Jan 7, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide cheerleaders throw confetti in the air as they celebrate after the 2013 BCS Championship game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Sun Life Stadium. Alabama won 42-14. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
25. UCF A 10 win season. More than plenty of the teams in front of them can say.
24. Boise State I don’t know. They’re 11-2 and not many teams can say that this year, so they have to be one of the best teams in the country, right?
23. Nebraska The Corn Huskers had another solid year in the Big 10, and all they have to show for it is another Capital One Bowl loss.
22. Northwestern What a season for the Wildcats. First bowl victory since the Civil War! Ok… It wasn’t that big of a gap, but it was still pretty big.
21. Oregon State A Cinderella season for the Beavers turned into just a pretty good year. Still, based on preseason expectations, I think most Oregon State fans will take that and run with it.
20. Texas It wasn’t the year Longhorns fans have come to expect, but it was still a pretty good year.
19. Penn State Bill O’Brien, still, for coach of the year.
18. Utah State The Wac Champions only losses were by three to BYU and two to the Big 10 champs, Wisconsin.
17. San Jose State What a year for San Jose State. 11-2 after a solid win over Bowling Green in the Military Bowl.
16. Cincinatti The Bear Cats had a pretty good season and won in thrilling fashion against the Dukies. 10 wins could become the norm for this team in a, well, honestly, watered down Big East as the years go on.
15. LSU Ugh… I don’t think there’s a team better in the country at giving up games with less than two minutes to go than LSU.
14. Kansas State I’m pretty sure everyone thought the Fiesta Bowl was going to be the best of the season. Yeah… Thanks a lot Wildcats.
13. Louisville Lost to Syracuse and UCONN. In back-to-back weeks. Not buying this team.
12. Clemson The Tigers had a decent year. That’s all I’ll say about that.
11. Vanderbilt Yup. I don’t see anyone above them that deserves to be in here.
10. Florida Yes. I still think they’re better than Louisville. Did I mention the Cardinals lost to UCONN and Syracuse?
9. Notre Dame Well. That national championship told us a lot of things we probably already knew. A schedule that looked like the toughest in the nation ended up being, well, an OK group of opponents. Their only good, clean win was against Oklahoma, and when push came to shove against a truly great team, the Irish got curb stomped.
8. Florida State The ‘Noles very nearly laid an egg in the Orange Bowl… But Northern Illinois did it’s best to lose the game and they certainly made that happen.
7. Oregon Well, the Ducks finally won a game against a tough opponent. Oh, and Chip Kelley is coming back. Probably realized NFL teams play tough competition week in and week out. Good for the Ducks.
6. Georgia They were blessed (for the second year in a row) with a schedule most Big East teams could go through with just one or two losses. All they have to show for it is a bowl win over Nebraska.
5. South Carolina The Gamecocks have the best player in the country on the right end of their defensive line. Jadeveon Clowney Not only set the internet on fire after his big hit against Michigan, he’ll be setting college football on fire next year. Too high for South Carolina? Not at all. They destroyed Georgia. Georgia shouldn’t be ranked ahead of SC.
4. Stanford The Cardinal must be looking at its early season loss to Notre Dame and shaking its head after watching the BCS title game.
3. Texas A&M Johnny Football is for real. Texas A&M is for real. They got real all over Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.
2. Ohio State I’m sure the Buckeyes would’ve loved a shot at the Crimson Tide this year… Er… Maybe not. They’d probably rather keep their shiny undefeated record, well… shiny.
1. Alabama Well… That was easy.