College Football Polls

Alabama and Georgia remain the nation's top teams in the latest Associated Press poll, but there's a new team sitting at No. 3.

Oklahoma ascended to the third spot after Ohio State's 35-28 loss to Oregon on Saturday, with Oregon and Iowa sliding into the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.

Here is a look at the entire Top 25:

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Oklahoma
4. Oregon
5. Iowa
6. Clemson
7. Texas A&M
8. Cincinnati
9. Ohio State
10. Penn State
11. Florida
12. Notre Dame
13. UCLA
14. Iowa State
15. Virginia Tech
16. Coastal Carolina
17. Ole Miss
18. Wisconsin
19. Arizona State
20. Arkansas
21.  North Carolina
22. Auburn
23. BYU
24. Miami
25. Michigan

Ohio State fell six spots to No. 9 after dropping the home nailbiter to Oregon. CJ Verdell rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns while adding another 34 yards and a score as a pass-catcher to put himself firmly in the Heisman conversation.

"We saw the Minnesota running back was having a good game, and we wanted to do the same thing," Verdell told reporters after the game.

The Big Ten was the victor in Week 2's other battle between Top 10 teams, with Iowa turning in a dominant defensive effort in a 27-17 win over rival Iowa State. The Hawkeyes forced four turnovers, including a six-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Jack Campbell. Cyclones quarterback Brock Purdy threw three interceptions before being replaced by Hunter Dekkers in the fourth quarter.

"Somewhere along the line, I have failed this team to be prepared for this moment," Iowa State coach Matt Campbell told reporters. "I think the lack of execution really falls on my shoulders."

The biggest upsets of the week saw former national powerhouses USC and Texas continue on their respective roads to relative irrelevance.

USC came out flat and trailed 42-13 before losing 42-28 to Stanford, which was coming off an ugly loss to Kansas State. Texas got a hard preview of what's to come in the SEC with a 40-21 loss to Arkansas in which the Razorbacks ran for 333 yards.

"This was not a performance I was anticipating," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters. "But we'll find out about ourselves and what we're made of because I really believe this one game's not going to define us. But we've got work to do, that's for sure."

Arkansas moved into the Top 25 at No. 20, one of three new teams joining the rankings. No. 23 BYU and No. 25 Michigan also joined the Top 25. 

An upset-filled weekend led to a shakeup of the Amway Coaches Poll heading into Week 3 of the college football season.

Alabama and Georgia cruised to victories over much weaker opponents, but Ohio State suffered a rare regular-season loss to Oregon on Saturday, while Iowa topped Iowa State in a top-10 rivalry matchup.

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Coaches Poll

1. Alabama

2. Georgia

3. Oklahoma

4. Oregon

5. Texas A&M

6. Clemson

7. Iowa

8. Cincinnati

9. Florida

10. Notre Dame

11. Ohio State

12. Penn State

13. UCLA

14. Iowa State

15. Virginia Tech

16. Mississippi

17. Wisconsin

18. Coastal Carolina

19. North Carolina

20. Auburn

21. Arizona State

22. Oklahoma State

23. BYU

24. Arkansas

25. Michigan

---

No game played a bigger factor in the rankings than Ohio State against Oregon.

The Buckeyes have been cruising through to the postseason in recent years, with the last regular-season loss coming in 2018, when Urban Meyer was still the head coach. Oregon changed that with a 35-28 road upset in Columbus.

Running back CJ Verdell was the biggest star of the game with a three-touchdown effort for the Ducks:

CJ Verdell breaks loose for his second TD of the day 💨

(via @CFBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/Wf9itLmzag

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 11, 2021

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1436756074166632456

CJ Stroud totaled 484 passing yards for Ohio State, but a late interception helped seal the loss as the Buckeyes dropped from No. 3 to No. 11 in the latest ranking.

Oregon moved up seven spots to No. 4.

