For the second time in three seasons, Alabama is on top of the college football world.
The Crimson Tide left no doubt about that (sorry, Oklahoma State) after shutting out LSU in the BCS National Championship Game. Bama is one of four teams from the SEC in the top 10 of our final rankings -- joining LSU, Arkansas and South Carolina.
Yes, it looks the SEC is king again.
Here are the final Power Rankings for the 2011 season:
Overall | Voters 1-5 | Voters 6-10 | Voters 11-15 | Voters 16-20| College Football Power Rankings - Week 15 | |||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | PTS | COMMENT | |
| 1 | 1 Last Week: 2 | 500 | Alabama allowed just 92 total yards against LSU, and no FBS team scored more than 14 points on it this season. Tide fans already are counting down the days until the 2012 opener against Michigan. | ||
| 2 | 1 Last Week: 1 | 478 | This is not the way LSU wanted to end things. Finding a replacement for Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee will be a priority, but don't be surprised if the Tigers compete for the big prize again. | ||
| 3 | -- Last Week: 3 | 461 | The Cowboys capped off their campaign by defeating Stanford in one of the season's most entertaining bowl games. But OSU's electrifying offense will miss Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon. | ||
| 4 | 1 Last Week: 5 | 430 | Oregon's first Rose Bowl victory since 1917 was worth the wait. The Ducks held off Wisconsin in the highest-scoring Rose Bowl game. Despite losing LaMichael James, Oregon should be among the nation's best again. | ||
| 5 | 1 Last Week: 6 | 399 | Despite a postseason ban, USC closed out 2011 in style, winning seven of its final eight games. Thanks to Matt Barkley's decision to return, the Trojans should expect bigger and better things in the fall. | ||
| 6 | 2 Last Week: 8 | 391 | Joe Adams knows how to put on a show. He had his fourth punt return touchdown of the season in the Cotton Bowl victory, tying a single-season SEC record. Arkansas also matched its school record for wins with 11. | ||
| 7 | -- Last Week: 7 | 387 | 50-3. That's what Kellen Moore's career record was at Boise. The NCAA's winningest quarterback finished off his remarkable career with what else? Another victory. Arizona State was the victim in the Las Vegas Bowl. | ||
| 8 | 4 Last Week: 4 | 386 | Stanford closed out its season with a heartbreaking loss in the Fiesta Bowl. The Cardinal won 11 games and were seventh in the nation in scoring (43 ppg) but will enter next season without Andrew Luck. | ||
| 9 | 2 Last Week: 11 | 331 | From dismissals to injuries to ejections, the Gamecocks endured plenty of adversity. They still managed to set the school mark for wins with 11 after handling Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl, snapping a three-game bowl skid. | ||
| 10 | 1 Last Week: 9 | 314 | First, the bad news: The Badgers dropped their second straight Rose Bowl game and will be without QB Russell Wilson next season. The good news? Montee Ball (1,923 rushing yards, 39 total TDs) is back in a Wisconsin uniform. | ||
| 11 | 2 Last Week: 13 | 290 | The 11-3 Spartans had a wild season with a Hail Mary win over Wisconsin, a three-point loss to the Badgers in the Big Ten title game and a win in the Outback Bowl. Kirk Cousins, the winningest QB (26) in team history, led the 16-point comeback. | ||
| 12 | -- Last Week: 12 | 287 | The Brady Hoke era was a rousing success, capped off by a Sugar Bowl victory. QB Denard Robinson had another huge season (3,349 total yards, 36 total TDs), and the defense allowed 17.4 ppg (sixth in the nation). | ||
| 13 | 1 Last Week: 14 | 257 | The Bears were sure fun to watch this season, going 10-3 and finishing second in the nation in total offense (587 ypg). Robert Griffin III ended his Heisman season by leading Baylor to 777 yards in a 67-56 Alamo Bowl win over Washington. | ||
| 14 | 3 Last Week: 17 | 231 | The Horned Frogs were 7-0 in Mountain West play and shocked Boise State on its blue turf. TCU averaged 40.9 ppg (ninth in the nation) this season, closing it out with a Poinsettia Bowl win over Louisiana Tech. | ||
| 15 | 8 Last Week: 23 | 198 | The Mountaineers won their three final three Big East games by a combined seven points, then destroyed Clemson by 37 in the Orange Bowl. QB Geno Smith threw for 4,385 yards and 31 touchdowns. | ||
| 16 | 6 Last Week: 10 | 194 | The Wildcats were the most surprising team in the country with 10 wins and a Cotton Bowl invitation. QB Collin Klein tied for second in the nation with 27 rushing touchdowns and threw for 13 more scores. | ||
| 17 | 2 Last Week: 19 | 179 | The Cougars were one win from a likely Sugar Bowl invitation. They bounced back with a 30-14 drubbing of Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl, closing out QB Case Keenum's career. | ||
| 18 | 3 Last Week: 21 | 173 | The preseason No. 1 Sooners lost three games and settled for an Insight Bowl invite. But QB Landry Jones will return and likely will have a healthy Dominique Whaley to hand the ball off to. | ||
| 19 | 3 Last Week: 16 | 150 | The season started and ended with two-game losing streaks, as Georgia lost in triple OT to Michigan State in the Outback Bowl. But in between were 10 straight wins and an SEC East crown. | ||
| 20 | 2 Last Week: 22 | 117 | It was a banner season for the Golden Eagles, who won the C-USA title by upsetting Houston before taking out Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. Their only losses were at Marshall and a stunning defeat at 3-9 UAB. | ||
| 21 | 3 Last Week: 18 | 90 | Despite 11 wins, the Hokies' season will be remembered mostly for their three losses, which included two lopsided defeats to Clemson and an OT setback to Michigan in the Sugar Bowl. | ||
| 22 | 3 Last Week: 25 | 69 | After a 2-3 start, the Seminoles won seven of their final eight games, beating Florida and Notre Dame. They finished fourth in the nation in scoring defense (15.1 ppg) and total defense (275 total ypg). | ||
| 23 | 8 Last Week: 15 | 66 | Tigers fans won't soon forget the 70-33 Orange Bowl beatdown, but Clemson still won 10 games and an ACC title. The offense should remain potent with QB Tajh Boyd and WR Sammy Watkins. | ||
| 24 | 2 Last Week: NR | 53 | The Bearcats finished 10-3 with two late-season wins guided by backup QB Munchie Legaux. He will be the key to a team that says goodbye to QB Zach Collaros, RB Isaiah Pead and DL Derek Wolfe. | ||
| 25 | 5 Last Week: 20 | 42 | Nebraska finished 5-3 in its inaugural Big Ten season, which ended with a loss to South Carolina in the Capital One Bowl. That setback marked the Cornhuskers' second straight bowl defeat. | ||
| Others receiving votes: Brigham Young (9), Northern Illinois (8), Texas (6), Missouri (3), Auburn (1) | |||||
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