AP Poll
Encyclopedia
The Associated Press
(AP) College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA
teams in one of three Division I college sports: football
, men's basketball
and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation. Each voter provides his own ranking of the top 25 teams, and the individual rankings are then combined to produce the national ranking by giving a team 25 points for a first place vote, 24 for a second place vote, and so on down to 1 point for a twenty-fifth place vote. Ballots of the voting members in the AP Poll are made public.
Assistant Director of Media Relations) and then continuously from 1936. Due to the long-standing historical ties between individual college football conferences and high-paying bowl games like the Rose Bowl
and Orange Bowl, the NCAA has never held a tournament or championship game to determine the champion of what is now the highest division, NCAA Division I, Football Bowl Subdivision (the Division I, Football Championship Subdivision and lower divisions do hold championship tournaments). As a result, the public and the media began to take the leading vote-getter in the final AP Poll as the national champion for that season.
While the AP Poll currently lists the Top 25 teams in the nation, from 1936 to 1961 the wire service only ranked 20 teams. And from 1962 to 1967 only 10 teams were recognized. From 1968 to 1988, the AP again resumed its Top 20 before expanding to 25 teams in 1989.
At the end of the 1947 season when the AP released an unofficial post-bowl poll which differed from the regular season final poll. Until 1968 college football season, the final AP poll of the season was released following the end of the regular season, with the exception of the 1965 season. In 1964, Alabama
was named the national champion in the final AP Poll following the completion of the regular season, but lost in the Orange Bowl to Texas, leaving Arkansas
as the only undefeated, untied team after the Razorbacks defeated Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl Classic. In 1965, the AP's decision to wait to crown its champion paid handsomely, as top-ranked Michigan State
lost to UCLA in the Rose Bowl, number two Arkansas lost to LSU
in the Cotton Bowl Classic, and fourth-ranked Alabama defeated third-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, vaulting the Crimson Tide to the top of the AP's final poll (Michigan State was named national champion in the final UPI Coaches Poll
, which did not conduct a post-bowl poll).
Beginning in the 1968 season, the post bowl game poll became permanent and the AP championship reflected the bowl game results. The UPI did not follow suit with the coaches' poll until the 1974 season.
In 2007, the AP Top 25 poll witnessed the largest single drop of a ranked team. #5 ranked Michigan
lost to Appalachian State
34–32
on Sept. 4, 2007, dropping 21 spots and out of the Top 25. The Wolverines became the first ranked team from the Football Bowl Subdivision, previously known as Division I-A, to lose to a team from the Football Championship Subdivision, previously known as Division I-AA. As an additional result of this game, the AP poll decided to open up its poll and allow voters to vote for an FCS team in the poll if that team played an FBS team.
Before Michigan's fall, Notre Dame held the record for largest drop in the rankings in the Top 25-era. The Fighting Irish dropped 16 spots, from #9 to #25, after losing to Northwestern 17-15 on Sept. 3, 1995. The highest ranked team to fall from the poll after one loss was #2 Oklahoma in 1959, when the AP was ranking the top 20 teams. Later that season Army went from #4 to unranked. In 1950, Tennessee went from #4 to unranked in October and in 1960 Illinois fell out of the ranking from #4.
As of November 6, 2011, the number one ranked team has faced the number two ranked team 46 times since the inception of the AP Poll in 1936. The number one team is 27-17-2 against the number two team.
(BCS) was developed to try to unify the poll results by picking two teams for a "real" national championship game. For the first several years the AP Poll factored in the determination of the BCS rankings, along with other factors including the Coaches Poll and computer-based polls. Because of a series of controversies surrounding the BCS, the AP demanded in December, 2004, that its poll no longer be used in the BCS rankings, and so the 2004-2005 season was the last season that the AP Poll was used for this purpose.
In the 2003 season the BCS system broke down when the next-to-final BCS poll ranked the University of Southern California
(USC) at #3 while the two human polls in the system had ranked USC at #1. As a result, USC did not play in the BCS' designated national championship game. After defeating another highly ranked team, Michigan
, in its final game, the AP Poll kept USC at #1 while the Coaches Poll was contractually obligated to select the winner of the BCS game, Louisiana State University
(LSU), as the #1 team. The resulting split national title was the very problem that the BCS was created to solve, and has been widely considered an embarrassment.
