Week 15 JP Poll: Final Top 20 power rankings revealed after college football regular season

With the regular season in the books, conference championships are on the horizon across college football. That also means the final JP Poll dropped Tuesday night.

Josh Pate unveiled the final power ratings – remember, they’re not rankings – on Tuesday night, and it featured more changes from last week. The top three teams are all playing in title games this weekend, and Nos. 1 and 2 will square off on the same field in the Big Ten Championship.

After a season of movement, the final JP Poll is officially set. Here’s the full Top 20, as unveiled on Josh Pate’s College Football Show.

1. Ohio State (-)

A mainstay atop the JP Poll this year, Ohio State held onto the top spot as season’s end. The Buckeyes have been dominant and flexed their muscle in their victory over Michigan in last week’s rivalry affair as well.

It marked Ohio State’s first win over the rival Wolverines in six years as Ryan Day’s crew snapped its losing streak. With the victory, the Buckeyes are now charting a course for Indianapolis, where they’ll take on Indiana in the Big Ten Championship.

2. Indiana (+2)

Up two spots from Week 14, Indiana is now at No. 2 in the final JP Poll, lining up with the College Football Playoff rankings. The Hoosiers are one of two remaining undefeated teams standing, and they’ll take on the other one – Ohio State – in the Big Ten title game.

IU has been a force this year, and Fernando Mendoza has led the charge. He has thrown for an FBS-leading 32 touchdowns to put himself at the forefront of the Heisman Trophy conversation heading into Week 15.

3. Georgia (-1)

Despite a rivalry win over Georgia Tech last week, Georgia dropped one spot in the final JP Poll. The Bulldogs fell to No. 3, but they’re still playing football this weekend.

UGA clinched a spot in the SEC Championship after Texas’ loss to Texas A&M and will take on Alabama in Atlanta. The Bulldogs are in position for a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff and can cement that with a victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

4. Texas A&M (-1)

Following the loss to Texas in the Lone Star Showdown, Texas A&M is down a spot in the final JP Poll. The Aggies are now at No. 4 after missing out on the SEC title game.

Texas A&M ended its season with an 11-1 record and is still in position to host a first-round game in the College Football Playoff. Marcel Reed and the Aggies will look to continue their impressive second season under Mike Elko.

5. Oregon (+1)

Up one spot to No. 5 in the JP Poll, Oregon completed an 11-1 season. The Ducks took down Washington in Seattle in Week 14, though they missed out on the Big Ten Championship behind two undefeated teams.

Still, Oregon is heading to the College Football Playoff and is in strong position to host at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks are waiting to learn who they’ll play when the final rankings come out on Sunday.

6. Notre Dame (+1)

Notre Dame turned in another strong performance last time out against Stanford en route to a season-ending, 49-20 victory in Palo Alto. The Fighting Irish end the regular season 10-2, but are waiting to learn if they will officially be in the College Football Playoff.

Notre Dame dropped to No. 10 in the penultimate rankings, putting Marcus Freeman’s group squarely on the bubble as conference championship weekend rolls along. The Irish are now in wait-and-see mode while title games go on across the country.

7. Ole Miss (+1)

Following the Egg Bowl, Ole Miss jumped up one spot in the JP Poll. The Rebels completed their first-ever 11-win regular season in the process – but questions are swirling about how the College Football Playoff will go.

Lane Kiffin, of course, is now the head coach at LSU after his high-profile departure over the weekend. Pete Golding is now the head coach after serving as defensive coordinator, and he will lead Ole Miss into its first-ever CFP.

8. Alabama (-3)

Despite an Iron Bowl victory over Auburn, Alabama fell three spots in the final JP Poll. The Crimson Tide now sit at No. 8 as they get ready for the SEC Championship this week – the first appearance under Kalen DeBoer.

Alabama finished off a 10-2 regular season as it held on for the win at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Now, Georgia awaits in a rematch of this year’s matchup at Sanford Stadium, which ended with a Tide victory.

9. Texas Tech (-)

Holding strong at No. 9, Texas Tech ended its season on a strong note. The Red Raiders took down West Virginia in Morgantown and officially sealed their spot in the Big 12 Championship in the process.

Texas Tech was dominant throughout the regular season and is now in position for a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff if it can get another victory over BYU on Saturday. Joey McGuire and Co. are also a Top-10 team in the JP Poll heading into the title game.

10. Texas (-)

Although Texas got another victory over Texas A&M in Week 14, the Longhorns did not move in the JP Poll. They stayed steady at No. 10 in the final JP Poll heading into conference championship weekend.

Texas ended the year 9-3, and based on the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings, could be on the outside looking in when the final Top 25 drops on Sunday. The Longhorns will see what happens throughout the weekend.

Week 15 JP Poll: 11-20

11. Miami (+2)
12. Oklahoma (-)
13. Utah (-2)
14. Vanderbilt (+3)
15. USC (-)
16. BYU (-)
17. Tennessee (-3)
18. Iowa (+1)
19. Penn State (-1)
20. Missouri (NR)

With the regular season in the rearview mirror, the JP Poll has been finalized. Now, it’s on to conference championships and, later, the race for the national championship.