The College Football Blog: 2009 Final Power Rankings

Final Power Rankings

1. Alabama 14-0 (1st)
2. Florida 13-1 (2nd)
3. Texas 13-1 (4th)
4. Boise State 14-0 (7th)
5. TCU 12-1 (3rd)
6. Iowa 11-2 (11th)
7. Ohio State 11-2 (10th)
8. Cincinnati 12-1 (6th)
9. Oregon 10-3 (5th)
10. Penn State 11-2 (14th)
11. Georgia Tech 11-3 (9th)
12. Nebraska 10-4 (NR)
13. Pittsburgh 10-3 (15th)
14. Virginia Tech 10-3 (NR)
15. LSU 9-4 (8th)

Out: Stanford (12th); Oregon State (13th).

Comments: These are my final power rankings for the season. Last year for my final rankings I ranked all 68 bowl teams as if they were going to play in a tournament. I honestly don’t think I could do that this year and have any conviction behind my rankings. I decided that my final rankings would look the same as the power rankings have all season. Like always I considered which teams I would favor in a head to head matchup on a neutral field. I assumed that all non-season ending injuries were healed. All of the various factors that affect bowl games--injuries, suspensions, eligibility problems, coaching changes, players declaring for the draft, travel, motivation, location, time off between games, etc.—are taken out of the picture.

As much as I tried to keep the bowl game results in perspective it was difficult not to be greatly influenced by them. This was a problem, as we all know that bowl games are different. Almost every bowl game—including those played by the top teams--contained “extenuating circumstances.” There are questions you have to ask about each game. How was the National Championship Game affected by Colt McCoy’s injury? How was Cincinnati affected by their coach’s desertion and the fact that they weren’t playing for the NC? How did the long layoff affect TCU? How did the long layoff affect Georgia Tech’s offense? How did the field affect the game between Penn State and LSU? How did the injury to Stanford’s QB affect their game with Oklahoma? It goes on, and on, and on.

With all that said, I feel pretty good about my final top 15. Bama was my #1 team going into the bowls and they are #1 in my final rankings, as they finished off a 14-0 season with a 16 point win over Texas in the BCS Title Game. In my mind there is no doubt that Alabama was the best team in the country this season. I was worried about the Tide going into the game with Texas because of the motivation/focus/energy factor. They had won the biggest game of their life in the SEC Championship and had to spend a month being told how good they were. Their best offensive player had won the Heisman Trophy. They had brought Alabama back to the top of the mountain. They were legends. Now they had to snap back to reality after a month off and be ready to play their best game of the year against an opponent that had spent the last month at the other end of the spectrum. Texas had eked by Nebraska in the Big XII Championship and they were being told that they didn’t deserve to be in this game. They felt they had to prove themselves and they felt they had nothing to lose. Alabama was in a tough situation. We will never know how things might have turned out if McCoy had never gotten hurt. While I think there’s a chance that Texas could have had success moving the ball against Bama and played defense at the same level that they actually did, I don’t think you can look at what happened and say “Well, they were within 3 points late in the 4th quarter without McCoy so think what the score would have been if he hadn’t gotten hurt!” The entire game would have been played differently. Once Alabama got a lead they basically played as safe as possible on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they were willing to let Texas shut them down completely, believing that their defense would be able to do the same to Texas. Eventually, the young Longhorns QB got comfortable and Alabama didn’t change their approach quickly enough. The Tide finally adjusted, took the game back over, and put the game away. But we will never know how things would have developed with McCoy in the game. I would say that the affects of the long layoff could be seen in the National Championship Game. Early on Alabama made mistakes on special teams that it’s hard to see them making if they aren’t playing for the first time in a month. Regardless, Alabama was clearly the top team in college football in 2009.

Florida was my #2 team going into the bowl season and the Gators stayed 2nd in my final rankings, as they rebounded from their only loss of the season with an absolute route of previously unbeaten Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl. The Gators won 51-23 and it wasn’t that close. Some people might feel that Texas or Boise State should be ahead of Florida but I disagree. Texas certainly caught a bad break when the unquestioned MVP of the team got knocked out the action early in their game with Bama. Their defense was super and the Longhorns showed a lot by getting back into the game. But if Texas and Florida were playing a game for all the marbles on a neutral field I would still have to favor Tim Tebow and the Gators. I can’t really explain it other than to say that I think the only team who would have beaten the Gators in a big game is Alabama. Never the less, I did move Texas up a spot in my final rankings from 4th to 3rd. As for Boise State, while I was surprised and impressed by their 17-10 win over TCU in the Fiesta Bowl that gave them a 14-0 record, I still wouldn’t favor them in a game against Florida or Texas. The talent level for Florida and Texas is just different. But Boise State was a top notch team on both sides of the ball and they proved it by beating TCU. I moved Boise State up 3 spots in my final rankings from 7th to 4th.