In 2004, a new controversy erupted at the end of the season when Auburn
and Utah
, who both finished the regular season 12-0, were left out of the BCS title game in favor of Oklahoma who also was 12-0 and had won decisively over Colorado in the Big 12 Championship game. USC went on to a win easily over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl while Auburn and Utah both won their bowl games, leaving three undefeated teams at the end of the season. Also, in that same year, Texas made up late ground on California
(Cal) in the BCS standings and as a result grabbed a high-payout, at-large spot in the Rose Bowl. Previous to that poll, Cal had been ranked ahead of Texas in both human polls and the BCS poll. Going into their final game, the Golden Bears were made aware that while margin of victory did not affect computer rankings, it did affect human polls and just eight voters changing their vote could affect the final standings. Both teams won their game that week, but the Texas coach, Mack Brown
, had made a public effort to lobby for his team to be moved higher in the ranking. When the human polls were released, Texas remained behind Cal, but it had closed the gap enough so that the BCS poll (which determines placement) placed Texas above Cal, angering both Cal and its conference, the Pac-10. The final poll positions had been unchanged with Cal at #4 AP, #4 coaches, and #6 computers polls and Texas at #6 AP, #5 coaches, and #4 computer polls. The AP Poll voters were caught in the middle because their vote changes were automatically made public, while the votes of the Coaches poll were kept confidential. Although there had been a more substantial shift in the votes of the Coaches Poll, the only clear targets for the ire of fanatical fans were the voters in the AP Poll. While officials from both Cal and the Pac-10 called for the coaches' votes to be made public, the overtures were turned down and did little to solve the problem of AP voters. Cal went on to lose to Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl. Texas defeated Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
Many members of the press who voted in the AP Poll were upset by the fiasco and, at the behest of its members, the AP asked that its poll no longer be used in the BCS rankings. The 2004 season was the last season that the AP Poll was used in the BCS rankings, it was replaced in the BCS equation by the newly created Harris Interactive College Football Poll
.
, which has been sponsored by several organizations: the United Press (1950–1957), the United Press International
(1958–1990), USA Today
(1991–present), CNN
(1991–1996), and ESPN
(1997–2005). Having two major polls has led to numerous "split" national titles, where the two polls disagreed on the #1 team. This has occurred on eleven different occasions (1954, 1957, 1965, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1991, 1997, 2003).
.
In Division I men's and women's college basketball, the AP Poll is largely just a tool to compare schools throughout the season and spark debate, as it has no bearing on postseason play. Generally, all top 25 teams in the poll are invited to the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournament, also known as March Madness
. The poll is released every Monday and voters' ballots are made public.
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
(AP) College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
teams in one of three Division I college sports: football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, men's basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation. Each voter provides his own ranking of the top 25 teams, and the individual rankings are then combined to produce the national ranking by giving a team 25 points for a first place vote, 24 for a second place vote, and so on down to 1 point for a twenty-fifth place vote. Ballots of the voting members in the AP Poll are made public.
History
The AP college football poll has a long history. The news media began running their own polls of sports writers to determine who was, by popular opinion, the best football team in the country at the end of the season. One of the earliest such polls was the AP College Football Poll, first run in 1934 (compiled and organized by Charles Woodroof, former SECSoutheastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Assistant Director of Media Relations) and then continuously from 1936. Due to the long-standing historical ties between individual college football conferences and high-paying bowl games like the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
and Orange Bowl, the NCAA has never held a tournament or championship game to determine the champion of what is now the highest division, NCAA Division I, Football Bowl Subdivision (the Division I, Football Championship Subdivision and lower divisions do hold championship tournaments). As a result, the public and the media began to take the leading vote-getter in the final AP Poll as the national champion for that season.
While the AP Poll currently lists the Top 25 teams in the nation, from 1936 to 1961 the wire service only ranked 20 teams. And from 1962 to 1967 only 10 teams were recognized. From 1968 to 1988, the AP again resumed its Top 20 before expanding to 25 teams in 1989.
At the end of the 1947 season when the AP released an unofficial post-bowl poll which differed from the regular season final poll. Until 1968 college football season, the final AP poll of the season was released following the end of the regular season, with the exception of the 1965 season. In 1964, Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
was named the national champion in the final AP Poll following the completion of the regular season, but lost in the Orange Bowl to Texas, leaving Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
as the only undefeated, untied team after the Razorbacks defeated Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl Classic. In 1965, the AP's decision to wait to crown its champion paid handsomely, as top-ranked Michigan State
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
lost to UCLA in the Rose Bowl, number two Arkansas lost to LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in the Cotton Bowl Classic, and fourth-ranked Alabama defeated third-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, vaulting the Crimson Tide to the top of the AP's final poll (Michigan State was named national champion in the final UPI Coaches Poll
Coaches Poll
The USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and Division I college basketball teams....
, which did not conduct a post-bowl poll).
Beginning in the 1968 season, the post bowl game poll became permanent and the AP championship reflected the bowl game results. The UPI did not follow suit with the coaches' poll until the 1974 season.
In 2007, the AP Top 25 poll witnessed the largest single drop of a ranked team. #5 ranked Michigan
2007 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2007 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2007 college football season. This was Lloyd Carr's final season as Michigan head coach. The 2007 season began with a stunning loss to Appalachian State, but the Wolverines won eight straight games after...
lost to Appalachian State
2007 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team
The 2007 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team represented Appalachian State University in the college football season of 2007–2008. The team was coached by Jerry Moore and the Mountaineers played their home games at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina.The football team competes in...
