Northwestern has finished at No. 13 in the final College Football Playoff rankings of 2015, which were released Sunday afternoon.
The Wildcats essentially finished three spots away from reaching a New Year's Six Bowl, behind No. 11 TCU, No. 10 North Carolina and No. 9 Florida State, despite finishing 10-2.
Northwestern rose one spot from last week's No. 14 ranking, but came up just short.
The Wildcats will likely head to either the Citrus Bowl or Outback Bowl, where they'll play an SEC team. The possible opponents are Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Arkansas and Texas A&M.