(WLTX, USA Today) - Neither team played in a BCS bowl game, but both the Gamecocks and Tigers will end the season with the elite in college football.
The final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll has the Gamecocks ranked 7th and the Tigers come in at number 9.
There was no luck for the Irish on Monday night, as Alabama steamrolled Notre Dame 42-14 to claim its second consecutive BCS title and third championship in four years.
The bad luck continued for Notre Dame (12-1) in the final poll with Irish dipping to No. 3, while Alabama finished as expected at No. 1.
Fiesta Bowl champion Oregon (12-1) finished second, while Capital One Bowl champion Georgia (12-2) and Cotton Bowl champion Texas A&M (11-2) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Several non-BCS schools made up the final poll, including No. 24 Northern Illinois, which fell from No. 16 after its Orange Bowl loss to Florida State.
Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, and Tulsa all joined the final poll.
| 1 |
Alabama |
13-1 |
1400 |
56 |
2 |
| 2 |
Oregon |
12-1 |
1322 |
0 |
3 |
| 3 |
Notre Dame |
12-1 |
1253 |
0 |
1 |
| 4 |
Georgia |
12-2 |
1213 |
0 |
5 |
| 5 |
Texas A&M |
11-2 |
1171 |
0 |
9 |
| 6 |
Stanford |
12-2 |
1167 |
0 |
8 |
| 7 |
South Carolina |
11-2 |
1064 |
0 |
10 |
| 8 |
Florida St. |
12-2 |
942 |
0 |
12 |
| 9 |
Clemson |
11-2 |
916 |
0 |
13 |
| 10 |
Florida |
11-2 |
886 |
0 |
4 |
| 11 |
Kansas St. |
11-2 |
841 |
0 |
6 |
| 12 |
LSU |
10-3 |
775 |
0 |
7 |
| 13 |
Louisville |
11-2 |
772 |
0 |
18 |
| 14 |
Boise St. |
11-2 |
633 |
0 |
15 |
| 15 |
Oklahoma |
10-3 |
600 |
0 |
11 |
| 16 |
Northwestern |
10-3 |
580 |
0 |
17 |
| 17 |
Utah State |
11-2 |
444 |
0 |
20 |
| 18 |
Texas |
9-4 |
398 |
0 |
25 |
| 19 |
Oregon St. |
9-4 |
366 |
0 |
14 |
| 20 |
Vanderbilt |
9-4 |
248 |
0 |
NR |
| 21 |
San Jose St. |
11-2 |
244 |
0 |
24 |
| 22 |
Cincinnati |
10-3 |
186 |
0 |
NR |
| 23 |
Nebraska |
10-4 |
175 |
0 |
21 |
| 24 |
Northern Illinois |
12-2 |
156 |
0 |
16 |
| 25 |
Tulsa |
11-3 |
110 |
0 |
NR |