34–32
2007 Appalachian State vs. Michigan football game
The 2007 Appalachian State-Michigan game was a college football game held on September 1 at Michigan Stadium on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It pitted the #5 ranked Michigan Wolverines against the two-time defending champions of the Division I FCS, the...
on Sept. 4, 2007, dropping 21 spots and out of the Top 25. The Wolverines became the first ranked team from the Football Bowl Subdivision, previously known as Division I-A, to lose to a team from the Football Championship Subdivision, previously known as Division I-AA. As an additional result of this game, the AP poll decided to open up its poll and allow voters to vote for an FCS team in the poll if that team played an FBS team.
Before Michigan's fall, Notre Dame held the record for largest drop in the rankings in the Top 25-era. The Fighting Irish dropped 16 spots, from #9 to #25, after losing to Northwestern 17-15 on Sept. 3, 1995. The highest ranked team to fall from the poll after one loss was #2 Oklahoma in 1959, when the AP was ranking the top 20 teams. Later that season Army went from #4 to unranked. In 1950, Tennessee went from #4 to unranked in October and in 1960 Illinois fell out of the ranking from #4.
No. 1 vs. No. 2
| Light blue indicates January bowl game (part of season for preceding calendar year) | |||||
| Year | No. 1 | Result | No. 2 | Site | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Notre Dame 1943 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team The 1943 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1943 college football season. The Irish, coached by Frank Leahy, ended the season with 9 wins and 1 loss, winning the national championship. The 1943 team became the fourth Irish team to win the... |
35-12 | Michigan 1943 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1943 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1943 college football season. The 1943 team compiled a record of 8–1 and was ranked No. 3 in the final Associated Press poll... |
Michigan Stadium Michigan Stadium Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 and had an original capacity of 72,000. Before playing football at the stadium, the Wolverines played on Ferry Field... • Ann Arbor, MI Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010... |
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| 1943 | Notre Dame 1943 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team The 1943 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1943 college football season. The Irish, coached by Frank Leahy, ended the season with 9 wins and 1 loss, winning the national championship. The 1943 team became the fourth Irish team to win the... |
14-13 | Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame Stadium is the home football stadium for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. The stadium is located on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States, just north of the city of South Bend.... • Notre Dame, IN Notre Dame, Indiana Notre Dame is a census-designated place north of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States; it includes the campuses of three colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College. Notre Dame is split between Clay and Portage Townships... |
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| 1944 | Army 1944 Army Cadets football team The 1944 Army Black Knights football team represents the United States Military Academy. Led by head coach Red Blaik, the team finished with a perfect 9-0 season. The Black Knights offense scored 504 points, while the defense allowed 35 points. At the season’s end, the team won the National... |
23-7 | Baltimore Stadium • Baltimore, MD Baltimore Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore... |
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| 1945 | Army 1945 Army Cadets football team The 1945 Army Black Knights football team represents the United States Military Academy. Led by head coach Red Blaik, the team finished with a perfect 9-0 season. The Black Knights offense scored 412 points, while the defense allowed 46 points... |
48-0 | Yankee Stadium • New York, NY New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... |
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| 1945 | 13-32 | Army 1945 Army Cadets football team The 1945 Army Black Knights football team represents the United States Military Academy. Led by head coach Red Blaik, the team finished with a perfect 9-0 season. The Black Knights offense scored 412 points, while the defense allowed 46 points... |
Philadelphia Municipal Stadium • Philadelphia, PA | ||
| 1946 | Army 1946 Army Cadets football team The 1946 Army Black Knights football team represents the United States Military Academy. Led by head coach Red Blaik, the team finished with an undefeated 9-0-1 season. The Black Knights offense scored 263 points, while the defense allowed 80 points. At season’s end, the team ranked second in the... |
0-0 1946 Army vs. Notre Dame football game The 1946 Army vs. Notre Dame football game was a regular season college football game played on November 9, 1946. Army , then ranked Number 1 in the Associated Press college football poll, played the University of Notre Dame, of South Bend, Indiana, ranked Number 2, at Yankee Stadium in New York City... |
Notre Dame 1946 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team The 1946 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1946 college football season. The Irish, coached by Frank Leahy, ended the season with 8 wins and 1 tie, winning the national championship. The 1946 team became the fifth Irish team to win the... |
Yankee Stadium • New York, NY | |
| 1963 | USC | 42-37 1963 Rose Bowl The 1963 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1963 at the end of the 1962 college football season. It was the 49th Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans defeated the Wisconsin Badgers, 42–37... |
Wisconsin 1962 Wisconsin Badgers football team The 1962 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin in the 1962 college football season, and in the 1963 Rose Bowl as the champions of the Big Ten Conference.-Season:... |
Rose Bowl Stadium • Pasadena, CA Pasadena, California Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet... |
Rose Bowl |
| 1963 | 7-28 Red River Rivalry The Red River Rivalry, commonly known as the OU-Texas Game or Texas-OU Game, is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Oklahoma Sooners football team of the University of Oklahoma and the Texas Longhorns football team of the University of Texas. The series is considered... |
Texas 1963 Texas Longhorns football team The 1963 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1963 college football season. The Longhorns won their first national championship... |
Cotton Bowl Cotton Bowl (stadium) The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1929 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as Fair Park Stadium, it is located in Fair Park,... • Dallas, TX |
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| 1964 | Texas 1963 Texas Longhorns football team The 1963 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1963 college football season. The Longhorns won their first national championship... |
