UCLA's Alamo Bowl victory over K-State was enough to push the Bruins into the Top Ten in both the AP and USAToday Amway Coaches polls, barely in the case of the Coaches Poll, but it was enough.
Amazingly, both polls look remarkably similar to each other now that the season has concluded. The first six spots are the same in both and the top ten in each only flip-flop Baylor and Georgia Tech.
This marks the first time that UCLA has finished the season in the Top Ten in both polls since 1998 and only the twelfth time ever that UCLA has accomplished this.
While we are the first ones to wonder what could have been if Fairbairn's kick against Utah was a few feet different, we want to congratulate the Bruins for what they accomplished this season.
Of course, that would not have been possible if it wasn't for the amazing abilities of QB Brett Hundley. He will definitely be missed. From his first game until his last, there has never been a doubt that Brett was the leader of this team.
Here's to hoping that this year serves as a building block for next year and future seasons and that others will step up to fill the leadership void left behind by Brett's graduation.
Here are both polls with first-place votes in parentheses:
AP | Points | LW | Coaches | Points | Previous | |
1 | Ohio State (59) | 1475 | 5 | Ohio State (62) | 1550 | 4 |
2 | Oregon | 1402 | 3 | Oregon | 1477 | 3 |
3 | TCU | 1349 | 6 | TCU | 1408 | 6 |
4 | Alabama | 1297 | 1 | Alabama | 1363 | 1 |
5 | Michigan State | 1212 | 7 | Michigan State | 1282 | 7 |
5/6 | Florida State | 1212 | 2 | Florida State | 1262 | 2 |
7 | Baylor | 1098 | 4 | Georgia Tech | 1136 | 9 |
8 | Georgia Tech | 1071 | 10 | Baylor | 1135 | 5 |
9 | Georgia | 925 | 13 | Georgia | 1018 | 13 |
10 | UCLA | 908 | 14 | UCLA | 909 | 15 |
11 | Mississippi St. | 767 | 8 | Missouri | 907 | 14 |
12 | Arizona State | 756 | 15 | Mississippi St. | 799 | 8 |
13 | Wisconsin | 724 | 17 | Wisconsin | 765 | 17 |
14 | Missouri | 710 | 16 | Arizona State | 750 | 16 |
15 | Clemson | 683 | 18 | Clemson | 733 | 15 |
16 | Boise State | 653 | 21 | Boise State | 627 | 21 |
17 | Ole Miss | 543 | 9 | Arizona | 574 | 11 |
18 | Kansas State | 509 | 11 | Kansas State | 556 | 10 |
19 | Arizona | 499 | 12 | Ole Miss | 444 | 12 |
20 | Southern Cal | 315 | 24 | Utah | 331 | 25 |
21 | Utah | 302 | 23 | Southern Cal | 297 | NR |
22 | Auburn | 216 | 19 | Marshall | 178 | NR |
23 | Marshall | 161 | NR | Auburn | 167 | 19 |
24 | Louisville | 116 | 20 | Louisville | 113 | 20 |
25 | Memphis | 94 | NR | Memphis | 93 | NR |
Go Bruins!