TCU did not play up to expectations in the Fiesta Bowl, as the Horned Frogs suffered their first loss of the season against Boise State. But I don’t think you can look at their performance against Boise State and make a broad judgment about the rest of their season. There’s just no question that the time off between games had an adverse affect on their offense. And I also think the motivation/focus/energy thing applies here. Some might have trouble buying that and I agree that it wasn’t a major factor. But I do think that Boise State came into the game with an edge in this area. TCU was going for an undefeated season and looking to provide further evidence that they were as good as the top teams from the big conferences. But Boise State was not getting anywhere near the amount of love that TCU was getting. Furthermore, TCU had just beaten the Broncos in a bowl game the year before, so they didn’t have the revenge/redemption angle to use. In any event, TCU was still an excellent team, and I decided to drop them just 2 spots in my final rankings from 3rd to 5th.

The other team that did not live up to expectations in their bowl game was Cincinnati, who got totally outclassed by Florida in the Sugar Bowl, 51-23. But you have to consider the enormous impact that Brian Kelly’s decision to leave for Notre Dame had on the team. This hurt the Bearcats in a number of ways. First off, the team felt hurt, abandoned, and disillusioned by their head coach who had been their lord and leader for the past few years. There’s no way to overstate the affect that had on the attitude and focus of the players, the fans, and the entire program. Then you get to the totally tangible affects Kelly’s departure had. The team went the entire month of preparation with no head coach. That had to affect not only the structure of practice but also the strategic game plan. And it’s not like the players were out there trying to prove themselves to an assistant coach who would be taking over for Kelly. The players knew that their next head coach would be coming in from the outside, so they weren’t playing for anybody on that sideline. And the assistant coaches, who were in charge of the practices, the game plan, and the in-game coaching decisions, knew that their future lay elsewhere. And think how much better the game plan and the in-game strategy would have been if Kelly were still there. To top it all off, the team had finished a dream season 12-0 and their prize was to play a game with no affect on the National Championship that there coach didn’t even consider important enough to stick around for. There’s no denying the fact that Cincinnati did not play well in the game and the Bearcats were not on the same level defensively as the other elite teams. But when things started to go against Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl the Bearcats were not able to find the heart to keep fighting. It was sad to see. But I still think they were a great team when they had a purpose and a very good head coach leading them. Thus, I only dropped Cincinnati 2 spots in my final rankings from 6th to 8th.

The team that made the biggest climb in my final rankings was Iowa. The Hawkeyes stifled Georgia Tech’s offense in the Orange Bowl and out-muscled the Jackets for a 24-14 victory. Iowa finished the season 11-2 and the Hawkeyes were undefeated in games that their QB Ricky Stanzi started and finished. I was a believer in Iowa for much of the season and if Stanzi had not gotten hurt against Northwestern I believe they would have finished the year undefeated. They benefited from the long layoff, as Stanzi got healthy and they were able to game plan against Tech’s option offense. But Iowa showed everyone that they were for real in the Orange Bowl. I moved Iowa up 5 spots in my final rankings from 11th to 6th.

Ohio State also made a significant rise in my rankings. The Buckeyes played perhaps their best game of the year in the Rose Bowl against Oregon. Despite the long layoff, Ohio State won decisively, effectively shutting down the Ducks’ high powered offense and showing more offensively than most people thought they had. Terrell Pryor played far better than I had ever seen. He was accurate, he did not make mistakes, and he used his athletic ability to pick up first downs and keep the chains moving. The Buckeyes were one of the more impressive teams during the bowl season, as they finished the year 11-2. I moved Ohio State up 3 spots in my final rankings from 10th to 7th.

Penn State was yet another Big Ten team that made a major move in my final rankings. Penn State had been a dominant team throughout the season, except for in their only two really big games. They had been beaten soundly at home by both Iowa and Ohio State. In the Capital One Bowl they finally showed up for a big game and beat a good team. While I do believe that the atrocious field conditions had a major impact on the game, the Nittany Lions none the less were in control for most of the day against LSU, and made the plays in the end to win it 19-17. The victory did a lot in my mind to prove that Penn State was a team that could compete against elite competition and not just run over lesser teams. With the win, the Nittany Lions finished the year 11-2. I moved Penn State up 4 spots in my final rankings from 14th to 10th.

