The Legends Poll Top 25: The Final Year-End Rankings
For the second straight year and the third time in the past four years, the Alabama Crimson Tide has been voted No. 1 in the season's final Legends Poll.
After a dominating performance in the BCS championship game against Notre Dame, Alabama received all 17 first place votes. Most of the voting Legends Poll members would say they saw it coming, which is why the eight-year-old poll was the only human poll to have Alabama ranked ahead of Notre Dame entering bowl season.
"You look at the way the season has gone, and it's the same way every year," former Auburn coach Pat Dye said. "It's not who's the best team in November. It's who's the best team in January. And there's just no question Alabama is the best team in the country."
Oregon finished the season as the nation's No. 2 team and received good news this past week when Chip Kelly announced he would remain in Eugene to coach the Ducks next season.
Georgia finished at No. 3 followed by Texas A&M and Stanford. All three teams are expected to be contenders again next season. Heisman winner Johnny Manziel will attempt to continue breaking records after another spectacular performance against Oklahoma in the AT&T Cotton Bowl.
No. 6 South Carolina finished its season with a thrilling last-minute victory over Michigan in the Outback Bowl and moved up four spots in the rankings.
Notre Dame dropped five spots to No. 7 after suffering its first loss of the season against Alabama in the BCS title game. The Irish were followed by ACC foes Clemson and Florida State. LSU rounded out the top 10.
No. 11 Louisville jumped four spots after its surprise victory over Florida in the Sugar Bowl. No. 12 Kansas State fell six spots following its Fiesta Bowl loss to Oregon.
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But no one fell further in the rankings than Florida, which dropped nine spots to No. 13. The Gators were followed by Oklahoma and Boise State.
No. 19 Baylor, No. 20 Oklahoma State, No. 22 Texas and No. 25 Tulsa were all newcomers to the final rankings.
UCLA, Northern Illinois and Kent State fell out of the rankings.
To see the individual votes by coach, visit the Legends Poll.
THE LEGENDS POLL TOP 25
RK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | PV RK |
1 | Alabama (17) | 13-1 | 425 | 1 |
2 | Oregon | 12-1 | 400 | 3 |
3 | Georgia | 12-2 | 385 | 5 |
4 | Texas A&M | 11-2 | 378 | 9 |
5 | Stanford | 12-2 | 348 | 8 |
6 | South Carolina | 11-2 | 323 | 10 |
7 | Notre Dame | 12-1 | 310 | 2 |
8 | Clemson | 11-2 | 305 | 13 |
9 | Florida State | 12-2 | 276 | 12 |
10 | LSU | 10-3 | 272 | 7 |
11 | Louisville | 11-2 | 259 | 15 |
12 | Kansas State | 11-2 | 252 | 6 |
13 | Florida | 11-2 | 239 | 4 |
14 | Oklahoma | 10-3 | 161 | 11 |
15 | Boise State | 11-2 | 150 | 17 |
16 | Northwestern | 10-3 | 148 | 22 |
17 | Utah State | 11-2 | 142 | 21 |
18 | Vanderbilt | 9-4 | 116 | 23 |
19 | Baylor | 8-5 | 112 | - |
20 | Oklahoma State | 8-5 | 92 | - |
21 | Oregon State | 9-4 | 88 | 14 |
22 | Texas | 9-4 | 87 | - |
23 | Michigan | 8-5 | 81 | 20 |
24 | Nebraska | 10-4 | 57 | 24 |
25 | Tulsa | 11-3 | 25 |
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Others Receiving Votes: Wisconsin 25, UCLA 18, San Jose State 16, Northern Illinois 14, Cincinnati 7, Arkansas State 4, Rutgers 4, Kent State 3, Arizona State 2, Arizona 1
Teams Dropped Out from Last Week's Poll: UCLA, Northern Illinois, Wisconsin, Kent State
* The Legends Poll voting process is exactly what the BCS is trying to create and Athlon will bring it to you as the de facto Selection Committee for fans to follow over the next two seasons, allowing you to see how the Selection Committee will operate from 2014 onward. You can see the entire Poll at www.legendschannel.com.
