List of NCAA college football rankings
The AP Poll and Coaches Poll are the two major polls used annually within the highest level of college football to determine the national championship.[1] Division I FBS football is the only National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sport for which the NCAA does not sanction a yearly championship event. As such, it is sometimes unofficially referred to as a "mythical national championship".[2][3][4][5]
These polling systems began with the introduction of the AP poll in 1936, followed by the Coaches' Poll in 1950.
Currently, two widely recognized national champion selectors are the Associated Press, which conducts a poll of sportswriters, and the Coaches' Poll, a survey of active members of the American Football Coaches Association.
Until the 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.
NCAA Division I and FBS poll seasons (1936–present)
The AP Poll began with the 1936 college football season.[6] The Coaches Poll began with the 1950 college football season and became the second major polling system.[7] In 1978, Division I football was split into two distinct divisions and a second poll was added for the new Division I-AA.[8]
| Poll season | Bowl season | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | 1936–37 bowl season | Minnesota |
| 1937 | 1937–38 bowl season | Pittsburgh |
| 1938 | 1938–39 bowl season | TCU |
| 1939 | 1939–40 bowl season | Texas A&M |
| 1940 | 1940–41 bowl season | Minnesota |
| 1941 | 1941–42 bowl season | Minnesota |
| 1942 | 1942–43 bowl season | Ohio State |
| 1943 | 1943–44 bowl season | Notre Dame |
| 1944 | 1944–45 bowl season | Army |
| 1945 | 1945–46 bowl season | Army |
| 1946 | 1946–47 bowl season | Notre Dame |
| 1947 | 1947–48 bowl season | Notre Dame |
| 1948 | 1948–49 bowl season | Michigan |
| 1949 | 1949–50 bowl season | Notre Dame |
| 1950 | 1950–51 bowl season | Oklahoma |
| 1951 | 1951–52 bowl season | Tennessee |
| 1952 | 1952–53 bowl season | Michigan State |
| 1953 | 1953–54 bowl season | Maryland |
| 1954 | 1954–55 bowl season | Ohio State (AP), UCLA (Coaches) |
| 1955 | 1955–56 bowl season | Oklahoma |
| 1956 | 1956–57 bowl season | Oklahoma |
| 1957 | 1957–58 bowl season | Auburn (AP), Ohio State (Coaches) |
| 1958 | 1958–59 bowl season | LSU |
| 1959 | 1959–60 bowl season | Syracuse |
| 1960 | 1960–61 bowl season | Minnesota |
| 1961 | 1961–62 bowl season | Alabama |
| 1962 | 1962–63 bowl season | USC |
| 1963 | 1963–64 bowl season | Texas |
| 1964 | 1964–65 bowl season | Alabama |
| 1965 | 1965–66 bowl season | Alabama (AP), Michigan State (Coaches) |
| 1966 | 1966–67 bowl season | Notre Dame |
| 1967 | 1967–68 bowl season | USC |
| 1968 | 1968–69 bowl season | Ohio State |
| 1969 | 1969–70 bowl season | Texas |
| 1970 | 1970–71 bowl season | Nebraska (AP), Texas (Coaches) |
| 1971 | 1971–72 bowl season | Nebraska |
| 1972 | 1972–73 bowl season | USC |
| 1973 | 1973–74 bowl season | Notre Dame (AP), Alabama (Coaches) |
| 1974 | 1974–75 bowl season | Oklahoma (AP), USC (Coaches) |
| 1975 | 1975–76 bowl season | Oklahoma |
| 1976 | 1976–77 bowl season | Pittsburgh |
| 1977 | 1977–78 bowl season | Notre Dame |
| 1978 | 1978–79 bowl season | Alabama (AP), USC (Coaches) |
| 1979 | 1979–80 bowl season | Alabama |
| 1980 | 1980–81 bowl season | Georgia |
| 1981 | 1981–82 bowl season | Clemson |
| 1982 | 1982–83 bowl season | Penn State |
| 1983 | 1983–84 bowl season | Miami (FL) |
| 1984 | 1984–85 bowl season | BYU |
| 1985 | 1985–86 bowl season | Oklahoma |
| 1986 | 1986–87 bowl season | Penn State |
| 1987 | 1987–88 bowl season | Miami (FL) |
| 1988 | 1988–89 bowl season | Notre Dame |
| 1989 | 1989–90 bowl season | Miami (FL) |
| 1990 | 1990–91 bowl season | Colorado (AP), Georgia Tech (Coaches) |
| 1991 | 1991–92 bowl season | Miami (FL) (AP), Washington (Coaches) |
| 1992 | 1992–93 bowl season | Alabama |
| 1993 | 1993–94 bowl season | Florida State (AP), Florida State (Coaches) |
| 1994 | 1994–95 bowl season | Nebraska |
| 1995 | 1995–96 bowl season | Nebraska |
| 1996 | 1996–97 bowl season | Florida |
| 1997 | 1997–98 bowl season | Michigan (AP), Nebraska (Coaches) |
| 1998 | 1998–99 bowl season | Tennessee |
| 1999 | 1999–2000 bowl season | Florida State |
| 2000 | 2000–01 bowl season | Oklahoma |
| 2001 | 2001–02 bowl season | Miami (FL) |
| 2002 | 2002–03 bowl season | Ohio State |
| 2003 | 2003–04 bowl season | USC (AP), LSU (Coaches) |
| 2004 | 2004–05 bowl season | USC (vacated) |
| 2005 | 2005–06 bowl season | Texas |
| 2006 | 2006–07 bowl season | Florida |
| 2007 | 2007–08 bowl season | LSU |
| 2008 | 2008–09 bowl season | Florida |
| 2009 | 2009–10 bowl season | Alabama |
| 2010 | 2010–11 bowl season | Auburn |
| 2011 | 2011–12 bowl season | Alabama |
| 2012 | 2012–13 bowl season | Alabama |
| 2013 | 2013–14 bowl season | Florida State |
| 2014 | 2014–15 bowl season | Ohio State |
| 2015 | 2013–14 bowl season | Alabama |
| 2016 | 2014–15 bowl season |
NCAA Division I FCS poll seasons (1978–present)
NCAA Division I football was divided into Division I-A and Division I-AA beginning with the inaugural 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season, initially serving as a voluntary designation and later formalized with specific criteria in 1981.[8] This split allowed independent polling of both divisions in the 1978 season. In 2006, Division I-AA was renamed as Division I FCS.[9]
See also
- College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS
- College football national championships in NCAA Division I FCS
- List of college football teams by weekly appearances atop AP Poll
References
- ↑ http://www.espn.com/college-football/news/story?id=2172597
- ↑ "Syracuse and Cornell Still Top Gridders". The Reading Eagle. Reading, PA. November 12, 1923. p. 12. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ↑ Viehman, Harold H., ed. (1939). The 1939 Owl. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh. p. 276. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ↑ Dodd, Dennis (December 22, 2004). "Subtracting AP poll leaves BCS again scrambling for legitimacy". CBSsports.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ↑ Peterson, Bill (November 5, 2008). "UC Football in the Hunt for a Big East Crown and BCS Bid". Citybeat.com. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ↑ "College Football's Top 25 Dynasties of the AP Era". Athlonsports.com. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- ↑ http://wilson.engr.wisc.edu/rsfc/history/kirlin/champs.html
- 1 2 "aanews.htm". Theappalachianonline.com. 1998-11-05. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- ↑ "NCAA misses the mark in Division I-AA name change". Espn.com. 2006-12-15. Retrieved 2016-09-19.