One team taking a sizeable fall in my final rankings was Oregon, who lost 26-17 to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl to finish 10-3. I do believe that Ohio State was the more focused and energized team in this game. Oregon appeared to be caught off guard when Ohio State took it to them. It’s actually quite understandable that the Ducks would be less desperate to win this game than Ohio State. For the Buckeyes, this game presented a chance to prove that they could win a big game. They were able to dispel all the beliefs that they could not win against more athletic teams. Not only were the Buckeyes underdogs, they had years and years of criticism and heart break to use as motivation. Just getting to this game did nothing for Ohio State. Winning the game could complete change the perception of the program. They had tons at stake. The Ducks, on the other hand, had already exceeded all expectations and just getting to the Rose Bowl was the big deal. Whether they won or lost the game, they would still have had a story book season. Still, I think we did see some of the tangible weaknesses of this Oregon team in the game. While turnovers definitely hurt the Ducks, the game was there to be taken and Ohio State just put them away. When a more physical team lined up and tried to over power them they were vulnerable. And if they couldn’t rely on the running game and had to put it all on Jeremiah Masoli to throw it they were in real trouble. The Ducks were a great team in 2009 but not on the level of the very best teams. Oregon stayed in my top 10 but I dropped them down 4 spots in my final rankings from 5th to 9th.

The only team that dropped out of my top 10 in the final rankings was Georgia Tech. There was a point in the season when I felt that Tech’s offense could not be stopped as long as they did not turn the ball over. I thought their offense was good enough to overcome the shortcomings of the defense, even against tough competition. But in two of their final three games, the Tech offense was contained, and they were unable to win. Tech lost to Iowa in the Orange Bowl, 24-14, to finish the season 11-3. I will say that I don’t believe any team as affected by a long layoff as Georgia Tech. There’s just no way that the offense can stay in rhythm over that many days without playing in a real game. In addition, the opposition has a much better chance of handling the Tech option attack if they have a month to prepare for it. And when there are no other games on the schedule, a team can truly focus just on stopping that offense without worrying about anything else. Having said that, Tech got whipped by Iowa, and by the end of the year it was clear that Tech had no answer if they weren’t getting both big and medium sized plays out of their running game. It was also clear that the defense was a bit soft. I dropped Tech 2 spots in my final rankings from 9th to 11th.

Pittsburgh could not have been very psyched to be playing in the Meinke Car Care Bowl, considering that they had been just a play away from winning the Big East and going to a BCS Bowl. They had lost their last 2 games in gut wrenching fashion but the Panthers managed to show up and win another close game, edging UNC 19-17 to finish 10-3. I give Pitt a lot of credit for getting up for the game and ending the year on a positive note. Pittsburgh moved up 2 spots in my final rankings from 15th to 13th.

The team taking the biggest drop in my final rankings was LSU. Obviously, the Tigers were hindered by all of the injuries to their running backs. And the terrible condition of the field was a big factor in the way their game against Penn State was played. Still, the Tigers had to fight hard just to get back into the game and they were somewhat fortunate to have a shot in the end. They still do not have a fully competent quarterback and the defense is just not playing at the same level as it was a few years ago. On top of that, Les Miles’ limitations as an in-game coach are becoming harder and harder to ignore. The Tigers ended dropping 7 spots in my final rankings from 8th all the way to 15th. And they were my #15 team almost by default. I would still give them a chance against almost anybody and they rarely get blown out. But they were not one of the elite teams in the country this season.

Two teams fell out of my top 15 in the final rankings. Stanford came into the bowl season ranked 12th in my top 15 but I dropped them out of my rankings after they lost in the Sun Bowl to Oklahoma to finish the year 8-5. The Cardinal actually stayed in the game until the very end, eventually falling 31-27. In reality, however, Stanford was dominated by the Sooners. While there is no telling how much better Stanford might have been had QB Andrew Luck been able to play, I still don’t think they would have beaten Oklahoma. Stanford was a quality team but they were very reliant on their power ground game. If Toby Gerhart was slowed down they could be handled. And their defense was average. Looking back, much of Stanford’s success came in wild, high-scoring affairs during conference play, in a Pac-10 that was light on defense. The Pac-10 teams got exposed a bit in the bowl games. Another Pac-10 team, Oregon State, was ranked 13th going into the bowl season but I dropped them out of the top 15 as well after they were absolutely dominated by BYU. The Beavers may have still been hurting from losing the Civil War to Oregon and missing out on a trip to the Rose Bowl. And they may have underestimated BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl. But you can’t get hammered 44-20 by BYU. Oregon State finished 8-5 and out of my rankings.

