| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  | Alabama | Bama got the best of LSU the second time around and this time it resulted in another BCS National Championship. | 3 |
| 2 |  | Oklahoma State | OSU topped off a superb season by beating Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl. 2011 will not soon be forgotten. | 2 |
| 3 |  | LSU | LSU's stagnant offense got pretty much nowhere, again, against Bama, but this time it resulted in a loss. | 1 |
| 4 |  | Oregon | The Ducks only losses came against LSU and USC. More importantly for any Pac-12 team, they won the Rose Bowl. | 6 |
| 5 |  | Arkansas | Arkansas' only losses were at LSU and at Alabama. Those two have to come to Fayetteville in 2012. | 5 |
| 6 |  | Stanford | The Cardinal defense could not keep up with great offenses like Okie State and Oregon and now are Luckless. | 4 |
| 7 |  | Boise State | Boise State was a kick away from at least a BCS bowl, but instead had to beat up on Arizona State. | 7 |
| 8 |  | South Carolina | South Carolina went under the radar most of the year due to the talent in the SEC, but ended up with a great year. | 9 |
| 9 |  | USC | The Trojans ruined a couple seasons, but they were always looking ahead to 2012 when they can go to a bowl. | 10 |
| 10 |  | Michigan | Michigan knocked off Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl and now look forward to what could be a great 2012 season. | 12 |
| 11 |  | Houston | The Cougars came so close to an undefeated season, but at least they got to beat Penn State in a bowl game. | 14 |
| 12 |  | Michigan State | Michigan State had a brutal schedule, but their defense led the way to a great year and a big bowl win over UGA. | 16 |
| 13 |  | Wisconsin | Wisconsin won the first ever Big Ten championship game and came close against Oregon in the Rose Bowl. | 8 |
| 14 |  | Baylor | Baylor proved to be a fun team to watch in 2011. They struggled on the road but a Heisman Trophy is a good season. | 18 |
| 15 |  | Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech could never quite figure out Clemson and lost to a good Michigan team in the Sugar Bowl. | 11 |
| 16 |  | Kansas State | Kansas State could not hang with Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl, but the Wildcats had a great, and surprising, year. | 15 |
| 17 |  | Oklahoma | The Sooners wrapped up the 2011 campaign with an easy bowl win over Iowa, but in the end 10-3 is disappointing. | 17 |
| 18 |  | West Virginia | The Big East may have been pretty bad, but WVU proved they were BCS worthy by dropping 70 on Clemson. | 23 |
| 19 |  | Southern Miss | Southern Miss would have gotten a lot more national attention if they would not have lost early in the season. | 19 |
| 20 |  | TCU | In the end TCU had a slightly disappointing season and ended up in the Poinsettia Bowl. But the Big 12 awaits. | 21 |
| 21 |  | Clemson | Clemson was the darling of college football briefly, but fell apart at the end. Allowing 70 points to WVU didn't help. | 13 |
| 22 |  | Florida State | Don't read too much into FSU's bowl victory over Notre Dame, but the Seminoles have some momentum now. | NR |
| 23 |  | BYU | BYU's first season as an FBS Independent was not a spectacular one, but it ended with a bowl victory and 10 wins. | 24 |
| 24 |  | Cincinnati | Cincinnati doesn't deserve too much credit for beating Vandy, but they did emerge as the obvious #2 in the Big East. | NR |
| 25 |  | Georgia | Bookended between a couple two game losing streaks, Georgia reeled off ten wins in a row to have a decent 2011. | 20 |
Final Football Top 25
Tue, 01/10/2012
