to the will of the 62 Associated Press voters that comprise the AP Top 25, here are the final Top 25 projections of the 2020 college football season at Saturday Blitz.