The teams replacing Stanford and Oregon State in my final rankings were Nebraska and Virginia Tech. Both of these teams had been ranked in my top 15 earlier in the season but had fallen out. Nebraska finished the season playing the way I thought they could early in the year. The Cornhuskers rebounded from the heartbreaking defeat to Texas in the Big XII Championship Game by coming up with perhaps the most dominating performance I have ever seen in a bowl game. Nebraska destroyed Arizona in the Holiday Bowl, 33-0, dominating the game in all phases to finish the season 10-4. Nebraska jumped into my final rankings at #12. Virginia Tech pulled together after a rough stretch in October and finished the year strong, winning their last 5 games in impressive fashion, including their 37-14 beat down of Tennessee in the Chick-fil-a Bowl. While the game really turned on a handful of plays, the Hokies ended up taking the game over. The defense kept Tennessee’s offense under wraps and they played the best game offensively that I had seen them play this season. Virginia Tech finished the season at #14 in my power rankings.

Power Rankings Season Notes: There were 16 sets of power rankings this year (the preseason power rankings, 14 weeks of power rankings during the regular season, and the final power rankings) with each edition ranking the top 15 teams. 30 different teams were ranked in my top 15 at least once. My rankings did not change that drastically from week to week in terms of teams falling in and out of the top 15, but the rankings were never exactly the same two weeks in a row. In fact, all 16 sets of power rankings were unique. There were only 2 weeks when all of the teams in the previous week’s rankings remained in the top 15 (week 8 and week 14). There were 7 weeks in which only 1 team fell out of the top 15 (1, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, and 13). There were 3 weeks when 2 teams fell out of the rankings (2, 9, and final) and 3 weeks when 3 teams fell out of the rankings (3, 4, and 11). Of the 15 teams in my preseason power rankings, 8 were ranked in my final set. Another way of saying that is that there were 7 teams in my final top 15 who were not in my preseason power rankings.

There were 5 teams who made it into all 16 sets of power rankings, from preseason through the final rankings (Alabama, Florida, Texas, Ohio State, and LSU). Boise State was ranked in 14 sets; Cincinnati was ranked in 13 sets; Oklahoma and TCU were each ranked in 12 sets; Oregon and USC were both ranked in 11 sets; Penn State and Georgia Tech were both ranked in 10 sets; and Iowa and Virginia Tech were both ranked in 9 sets. In total, 15 teams were included in over half of the 16 editions of power rankings. No other teams were ranked in more than 6 sets but there were 12 other teams that made it into more than 1 set of rankings. Miami was ranked in 6 sets of power rankings; Nebraska, Pittsburgh, and Cal were all ranked in 5 sets; Mississippi, Oklahoma State, Michigan, and Stanford were all ranked in 4 sets; BYU was ranked in 3 sets; and Notre Dame, Auburn, and Oregon State were all ranked in 2 sets of power rankings. 3 teams were ranked in just 1 edition of power rankings: Georgia, Tennessee, and Arizona.

While many teams made it into the top 15 at one time or another, only 2 teams were ever ranked #1 in my power rankings this year: Florida and Alabama. Florida held the top spot the most, ranking 1st in 12 of 16 sets of rankings. Alabama was 1st in 4 of 16 sets of rankings. There were just 4 different teams ranked 2nd in any of my sets of power rankings this year: Alabama (6 weeks); Texas (5); Florida (4); and Oklahoma (1). 5 different teams were ranked 3rd at one point: Texas (10 weeks); USC (2); Alabama (2); Oklahoma (1); and TCU (1).
Slots #4 through #15 were all much less exclusive than the top 3 spots. 8 different teams were ranked 4th at one point (most: USC, 4 weeks); 7 were ranked 5th (Oklahoma, 4 weeks); 10 were ranked 6th (LSU, 4 weeks); 8 were ranked 7th (Boise State, 5 weeks); 9 were ranked 8th (LSU and Ohio State, 3 weeks each); 10 were ranked 9th (Cincinnati, 5 weeks); 10 were ranked 10th (Ohio State, 4 weeks); and 8 were ranked 11th at one point (Boise State and Iowa, 4 weeks each). The most varied spot in the top 15 was unlucky 13th. A total of 13 different teams were ranked 13th in at least one of the 16 sets of power rankings. TCU was ranked 13th most often, holding that spot in 3 sets of rankings. 11 teams were ranked 14th at one point (most: Ohio State and Virginia Tech, 3 weeks each). 12 teams were ranked 15th at one point and the #15 spot was the only position in the rankings that no team held for more than 2 weeks (Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and Pittsburgh, 2 weeks each).

