College Football Power Rankings: Bowl Season (2021)
It’s officially the greatest time of the year for college football fans: bowl season. And hopefully, this is the last year the playoff bracket features just four teams. The fans want eight teams, the coaches and players want eight teams, the media and networks want eight teams. Do it, NCAA!
While we’ve still got just a four-team playoff, the bowl matchups this year are some of the most exciting in recent memory featuring storied programs who rarely get to play one another due to the lengthy conference schedule every season. Arkansas vs. Penn State, Oregon vs. Oklahoma, Utah vs. Ohio State, Baylor vs. Ole Miss – to name a few of the juicier games on the bowl slate.
As for our power rankings, this will be the last edition of the year, getting you primed for three weeks of non-stop college football action. Where does your favorite team slot in to end the season? Find out below.
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College Football Power Rankings: Bowl Season (2021)
| Team (AP Rank) | Rank (Δ) | Last Game | Next Game | Notes |
| Alabama (1) | 1 (+2) | W 41-24 vs. (3) Georgia | vs. (4) Cincinnati (CFP: Cotton Bowl) | This feels familiar. |
| Michigan (2) | 2 | W 42-3 vs. (17) Iowa | vs. (3) Georgia (CFB: Orange Bowl) | Jim Harbaugh: Coach of the Year. |
| Georgia (3) | 3 (-2) | L 41-24 vs. (1) Alabama | vs. (2) Michigan (CFP: Orange Bowl) | Will they get one more shot at Alabama? |
| Cincinnati (4) | 4 (-1) | W 35-20 vs. (21) Houston | vs. (1) Alabama (CFP: Cotton Bowl) | Congrats, you’re in. Enjoy Alabama! |
| Notre Dame (5) | 5 (+1) | W 45-14 @ Stanford | vs. (9) Oklahoma State (Fiesta Bowl) | Let the Marcus Freeman era commence. |
| Baylor (6) | 6 (+2) | W 21-16 vs. (9) Oklahoma State | vs. (8) Ole Miss (Sugar Bowl) | What a turnaround for the Bears. Two wins to Big 12 champs. |
| Oklahoma State (9) | 7 (-2) | L 21-16 vs. (6) Baylor | Vs. (5) Notre Dame (Fiesta Bowl) | Can the Cowboys finish a magical year on a high note? |
| Ole Miss (8) | 8 (-1) | W 31-21 @ Mississippi State | vs. (6) Baylor (Sugar Bowl) | Strength against strength: Ole Miss’s offense vs. Baylor’s defense. |
| Ohio State (7) | 9 | L 42-27 @ (2) Michigan | vs. (10) Utah (Rose Bowl) | Apparently, the Buckeyes “had the flu†against the Wolverines. |
| Michigan State (11) | 10 | W 30-27 vs. Penn State | vs. (13) Pittsburgh (Peach Bowl) | Michigan State’s defense is ready to tee off if Pitt’s Kenny Pickett skips the Peach Bowl. |
| Pittsburgh (13) | 11 (+4) | W 45-21 vs. (20) Wake Forest | vs. (11) Michigan State (Peach Bowl) | It’d be a shame if Kenny Pickett sits; Pitt has been such a fun team with him at QB. |
| Utah (10) | 12 (+4) | W 38-10 vs. (15) Oregon | vs. (7) Ohio State (Rose Bowl) | I guess the first beatdown of Oregon wasn’t a fluke. |
| BYU (12) | 13 (+1) | W 35-31 @ USC | vs. UAB (Independence Bowl) | I’m sure I’m not alone in wishing the Cougars got a bid for a better bowl game. |
| Oklahoma (14) | 14 (-2) | L 37-33 @ (9) Oklahoma State | vs. (15) Oregon (Alamo Bowl) | Lincoln Riley left a mess in his wake. Where does OU go from here? |
| Oregon (15) | 15 (-4) | L 38-10 vs. (10) Utah | vs. (14) Oklahoma (Alamo Bowl) | Another new era is about to begin in Eugene. |
| Houston (21) | 16 (-3) | L 35-20 vs. (4) Cincinnati | vs. Auburn (Birmingham Bowl) | Houston can put the icing on a fantastic season with a win over a huge SEC program. |
| Louisiana-Lafayette (16) | 17 (+3) | W 24-16 vs. Appalachian State | vs. Marshall (New Orleans Bowl) | Incredible year for the Cajuns, but their head coach has moved on to Florida. |
| Texas San-Antonio (24) | 18 (+6) | W 49-41 vs. Western Kentucky | vs. San Diego State (Miami Beach Bowl) | 12-1 – incredible year for a program I’m sure few even knew played at the FBS level. |
| Wake Forest (20) | 19 (-2) | L 45-21 vs. (11) Pittsburgh | vs. (23) Texas A&M (Gator Bowl) | Wake has nothing to hang their heads about; this was a terrific season. |
| Iowa (17) | 20 (-3) | L 42-3 vs. (2) Michigan | vs. (25) Kentucky (Citrus Bowl) | What a dismal performance in the Big Ten title game. |
| Clemson (19) | 21 | W 30-0 @ South Carolina | vs. Iowa State (Cheez-It Bowl) | In a bowl game famous for lack of offense, we may get another doozy in this year’s edition. |
| North Carolina State (18) | 22 | W 34-30 vs. North Carolina | vs. UCLA (Holiday Bowl) | A win gives the Wolfpack 10 of ’em on the year. |
| Texas A&M (23) | 23 | L 27-24 @ LSU | vs. (20) Wake Forest (Gator Bowl) | How much better does their win over Alabama look now? |
| Kentucky (25) | 24 (+1) | W 52-21 @ Louisville | vs. (17) Iowa (Citrus Bowl) | Kentucky has a real shot at beating a big program and securing a 10-win season. |
| Arkansas (22) | 25 (NR) | W 34-17 vs. Missouri | vs. Penn State (Outback Bowl) | Arkansas is relevant again after so many years at the bottom of the SEC. |
* (NR) = not ranked in the previous edition of power rankings
Big Movers
Pittsburgh Panthers