Iowa was also a big riser to No. 7 after a 27-17 win over Iowa State. The Hawkeyes had only 173 yards of total offense but won the turnover battle 4-0.

"First and foremost, I'll give credit to Iowa, especially defensively," Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said after the game. "Made some great plays on the ball, which you saw even last week from them. And those were debilitating to us in terms of really what we wanted to do and tried to do in the football game."

Notre Dame dropped to 10th in the poll after a second straight narrow victory. The Fighting Irish escaped an upset bid from Toledo, winning 32-29 as Jack Coan threw a game-winning touchdown with just 1:09 left on the clock.

With two games decided by just three points apiece, Notre Dame is fortunate to be 2-0 to start the season.

USC and Texas weren't able to avoid upsets Saturday as both lost by double digits.

Arkansas earned a 40-21 win over Texas, trolling the future SEC member afterward:

Welcome to the league. pic.twitter.com/kQX4b1sPWG

— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) September 12, 2021

Stanford knocked off USC with a 42-28 victory behind a three-touchdown effort (two passing, one rushing) from quarterback Tanner McKee.

BYU also impressed with a 26-17 win over Utah, knocking the Utes out of the Top 25 in the process. 

The AP Top 25 poll, released every college football preseason and incorporating the weekly votes of a panel of 62 sports writers and broadcasters from around the country, is now the United States' longest-running college football poll. 

Its close cousin, the USA Today coaches poll, was released last week, and while there weren't many surprises in the Top Four (which were, in order, Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State), there were some fresh names further down the list, such as the Cincinnati Bearcats at No. 10 and Indiana Hoosiers, making their first-ever appearance in that poll, at No. 17. 

In the first AP poll of the preseason, there were similarly few surprises at the top. The top four of Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State is identical to the coaches poll. 

In the AP poll, Cincinnati moved up to No. 8 overall, and North Carolina landed the No. 10 spot. 

The full AP Top 25 is below, followed by a roundup of notable expert reactions to the early rankings. 

     

Full AP Top 25 Poll

1. Alabama

2. Oklahoma

3. Clemson

4. Ohio State

5. Georgia

6. Texas A&M

7. Iowa State

8. Cincinnati 

9. Notre Dame

10. North Carolina

11. Oregon

12. Wisconsin

13. Florida

14. Miami 

15. USC

16. LSU

17. Indiana

18. Iowa

19. Penn State

20. Washington 

21. Texas 

22. Coastal Carolina

23. Louisiana-Lafayette

24. Utah

25. Arizona State

Others receiving votes: Oklahoma State 107, Ole Miss 106, TCU 40, Liberty 36, Auburn 32, North Carolina State 14, Michigan 12, Northwestern 8, Boise State 7, Nevada 7, Brigham Young 6, Ball State 6, Houston 5, Boston College 5, UCF 5, West Virginia 3, UAB 2, Army 2, UCLA 2

     

Expert Reactions

One of the most obvious differences between last week's coaches poll and the AP Top 25 is that Arizona State just made it into the latter but was left off the former. 

ESPN's Peter Burns had the bold take that not only should Arizona State have been left off the AP poll, as well...but that Kentucky, a program many regard as strong yet which received no votes among the panel of AP poll voters, should have come in at No. 25.

1st AP Poll feels about right except they should have flipped the following teams:

Bama & Georgia
Florida & LSU
Louisiana & Texas
Arizona State & Kentucky https://t.co/l956vA1n8N

— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) August 16, 2021

Iowa State's ranking of No. 8 in the coaches poll was its highest position on the list since 1991. On the AP poll, it sits at No. 7, indisputably a Top 10 program, as Ben Visser of the Cedar Rapids Gazette noted. 

Iowa State checks in at No. 7 in the AP Poll. The Cyclones are undisputedly a preseason top-10 team (they were No. 8 in the coaches poll) . https://t.co/VPx9MmP4pX

— Ben Visser (@BenVisser43) August 16, 2021

As Pete Byrne, a sports director for CBS and Fox in South Bend, Indiana, pointed out, Notre Dame has a difficult schedule this season; four of its opponents are in the Top 15. 