Here’s a rundown of the 30 teams that made into my power rankings during 2009, listed by number of weeks ranked:

Alabama: The Tide was ranked in 16 of 16 sets of power rankings: 6th (1 week), 5th (2), 4th (1), 3rd (2), 2nd (6), 1st (4). They debuted at #6 in the preseason rankings and that would be their lowest rank of the season. Bama moved up to 5th in weeks 1 and 2. They got to 4th in week 3 and then moved up to 3rd in weeks 4 and 5. They were then the #2 team for 5 straight weeks from week 6 through week 10. Finally in week 11 they reached the #1 spot for the first time. They were 1st again in week 12 before dropping back down to 2nd again in week 13. But the Tide was back at #1 in week 14 and they finished as the #1 team in the final rankings. Alabama was in the top 6 from preseason through the final rankings. They were ranked in the top 5 from week 1 through the final rankings and ranked in the top 4 in the final 13 sets of rankings. Bama was ranked in the top 3 in the final 12 sets and they were ranked in the top 2 in the final 10 sets.

Florida: The Gators were ranked in 16 of 16 sets: 2nd (4), 1st (12). They debuted at #1 in the preseason rankings and they would never drop below 2nd in the rankings at any point. The Gators were ranked #1 in the first 11 sets of rankings. Finally in week 11 they dropped to 2nd in the rankings and they were 2nd again in week 12, before regaining the top spot in week 13. The Gators fell back down to 2nd in week 14 and they finished as the #2 team in the final rankings. Florida was in the top 2 from the preseason through the final rankings. They spent more weeks ranked #1 than any other team this season.

Texas: The Longhorns were ranked in 16 of 16 sets: 4th (1), 3rd (10), 2nd (5). They debuted at #3 in the preseason rankings and they were never ranked lower than 4th at any point. Texas moved to the #2 spot in week 1 and that would be their highest ranking of the season. They would remain there for 5 straight weeks before dropping to 3rd in week 6. The Longhorns would be ranked 3rd for 8 straight weeks, from week 6 through week 13. Finally, in week 14 they dropped to 4th but they finished up as the #3 team in the final rankings. Texas was in the top 4 from the preseason through the final rankings. The Longhorns were ranked in the top 3 in 15 of 16 sets of power rankings.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes were ranked in 16 of 16 sets: 15th (2), 14th (3), 13th (1), 12th (1), 11th (1), 10th (4), 8th (3), 7th (1). They debuted at #12 in the preseason rankings and they would remain in the top 15 throughout the year. The Buckeyes dropped to 14th in weeks 1 and 2 and rose to 13th in week 3. They jumped up 5 spots to 8th in week 4 and they stayed there for 3 weeks before dropping 7 spots, all the way down to 15th in weeks 7 and 8. They got back to 14th in week 9 and then jumped 3 spots to 11th in week 10. Ohio State was then ranked 10th for 4 consecutive weeks, from week 11 through week 14, before finishing the season as the #7 team in the final rankings. That was their highest ranking of the season. The Buckeyes were in the top 10 in the final 5 sets of rankings.

LSU: The Tigers were in 16 of 16 sets: 15th (1), 13th (1), 12th (1), 11th (1), 9th (1), 8th (3), 7th (2), 6th (4), 4th (2). They debuted at #11 in the preseason rankings and they would remain in the top 15 throughout the year. The Tigers fell to 13th in week 1, went to 12th in week 2, jumped 4 spots to 8th in week 3, and then climbed up to 6th from week 4 through week 6. That was the highest ranking of the season for LSU. The Tigers fell back to 7th in weeks 7 and 8 before again reaching the #4 spot in weeks 9 and 10. LSU dropped back to 6th in week 11 and then fell off 3 more spots to 9th in week 12. LSU was 8th in weeks 13 and 14 but the Tigers fell 7 spots to finish as the #15 team in the final rankings, ending the year with their lowest ranking of the season. The Tigers were ranked in the top 8 in 11 of 16 sets of rankings.

