One team stayed undefeated in the 2024 college football regular season.
Will it stay that way in the first 12-team College Football Playoff?
No. 1 Oregon won the Big Ten championship with a 45-37 victory against Penn State, which dropped to No. 6 in Sporting News final Top 25 of the regular season. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel passed for 283 yards and four TDs, and running back Jordan James added 87 yards and a pair of TDs.
The Ducks have made a huge impression in their first season in the conference, and they will play their quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1. Now, the challenge for Oregon will be trying to become the first FBS team to finish 16-0.
Five of the last six national champions finished unbeaten in the four-team College Football Playoff era, and Clemson (2018), LSU (2019), Georgia (2022) and Michigan (2023 all finished 15-0. Oregon can make history in more ways than one under coach Dan Lanning.
Georgia bumped up to No. 2 after beating No. 3 Texas 22-19 in overtime in the SEC championship game. No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 5 Ohio State did not play on championship week, but they are among the teams who will be among the favorites to win a national championship in the new format.
Here is a closer look at the final Sporting News top 25 rankings for the college football regular season.
Final regular season Sporting News Top 25 rankings
Here is a closer look at our latest top 25 ranking heading into the College Football Playoff selection show:
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | PVS. | RESULT |
| 1 | Oregon | 13-0 | 1 | Beat Penn State 45-37 |
| 2 | Georgia | 11-2 | 5 | Beat Texas 22-19 |
| 3 | Texas | 11-2 | 2 | Lost to Georgia 22-19 |
| 4 | Notre Dame | 11-1 | 4 | – |
| 5 | Ohio State | 10-2 | 6 | – |
| 6 | Penn State | 11-2 | 3 | Lost to Oregon 45-37 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 10-2 | 7 | – |
| 8 | Indiana | 11-1 | 8 | – |
| 9 | Boise State | 12-1 | 10 | Beat UNLV 21-7 |
| 10 | Arizona State | 11-2 | 11 | Beat Iowa State 45-19 |
| 11 | Clemson | 10-3 | 18 | Beat SMU 34-31 |
| 12 | SMU | 11-2 | 9 | Lost to Clemson 34-31 |
| 13 | Alabama | 9-3 | 12 | – |
| 14 | Miami, Fla. | 10-2 | 13 | – |
| 15 | Ole Miss | 9-3 | 14 | – |
| 16 | South Carolina | 9-3 | 15 | – |
| 17 | Iowa State | 10-3 | 16 | Lost to Arizona State 45-19 |
| 18 | BYU | 10-2 | 17 | – |
| 19 | Army | 11-1 | 23 | Beat Tulane 35-14 |
| 20 | Colorado | 9-3 | 19 | – |
| 21 | Illinois | 9-3 | 20 | – |
| 22 | Missouri | 9-3 | 21 | – |
| 23 | UNLV | 10-3 | 22 | Lost to Boise State 21-7 |
| 24 | Syracuse | 9-3 | 24 | – |
| 25 | Texas A&M | 8-4 | 25 | – |
