Each week during the NCAA Football season, the Associated Press releases the rankings of the top 25 college football teams. The AP College Football Poll is determined by a poll of 60 sportswriters and broadcasters.http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/specials/collegefootball_front/votes/voters.html?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME
The AP College Football Poll was formerly used as one of three components to decide which teams would participate in Bowl Championship Series college bowl games. After controversy in the 2003-04 season involving the USC Trojans football team being skipped over for the title game despite top rankings in the human polls, the poll was removed from the BCS formula, with the Harris Interactive College Football Poll added in its place for the 2005 season and all seasons since. The Associated Press reportedly requested the removal, sending a cease-and-decist order claiming the use of the poll in the BCS formula was harmful to the reputation of the company.http://badgerherald.com/sports/2005/01/17/ap_removes_poll_from.php
Current AP College Football Poll
| AP College Football Poll | |||||||
| Rank | School/Team | Total Votes | #1 Votes | Record | Last Week | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn Tigers | 1,473 | 36 | 13-0 | 2 | ||
| 2 | Oregon Ducks | 1,462 | 23 | 12-0 | 1 | ||
| 3 | TCU Horned Frogs | 1,379 | 1 | 12-0 | 3 | ||
| 4 | Wisconsin Badgers | 1,289 | 0 | 11-1 | 4 | ||
| 5 | Stanford Cardinal | 1,283 | 0 | 11-1 | 5 | ||
| 6 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 1,179 | 0 | 11-1 | 6 | ||
| 7 | Michigan State Spartans | 1,101 | 0 | 11-1 | 7 | ||
| 8 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 1,085 | 0 | 10-2 | 8 | ||
| 9 | Oklahoma Sooners | 976 | 0 | 11-2 | 10 | ||
| 10 | Boise State Broncos | 932 | 0 | 11-1 | 9 | ||
| 11 | LSU Tigers | 863 | 0 | 10-2 | 11 | ||
| 12 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 817 | 0 | 11-2 | 12 | ||
| 13 | Nevada Wolf Pack | 759 | 0 | 11-1 | 14 | ||
| 14 | Missouri Tigers | 705 | 0 | 10-2 | 15 | ||
| 15 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 628 | 0 | 9-3 | 17 | ||
| 16 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 622 | 0 | 10-2 | 16 | ||
| 17 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 608 | 0 | 10-3 | 13 | ||
| 18 | Texas A&M | 601 | 0 | 9-3 | 19 | ||
| 19 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 332 | 0 | 9-4 | 18 | ||
| 20 | Utah Utes | 312 | 0 | 10-2 | 21 | ||
| 21 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 288 | 0 | 8-4 | 22 | ||
| 22 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 283 | 0 | 9-3 | 23 | ||
| 23 | Florida State Seminoles | 188 | 0 | 9-4 | 20 | ||
| 25 | Hawaii Warriors | 111 | 0 | 10-3 | 25 | ||
| 24 | Connecticut Huskies | 74 | 0 | 8-4 | -- | ||
Dropped out: Northern Illinois Huskies
Ranking No. 1 College Football Teams
- 2009: Alabama Crimson Tidehttp://www.bcsfootball.org/news/story?id=5528971
- 2008: Florida Gatorshttp://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=2008
- 2007: LSU Tigershttp://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=2007
- 2006: Florida Gatorshttp://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=2006
- 2005: Texas Longhornshttp://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=2005
- 2004: USC Trojanshttp://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=2004
- 2003: USC Trojanshttp://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=2003
- 2002: Ohio State Buckeyeshttp://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=2002
- 2001: Miami Hurricaneshttp://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=2001
- 2000: Oklahoma Soonershttp://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=2000
- 1999: Florida State Seminoleshttp://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1999
- 1998: Tennessee Volunteershttp://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1998
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) consists of five bowl games that only the top-ranked college football teams can play in. The five bowl games are the Fiesta Bowl, the Orange Bowl, the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl and the BCS Championship Game.http://www.bcsfootball.org/news/story?id=4809699
The BCS is an event managed by 11 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and the University of Notre Dame. The 11 conferences are Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, Pacific-10, Southeastern and Western Athletic.http://www.bcsfootball.org/news/story?id=4809699
AP Poll vs. BCS Rankings
In a special from 2008, Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman, and Aaron Taylor from CBS talk about the differences in rankings between the AP College Football Poll and the computer rankings, including how this plays into the BCS formula to determine which teams play in the five BCS bowl games and BCS Championship Game. They mention that while teams are ranked much lower in the computer rankings, many of the teams remain in the top of the BCS standings due to the human involvement.
References
Fast Facts
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First released in 1934, and then continuously from 1936
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Voted on by 60 sportswriters and broadcasters
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Expanded in 1989 to rank 25 college football teams
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Formerly used to determine the BCS bowl game teams
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BCS developed in 1997 to try to unify the poll results by picking two teams for a "real" national championship game
