Four takeaways from college football's final AP Top 25 poll

Jeff Hauser

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Four takeaways from college football's final AP Top 25 poll image

Indiana ended a season of historic firsts by finishing No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday. Also, the rest of the rankings show how dramatically the balance of power shifted in college football this year.

After beating Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship to complete a 16-0 season, the Indiana Hoosiers became the third straight Big Ten Conference team to end the season atop the poll, following Ohio State in 2024 and Michigan in 2023.

The Hoosiers are the first team in 132 years to reach the perfect 16-win season. 

Here are four takeaways from the final AP Top 25.

Indiana’s rise is no longer a novelty

Indiana’s climb from No. 20 in the preseason poll to No. 1 in January is one of the sharpest ascents in modern college football history. The Hoosiers reached No. 3 for the first time after a road win at Oregon, rose to No. 2 a week later and finally claimed the top spot after winning the Big Ten championship and the CFP. Curt Cignetti’s second season produced not just a title, but a blueprint for rapid, sustainable turnarounds in the transfer portal era.

Miami’s return to relevance looks real

No. 2 Miami Hurricanes finished with their highest ranking since 2002 after jumping eight spots in the final poll. The Hurricanes lost a close title game, but a 13-3 finish and a spot just behind the champion suggests Mario Cristobal has restored Miami to the sport’s top tier. This was the program’s first top-10 finish since 2003, and it came on home turf.

The Big Ten’s grip on the top continues

Three Big Ten teams landed in the top five for the second straight year, with Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State all finishing inside that group. The league placed six teams in the final poll overall, reinforcing its growing national dominance in the expanded playoff era. The Big Ten has now produced the final No. 1 team in back-to-back seasons.

The SEC remains deep — but not dominant

The Southeastern Conference led all conferences with seven ranked teams, including No. 3 Mississippi and No. 6 Georgia. Still, none finished in the top two. Texas Tech’s emergence in the Big 12 and Miami’s run in the ACC further highlighted a season defined more by parity than by traditional hierarchy.

More: Ex-Indiana QB fires back after portrayal in CBS 60 Minutes interview

The final poll reflected a year where old powerhouses looked normal and Indiana finished on top of it all. What a year with next season nearly on the horizon again with Spring Ball in months. 

More CFP National Championship news: 

Editorial Team