28-6 | Navy 1963 Navy Midshipmen football team The 1963 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy in the 1963 college football season.-Season:Quarterback Roger Staubach won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award while leading the Midshipmen to a 9-1 regular season record and a final ranking of #2 in the nation.... |
Cotton Bowl • Dallas, TX | Cotton Bowl Classic |
| 1966 | Notre Dame 1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team The 1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1966 college football season. The Irish, coached by Ara Parseghian, ended the season undefeated with 9 wins and one tie, winning the national championship... |
10-10 | Michigan State 1966 Michigan State Spartans football team The 1966 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 1966 college football season.-Regular season:The 1966 Michigan State Spartans football vs. Notre Dame football game remains one of the greatest, and most controversial, games in college football history... |
Spartan Stadium Spartan Stadium (East Lansing) Spartan Stadium opened in 1923 in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Michigan State University Spartans... • East Lansing, MI |
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| 1968 | 37-22 Shillelagh Trophy The Shillelagh Trophy is a trophy exchanged between Notre Dame and Purdue, being held by the winner of the annual football game. The two in-state rivals first played each other in 1896 and the game has occurred annually since 1946. The trophy, first presented in 1957, is a club donated by Joe... |
Notre Dame | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | ||
| 1969 | Ohio State 1968 Ohio State Buckeyes football team The 1968 Ohio State Buckeyes football team is considered one of the strongest in OSU history, fielding 11 All-Americans and six first-round NFL draft picks... |
27-16 1969 Rose Bowl The 1969 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1969. It was the 55th Rose Bowl Game. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the USC Trojans, 27–16. Rex Kern, the Ohio State quarterback, was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game.... |
USC | Rose Bowl Stadium • Pasadena, CA | Rose Bowl |
| 1969 | Texas 1969 Texas Longhorns football team The 1969 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1969 college football season. The Longhorns won all of their games to finish 11-0 and win their second consensus National Championship in school history... |
15-14 1969 Texas vs. Arkansas football game The 1969 Texas vs. Arkansas football game, dubbed The Big Shootout and sometimes referred to as the "Game of The Century", was a legendary college football game on December 6, 1969 in which the top-ranked Texas Longhorns visited the second-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks at Razorback Stadium in... |
Arkansas | Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks... |
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| 1971 | Nebraska 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team The 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska in the 1971 college football season. Nebraska was coached by Bob Devaney and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln... |
35-31 1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game On Thursday, November 25, 1971, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, defending national champions, ranked #1 with a 20-game winning streak played the Oklahoma Sooners, ranked #2. The Cornhuskers defeated the Sooners 35–31.-Background:... |
Oklahoma 1971 Oklahoma Sooners football team The 1971 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football 1971 NCAA University Division season. Oklahoma Sooners football participated in the former Big Eight Conference at that time and played its home games in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium... |
Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK Norman, Oklahoma Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the... |
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| 1972 | Nebraska 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team The 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska in the 1971 college football season. Nebraska was coached by Bob Devaney and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln... |
38-6 1972 Orange Bowl The 1972 Orange Bowl was played on January 1, 1972, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. In the final game of the 1971 college football season, top-ranked and defending national champion Nebraska soundly defeated the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide, 38–6.... |
Alabama | Miami Orange Bowl Miami Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team... • Miami, FL |
Orange Bowl |
| 1979 | Penn State | 7-14 1979 Sugar Bowl The 1979 Sugar Bowl was the 45th edition of the Sugar Bowl, which was played on January 1, 1979 in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Louisiana Superdome. The matchup featured the #1–ranked, 11–0 Penn State Nittany Lions and the #2–ranked, 10–1 Alabama Crimson Tide... |
Alabama | Louisiana Superdome Louisiana Superdome The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA... • New Orleans, LA |
Sugar Bowl |
| 1981 | USC | 28-24 | Los Angeles Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... |
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| 1983 | Georgia | 23-27 1983 Sugar Bowl The 1983 Sugar Bowl was the 49th edition to the annual game. It featured the second-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions, and the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Penn State won 27-23, to win the national championship, and finish number 1 in the polls.... |
Penn State | Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, LA | Sugar Bowl |
| 1985 | Iowa 1985 Iowa Hawkeyes football team The 1985 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the 1985 college football season.-Season:Chuck Long declared that he would return for his senior season. He became an instant Heisman Trophy candidate, and Iowa was a preseason top five team... |
12-10 | Michigan 1985 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1985 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1985 college football season. The team's head coach was Bo Schembechler... |
Kinnick Stadium Kinnick Stadium Kinnick Stadium, formerly known as Iowa Stadium, and known in the area simply as Kinnick, is a stadium located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the home stadium of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, in the sport of college football... • Iowa City, IA Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa... |
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| 1986 | Oklahoma 1986 Oklahoma Sooners football team The 1986 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season.-Schedule:-Team players in the NFL:... |
16-28 | Miami | Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, FL | |
| 1987 | Miami | 10-14 1987 Fiesta Bowl The 1987 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game sponsored by Sunkist. It was part of the bowl season of the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. The game was the 16th edition of the Fiesta Bowl, played annually since 1971. The 1987 game was played on January 2, 1987, at the Sun... |
Penn State | Sun Devil Stadium Sun Devil Stadium Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium, located on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The stadium's current seating capacity is 71,706 and the playing surface is natural grass... • Tempe, AZ Tempe, Arizona Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale... |