#NotreDame starts the season ranked 9th in the AP Poll.

ND opponents Cincinnati(8), North Carolina (10), Wisconsin (12) &USC (15) all in the Top 15. Indiana begins 17th. Full poll here:https://t.co/iWrPNXuEqq

— Pete Byrne WSBT (@PeteByrneSports) August 16, 2021

With the caveat that the AP poll is "largely meaningless," Bryan Ives nevertheless noted that Clemson is ranked in the AP Top Five for the 57th straight week, which approaches a record:

Remember, AP Polls are largely meaningless. However, a note or two on the three ranked ACC teams.

No. 3 Clemson is ranked in the AP top-5 for the 57th straight week.

That is 39 weeks longer than any other active streak (Alabama, 18) and 11 shy of the record (Alabama, 68)

(1/3)

— Bryan Ives (@awaytoworthy) August 16, 2021

The sports writers and broadcasters who vote in the AP poll were cooler on UCF than the coaches who vote in the coaches poll; the program received 29 votes in the latter but just five in the former. 

Like the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, #UCF is receiving votes in the 2021 preseason AP Top 25 Poll. After receiving 29 votes in the Coaches Poll, the Knights only get 5 votes in the AP Poll. The full poll: https://t.co/ra66nv0yaM pic.twitter.com/c7mRlU9xsi

— Jason Beede (@therealBeede) August 16, 2021

In all, the balance of power seemed to be less obvious to the voters of the AP poll than to the coaches. As The Athletic's Chris Vannini pointed out, five teams received first-place votes in the AP: Alabama, Oklahoma, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia. (Alabama, of course, had far and away the most, with 47. The next highest were Oklahoma and Clemson, tied with six.)

In the coaches poll, only two teams received first-place votes. 

The AP Poll is out. Five teams receiving first-place votes compared to two in the Coaches Poll.https://t.co/oX8DziVNhU pic.twitter.com/AL6JNXPBfI

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) August 16, 2021

Even though power is shifting in NCAA football, and even though some worry that Alabama's high-profile departures could weaken the team, the Crimson Tide is used to being on top. As Chris Fallica noted, this marks the 100th week under Nick Saban that the Tide has been No. 1 in the AP poll.

If, as expected, Alabama is No. 1 in the Preseason AP Poll, it will mark the 100th week under Nick Saban that the Tide has been ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll.

— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) August 13, 2021

The top five of the AP poll will be delightful to watch ebb and flow during this college football season. 

Another mass exodus of NFL talent and another coordinator taking a head coaching job. As long as Alabama has Nick Saban and a cabal of 5-star talent, it doesn't matter.  

The Crimson Tide are once again the nation's top-ranked team in the first Associated Press poll of the 2021 season that was released Monday. This is the first time Alabama has been the preseason No. 1 since 2018, after Clemson held the mantle the last two years. It's also the 100th week Alabama has held the top spot since Nick Saban joined the Crimson Tide in 2007, per Chris Fallica of ESPN.

Alabama or Clemson has topped the preseason poll each of the last six seasons. The Tigers dropped to No. 3 this season, one spot behind Oklahoma, with Ohio State and Georgia rounding out the top five. 

Here is a look at how the remainder of the Top 25 played out.

1. Alabama

2. Oklahoma

3. Clemson

4. Ohio State

5. Georgia

6. Texas A&M

7. Iowa State

8. Cincinnati

9. Notre Dame

10. North Carolina

11. Oregon

12. Wisconsin

13. Florida

14. Miami

15. USC

16. LSU

17. Indiana

18. Iowa

19. Penn State

20. Washington

21. Texa

22. Coastal Carolina

23. Louisiana-Lafayette

24. Utah

25. Arizona State

Alabama is coming off its sixth national championship of the Saban era but will again be reshuffling talent on both sides of the ball. The team produced six first-round picks and eight players who were taken in the first two rounds of the 2021 NFL draft.

