Alabama unanimous No. 1, Penn State just misses top 4 in Super 16 rankings
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — After romping Florida 54-16 in the SEC Championship Game, Alabama cemented its spot as the indisputable front-runner heading into the third annual College Football Playoff.
The Crimson Tide (13-0) — the only SEC team to finish the year with fewer than four losses — received all 45 first-place votes in the latest FWAA-NFF Super 16 rankings.
Clemson (12-1) leapfrogged an idle Ohio State following its 42-35 win over Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship Game.
Washington (12-1) remained at No. 4 after the Huskies demolished Colorado in the Pac-12 title game. Penn State (11-2) just missed the top 4 after its impressive comeback over Wisconsin to win the Big Ten Championship Game, 38-31.
A week after the SEC placed just a single team in the Super 16 for the first time in the poll’s history, Auburn snuck back into the rankings Sunday.
The poll is voted on by a panel of College Football Hall of Fame members and select sportswriters.
This week’s Super 16
- Alabama (13-0) 720 points
- Clemson (12-1) 639
- Ohio State (11-1) 636
- Washington (12-1) 590
- Penn State (11-2) 528
- Michigan (11-1) 515
- Oklahoma (10-2) 450
- USC (9-3) 373
- Wisconsin (10-3) 366
- Florida State (9-3) 267
- Colorado (10-3) 237
- Western Michigan (13-0) 186
- Oklahoma State (9-3) 170
- West Virginia (10-2) 161
- Louisville (9-3) 103
- Auburn (8-4) 69
Others receiving votes: Stanford (28), Temple (18), Virginia Tech (17), Florida (13), LSU (13), Navy (7), Nebraska (4), USF (4), San Diego State (3), Tennessee (2), Utah (1).