Fiesta Bowl |
| 1987 | Oklahoma 1987 Oklahoma Sooners football team The 1987 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football 1987 NCAA Division I-A season. Oklahoma Sooners football participated in the former Big Eight Conference at that time and played its home games in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium where... |
17-7 | Nebraska 1987 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team The 1987 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:... |
Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE Lincoln, Nebraska The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379.... |
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| 1988 | Oklahoma 1987 Oklahoma Sooners football team The 1987 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football 1987 NCAA Division I-A season. Oklahoma Sooners football participated in the former Big Eight Conference at that time and played its home games in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium where... |
14-20 1988 Orange Bowl The 1988 Orange Bowl was a postseason American college football bowl game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Oklahoma Sooners. It was the 54th edition of the Orange Bowl and took place at the Orange Bowl stadium in Miami, Florida on January 1, 1988. Miami was coached by Jimmy Johnson and Oklahoma... |
Miami 1987 Miami Hurricanes football team The 1987 Miami Hurricanes were the national champions of the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. The national championship was the second of five won by the University of Miami in football.-Pre-Season:... |
Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, FL | Orange Bowl |
| 1988 | Notre Dame 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team The 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1988 college football season. The Irish, coached by Lou Holtz, ended the season with 12 wins and no losses, winning the national championship... |
27-10 | USC | Los Angeles Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA | |
| 1989 | Notre Dame | 24-19 | Michigan | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | |
| 1991 | Florida State 1991 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1991 Florida State Seminoles football team finished the 1991 college football season ranked #4 in both polls. They started the season ranked #1, but were dropped in the rankings after Wide Right I. The Seminoles offense scored 449 points while the defense allowed 188 points... |
16-17 | Miami 1991 Miami Hurricanes football team The 1991 Miami Hurricanes were the national champions of the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season, as determined by the AP Poll. 1991 was a split championship year, though, as the Washington Huskies finished #1 in the Coaches' Poll... |
Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by... |
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| 1993 | Miami 1992 Miami Hurricanes football team The 1992 Miami Hurricanes represented the University of Miami in the 1992 NCAA College Football season.-Schedule:-Awards and honors:*Gino Torretta, Davey O'Brien Award*Gino Torretta, Heisman Trophy *Gino Torretta, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award... |
13-34 1993 Sugar Bowl The 1993 Sugar Bowl took place on January 1, 1993, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. It served as the final game and the National Championship of the 1992–93 college football season. The game featured two unbeaten teams in the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Miami Hurricanes... |
Alabama 1992 Alabama Crimson Tide football team The 1992 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1992 college football season. This was the team's third season under head coach Gene Stallings. They played their home games at both Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Legion Field in Birmingham,... |
Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, LA | Sugar Bowl |
| 1993 | Florida State 1993 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1993 Florida State Seminoles football team was the national champion of the 1993 college football season. The team finished with a 12-1 record.-Regular season:... |
24-31 1993 Florida State vs. Notre Dame football game The 1993 Florida State vs. Notre Dame Game was a regular season college football game between the unbeaten Florida State Seminoles , and the unbeaten Notre Dame Fighting Irish . The game took place at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana on the campus of the University of Notre Dame... |
Notre Dame | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | |
| 1994 | Florida State 1993 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1993 Florida State Seminoles football team was the national champion of the 1993 college football season. The team finished with a 12-1 record.-Regular season:... |
18-16 1994 Orange Bowl The 1994 Orange Bowl a 1993–1994 college football bowl game was played on January 1, 1994, for the national championship. This 60th edition to the Orange Bowl featured the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the Florida State Seminoles. Florida State came into the game 11-1, and ranked first in the nation.... |
Nebraska 1993 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team The 1993 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:... |
Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, FL | Orange Bowl |
| 1996 | Nebraska 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team The 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1995 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska... |
62-24 1996 Fiesta Bowl The 1996 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game in which the Nebraska Cornhuskers won the national championship for the 1995 college football season by defeating the Florida Gators, 62-24. Played on January 2, 1996, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, the game... |
|Florida | Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ | Fiesta Bowl |
| 1996 | Florida 1996 Florida Gators football team The 1996 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. This was the team's seventh season under head coach Steve Spurrier... |
21-24 | Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL | ||
| 1999 | Tennessee 1998 Tennessee Volunteers football team The 1998 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Tennessee entered the 1998 season coming off an 11–2 record in 1997... |
23-16 1999 Fiesta Bowl The 1999 Fiesta Bowl, the designated BCS National Championship Game for the 1998 season, was played on January 4, 1999, in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The teams were the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida State Seminoles... |
Florida State 1998 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1998 Florida State Seminoles football team represented the Florida State University in the college football season of 1998. The team was coached by Bobby Bowden and played their home games in Doak Campbell Stadium.-Schedule:... |
Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ | Fiesta Bowl |
