Table Legend

Rewards standings before and after the bowl games.

Commentary: LSU had the best season, according to the Rewards system, since they split with Alabama, who they lost to in the BCS Championship game. Both teams defeated one another - and Arkansas - but LSU's other wins were more impressive than the Crimson Tide's (especially over Oregon - #4 in both final polls - and Georgia). Rewards thought more highly of the Big 12 conference this year than those voting in the final polls, as witnessed by Kansas State, Baylor and Oklahoma all being between 5 and 10 places higher in the final Rewards ranking (than those polls). The triumvirate from the Big 10 (Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin) were positioned 4 to 7 places lower (by Rewards) than where they ended up in the final poll, but besides those six teams, and Florida State, Rewards agreed fairly well with the voters, as witnessed by the four agreements, and six more close placements (as denoted in the table above) in the final polls' top 25.