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Auburn dropped a tight BCS Championship Game to Florida State Monday night, falling 34-31 in the Rose Bowl. In the final college football rankings of the season, the Tigers remained at No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll and Associated Press Top 25.
Michigan State impressively defeated Stanford in the Rose Bowl game on New Year's Day, and with such a strong end to the year -- remember the win over Ohio State in the Big Ten title game -- it was possible that the Spartans could jump Auburn in the season-ending polls. But, most voters didn't punish Gus Malzahn's team for losing in the final 20 seconds to a Seminoles squad that had been outscoring opponents 52-10. South Carolina and Missouri round out the top five, giving the SEC three teams in college football's upper echelon.
In the Coaches' poll, Oklahoma, Clemson, Alabama Oregon and a tie between Stanford and Ohio State complete the top 10. The AP Poll swaps the Crimson Tide and Tigers and move UCF ahead of the Cardinal and Buckeyes.
The SEC finished the year with seven teams in each set of rankings. LSU checks in at No. 14 in the Coaches' and AP, Texas A&M is ranked No. 18 in both and Vanderbilt is slotted at No. 23/24. The 'Dores end the season ranked for the second year in a row, continuing to defy all odds under James Franklin.
USA Today Coaches' Poll
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | FIRST-PLACE VOTES | PREVIOUS RANK | CHANGE | HI/LOW* |
| 1 | Florida State Seminoles |
14-0 | 1475 | 59 | 1 | 1/10 | |
| 2 | Auburn Tigers |
12-2 | 1388 | 0 | 2 | 2/NR | |
| 3 | Michigan State Spartans |
13-1 | 1375 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3/NR |
| 4 | South Carolina Gamecocks |
11-2 | 1219 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 4/20 |
| 5 | Missouri Tigers |
12-2 | 1200 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 5/NR |
| 6 | Oklahoma Sooners |
11-2 | 1189 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 6/18 |
| 7 | Clemson Tigers |
11-2 | 1091 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 4/11 |
| 8 | Alabama Crimson Tide |
11-2 | 1086 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1/8 |
| 9 | Oregon Ducks |
11-2 | 975 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 2/12 |
| 10 | Stanford Cardinal |
11-3 | 872 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 4/13 |
| 10 | Ohio State Buckeyes |
12-2 | 872 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 2/10 |
| 12 | Central Florida Knights |
12-1 | 865 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 12/NR |
| 13 | Baylor Bears |
11-2 | 796 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 4/NR |
| 14 | LSU Tigers |
10-3 | 719 | 0 | 14 | 6/19 | |
| 15 | Louisville Cardinals |
12-1 | 703 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 6/17 |
| 16 | UCLA Bruins |
10-3 | 597 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 10/22 |
| 17 | Oklahoma State Cowboys |
10-3 | 587 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 6/20 |
| 18 | Texas A&M Aggies |
9-4 | 443 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 6/25 |
| 19 | USC Trojans |
10-4 | 313 | 0 | NR | 19/NR | |
| 20 | Arizona State Sun Devils |
10-4 | 302 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 13/NR |
| 21 | Wisconsin Badgers |
9-4 | 266 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 14/NR |
| 22 | Duke Blue Devils |
10-4 | 202 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 20/NR |
| 23 | Vanderbilt Commodores |
9-4 | 180 | 0 | NR | 23/NR | |
| 24 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
9-4 | 125 | 0 | NR | 13/NR | |
| 25 | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
9-4 | 123 | 0 | NR | 15/NR |
Others Receiving Votes: Washington 67; Fresno State 54; Northern Illinois 21; Marshall 17; Texas Tech 13; Kansas State 11; Mississippi 7; Texas 4; Miami (Fla.) 4; East Carolina 3; Cincinnati 3; Arizona 2; North Texas 2; Utah State 2; Navy 1; Louisiana-Lafayette 1.
Associated Press Top 25
| Ranking | School | Last Week |
| 1 | Florida State | 1 |
| 2 | Auburn | 2 |
| 3 | Michigan State | 4 |
| 4 | South Carolina | 8 |
| 5 | Missouri | 9 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 11 |
| 7 | Alabama | 3 |
| 8 | Clemson | 12 |
| 9 | Oregon | 10 |
| 10 | UCF | 15 |
| 11 | Stanford | 5 |
| 12 | Ohio State | 7 |
| 13 | Baylor | 6 |
| 14 | LSU | 14 |
| 15 | Louisville | 18 |
| 16 | UCLA | 17 |
| 17 | Oklahoma State | 13 |
| 18 | Texas A&M | 20 |
| 19 | USC | 26 |
| 20 | Notre Dame | 25 |
| 21 | Arizona State | 16 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | 19 |
| 23 | Duke | 22 |
| 24 | Vanderbilt | 29 |
| 25 | Washington | 33 |
