Projected Final College Football Playoff bracket, Top 25 rankings: Alabama upends UGA, Florida State perseveres

Projected Final College Football Playoff rankings: No. 20-16

20. Iowa Hawkeyes

Shockingly enough, the Iowa offense did not magically appear as it arrived in Indianapolis. Yes, Phil Parker’s defense, as it’s done all season long, kept the Hawkeyes closer and in the mix than some expected, but this game never felt close. Michigan completely stonewalled Deacon Hill and the offense throughout the game, which seemed to put it out of reach simply by the measure of the Wolverines putting points on the board. 

19. Louisville Cardinals

Honestly, I considered dropping Louisville outside of the Top 20. That ultimately felt a bit harsh, but the fact of the matter is that this team, after losing to Kentucky last week, was unable to beat a Florida State team starting its third-string quarterback on Saturday night in the ACC Championship Game. You have to feel great long-term about Jeff Brohm at his alma mater, but this thing has sputtered to a rough finish for the Cardinals. 

18. Oregon State Beavers

The vibes in Corvallis right now could definitely be higher. Not only did the Beavers lose their final two games of the regular season when they could’ve been agents of chaos against Washington and Oregon, but now Jonathan Smith is heading to East Lansing. It’s going to be tough for Oregon State to maintain the level of success they’ve enjoyed lately under Smith, but perhaps Trent Bray, who was promoted from defensive coordinator, can keep pouring in the special sauce. 

17. NC State Wolfpack

Who would’ve thought midway through the season that NC State would be a Top 20 team in college football? All the credit in the world goes to Dave Doeren to deal with a quarterback debacle involving MJ Morris, an offense that was tepid at best early in the year no matter who was under center, and just a ton of adversity. To overcome that to finish 9-3 and ultimately as the second-highest-ranked ACC team is remarkably impressive. 

16. Liberty Flames

Welcome to the New Year’s Six, Jamey Chadwell! I’ve been a proponent of Liberty getting more respect than they have been from the Selection Committee for some time to be the highest-ranked Group of 5 team. Finally, it seems like there won’t be a choice. The Flames picked up a two-touchdown win over a good New Mexico State team to win the CUSA title and finish 13-0. If they don’t end up as the top G5 team, it’s a blatant mistake from the committee.