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The 2023-24 college football season wrapped up on Monday night with the Michigan Wolverines defeating the Washington Huskies in an exciting College Football Playoff National Championship Game (until the fourth quarter). It'll be a long wait for next season's action to begin, but we can analyze the sport all offseason long.
Despite every team's resume being complete, there are still some mistakes in the final AP Poll of the year. Whether a team played weak competition and is ranked too highly, or a program battled a tough schedule and isn't getting enough love from the pollsters, there are undervalued and overvalued teams all over the country.
It's time for the last article of a year-long series: Overrated and Underrated College Football Teams after the release of the final Associated Press Poll. All rankings listed are based on the AP Poll.
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Overrated College Football Teams In Final Rankings
Oregon Ducks: No. 6
In year two under Dan Lanning, the Oregon Ducks went 12-2 and looked like a legitimate National Championship contender at times. However, two losses against Washington and a win over a mid-major team in the Fiesta Bowl aren't all that impressive. Oregon faced the 42nd-toughest schedule in the nation this year, and falling short against the only "sure-fire" good team means a No. 6 ranking feels too high.
It seems like the AP voters wanted to believe in Oregon all season, but when the program's best wins came over 8-5 Oregon State or 8-5 Utah, they fell short of being an "elite" team. The Ducks belong in the top ten, but No. 6 is too rich.
Bo Nix just broke Marcus Mariota’s single season passing touchdown record at Oregon with his 43rd passing touchdown of the season pic.twitter.com/EbNgmZlUzj
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) January 1, 2024
Liberty Flames: No. 25
Liberty played the second-easiest schedule in all of college football during the 2023 campaign. Its average opponent ranked 106th nationally. The Flames had a chance to prove they're more than just a group-of-five team with more talent than its opponents against Oregon, and they weren't competitive in a 45-6 loss.
When a team draws such an easy schedule, they should have to remain unbeaten through the entire season to keep a top-25 spot. Jamie Chadwell's Liberty team led by former big-time quarterback recruit Kaidon Salter failed to do that, so it's fair to knock them out of the rankings entirely.
final from Glendale
Final score presented by Patel & Dalrymple: https://t.co/GGfyBL7rV4 pic.twitter.com/e4vAVHei0l
— Liberty Football (@LibertyFootball) January 1, 2024
Underrated College Football Teams In Final Rankings
Clemson Tigers: No. 20
Clemson got out to a 4-4 start in 2023 -- which might as well be considered 0-8 according to Clemson fans who have been accustomed to seeing double-digit win teams every season. The sky seemed to be falling for Dabo Swinney, but the Tigers ultimately finished the campaign on a five-game win streak. This season marked the 13th consecutive year that Swinney has won at least nine games.
The Tigers finished the season with the No. 8 defense in total yards allowed, and although they struggled early in the season, this was not a squad other teams wanted to see late in the year. The Tigers can't move up too much in the rankings due to the four losses early on, but they can certainly be ranked ahead of at least Louisville, who looked pathetic to end the season with a three-game losing streak.
TIGERS WIN‼️ pic.twitter.com/ancaKMTSHa
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) December 29, 2023
Kansas Jayhawks: No 23
Kansas was tasked with taking on the 29th-toughest strength of schedule this year -- with its average opponent being ranked 52nd in the land. The Jayhawks were blown out by an elite Texas team in late September but suffered three close losses with their backup quarterback otherwise.
The Jayhawks are ranked in the appropriate range, but given the overall body of work, a jump ahead of at least No. 22 SMU makes plenty of sense. We're splitting hairs here, but it's the end of the season, so anything goes.
GUARANTEED RATE BOWL CHAMPS 🏆🌵 pic.twitter.com/CeTERNOoYx
— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) December 27, 2023
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