| 2000 | Florida State 1999 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1999 Florida State Seminoles football team was the national champion of the 1999 college football season. The team finished with a perfect 12-0 record, and was the first in NCAA history to go "wire-to-wire," being ranked continuously as the nation's #1 team from the preseason through the bowl... |
46-29 2000 Sugar Bowl The 2000 Sugar Bowl was the designated Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game for the United States 1999 college football season and was played on January 4, 2000, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana... |
Virginia Tech 1999 Virginia Tech Hokies football team -Regular season:Michael Vick led the Hokies to an 11–1 season and to the Bowl Championship Series national title game in the 2000 Nokia Sugar Bowl against Florida State. Although Virginia Tech lost 46–29, Vick was able to bring the team back from a 21 point deficit to take a 29-28 lead into the... |
Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, LA | Sugar Bowl |
| 2003 | Miami 2002 Miami Hurricanes football team The 2002 Miami Hurricanes football team sought to defend the school's 1-A national championship. They were coached by second year head coach Larry Coker, and competed in the Big East Conference- Pre Season :... |
24-312OT 2003 Fiesta Bowl The 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl took place on January 3,2003 in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 31–24 in double overtime. It also served as the BCS National Championship Game for the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season... |
Ohio State 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team The 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was the national champion of the 2002 college football season. The team was the first in Division I-A history to finish its season at 14–0, and the second to win 14 games, following BYU's 14–1 season in 1996... |
Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ | Fiesta Bowl |
| 2005 | USC 2004 USC Trojans football team The 2004 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2004-2005 NCAA Division I-A college football season. Although now vacated for breaking NCAA rules, the team won the 2004 BCS National Championship by winning the 2005 Orange Bowl, that year's BCS National... |
55-19 2005 Orange Bowl The 2005 Orange Bowl represented the BCS National Championship Game of the 2004 season and was played on January 4, 2005 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.... |
Oklahoma | Pro Player Stadium • Miami Gardens, FL Miami Gardens, Florida Miami Gardens is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name comes from one of the major roadways through the area, Miami Gardens Drive. According to the 2010 U.S... |
Orange Bowl |
| 2006 | USC 2005 USC Trojans football team The 2005 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the college football season of 2005–2006, winning the Pacific-10 Conference , and playing for the NCAA Division I-A national championship... |
38-41 2006 Rose Bowl The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series... |
Texas | Rose Bowl Stadium • Pasadena, CA | Rose Bowl |
| 2006 | Ohio State 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team The 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team representing the Ohio State University in the college football season of 2006-2007. The team's head coach was Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes played their home games in Ohio Stadium... |
24-7 | Texas | Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in... |
|
| 2006 | Ohio State 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team The 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team representing the Ohio State University in the college football season of 2006-2007. The team's head coach was Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes played their home games in Ohio Stadium... |
42-39 | Michigan 2006 Michigan Wolverines football team The 2006 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2006 college football season. The team's head football coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines came into the season with lower expectations than many Michigan teams of the previous few seasons, ranked #14... |
Ohio Stadium Ohio Stadium Ohio Stadium is the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is located on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The stadium was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service on March 22, 1974... • Columbus, OH Columbus, Ohio Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city... |
|
| 2007 | Ohio State 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team The 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team representing the Ohio State University in the college football season of 2006-2007. The team's head coach was Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes played their home games in Ohio Stadium... |
14-41 2007 BCS National Championship Game The 2007 BCS National Championship Game, sponsored by Tostitos, was an American football game played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on January 8, 2007. The BCS No. 2 Florida Gators defeated the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, 41–14. The Buckeyes secured a spot by finishing... |
Florida 2006 Florida Gators football team The 2006 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2006 college football season... |
University of Phoenix Stadium University of Phoenix Stadium University of Phoenix Stadium, opened August 1, 2006, is a multipurpose football stadium located in Glendale, Arizona. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League and the annual Fiesta Bowl... • Glendale, AZ Glendale, Arizona Glendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721.... |
BCS National Championship Game |
| 2008 | Ohio State 2007 Ohio State Buckeyes football team The 2007 Ohio State Buckeyes football team competed in football on behalf of the Ohio State University during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes were coached by Jim Tressel and played their home games in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio... |
24-38 2008 BCS National Championship Game The 2008 Allstate BCS National Championship Game was played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Monday, January 7, 2008, and featured the #1 and #2 college football teams in the United States as determined by the BCS Poll to decide the BCS National Championship for the 2007... |
LSU 2007 LSU Tigers football team The 2007 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University during the college football season of 2007–2008, winning the Southeastern Conference championship and the national championship. The team's Head Coach was Les Miles who entered his third year at the helm of LSU Football... |
Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans | BCS National Championship Game |
| 2008 | Alabama 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team The 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 76th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 17th within the SEC Western Division... |
20-31 2008 SEC Championship Game The 2008 Dr Pepper SEC Championship Game was played on December 6, 2008 in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia to determine the 2008 football champion of the Southeastern Conference . The game featured the Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Gators were classified as the home team... |