Gone are Mac Jones, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle and Najee Harris, leaving Alabama with none of its top offensive contributors from last season. 

The Tide are amid several position battles they hope will dictate the next era of dominance. Bryce Young is expected to take over for Jones under center, while John Metchie III seems destined to take over the spotlight as Young's top target. Running back is a bit of a question mark, but Brian Robinson is a fifth-year senior who will bring steadiness to the position if he wins the job.

Clemson is also heading into a new era with Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne now teammates for the Jacksonville Jaguars. DJ Uiagalelei appears to be the favorite to win the starting quarterback job, with Lyn-J Dixon slated to take over at running back.  

Oklahoma will be steadier this season with Spencer Rattler returning as quarterback and hopefully more consistency at the running back and receiver positions after a frustrating 2020. 

Summer remains in full swing around the United States, but football season is right around the corner. And of the first harbingers of college football's return, the Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings, is finally here. 

In no surprise, 2021 college football national champion Alabama tops the list of programs expected to contend for a championship this season, earning 63 of 65 first-place votes. Clemson at No. 2, Oklahoma at No. 3, Ohio State at No. 4 and Georgia at No. 5 won't shock anyone.

In fact, those teams have landed in the top five in some order in four of the last five preseason polls. 

But there are some fresh-faced challengers hoping to dismantle the power structure of college football. Iowa State, at No. 8, earned its highest position on the list since 1991.

Cincinnati, which finished last season ranked No. 8, rounds out the Top 10. Two of its nonconference opponents, Notre Dame and Indiana, also fall within the Top 20. 

Bearcats are ranked #10 in the USA Today AFCA coaches poll. Some interesting notes on that schedule. Non conference opponents Notre Dame and Indiana Are both in the top 20. This is going to be a fun season #bearcats #TFON

— Neil Meyer (@MeyerNeil6) August 10, 2021

Indiana, No. 17, appears on the preseason Top 25 for the first time. 

It's an interesting poll that (hopefully) promises an interesting season ahead. Let's take a look at what college football experts think about the rankings. 

      

Expert Reactions to Top 25 

Fresh faces join No. 1 Alabama in preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

But yeah, it's still 'Bama at the top. https://t.co/91SECZ52jn pic.twitter.com/BUhDbP1nXT

— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) August 10, 2021

While the balance of power at the top of college football is largely undisturbed, talent can be found in more unexpected places throughout the list as a whole. 

As The Athletic's Chris Vannini points out, there are three Group of Five teams in the poll: Cincinnati (10th), Louisiana (23rd) and Coastal Carolina (24th). It's the most in the College Football Playoff era. 

Three Group of 5 teams in the preseason coaches poll: Cincinnati (10), Louisiana (23), Coastal Carolina (24).

That's the most G5 teams in the preseason poll in the CFP era (and only the third time with at least two)

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) August 10, 2021

There were some surprising omissions from the rankings. As Chris Fallica pointed out, Arizona State fell outside of the Top 25, though it did receive 90 votes, the third-most of the teams that didn't make the list. (Utah was first, at 145; Northwestern was next at 120.)

Wait. @ASUFootball isn't ranked in the preseason Coaches' Poll? Alrighty then...

— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) August 10, 2021

Michigan and Auburn also landed outside the Top 25 for the first time since 2015 and 2016, respectively.  

The Sun Belt Conference deserves a shoutout as well, as the league got its first team ranked in the preseason this year—actually, two: No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette and No. 24 Coastal Carolina.

Louisiana (No. 23) and Coastal Carolina (No. 24) are the first teams in Sun Belt history to land on the preseason coaches poll.

— Scott Watkins (@scottwatkinsTU) August 10, 2021

As might be expected, the SEC is the conference with the most programs in the preseason poll, with six. The Big Ten has five teams, the Big 12 has four, and the ACC and Pac-12 both have three.

