After a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals, Penn State landed at No. 5 on Tuesday in the final Associated Press Top 25 college football poll of the season. The Nittany Lions (13-3) finished in the top five for the first time since 2005.
Ohio State was No. 1 after beating Notre Dame for its first national championship since 2014.
The Buckeyes (14-2) received every first-place vote following their mostly dominant run through the College Football Playoff. The Irish (14-2) finished No. 2 for their highest end-of-season ranking since 1993.
Oregon (13-1), which had been No. 1 in eight straight polls entering the playoff, lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal and finished No. 3. The Ducks’ previous high final ranking was No. 2 in 2014.
Texas (13-3) and Penn State rounded out the top five. The Longhorns finished in the top five for a second straight year for the first time since 2008-09.
It’s the first time the Big Ten has had three teams in the final top five.
No. 6 Georgia (13-3) was followed by Arizona State (11-3), Boise State (12-2), Tennessee (10-3), and Indiana (11-2).
No. 11 Mississippi (10-3), which closed with an impressive Gator Bowl win over Duke, and No. 13 BYU (11-2), which routed Colorado in the Alamo Bowl, were ranked ahead of two playoff teams from the ACC, SMU and Clemson.
SMU (11-3) stayed at No. 12 ahead of No. 14 Clemson (10-4), even though it lost to the Tigers in the ACC championship game and by four touchdowns to Penn State in the first round of the playoffs. The Mustangs’ final ranking was their highest since they were eighth in 1984. Clemson, which lost to Texas in the first round, has been ranked in the final poll every year since 2011.
Alabama took the biggest fall, six spots to No. 17. The Crimson Tide dropped two of their last three under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer, including a 19-13 bowl loss to Michigan. The Tide come out of the season with their lowest ranking since Gene Stallings’ 1995 team was No. 21.
Ohio State had its lowest ranking of the season, at No. 7, following its 13-10 loss to 21-point-underdog Michigan on Nov. 30. The Buckeyes went into the playoff No. 6 and played their best ball of the season, beating Tennessee, 42-17, Oregon, 41-21, Texas, 28-14 and Notre Dame, 34-23 in the championship game in Atlanta on Tuesday night.
The Buckeyes won their sixth AP national championship. They also won in 1942, 1954, 1968, 2002, and 2014.
Poll points
Ohio State’s five-spot promotion to No. 1 matched the biggest in the final poll. Mississippi and No. 16 Illinois (10-3) also jumped five spots.
The Southeastern Conference’s seven teams in the final Top 25 are the most since 2013.
Big 12 champion Arizona State (11-3) has its highest final ranking since the 1996 Rose Bowl team was No. 4.
Mountain West champion Boise State finished in the top 10 for the first time since 2011.
No. 23 UNLV (11-3), which matched its school record for wins, is ranked at the end of the season for the first time.
No teams that were ranked in the previous poll Dec. 8 were voted out of the Top 25.
Conference call
SEC — 7 (Nos. 4, 6, 9, 11, 17, 19, 22)
Big Ten — 5 (Nos. 1, 3, 5, 10, 16).
ACC — 4 (Nos. 12, 14, 18, 20).
Big 12 — 4 (Nos. 7, 13, 15, 25).
AAC — 2 (Nos. 21, 24).
Mountain West — 2 (Nos. 8, 23).
Independent — 1 (No. 2).