Florida 2008 Florida Gators football team The 2008 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2008 college football season... |
Georgia Dome Georgia Dome The Georgia Dome is a domed stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west. It is primarily the home stadium for the NFL Atlanta Falcons and the NCAA Division I FCS Georgia State Panthers football team. It is owned and operated by the... • Atlanta, GA |
SEC Championship Game |
| 2009 | Florida 2008 Florida Gators football team The 2008 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2008 college football season... |
24-14 2009 BCS National Championship Game The 2009 BCS National Championship Game, sponsored by FedEx, was an American football game played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on January 8, 2009. It was the national championship game for the 2008 college football season, and featured the second-ranked Florida Gators against the... |
Oklahoma 2008 Oklahoma Sooners football team The 2008 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2008-2009. It was the 114th year of season play for the Sooners. The team was led by head coach Bob Stoops, a two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year award winner, who has a contract... |
Sun Life Stadium • Miami Gardens, FL | BCS National Championship Game |
| 2009 | Florida 2009 Florida Gators football team The 2009 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2009 college football season... |
13-32 2009 SEC Championship Game The 2009 SEC Championship Game was played on December 5, 2009, in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, to determine the 2009 football champion of the Southeastern Conference . The game featured the Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Crimson Tide was the designated "home team"; this... |
Alabama 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide football team The 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 77th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 18th within the SEC Western Division... |
Georgia Dome • Atlanta, GA | SEC Championship Game |
| 2010 | Alabama 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide football team The 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 77th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 18th within the SEC Western Division... |
37-21 2010 BCS National Championship Game The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game was the finale of the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was played between the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide. It was hosted by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California,... |
Texas | Rose Bowl Stadium • Pasadena, CA | BCS National Championship Game |
| 2011 | Auburn 2010 Auburn Tigers football team The 2010 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2010–2011 college football season. The Tigers, led by second year head coach Gene Chizik were members of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference and played their home games at Jordan-Hare Stadium... |
22-19 2011 BCS National Championship Game The 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was the final college football game to determine the national champion of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision season. The finale of the 2010-2011 Bowl Championship Series was played at the University of Phoenix Stadium, the host... |
Oregon 2010 Oregon Ducks football team The 2010 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon in the 2010 college football season. The team was led by Chip Kelly in his second season as a head coach. The Ducks played their home games at Autzen Stadium for the 44th straight year.... |
Unversity of Phoenix Stadium • Glendale, AZ | BCS National Championship Game |
| 2011 | LSU 2011 LSU Tigers football team The 2011 LSU Tigers football team represents Louisiana State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers are led by seventh year head coach Les Miles and play their home games at Tiger Stadium... |
9-6OT 2011 LSU vs. Alabama football game The 2011 LSU vs. Alabama football game was a regular season college football game between the unbeaten LSU Tigers , and the unbeaten Alabama Crimson Tide on November 5, 2011. The game took place at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on the campus of the University of Alabama... |
Alabama 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team The 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represents the University of Alabama in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It marks the Crimson Tide's 119th overall season, 79th as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 20th within the SEC Western Division... |
Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010... |
AP Poll inclusion in the BCS
In 1997, the Bowl Championship SeriesBowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
(BCS) was developed to try to unify the poll results by picking two teams for a "real" national championship game. For the first several years the AP Poll factored in the determination of the BCS rankings, along with other factors including the Coaches Poll and computer-based polls. Because of a series of controversies surrounding the BCS, the AP demanded in December, 2004, that its poll no longer be used in the BCS rankings, and so the 2004-2005 season was the last season that the AP Poll was used for this purpose.
In the 2003 season the BCS system broke down when the next-to-final BCS poll ranked the University of Southern California
2003 USC Trojans football team
The 2003 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2003-2004 NCAA Division I-A college football season...
(USC) at #3 while the two human polls in the system had ranked USC at #1. As a result, USC did not play in the BCS' designated national championship game. After defeating another highly ranked team, Michigan
2003 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2003 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2003 college football season. The team's head coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium. The team won the first of its back to back Big Ten Championships...
, in its final game, the AP Poll kept USC at #1 while the Coaches Poll was contractually obligated to select the winner of the BCS game, Louisiana State University
2003 LSU Tigers football team
The 2003 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2003–2004. Coached by Nick Saban, the Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After a bit of controversy, LSU won the BCS National Championship, the first...
(LSU), as the #1 team. The resulting split national title was the very problem that the BCS was created to solve, and has been widely considered an embarrassment.
In 2004, a new controversy erupted at the end of the season when Auburn
2004 Auburn Tigers football team
The 2004 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. Auburn compiled a record of 13–0, winning the Southeastern Conference championship and finishing the season ranked #2 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll...
and Utah
2004 Utah Utes football team
The 2004 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2004–2005. This team was the original 'BCS Buster', meaning, this was the first time that a team from a non-BCS conference was invited to play in one of the BCS bowl games. The team, coached by 2nd...
