Ohio State is No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll and TCU finished third, in front of two teams that made the playoff ahead of the Horned Frogs.
Nebraska and Minnesota were among the teams receiving votes while not finishing in the top 25.
The Buckeyes finished on top of the AP Top 25 for the fifth time in program history, matching Miami and Southern California for fourth most behind Alabama (nine), Notre Dame (eight) and Oklahoma (seven).
Ohio State beat Oregon 42-20 on Monday night in the first College Football Playoff national championship game and got all 59 first-place votes in the media poll.
The Ducks finished second in the rankings, matching their best finish.
The Horned Frogs, who were left out of the playoff but beat Mississippi 42-3 in the Peach Bowl, were ranked ahead of No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Florida State. The Tide and Seminoles lost playoff semifinals.
Michigan State tied Florida State for fifth.
