The USA Today conducts a weekly poll to determine the top 25 college football teams. The poll is voted on by college football coaches and is released each week throughout the college football season.http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/usatpoll.htm
The poll is one of several factors used to determine the BCS Standings. Factored in along with computer rankings and rankings of the Harris Interactive College Football Poll, the top teams in the BCS rankings at the end of the season participate in the Bowl Championship Series college bowl games including the top two teams who receive an invitation to play in the BCS Championship Game.http://www.bcsfootball.org/news/story?id=4819366
How It Works
Coaches, who must be members of the American Football Coaches Association, cast votes each week for which college football teams they feel are the best in the NCAA, giving teams a total vote and also selecting one team which receives a #1 vote. These votes are tabulated and the teams are ranked by number of votes. During most weeks of the college football season, the rankings are released on Sunday afternoon. In some cases the weekly schedule extends into Monday or Tuesday and in those cases, the poll is released after all games are completed for the week.http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/usatpoll.htm
Current USA Today Coaches Poll
| USA Today Coaches Poll | |||||||
| Rank | School/Team | Total Votes | #1 Votes | Record | Last Week | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon Ducks | 1,450 | 34 | 12-0 | 1 | ||
| 2 | Auburn Tigers | 1,437 | 24 | 13-0 | 2 | ||
| 3 | TCU Horned Frogs | 1,348 | 1 | 12-0 | 3 | ||
| 4 | Wisconsin Badgers | 1,276 | 0 | 11-1 | 4 | ||
| 5 | Stanford Cardinal | 1,239 | 0 | 11-1 | 5 | ||
| 6 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 1,200 | 0 | 11-1 | 6 | ||
| 7 | Michigan State Spartans | 1,104 | 0 | 11-1 | 7 | ||
| 8 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 1,008 | 0 | 10-2 | 8 | ||
| 8 | Oklahoma Sooners | 1,008 | 0 | 11-2 | 9 | ||
| 10 | Boise State Broncos | 914 | 0 | 11-1 | 10 | ||
| 11 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 900 | 0 | 11-2 | 11 | ||
| 12 | LSU Tigers | 826 | 0 | 10-2 | 12 | ||
| 13 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 718 | 0 | 10-2 | 15 | ||
| 14 | Missouri Tigers | 712 | 0 | 10-2 | 14 | ||
| 15 | Nevada Wolf Pack | 640 | 0 | 11-1 | 17 | ||
| 16 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 607 | 0 | 10-3 | 13 | ||
| 17 | Texas A&M | 542 | 0 | 9-3 | 18 | ||
| 18 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 521 | 0 | 9-3 | 19 | ||
| 19 | Utah Utes | 375 | 0 | 10-2 | 21 | ||
| 20 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 345 | 0 | 9-4 | 16 | ||
| 21 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 261 | 0 | 9-3 | 24 | ||
| 21 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 255 | 0 | 8-4 | 22 | ||
| 23 | Florida State Seminoles | 156 | 0 | 9-4 | 20 | ||
| 24 | Central Florida Golden Knights | 143 | 0 | 10-3 | 25 | ||
| 25 | Hawaii Warriors | 98 | 0 | 10-3 | -- | ||
Dropped out: Northern Illinois Huskies
USA Today Coaches Poll Leaders
2010-11 NCAA Football Season Preview
Using music from Rihanna and Jay-Z, the 2010-11 NCAA Football season is previewed, including a few of the teams to watch throughout the year. Among the featured teams include the Alabama Crimson Tide, Ohio State Buckeyes, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Pittsburgh Panthers, Michigan Wolverines, West Virginia Mountaineers and Georgia Bulldogs. While the pre-season rankings give teams a starting point, each team begins the season with a clean slate and all equally compete for the national title.