Boise State: The Broncos were ranked in 14 of 16 sets: 13th (1), 11th (4), 10th (1), 9th (1), 8th (1), 7th (5), 4th (1). They debuted in week 2 at #13 and they would remain in the rankings the rest of the way. The Broncos moved to 11th in week 3 and then jumped 4 spots to #7 in week 4, remaining in that spot through week 6. They fell off in week 7, dropping 4 spots to #11 and they would stay there for 3 weeks. Then the Broncos made a steady climb up the rankings, moving to 10th in week 10, 9th in week 11, 8th in week 12, and finally to 7th in week 13. They were 7th again in week 14 but they finished as the #4 team in the final rankings, ending the season with their highest ranking of the year. The Broncos were in the top 11 for the final 13 sets of rankings and the top 10 for the final 6 sets. They were in the top 8 for the final 4 sets of rankings.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats were ranked in 13 of 16 sets: 14th (1), 10th (2), 9th (5), 8th (2), 7th (1), 6th (2). Cincinnati debuted in week 3 at #14 and they would remain in the power rankings the rest of the way. The Bearcats made a big jump to 9th in week 4 and they held the #9 spot for 4 straight weeks. In weeks 8 and 9 they fell to 10th, before going back to 9th in week 10, climbing to 8th in week 11, and then to 7th in week 12. The Bearcats reached their high point next, ranking 6th in weeks 13 and 14 before finishing as the #8 team in the final rankings. The Bearcats were in the top 10 in the final 12 sets of rankings and the top 8 in the final 5 sets of rankings.

TCU: The Horned Frogs were ranked in 12 of 16 sets: 13th (3), 10th (1), 9th (1), 6th (1), 5th (2), 4th (3), 3rd (1). TCU debuted in week 4 at #13 and remained in the power rankings the rest of the way. The Horned Frogs were in 13th for 3 straight weeks, from week 4 through week 6, before moving to 10th in week 7, then to 9th in week 8, then to 6th in week 9, and then reaching 5th in week 10. TCU then held the #4 spot in the rankings for 3 straight weeks, from week 11 through week 13. Finally, in week 14 the Horned Frogs reached their high point of the season, grabbing the #3 spot before dropping off to finish as the #5 team in the final rankings. TCU was ranked in the top 10 in the final 9 sets of rankings and the top 5 in the final 6 sets of rankings.

Oklahoma: The Sooners were ranked in 12 of 16 sets: 14th (1), 13th (1), 9th (1), 7th (1), 6th (1), 5th (4), 4th (1), 3rd (1), 2nd (1). Oklahoma debuted at #2 in the preseason rankings and that would be their highest ranking of the season. The Sooners fell off right away, dropping to 7th in week 1. They went to 6th in week 2 and then got all the way up to 3rd in week 3, before dropping to 4th in week 4 and then to 5th for 4 straight weeks from week 5 through week 8. In week 9 the Sooners dropped 4 spots, falling all the way to 9th, and they fell 5 more spots in week 10, dropping to 14th. Oklahoma was 13th in week 11 before finally falling out of the rankings for good in week 12. The Sooners were ranked in the first 12 sets of power rankings but they fell out in week 12 and never got back in. Oklahoma was ranked in the top 7 in the first 9 sets of rankings and the top 9 in the first 10 sets of rankings. They were ranked in the top 5 for 6 straight weeks, from week 3 through week 8.

Oregon: The Ducks were ranked in 11 of 16 sets: 15th (1), 14th (1), 13th (1), 12th (1), 9th (1), 7th (3), 6th (1), 5th (2). Oregon debuted in week 5 as the #15 team and they remained in the rankings the rest of the way. The Ducks moved steadily up the ranks, going to 14th in week 6, 13th in week 7, 12th in week 8, and then jumping up 5 spots to 7th in week 9. Oregon held the #7 spot for 3 straight weeks, from week 9 through week 11, before going to 6th in week 12, and then grabbing the #5 spot in weeks 13 and 14 for their highest ranking of the season. The Ducks fell off 4 spots to finish as the #9 team in the final standings. Oregon was in the top 9 in the final 7 sets of rankings.

