CFN College Football Rankings: Regular Season Final Top 10
10 Oklahoma Sooners (10-2)
Last Week’s Ranking: 10
Up Next: Bowl Game
Admittedly this is a very, very shaky No. 10 spot. It’s based more on giving credit for the two good losses – Baylor and Oklahoma State – than for any big wins, but the reckoning will likely come in the CFN Formula Rankings once the whole season is over.
9 Oklahoma State Cowboys (11-2)
Last Week’s Ranking: 3
Championship Week: Baylor 21, Oklahoma State 16
Up Next: Bowl Game
It was more than just those last few inches that Dezmon Jackson couldn’t get. There were too many offensive meltdowns in the loss to Baylor, too many defensive misfires, and overall it was a disappointing loss when it should’ve been triumphant victory on the way to the College Football Playoff. Obviously the Cowboys had to be below …
8 Baylor Bears (11-2)
Last Week’s Ranking: 9
Championship Week: Baylor 21, Oklahoma State 16
Up Next: Bowl Game
There’s still that nagging loss to TCU to keep the ranking from being considered any higher than this, and even here might be a bit of a gift – yeah, the Big 12 overall has been a tad overloved in our rankings. But give credit to the Bears for rising up and taking down the Big 12 Championship.
7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-1)
Last Week’s Ranking: 8
Up Next: Bowl Game
The future is bright under Marcus Freeman, and it was really, really close to being a College Football Playoff campaign. In the end, though, the Irish were eliminated by …
6 Cincinnati Bearcats (13-0)
Last Week’s Ranking: 7
Championship Week: Cincinnati 35, Houston 20
Up Next: Bowl Game
Yeah, the explosive third quarter against Houston was amazing. There’s still just that one really good win to go off of, though, but … who cares? Cincinnati did it. It got to 13-0 – the only team in college football to do that – and now it’s off to the College Football Playoff to prove all of the doubters and naysayers so very, very wrong.
5 Ole Miss Rebels (10-2)
Last Week’s Ranking: 6
Up Next: Bowl Game
Yeah … the Auburn loss. That’s a tough one to explain away for a ranking this high, however, the loss at Alabama is now forgiven and the wins over Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State continue to get a whole lot of love. There were seven wins over bowl bound teams.
4 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2)
Last Week’s Ranking: 5
Up Next: Bowl Game
The Oregon loss early in the season doesn’t look so hot, but the Michigan loss is starting to seem more and more acceptable. The amazing performances against Michigan State and Purdue, the talent level, CJ Stroud – obviously the Buckeyes can’t and won’t go to the College Football Playoff, but on a four-best-team thing …
3 Georgia Bulldogs (12-1)
Last Week’s Ranking: 1
Championship Week: Alabama 41, Georgia 24
Up Next: Bowl Game
No, social media, Georgia isn’t a fraud. It wasn’t overrated, it wasn’t exposed, and it wasn’t overhyped. It’s still a great team that could rise back up and rock the next two games and take the national title. It ran into a jacked up Alabama that needed the SEC Championship more – and it might be the best thing that could happen to the Dawgs.
2 Michigan Wolverines (12-1)
Last Week’s Ranking: 2
Championship Week: Michigan 42, Iowa 3
Up Next: Bowl Game
There’s a great case to be made for No. 1 considering the wins over teams like Wisconsin, Penn State, and now Iowa along with Ohio State. The loss to Michigan State was probably better than Alabama’s loss to Texas A&M, but …
1 Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1)
Last Week’s Ranking: 4
Championship Week: Alabama 41, Georgia 24
Up Next: Bowl Game
Again, Georgia really is just that good. That defense cranked up team after team – there might not have been an amazing win, but there were a ton of strong ones – and Bryce Young and Alabama just ripped through it on the way to the SEC Championship and yet another appearance in the College Football Playoff.
CFN 2021 Rankings: Regular Season Final
101-130 | 76-100 | 51-75 | 26-50 | 11-25 | Top 10
Rankings By Conference
ACC | AAC | Big Ten | Big 12 | C-USA | IND
MAC | MW | Pac-12 | SEC | Sun Belt