At the end of the day, it's important to remember that everyone, even FBS coaches, is still just making their best educated guess. 

Never forget Dabo Swinney ranking Ohio State 11th in his final Coaches Poll last season

OSU went on the beat Clemson 49-28 in the Playoff pic.twitter.com/WgSaJbMpM2

— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 10, 2021

To wit, never forget that Dabo Swinney ranked Ohio State, which would beat Clemson 49-28 in the College Football Playoff, 11th in his final Coaches Poll last season.

Reigning national champion Alabama ranked atop the preseason USA Today AFCA Coaches Poll released Tuesday ahead of the 2021 college football season.

The Crimson Tide posted a perfect 13-0 record last season and are expected to seriously compete for another title despite a number of high-profile losses to the NFL led by Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, Mac Jones, Patrick Surtain II, Jaylen Waddle, Alex Leatherwood and Najee Harris—all of whom were selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

Bama is joined in the top five by Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Georgia as voted by the 65 members of the USA Today coaches panel, which includes members from all 10 FBS conferences and independents. 

Here's a look at the complete preseason Top 25:

1. Alabama (63 first-place votes)

2. Clemson

3. Oklahoma (2)

4. Ohio State

5. Georgia

6. Texas A&M

7. Notre Dame

8. Iowa State

9. North Carolina

10. Cincinnati

11. Florida

12. Oregon

13. LSU

14. USC

15. Wisconsin

16. Miami (Fla.)

17. Indiana

18. Iowa

19. Texas

20. Penn State

21. Washington

22. Oklahoma State

23. UL Lafayette

24. Coastal Carolina

25. Ole Miss

---

Although Alabama is going through a significant overhaul to its starting lineup on both sides of the ball, there's still a lot of talent and leadership on the roster. It's that ability to keep the program in contention year after year despite an annual draft exodus that's helped make Nick Saban one of the greatest college football coaches in history.

Quarterback Bryce Young will take over the reins of the offense from Jones, while a quartet of seniors (Phidarian Mathis, LaBryan Ray, Christopher Allen and Josh Jobe) will set the standard defensively.

Saban explained at Bama's Media Day on Sunday the focus will be on steady growth while getting everybody on the same page amid the widespread changes:

And with this team—because we've got a lot of new faces especially on offense—I think we're sorta taking it one step at a time. I think if you're climbing a mountain, that's kinda how you gotta focus. The only way you're going to get to the top is one step at a time, so we're focused on what we need to do today to try to help our team get better, to try to create this mindset and the value and the principles of the organization and how people buy into it. So that's sort of where we are right now.

While the Crimson Tide (+250) are the oddsmakers' favorite to win the national title once again, there isn't a huge gap between them and Clemson (+380), Ohio State (+550), Georgia (+600) and Oklahoma (+750), according to DraftKings Sportsbook. There's a pretty steep drop off between the top five and the rest of the championship hopefuls, though.

The Tigers are going through a quarterback change of their own as D.J. Uiagalelei replaces Trevor Lawrence, the first overall pick in this year's NFL draft. The Buckeyes are in the middle of a quarterback battle between C.J. Stroud, Jack Miller III, Quinn Ewers and Kyle McCord for the starting job.

Georgia (JT Daniels) and Oklahoma (Spencer Rattler) return their quarterbacks, which could be an advantage over the other top contenders when it comes to trying to avoid an early loss.

ESPN's Football Power Index agrees with the oddsmakers' top five, though in a slightly different order: Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Georgia.

So the key questions will surround whether any team from outside that group can make a serious charge toward a College Football Playoff berth or which of those five teams fall short of the four-school playoff if everything remains relatively chalk in the months ahead.

The season kicks off Aug. 28 with the first full slate of games set for Sept. 4. The top Week 1 matchups include Alabama vs. Miami, Georgia vs. Clemson, Penn State vs. Wisconsin, Notre Dame vs. Florida State and LSU vs. UCLA.