USC: The Trojans were ranked in 11 of 16 sets: 8th (2), 6th (1), 5th (2), 4th (4), 3rd (2). USC debuted as the #5 team in the preseason rankings. The Trojans moved up to 3rd for weeks 1 and 2, their highest ranking of the season, before falling 3 spots back to 6th in week 3. They moved to 5th in week 4 and then to 4th in week 5, and they would hold the #4 spot for 4 straight weeks, from week 5 through week 8. In week 9, however, the Trojans dropped 4 spots down to 8th and they were 8th again in week 10 before falling out of the rankings in week 11. USC was ranked in the first 11 sets of power rankings but they fell out in week 11 and never got back in the top 15. USC was in the top 6 in the first 9 sets of rankings and the top 8 in the first 11 sets of rankings.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions were ranked in 10 of 16 sets: 15th (2), 14th (2), 13th (1), 10th (2), 9th (2), 8th (1). Penn State debuted as the #9 team in the preseason rankings. The Lions were 8th in week 1 and that would be their highest ranking of the season. They fell to 9th in week 2, 10th in week 3, and then dropped all the way out of the rankings in week 4. They stayed out of the top 15 for 5 straight weeks, from week 4 through week 8, before reappearing at #13 in week 9. They fell to 15th in week 10 and then dropped out of the rankings again in week 11. They got right back in at #15 in week 12, and ranked 14th in weeks 13 and 14, before finishing as the #10 team in the final rankings. The Lions were ranked in the first 4 sets of the season and the final 4 sets of the season. Penn State was the only team that fell out of the rankings twice and managed to get back into the rankings a third time.

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets were ranked in 10 of 16 sets: 15th (1), 11th (1), 9th (2), 8th (2), 6th (1), 5th (3). GT debuted in week 6 as the #15 team and they remained in the power rankings the rest of the way. The Jackets leapt 7 spots from 15th to 8th in week 7. They were 8th again in week 8 and then reached 5th in week 9. That was their highest ranking of the year. They dropped back to 6th in week 10, before getting back to 5th in weeks 11 and 12. Tech dropped to 9th in weeks 13 and 14 before finishing as the #11 team in the final rankings. The Jackets were ranked in the final 10 sets. They were in the top 11 in the final 9 sets. The Jackets were in the top 9 for 8 straight weeks, from week 7 through week 14. They were in the top 6 for 4 straight weeks from week 9 through week 12.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies were ranked in 9 of 16 sets: 14th (3), 12th (3), 11th (2), 7th (1). VT debuted as the #7 team in the preseason rankings and that would be their highest ranking of the season. They fell to 12th in week 1, moved up to 11th in week 2, and then fell all the way out of the rankings in week 3. They got right back in the power rankings in week 4 at #11, then went back to 12th in weeks 5 and 6. They fell to 14th in weeks 7 and 8, before falling back out of the rankings again in week 9. This time they were gone for 6 straight weeks, from week 9 through week 14, before finishing back in the top 15 as the #14 team in the final rankings. The Hokies were ranked in 8 of the first 9 sets of rankings.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes were ranked in 9 of 16 sets: 13th (1), 12th (1), 11th (4), 6th (3). Iowa debuted in week 7 as the #6 team and they would remain in the power rankings the rest of the way. That would be their highest ranking and no other team entered the top 15 ranked higher than 11th. Iowa held the 6th spot again in week 8, before falling 6 spots to 12th in week 9, and then to 13th in week 10. The Hawkeyes moved up to 11th in week 11 and they would hold that spot for 4 consecutive weeks, from week 11 through week 14. The Hawkeyes made a big jump to finish as the #6 team in the final rankings. Iowa was in the top 11 in the final 5 sets of rankings.

Miami: The Hurricanes were ranked in 6 of 16 sets: 13th (1), 12th (3), 10th (2). Miami debuted in week 3 as the #12 team and they held that spot again in week 4. They rose to 10th in weeks 5 and 6 and that was their best ranking of the year. They fell back to 12th in week 7, then to 13th in week 8, and then fell out of the rankings for good in week 9. Miami was ranked in the top 13 for 6 straight weeks from week 3 through week 8.

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers were ranked in 5 of 16 sets: 15th (1), 12th (1), 11th (2), 10th (1). Nebraska debuted in week 3 as the #15 team. They moved up 5 spots to 10th in week 4 and that would be their highest ranking of the season. They went to 11th in weeks 5 and 6 before falling out of the rankings in week 7. They remained outside the top 15 for 8 straight weeks, from week 7 through week 14, before finishing as the #12 team in the final rankings. The Cornhuskers were ranked for 4 straight weeks, from week 3 through week 6.