Final 2009-10 USA Today Coaches Poll
| USA Today Coaches Poll | |||||||
| Rank | School/Team | Total Votes | #1 Votes | Record | Last Week | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon Ducks | 1,450 | 34 | 12-0 | 1 | ||
| 2 | Auburn Tigers | 1,437 | 24 | 13-0 | 2 | ||
| 3 | TCU Horned Frogs | 1,348 | 1 | 12-0 | 3 | ||
| 4 | Wisconsin Badgers | 1,276 | 0 | 11-1 | 4 | ||
| 5 | Stanford Cardinal | 1,239 | 0 | 11-1 | 5 | ||
| 6 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 1,200 | 0 | 11-1 | 6 | ||
| 7 | Michigan State Spartans | 1,104 | 0 | 11-1 | 7 | ||
| 8 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 1,008 | 0 | 10-2 | 8 | ||
| 8 | Oklahoma Sooners | 1,008 | 0 | 11-2 | 9 | ||
| 10 | Boise State Broncos | 914 | 0 | 11-1 | 10 | ||
| 11 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 900 | 0 | 11-2 | 11 | ||
| 12 | LSU Tigers | 826 | 0 | 10-2 | 12 | ||
| 13 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 718 | 0 | 10-2 | 15 | ||
| 14 | Missouri Tigers | 712 | 0 | 10-2 | 14 | ||
| 15 | Nevada Wolf Pack | 640 | 0 | 11-1 | 17 | ||
| 16 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 607 | 0 | 10-3 | 13 | ||
| 17 | Texas A&M | 542 | 0 | 9-3 | 18 | ||
| 18 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 521 | 0 | 9-3 | 19 | ||
| 19 | Utah Utes | 375 | 0 | 10-2 | 21 | ||
| 20 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 345 | 0 | 9-4 | 16 | ||
| 21 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 261 | 0 | 9-3 | 24 | ||
| 21 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 255 | 0 | 8-4 | 22 | ||
| 23 | Florida State Seminoles | 156 | 0 | 9-4 | 20 | ||
| 24 | Central Florida Golden Knights | 143 | 0 | 10-3 | 25 | ||
| 25 | Hawaii Warriors | 98 | 0 | 10-3 | -- | ||
Dropped out: Northern Illinois Huskies
Final 2008-2009 USA Today Coaches Poll Rankings
- Note: Rankings as of January 9, 2009.
| USA Today Coaches Poll Rankings | |||||||
| Rank | School/Team | Total Votes | #1 Votes | Record | Last Week | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida Gators | 1,524 | 60 | 13-1 | #2 | ||
| 2 | USC Trojans | 1,393 | 0 | 12-1 | #5 | ||
| 3 | Texas Longhorns | 1,389 | 0 | 12-1 | #3 | ||
| 4 | Utah Utes | 1,375 | 1 | 13-0 | #7 | ||
| 5 | Oklahoma Sooners | 1,333 | 0 | 12-2 | #1 | ||
| 6 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 1,157 | 0 | 12-2 | #4 | ||
| 7 | TCU Horned Frogs | 1,114 | 0 | 11-2 | #11 | ||
| 8 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 1,091 | 0 | 11-2 | #6 | ||
| 9 | Oregon Ducks | 1,011 | 0 | 10-3 | #13 | ||
| 10 | Georgia Bulldogs | 904 | 0 | 10-3 | #17 | ||
| 11 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 874 | 0 | 10-3 | #10 | ||
| 12 | Texas Tech Red Raiders | 867 | 0 | 11-2 | #8 | ||
| 13 | Boise State Broncos | 809 | 0 | 12-1 | #9 | ||
| 14 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 740 | 0 | 10-4 | #19 | ||
| 15 | Ole Miss Rebels | 620 | 0 | 9-4 | #24 | ||
| 16 | Missouri Tigers | 549 | 0 | 10-4 | #23 | ||
| 17 | Cincinnati Bearcats | 493 | 0 | 11-3 | #12 | ||
| 18 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 480 | 0 | 9-4 | #14 | ||
| 19 | Oregon State Beavers | 407 | 0 | 9-4 | #25 | ||
| 20 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 250 | 0 | 9-4 | -- | ||
| 21 | BYU Cougars | 248 | 0 | 10-3 | #16 | ||
| 22 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 219 | 0 | 9-4 | #15 | ||
| 23 | Florida State Seminoles | 217 | 0 | 9-4 | -- | ||
| 24 | Michigan State Spartans | 179 | 0 | 9-4 | #18 | ||
| 25 | California Golden Bears | 116 | 0 | 9-4 | -- | ||
References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
Weekly poll conducted by the USA Today
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Voted on by 59 college football coaches
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Released each Sunday throughout the college football season
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Used in part to determine the BCS Standings
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Also issued for college basketball rankings
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Coaches are all members of the American Football Coaches Association
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Fact:
Colleges on NCAA probation are not eligible
