Undefeated ACC champions, defending national champions -- and seeded third in the College Football Playoff?! Small comfort, FSU, but you remain No. 1 in this poll. Off to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and a date with Oregon in the playoff semifinals. 
A healthier offensive line and the best player in college football (my opinion) in QB Marcus Mariota, who was willing to use his skills as a runner more as the season rolled on, and you have a team that’s in the College Football Playoff after having won the Pac-12 title over Arizona. They meet Florida State, and the whole country will be riveted by the QB duel between Mariota and Jameis Winston. 
Co-champions of the Big 12, clearly one of the best conferences in the country, and holding a head-to-head advantage by virtue of their three-point win over TCU, the Bears have a legitimate quarrel with the selection committee about being left out of the playoff. They head to the Cotton Bowl instead for a matchup with Big Ten power Michigan State.
Talk about a roller coaster of emotions for Horned Frog fans. Last week they were No. 3 in the College Football Playoff poll and looking good. Then a smashing 55-3 win over Iowa State to cap off a remarkable season was followed by dropping to No. 6 in the final poll and out of the playoffs. Tough to handle, but in time, the feeling of being the Big 12 co-champions should help. To the Peach Bowl to play Ole Miss. 
Resilience. It’s used often in sports, and this year’s Ohio State team is the face of the word. Three different QBs were listed as No. 1 on their depth chart this year. A shocking loss to a very average (as it turned out) Virginia Tech team at home had the Buckeyes playing catch-up all season long, but what a finish! On an 11-game winning streak, champions of the Big Ten and off to the College Football Playoff against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. 
Came within one game of sharing the Big 12 title, but still a very good season for the Wildcats. Every year we wonder about them, and they prove us wrong. Next up for them is a game with UCLA in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.
This team improved by leaps and bounds each week during this season, and they almost won the ACC title and knocked Florida State out of the playoff. They now hope to sting another SEC team, this time Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl. 
Raise your hands if you saw Arizona in the Pac-12 title game in the preseason?! Stop it. You didn’t. They got there and beat the Oregon Ducks in the regular season along the way. Coach Rich Rodriguez has not only found a home, but he and the Wildcats will be factors in the Pac-12 for years to come. An easy trip to take on Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix/Glendale, Arizona. 
Crushed in the Big Ten championship game by Ohio State, but it was a really good season for the Badgers, as they won seven straight games leading up to the Ohio State game and won the Big Ten West. Heisman contender, and super runner, Melvin Gordon leads his squad to Tampa to face Auburn in the Outback Bowl. 
A what-could-have-been season for the Bulldogs -- so close to not just SEC, but national honors. Georgia did have some big wins along the way (Clemson, at Missouri, Auburn) and hopes for another against ACC foe Louisville in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte. Former Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is now at Louisville in the same role.
The Broncos are the champions of the Mountain West Conference once again and this time under first-year head coach Bryan Harsin. Their reward? A date with Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl, where Boise has played and won twice before (over TCU and Oklahoma). 
Season began with playoff hopes and ended with a disappointing home loss to Stanford, which knocked the Bruins out of the Pac-12 title game. Still a good year, and they will play Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl. 
If you throw a pass against the Cardinals, you will likely meet with disaster at some point during the game, as defensive back Gerod Holliman has 14 picks on the year. Georgia will try to sneak a few past him in the Belk Bowl. 
The Utes from Salt Lake City truly earned their Pac-12 stripes this season and were in position at one point to play in the Pac-12 championship game. Their calling card is a fierce pass rush, keyed by Nate Orchard, and they are taking dead aim at Colorado State in the Las Vegas Bowl. 
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