Pittsburgh: The Panthers were ranked in 5 of 16 sets: 15th (2), 14th (1), 13th (1), 12th (1). Pitt debuted in week 11 as the #14 team and they would remain in the power rankings the rest of the way. The Panthers moved to 12th in week 12, their highest ranking of the season, and then fell back to 15th in weeks 13 and 14, before finishing as the #13 team in the final rankings. Pitt was ranked in the final 5 sets.

Cal: The Bears were ranked in 5 of 16 sets: 14th (1), 10th (1), 9th (1), 7th (2). Cal debuted as the #10 team in the preseason rankings. They moved to 9th in week 1 and then got to 7th in weeks 2 and 3 for their highest ranking of the season. Cal fell 7 spots to 14th in week 4, before falling out of the rankings for good in week 5. The Bears were ranked in the first 5 sets of power rankings.

Mississippi: The Rebels were ranked in 4 of 16 sets: 5th (1), 4th (3). Mississippi debuted as the #4 team in the preseason rankings and that would be their highest ranking of the season. The Rebels were 4th in the first 3 sets of rankings, before dropping to 5th in week 3. They fell all the way out of the rankings in week 4 and never appeared again. Mississippi was ranked in the first 4 sets of rankings.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys were ranked in 4 of 16 sets: 15th (1), 13th (1), 8th (1), 6th (1). Oklahoma State debuted as the #8 team in the preseason rankings. The Cowboys climbed to 6th in week 1 and that would be their highest ranking of the season. They tumbled all the way out of the rankings in week 2 and they would be out of the top 15 for 9 straight weeks, from week 2 through week 10. Finally in week 11 they reappeared in the power rankings at #15. They moved up to 13th in week 12 before falling out of the rankings for good in week 13. Oklahoma State was ranked in back to back sets of rankings twice during the year.

Michigan: The Wolverines were ranked in 4 of 16 sets: 14th (1), 11th (1), 10th (1), 9th (1). Michigan debuted as the #14 team in the preseason rankings. They jumped 3 spots to 11th in week 1, moved to 10th in week 2, and then to 9th in week 3. That would be their highest ranking of the season. In fact, they fell all the way out of the top 15 in week 4 and they would never make it back. Michigan was ranked in the first 4 sets.

Stanford: The Cardinal was ranked in 4 of 16 sets: 14th (1), 12th (3). Stanford debuted at #12 in week 11 and that would be their highest ranking. They fell to 14th in week 12 before getting back to 12th for weeks 13 and 14. However, the Cardinal fell out of the final rankings. Stanford was ranked in 4 straight sets from week 11 through week 14.

BYU: The Cougars were ranked in 3 of 16 sets: 15th (1), 10th (1), 8th (1). BYU debuted as the #15 team in the preseason rankings. They jumped 5 spots in week 1, getting all the way up to 10th, and in week 2 they moved up to 8th, their highest ranking of the season. In week 3 they fell all the way out of the top 15 and they did not make it back to the power rankings again in 2009. The Cougs were ranked in the first 3 sets.

Notre Dame: The Irish were ranked in 2 of 16 sets: 15th (2). Notre Dame debuted as the #15 team in week 2. They fell out of the rankings in week 3 and remained out for 6 straight weeks. They finally got back into the power rankings at #15 in week 9. That would be their highest ranking of the season. In fact, they fell out of the rankings for good in week 10. ND was never ranked higher than 15th and they were never able to stay in the rankings for more than a week.

Auburn: The Tigers were ranked in 2 of 16 sets: 15th (1), 14th (1). Auburn debuted as the #15 team in week 4 and they reached their high point in week 5 as the #14 team. They fell out of the rankings in week 6 and did not get back in the power rankings the rest of the year. Auburn was ranked in back to back sets in week 4 and week 5.

Oregon State: The Beavers were ranked in 2 of 16 sets: 13th (2). Oregon State did not debut in the rankings until week 13 as the 13th ranked team. They were 13th again in week 14 but they fell out of the final rankings. Oregon State was ranked in consecutive sets in weeks 13 and 14.

Georgia: The Dawgs were ranked in 1 of 16 sets: 13th (1). UGA debuted as the #13 team in the preseason rankings. The Dawgs were the only team in the preseason top 15 that was bounced in week 1 and they did not return to the power rankings the rest of the way.

Tennessee: The Vols were ranked in 1 of 16 sets: 15th (1). UT debuted in week 1 as the #15 team. They did not belong and fell out for good in week 2.

Arizona: The Wildcats were ranked in 1 of 16 sets: 12th (1). Arizona debuted as the #12 team in week 10. They fell out of the top 15 in week 11 and were never heard from again.