After winning the BCS National Championship Game in thrilling fashion, the Auburn Tigers finished ranked first overall in the final AP Top 25 poll. The TCU Horned Frogs, after capping their undefeated season by defeating the Wisconsin Badgers in the Rose Bowl, jumped the Oregon Ducks to finish second overall.
Auburn, one of the best teams in recent memory, were led by Heisman Trophy-winner Cam Newton last night in Glendale to take the title. In what must be considered one of the most hyped and most sought after tickets in sport, the game did not disappoint, coming down to a last-second field goal by Auburn to cap a the 22-19 victory.
TCU must take what the BCS will give them, which is a likely second-place spot in the final rankings. Not having the opportunity to prove it on the field must sting Andy Dalton and those Mountain West upstarts, but the team can take solace in the fact that their performance allowed their school to join a conference with more prestige and an incredible basketball tradition (the Big East).
The Horned Frogs received three first-place votes in the AP Top 25, a great salute to an excellent team. Oregon finished third overall in both the AP and USA Today polls, while the Stanford Cardinal ended up in fourth.
Without further ado, here is the final AP Poll of 2010-2011:
1 Auburn (56) 14-0
2 TCU (3) 13-0
3 Oregon 12-1
4 Stanford 12-1
5 Ohio State 12-1
6 Oklahoma 12-2
7 Wisconsin 11-2
8 LSU 11-2
9 Boise State 12-1
10 Alabama 10-3
11 Nevada 13-1
12 Arkansas 10-3
13 Oklahoma State 11-2
14 Michigan State 11-2
15 Mississippi State 9-4
16 Virginia Tech 11-3
17 Florida State 10-4
18 Missouri 10-3
19 Texas A&M 9-4
20 Nebraska 10-4
21 UCF 11-3
22 South Carolina 9-5
23 Maryland 9-4 1
24 Tulsa 10-3
25 North Carolina State 9-4
The WAC finished with two teams in the top twelve, a testament to their conference's quality.