College football updated polls: AP Top 25, Coaches Poll rankings after CFP championship
And then, it was over.
The 2020 college football season — one of the most bizarre in the history of the sport — ended with a 52-24 victory by top-ranked Alabama over No. 3 Ohio State in the College Football Playoff championship. With that, the Tide finished as the only undefeated team of the season, secured Nick Saban’s sixth title at Alabama and seventh overall and staked a claim as one of the best teams to ever play.
The Buckeyes, despite their beating, finished as the No. 2 team in the country on the strength of their 49-28 destruction of Clemson in the Sugar Bowl semifinal. The Tigers, meanwhile, finished as the No. 3 team in the country in the final Associated Press Top 25. But not all of the four teams that made up the College Football Playoff field are in the top four at the end of the season, at least in the AP Top 25.
MORE: A way-too-early top 25 for 2021
Of note: Eight teams from outside the Power 5 — not including Notre Dame — were ranked in the final AP poll. Each one of those teams finished with just one loss on the season.
With that, here’s the final AP Top 25 after bowl season and the College Football Playoff championship game.
College football polls updated after College Football Playoff championship game
AP Top 25
| Rank | Team | Points (No. 1 votes) | W-L |
| 1 | Alabama | 1,525 (61) | 13-0 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 1,463 | 7-1 |
| 3 | Clemson | 1,378 | 10-2 |
| 4 | Texas A&M | 1,303 | 9-1 |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 1,279 | 10-2 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 1,243 | 9-2 |
| 7 | Georgia | 1,144 | 8-2 |
| 8 | Cincinnati | 1,074 | 9-1 |
| 9 | Iowa State | 1,035 | 9-3 |
| 10 | Northwestern | 893 | 7-2 |
| 11 | BYU | 862 | 11-1 |
| 12 | Indiana | 773 | 6-2 |
| 13 | Florida | 764 | 8-4 |
| 14 | Coastal Carolina | 725 | 11-1 |
| 15 | Louisiana | 664 | 10-1 |
| 16 | Iowa | 581 | 6-2 |
| 17 | Liberty | 576 | 10-1 |
| 18 | North Carolina | 532 | 8-4 |
| 19 | Texas | 485 | 7-3 |
| 20 | Oklahoma State | 417 | 8-3 |
| 21 | USC | 306 | 5-1 |
| 22 | Miami | 284 | 8-3 |
| 23 | Ball State | 183 | 7-1 |
| 24 | San Jose State | 80 | 7-1 |
| 25 | Buffalo | 51 | 6-1 |
Moved in: No. 20 Oklahoma State; No. 23 Ball State.
Dropped out: No. 22 Tulsa; No. 24 N.C. State.
Others receiving votes: Appalachian State 41; Tulsa 35; Army 24; Oregon 21; Texas Tech 21; Memphis 12; TCU 12; UAB 10; Washington 10; North Carolina State 7; Nevada 7; Wisconsin 3; West Virginia 1; Marshall 1.