Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Indiana13–0
- 2Georgia12–1
- 3Ohio State12–1
- 4BYU11–2
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Indiana16–0—
- 2Oregon13–2↑6
- 3Miami (FL)13–3↑12
- 4Ole Miss13–2↑3
The historical leaderboard
All years · Top 4
See the four highest-ranked teams after conference championships, then see what changed when bowls and playoff games were added. The 2026 season will join this page once it is complete.
How to read this: ↑ and ↓ show how many places a final Top 4 team moved from its earlier rank. NEW means it entered the Top 4 after the postseason. Rankings use the site’s default settings: loss floor 0.15 and résumé total weight 75%. The 1997–2021 seasons are historical reconstructions using the revised formula; 2020 schedules were unusually uneven.
SeasonThrough conference championshipsFinal · after postseason
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Oregon13–0
- 2Notre Dame11–1
- 3Texas11–2
- 4Georgia11–2
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Ohio State14–2↑5
- 2Notre Dame14–2—
- 3Oregon13–1↓2
- 4Texas13–3↓1
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Washington13–0
- 2Michigan13–0
- 3Texas12–1
- 4Alabama12–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Michigan15–0↑1
- 2Washington14–1↓1
- 3Texas12–2—
- 4Georgia13–1↑2
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Georgia13–0
- 2Michigan13–0
- 3TCU12–1
- 4Ohio State11–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Georgia15–0—
- 2Michigan13–1—
- 3TCU13–2—
- 4Ohio State11–2—
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Michigan12–1
- 2Alabama12–1
- 3Georgia12–1
- 4Cincinnati13–0
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Georgia14–1↑2
- 2Alabama13–2—
- 3Michigan12–2↓2
- 4Oklahoma State12–2↑2
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Alabama11–0
- 2Coastal Carolina11–0
- 3Cincinnati9–0
- 4Clemson10–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Alabama13–0—
- 2Louisiana10–1↑3
- 3Coastal Carolina11–1↓1
- 4BYU11–1↑2
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Ohio State13–0
- 2LSU13–0
- 3Clemson13–0
- 4Memphis12–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1LSU15–0↑1
- 2Ohio State13–1↓1
- 3Clemson14–1—
- 4Georgia12–2↑3
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Clemson13–0
- 2Alabama13–0
- 3Notre Dame12–0
- 4Oklahoma12–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Clemson15–0—
- 2Alabama14–1—
- 3Notre Dame12–1—
- 4Ohio State13–1↑2
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Clemson12–1
- 2Georgia12–1
- 3UCF12–0
- 4Wisconsin12–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Alabama13–1↑6
- 2Georgia13–2—
- 3Wisconsin13–1↑1
- 4UCF13–0↓1
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Alabama13–0
- 2Ohio State11–1
- 3Clemson12–1
- 4Penn State11–2
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Clemson14–1↑2
- 2Alabama14–1↓1
- 3Ohio State11–2↓1
- 4Washington12–2↑1
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Alabama12–1
- 2Michigan State12–1
- 3Clemson13–0
- 4Oklahoma11–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Alabama14–1—
- 2Clemson14–1↑1
- 3Michigan State12–2↓1
- 4Ohio State12–1↑1
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Florida State13–0
- 2Alabama12–1
- 3Ohio State12–1
- 4Oregon12–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Ohio State14–1↑2
- 2Florida State13–1↓1
- 3Oregon13–2↑1
- 4Alabama12–2↓2
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Auburn12–1
- 2Florida State13–0
- 3Stanford11–2
- 4Missouri11–2
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Florida State14–0↑1
- 2Auburn12–2↓1
- 3Missouri12–2↑1
- 4Stanford11–3↓1
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Notre Dame12–0
- 2Florida11–1
- 3Ohio State12–0
- 4Stanford11–2
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Notre Dame12–1—
- 2Alabama13–1↑3
- 3Florida11–2↓1
- 4Stanford12–2—
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1LSU13–0
- 2Oklahoma State11–1
- 3Alabama11–1
- 4Boise State11–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1LSU13–1—
- 2Oklahoma State12–1—
- 3Alabama12–1—
- 4Boise State12–1—
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Auburn13–0
- 2Oklahoma11–2
- 3Ohio State11–1
- 4Oregon12–0
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Auburn14–0—
- 2Oklahoma12–2—
- 3Ohio State12–1—
- 4TCU13–0↑2
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Alabama13–0
- 2Texas13–0
- 3Cincinnati12–0
- 4Florida12–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Alabama14–0—
- 2Florida13–1↑2
- 3Texas13–1↓1
- 4Boise State14–0↑2
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Oklahoma12–1
- 2Texas11–1
- 3Florida12–1
- 4Alabama12–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Florida13–1↑2
- 2Texas12–1—
- 3Oklahoma12–2↓2
- 4Utah13–0↑1
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1LSU11–2
- 2Missouri11–2
- 3Virginia Tech11–2
- 4Oklahoma11–2
After bowls / playoffs
- 1LSU12–2—
- 2Missouri12–2—
- 3Georgia11–2↑3
- 4West Virginia11–2↑4
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Florida12–1
- 2Ohio State12–0
- 3Michigan11–1
- 4Louisville11–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Florida13–1—
- 2Louisville12–1↑2
- 3Ohio State12–1↓1
- 4USC11–2↑1
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Texas12–0
- 2USC12–0
- 3Penn State10–1
- 4Ohio State9–2
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Texas13–0—
- 2USC12–1—
- 3Penn State11–1—
- 4Virginia Tech11–2↑1
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Oklahoma12–0
- 2USC12–0
- 3Auburn12–0
- 4Texas10–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1USC13–0↑1
- 2Auburn13–0↑1
- 3Oklahoma12–1↓2
- 4Texas11–1—
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Oklahoma12–1
- 2Miami (OH)12–1
- 3Ohio State10–2
- 4USC11–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1USC12–1↑3
- 2LSU13–1↑3
- 3Miami (OH)13–1↓1
- 4Ohio State11–2↓1
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Ohio State13–0
- 2Miami (FL)12–0
- 3USC10–2
- 4Georgia12–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Ohio State14–0—
- 2USC11–2↑1
- 3Georgia13–1↑1
- 4Oklahoma12–2↑1
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Miami (FL)11–0
- 2Nebraska11–1
- 3Colorado10–2
- 4Tennessee10–2
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Miami (FL)12–0—
- 2Tennessee11–2↑2
- 3Oregon11–1↑2
- 4Nebraska11–2↓2
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Oklahoma12–0
- 2Florida State11–1
- 3Washington10–1
- 4Virginia Tech10–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Oklahoma13–0—
- 2Washington11–1↑1
- 3Miami (FL)11–1↑2
- 4Virginia Tech11–1—
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Florida State11–0
- 2Alabama10–2
- 3Nebraska11–1
- 4Virginia Tech11–0
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Florida State12–0—
- 2Nebraska12–1↑1
- 3Alabama10–3↓1
- 4Michigan10–2↑1
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Tennessee12–0
- 2Florida State11–1
- 3Texas A&M11–2
- 4UCLA10–1
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Tennessee13–0—
- 2Florida State11–2—
- 3Ohio State11–1↑3
- 4Texas A&M11–3↓1
Before bowls / playoffs
- 1Tennessee11–1
- 2Michigan11–0
- 3Nebraska12–0
- 4Florida9–2
After bowls / playoffs
- 1Nebraska13–0↑2
- 2Tennessee11–2↓1
- 3Michigan12–0↓1
- 4Florida10–2—
Source for reconstructed seasons: James Howell historical scores. These are May Rankings formula outputs, not historical AP or playoff committee selections.