Table Legend

Rewards standings before and after the bowl games.

Commentary: The only final poll positions that were predicted exactly in 2017 were: #1 Alabama, and #13 Miami (FL). Overall, the Rewards ranking system was mediocre, on average, with most Big 10 conference teams being ranked higher by it, and some Big 12 teams being ranked lower: #5 Ohio State (#2 according to Rewards); #7/#6 Wisconsin (#4); #15/16 Michigan State (#9); #17 Northwestern (#11); Iowa #34 (#18); and unranked Michigan (#33). (Penn State finished #8 in the final coaches' poll, and Rewards thought that they were the #7 team, which was reasonably accurate.) #3 Oklahoma was only #6, according to the Rewards system, while TCU was ranked as the #9 team, after their bowl win over Stanford, but Rewards ranked them #15, and, #14 Oklahoma State was deemed to only be #17.