, who both finished the regular season 12-0, were left out of the BCS title game in favor of Oklahoma who also was 12-0 and had won decisively over Colorado in the Big 12 Championship game. USC went on to a win easily over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl while Auburn and Utah both won their bowl games, leaving three undefeated teams at the end of the season. Also, in that same year, Texas made up late ground on California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
(Cal) in the BCS standings and as a result grabbed a high-payout, at-large spot in the Rose Bowl. Previous to that poll, Cal had been ranked ahead of Texas in both human polls and the BCS poll. Going into their final game, the Golden Bears were made aware that while margin of victory did not affect computer rankings, it did affect human polls and just eight voters changing their vote could affect the final standings. Both teams won their game that week, but the Texas coach, Mack Brown
Mack Brown
William Mack Brown is head coach of The University of Texas at Austin Longhorn football team.Prior to his head coach position at Texas, Brown was head coach at Appalachian State, Tulane, and North Carolina. Brown is credited with revitalizing the Texas and North Carolina football programs...
, had made a public effort to lobby for his team to be moved higher in the ranking. When the human polls were released, Texas remained behind Cal, but it had closed the gap enough so that the BCS poll (which determines placement) placed Texas above Cal, angering both Cal and its conference, the Pac-10. The final poll positions had been unchanged with Cal at #4 AP, #4 coaches, and #6 computers polls and Texas at #6 AP, #5 coaches, and #4 computer polls. The AP Poll voters were caught in the middle because their vote changes were automatically made public, while the votes of the Coaches poll were kept confidential. Although there had been a more substantial shift in the votes of the Coaches Poll, the only clear targets for the ire of fanatical fans were the voters in the AP Poll. While officials from both Cal and the Pac-10 called for the coaches' votes to be made public, the overtures were turned down and did little to solve the problem of AP voters. Cal went on to lose to Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl. Texas defeated Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
Many members of the press who voted in the AP Poll were upset by the fiasco and, at the behest of its members, the AP asked that its poll no longer be used in the BCS rankings. The 2004 season was the last season that the AP Poll was used in the BCS rankings, it was replaced in the BCS equation by the newly created Harris Interactive College Football Poll
Harris Interactive College Football Poll
The Harris Interactive College Football Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football teams. The rankings are compiled by Harris Interactive, a market research company that specializes in Internet research....
.
Other media football polls
The AP Poll is not the only college football poll. The other major poll is the Coaches PollCoaches Poll
The USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and Division I college basketball teams....
, which has been sponsored by several organizations: the United Press (1950–1957), the United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
(1958–1990), USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
(1991–present), CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
(1991–1996), and ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
(1997–2005). Having two major polls has led to numerous "split" national titles, where the two polls disagreed on the #1 team. This has occurred on eleven different occasions (1954, 1957, 1965, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1991, 1997, 2003).
College basketball
The AP began compiling a ranking of the top 20 college men's basketball teams during the 1948-1949 season. It has issued this poll continuously since the 1950-1951 season. The women's basketball poll began during the 1976-1977 season, and was initially published by The Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
.
In Division I men's and women's college basketball, the AP Poll is largely just a tool to compare schools throughout the season and spark debate, as it has no bearing on postseason play. Generally, all top 25 teams in the poll are invited to the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournament, also known as March Madness
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
. The poll is released every Monday and voters' ballots are made public.
See also
- 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings2011 NCAA Division I FBS football rankingsThree human polls and one formula ranking make up the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings, in addition to various publications' preseason polls. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship title. That title is bestowed by one or...
- Bowl Championship SeriesBowl Championship SeriesThe Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
- Coaches' Poll
- College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS
- Dickinson SystemDickinson SystemThe Dickinson System was a mathematical point formula that awarded national championships in college football. Devised by University of Illinois economics professor Frank G...
- Game of the Century (college football)Game of the Century (college football)The phrase "Game of the Century" is a superlative that has been applied to several college football contests played in the 20th century, the first full century of college football in the United States...
- Grantland Rice AwardGrantland Rice AwardThe Grantland Rice Trophy is an annual award presented in the United States since 1954 to the college football team adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America to be "national champion". Named for the legendary sportswriter, Grantland Rice, the trophy was the first national...
- Harris Interactive College Football PollHarris Interactive College Football PollThe Harris Interactive College Football Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football teams. The rankings are compiled by Harris Interactive, a market research company that specializes in Internet research....
- Mythical national championshipMythical National ChampionshipA mythical national championship is a colloquial term used to question the validity of national championship recognition that is not explicitly competitive...
- NAIA Coach's Poll
External links
- The Associated Press Top 25 College Football Poll at Sports IllustratedSports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
- The Associated Press Top 25 Men's College Basketball Poll at Sports IllustratedSports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
- Archive of all AP weekly polls for football and men's/women's basketball
- List of all Final AP football Poll results and champions
- Archive of all weekly AP ballots since 2007
- AP Football Poll voters
- AP Men's Basketball Poll voters
- AP Women's Basketball Poll voters