Moments after the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship concluded, the final college football rankings for the 2018 season were released. As one would expect, national champion Clemson was a unanimous choice for No. 1 in the nation, receiving all 61 first-place votes. But to some surprise, finishing just behind Alabama at No. 3 -- ahead of both of the other CFP teams -- was Ohio State.
OSU defeated Washington 28-23 in the Rose Bowl, while every team previously ranked around it -- Notre Dame and Oklahoma in the CFP, Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, UCF in the Fiesta Bowl -- fell during bowl season. In fact, if you include Alabama, seven of the top 10 teams in the nation lost at some point this postseason.
LSU finished ahead of Florida at No. 6 despite the Gators being ranked ahead of the Tigers in the penultimate poll, beating them head-to-head in the regular season and both teams winning their bowl games. Georgia also finished ahead of Texas at T7 with Florida despite the Bulldogs losing to the Longhorns just days ago in the Sugar Bowl and beating the Gators earlier in the season.
Check out the final AP Top 25 college football rankings from the 2018 season as released after midnight on Tuesday after the national title game.
1. Clemson (61)
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. Oklahoma
5. Notre Dame
6. LSU
T7. Florida
T7. Georgia
9. Texas
10. Washington State
11. UCF
12. Kentucky
13. Washington
14. Michigan
15. Syracuse
16. Texas A&M
17. Penn State
18. Fresno State
19. Army West Point
20. West Virginia
21. Northwestern
22. Utah State
23. Boise State
24. Cincinnati
25. Iowa
