Unfortunately, for the first time since 1999, we fall into the "Others Receiving Votes" category in the final AP poll.  We finished 1 point (typical) outside of the top 25, right behind West Virginia who received 91 points.  Five losses is not in and of itself apparently a barrier to being included in the poll as Clemson finished 24th in the poll after not being ranked before the bowl season.  I guess a win over a SEC powerhouse like Kentucky is what pushed them over the top?  Or less snarky, maybe it was their win over Miami (40-37 in OT) that gives them the nod.  All in all, a disappointing way to finish a very disappointing season as I had hoped that we would maybe sneak into the polls.

Our five losses came to the following ranked teams (all final AP ranks):

#2 - Texas - 16-13

#12 - Brigham Young - 14-13

#14 - Nebraska - 10-3

#19 - Miami - 21-20

#21 - Texas Tech - 41-13

Final AP Poll at ESPN 


Clemson' five losses came to the following teams (all final AP ranks):

#6 - TCU - 14-10

# 13 - Georgia Tech - 30-27, 39-34 (ACC Championship game)

UNR - Maryland - 24-21

UNR - South Carolina - 34-17

Also, Kirk H. puts us in the pre-season top 5 for next year.  

Another feature from ESPN - "Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25" puts us at a somewhat more plausible (in my mind) #12.