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The College Football Playoff field is set, with Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame slated to play for the national championship.  

After facing scrutiny last week for seemingly ignoring on-field results, the selection committee reconvened after this weekend's slate of conference title matchups to determine the country's four best teams.

          

Final 2020 College Football Playoff Rankings

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

2. Clemson Tigers

3. Ohio State Buckeyes

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

5. Texas A&M Aggies

6. Oklahoma Sooners

7. Florida Gators

8. Cincinnati Bearcats

9. Georgia Bulldogs

10. Iowa State Cyclones

11. Indiana Hoosiers

12. Coastal Carolina 

13. North Carolina Tar Heels

14. Northwestern

15. Iowa Hawkeyes

16. BYU Cougars

17. USC Trojans

18. Miami Hurricanes

19. Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

20. Texas Longhorns

21. Oklahoma State Cowboys

22. San Jose State Spartans

23. North Carolina State Wolfpack

24. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes

25. Oregon Ducks

Alabama and Notre Dame will play in the first College Football Playoff semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on New Year's Day. Ohio State and Clemson will play in the Sugar Bowl in the second semifinal game on Jan. 1. 

The winners of those games will square off in the College Football Playoff Championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Jan. 11. 

In addition to the playoff, the remaining New Year's Six bowl matchups were announced. The marquee matchup will feature Oklahoma vs. Florida in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 30. Undefeated Cincinnati will take on Georgia in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 1.  

The Pac-12 champion Oregon Ducks will square off against Iowa State in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2. Texas A&M and North Carolina will clash in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 2.  

Alabama and Clemson kept the drama to a minimum, winning the SEC and ACC, respectively. The Tigers' 34-10 victory over Notre Dame avenged their double-overtime loss in South Bend, Indiana, on Nov. 7.

Alabama got its first real test of the season against Florida on Saturday night, but head coach Nick Saban's crew held on for a 52-46 win to remain in the top spot in the playoff rankings. 

Ohio State, which entered the week ranked No. 4, had a difficult time against Northwestern before pulling away late for a 22-10 win in the Big Ten Championship Game. 

The real intrigue involved the final slot after then-No. 2 Notre Dame got blown out against Clemson and Texas A&M knocked off Tennessee to finish the regular season 8-1. The committee opted to go with the Fighting Irish after they went 10-1, including that victory over Clemson last month. 

Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher did his best job of politicking for his team after its 34-13 victory over Tennessee on Saturday.  

"Seven straight SEC wins," he told reporters. "Some schools ain't even playing seven games. I don't care what league you're in. If you're gonna pick the best four teams, we're one of them."

The only blemish on the Aggies' resume was a 52-24 defeat against top-ranked Alabama on Oct. 3. They rebounded from that loss with a 41-38 win over then-No. 4 Florida the following week and have won each of their last six games by at least 11 points. 

Fisher seemed to be arguing against Ohio State at the time he made that statement. It was understandable, because the 6-0 Buckeyes looked sluggish for three quarters against Northwestern until head coach Ryan Day decided to keep feeding running back Trey Sermon the football.  

The #CFBPlayoff is set:

1️⃣ Alabama
2️⃣ Clemson
3️⃣ Ohio State
4️⃣ Notre Dame pic.twitter.com/xcbyOjihEi

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 20, 2020

Based on the actual standings, though, Fisher's argument was against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish do have the best win of the season between the two teams. Both were blown out in the one game each of them lost. 

Notre Dame's only previous appearance in the College Football Playoff was a 30-3 loss to Clemson in the 2018 Cotton Bowl. 

Even in an unprecedented season amid the pandemic, the college football landscape is still very similar to what it has been. Clemson and Alabama have been in the playoffs six times in seven years since the format was adopted for the 2014 season. 

