The Cincinnati Bearcats rank No. 24 in the final AP Top 25 college football poll of the season.

Last week, the Bearcats held off Virginia Tech, 35-31, to win the Military Bowl and finish the season 11-2.

The Bearcats finished 23rd in the final Amway Coaches Poll. They were ranked in both Top 25 polls earlier in the season but had fallen out of both polls before their bowl game.

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Head coach Luke Fickell reportedly was a candidate for the West Virginia job before the Mountaineers hired Troy's Neal Brown.

The top five teams in both polls were Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Notre Dame.

The only other ranked American Athletic Conference team was 12-1 Central Florida, which finished No. 11 in the AP and No. 12 in the Amway Coaches Poll. The Knights handed the Bearcats one of their two losses.

The 10-3 Kentucky Wildcats finished No. 12 in the AP poll and 11th in the Amway.