What a year it’s been for the Panthers. Let’s be honest with ourselves. Over the past nearly decade now, no ACC team could have expected they’d win the conference title with Clemson dominating the division year in and out. But this year, Clemson slipped up, and it left the door wide open for a whole crop of ACC teams to sneak in and steal the crown – led by Pitt. Star quarterback Kenny Pickett drove the Panthers – a potential mid-to-late round NFL Draft prospect just a few months ago who’s vaulted himself into the QB1 discussion. The New Jersey product has been exciting and has put this offense on his back game in and game out. He may sit the bowl game to prepare for his future, and while that decision obviously makes the most sense for his long-term goals, it would be a shame not to see him lead this team one last time in a huge bowl game against one of the nation’s top defenses.
Utah Utes
Just a few weeks ago, Utah thrashed Oregon 38-7. Some experts believed the hype; others vowed that the Ducks would get their revenge in the Pac-12 title game. How does 38-10 Utes sound? Pretty good for Utah fans, I’d imagine. This team proved that the first meeting with the class of the conference was no fluke, as they pounded the Ducks once more to capture the Pac-12 championship and the coveted Rose Bowl berth. Ohio State will be Utah’s toughest matchup of the season, of course, but they have the defense to at least slow down all the weapons the Buckeyes have at their disposal. Will many expect them to win? Probably not, but don’t be shocked if they do.
Texas San-Antonio Roadrunners
It was so disappointing to see UTSA lose in the final week of the regular season, spoiling their chance at a perfect season – something nobody, not even the most diehard UTSA fan or student, could say was an expectation this year. This team proved they’re absolutely for real, dropping 49 points on a good Western Kentucky team in the conference title game, giving them a shot at a rare 13-win season – obviously the best in program history. Before the year, most college football fans assumed the Roadrunners competed at the FCS level or lower. But there’s no mistaking it now – this program belongs at the top level of college football.
Newcomers
Arkansas Razorbacks
This is now the third time the Razorbacks are “newcomers†to the power rankings. They finished 8-4 overall and 4-4 in the SEC. This is their first winning season since 2016, their first eight-win season since 2015, their first non-losing conference season since 2015, and just their second since 2011, and the first time they were ranked in the top-10 since 2012. And also the first time the Arkansas faithful can actually feel good about the direction of this program. Sam Pittman, their 60-year old head coach, is a head coach for the first time in his career above the junior college level, and he’s already instilling a new culture at the university. The Razorbacks are in great hands, and while the SEC is no easy gauntlet to navigate, Arkansas is ready to face it head-on in the years to come.
Random Musings
Baylor Bears
Dave Aranda didn’t win coach of the year. He finished third behind Jim Harbaugh and Luke Fickell – two worthy candidates in their own right. But let’s not dismiss the unbelievable job Aranda has done turning around a program that was, let’s face it, in the gutter. Baylor used to be an offensive powerhouse under Art Briles, especially when Robert Griffin III ran the show. Since they’ve been involved in scandal, have had absolutely no defense to lean on, and were becoming the laughingstock of a state that lives and breathes football. Enter Aranda – LSU’s defensive coordinator in their record-setting title year. All Aranda has done after winning two games in his first year is completely overhaul Baylor’s culture. Baylor went from two wins to Big 12 champions, and he should be commended for that. Baylor is back, and there’s no better guy to root for than Aranda.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
We all know what this blurb will be about, but let’s make sure we give this program the credit it deserves. Brian Kelly bolts for LSU, and sure, many people gave him grief for that, but he left for a record-setting paycheck at one of the most storied programs in the top conference in college football. In my opinion, this was one of Kelly’s three least-talented teams in his tenure in South Bend, but this was by far his best coaching job. However, there seemed to be a glass ceiling that the Irish couldn’t shatter, and the university, the players, and the recruits all felt the best person to break through finally was already on the staff. Marcus Freeman is 35 years old, he’s been at Notre Dame for just one season, and he’s never been a head coach. At the same time, he’s one of the most charismatic and impressive people we have in this sport today, and he’s absolutely the right hire for the Irish. They’re in excellent hands with Freeman, and don’t be shocked when Notre Dame consistently reels in top recruiting classes moving forward.
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Mike Wagenman is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @mjwags23.