Ohio State is making its second straight playoff appearance and fourth overall. The Buckeyes have played the fewest games of any team to make the top four, but their talent and reputation certainly warrants inclusion among this group of elite programs competing for a national title. 

The Buckeyes will be play Clemson in a CFP semifinal for the second straight year. The Tigers overcame a 16-point second-quarter deficit to earn a 29-23 win on Travis Etienne's 34-yard touchdown catch with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. 

Clemson went on to the College Football Playoff Championship Game, where it got blown out 42-25 by LSU. That game remains the only loss of Trevor Lawrence's college career as a starting quarterback. 

The fallout from college football's championship weekend led to significant movement in the Amway Coaches Poll. 

Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State won their respective conference titles, while Notre Dame, Iowa State and Florida were saddled with losses. It created tough calls for voters when trying to pick out the Top 25, with an extra focus on the top four heading into the College Football Playoff.

While the committee will have its own criteria, here is how the coaches rate the field heading into bowl season:

       

Coaches Poll

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. Ohio State

4. Notre Dame

5. Texas A&M

6. Cincinnati

7. Oklahoma

8. Indiana

9. Georgia

10. Florida

11. Coastal Carolina

12. Iowa State

13. Northwestern

14. North Carolina

15. BYU

16. Iowa

17. Louisiana Lafayette

18. Miami (FL)

19. USC

20. San Jose State

21. Oklahoma State

22. North Carolina State

23. Liberty

24. Texas

25. Tulsa

               

No game might have been bigger than Notre Dame against Clemson.

The Fighting Irish won this matchup earlier this year when Tigers star Trevor Lawrence was unavailable because of coronavirus concerns, but it was a much different story this time.

Clemson dominated from the start, seizing a 24-3 halftime lead before closing out a 34-10 win. Lawrence was responsible for three touchdowns while the team came through with several big plays:

Trevor Lawrence 67-yard DIME to Amari Rodgers 🐅🔥

(via @ClemsonFB)pic.twitter.com/OnQPySMKbU

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 19, 2020

Travis Etienne GONE for a 44-yard TD 💨

Clemson up big on Notre Dame

(via @ClemsonFB)pic.twitter.com/Fhmd3EkEYG

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 19, 2020

It helped Clemson move to No. 2 in the latest poll without much debate, while Notre Dame fell from No. 2 to No. 4

Ohio State also moved up, although it didn't have an easy time with Northwestern. The Big Ten title game was a tough, low-scoring battle before Trey Sermon helped the Buckeyes pull away with a 22-10 victory:

Trey Sermon breaks Ezekiel Elliott's 2014 Big Ten title game rushing record 😤

He’s got 231 yards and counting

(via @CFBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/3V4nVso3vF

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 19, 2020

Justin Fields had a rough game (12-of-27, 114 passing yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions), but the team did enough to survive.

Alabama also needed to work hard for its win in the SEC Championship Game, pulling out a 52-46 victory over Florida.

Najee Harris totaled five touchdowns to lead the Crimson Tide, while DeVonta Smith continued his incredible year with 15 catches for 184 yards and two scores.

Even a great game from Kyle Trask wasn't enough for Florida to pull off the upset, although the three-loss squad actually moved up one spot to No. 10 in the latest poll.

The Big 12 title game created some shifting in the polls, with Oklahoma avenging its earlier loss with a 27-21 win over Iowa State.

Iowa State had been considered an outside contender for the playoff but fell from No. 8 to No. 12 in the Coaches Poll, while Oklahoma jumped from No. 10 to No. 7.

Cincinnati stayed at No. 6 after beating Tulsa 27-24 in the American Athletic Conference title game, keeping the Bearcats undefeated at 9-0.

Meanwhile, Texas A&M didn't have a title game Saturday but took care of business against Tennessee with a 34-13 victory, enough to keep the Aggies in the fifth spot.

Texas A&M's win and Notre Dame's loss help create an interesting debate over which are the best four teams in college football this season.