Despite a 38-3 victory over Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, LSU finished out of the Top 25 for the first time since the 2002 season. The Tigers received 95 votes in The Associated Press media rankings, behind California and Pittsburgh among teams receiving votes. They received 65 votes in the USA Today coaches’ poll, behind West Virginia and Tulsa among team receiving votes. LSU dropped out of the rankings in 2002 after losses to Arkansas in the regular-season finale and Texas in the Cotton Bowl.
As expected, Florida ranked No. 1 in final The Associated Press and USA Today polls after its 24-14 victory Thursday night over Oklahoma in the BCS championship game. Utah, Southern California, Texas and Oklahoma completed the Top 5 in the AP rankings, while USC, Texas, Utah and Oklahoma rounded out the Top 5 in the USA Today poll.
