CFN Final 2020 College Football Rankings Top 10
10 Northwestern Wildcats (7-2)
CFN Preseason Preview Ranking: 53
Best Win: at Iowa 21-20
Worst Loss: at Michigan State 29-20
Why Ranked Here? The Wildcats dug too big an early hole to climb out of against Michigan State, and they got run over by Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, but they were able to come back to beat Iowa, held on against Nebraska, picked off Wisconsin, and got by Auburn in the Citrus Bowl in a fantastic year.
9 Cincinnati Bearcats (9-1)
CFN Preseason Preview Ranking: 50
Best Win: Tulsa (AAC Champ) 27-24
Worst Loss: Georgia (Peach Bowl) 24-21
Why Ranked Here? Yeah, there weren’t any amazing regular season wins, and there weren’t any victories over any Power Five teams like Liberty, Coastal Carolina and Louisiana came up with, but the Bearcats pushed Georgia in great Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Even in a loss, they proved they were really just that good.
8 Georgia Bulldogs (8-2)
CFN Preseason Preview Ranking: 4
Best Win: Cincinnati (Peach Bowl) 24-21
Worst Loss: Florida 44-28
Why Ranked Here? This is a disappointment. The talent level was good enough to be right there with Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson among the four best teams in college football, but the quarterback move to JT Daniels was a bit too late. Even so, losing to Florida and Alabama is hardly anything bad, and handing Cincinnati its only loss of the season was great.
7 Florida Gators (8-4)
CFN Preseason Preview Ranking: 87
Best Win: Georgia 44-28
Worst Loss: LSU 37-34
Why Ranked Here? It all ended horribly with a painful own-goal loss to LSU, a wonderful performance in an SEC Championship loss to Alabama, and a blowout Cotton Bowl to Oklahoma when the team was gutted. When everything was humming, the offense was as good as any in the country.
6 Oklahoma Sooners (9-2)
CFN Preseason Preview Ranking: 6
Best Win: Florida (Cotton Bowl) 55-20
Worst Loss: Kansas State 38-35
Why Ranked Here? As much as possible, the rankings are based wins and losses, but the Sooners were without top running back Rhamondre Stevenson and pass rusher Ronnie Perkins early on. The Sooners beat Texas and rolled from there with eight straight wins including a blowout over Oklahoma State, a Big 12 Championship over Iowa State, and a dominant victory over Florida in the Cotton.
5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-2)
CFN Preseason Preview Ranking: 15
Best Win: Clemson 47-40 OT
Worst Loss: Clemson (ACC Champ) 34-10
Why Ranked Here? It might have all ended with a big thud, but being outclassed by a fully-functioning Clemson and Alabama is hardly anything to get upset about. The Irish got the Tigers in a fantastic first game in South Bend, and they were good enough to hold down a terrific North Carolina team on the road.
4 Texas A&M Aggies (9-1)
CFN Preseason Preview Ranking: 23
Best Win: Florida 41-38
Worst Loss: Alabama 52-24
Why Ranked Here? Flip a coin between Notre Dame and the Aggies for this spot. The Irish beat North Carolina with all its parts on the road, and A&M struggled to put the Orange Bowl away, but the win over Florida and closing out with seven straight double-digit wins – against all SEC teams and then the Tar Heels – give them the four. That, and the only loss coming on the road to Alabama when it had a fully healthy Jaylen Waddle.
3 Clemson Tigers (10-2)
CFN Preseason Preview Ranking: 2
Best Win: Notre Dame (ACC Champ) 34-10
Worst Loss: at Notre Dame 47-40
Why Ranked Here? If it’s not a national championship season it’s a disappointment now for Clemson, but there’s another ACC Championship, another trip to the College Football Playoff, and with the loss to a jacked-up Ohio State okay by any normal standards. The Tigers blew out Miami, rolled past the Irish to avenge an earlier loss in South Bend, and were a game away from playing for the national title for a third straight year.
2 Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1)
CFN Preseason Preview Ranking: 1
Best Win: Clemson (CFP) 49-28
Worst Loss: Alabama (CFP NC) 52-24
Why Ranked Here? So the Buckeyes lost the national championship to one of the greatest offenses in the history of college football. No big whoop. They won the Big Ten title again, exorcised the demon with a College Football Playoff win over Clemson, and battled through a rough run to make it all happen.
1 Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0)
CFN Preseason Preview Ranking: 3
Best Win: Ohio State (CFP NC) 42-24
Worst Loss: NONE
Why Ranked Here? The Crimson Tide were able to hand Texas A&M its only loss, beat Georgia, destroyed arch-rival Auburn, obliterated defending national champion LSU, won a fantastic SEC Championship classic over Florida, went through the motions and beat Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff, and won the national title with a performance for the ages over Ohio State. That’s all.
College Football News Rankings 2020 Final
130-101 | 76-100 | 51-75 | 26-50 | 11-25
Final AP Rankings | Final Coaches Poll Rankings
Bowl Grades For Every Team | 2020 Bowl Rankings
2019 CFN Final Rankings
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