The Associated Press National Top 25 college football poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision; it is the second longest-running college football poll in the nation behind only the USA Today Coaches Poll. The AP poll has been conducted since 1936 and published weekly during the season, with ten players on each ballot and twenty-five total players.
-The AP Top 25 College Football Poll
The Associated Press released its top 25 college football poll on Sunday, with some significant changes from last week. Alabama took the number one spot, while Oklahoma State rose to second. Ohio State was third, followed by Clemson and Washington. The Big 12 saw a few changes, with Oklahoma dropping two spots to fifth and Texas Tech moving up one place to sixth. The SEC had four teams in the top 10, led by Alabama and Georgia. Notre Dame rounded out the top 5.
There were a few other big surprises in this week’s poll. UCF made it into the top 25 for the first time, coming in at No. 20. Memphis also made an appearance for the first time, coming in at No. 24. Other newcomers to this week’s poll include Oregon (No. 23), Miami (No. 25) and USF (No. 27).
-Why the AP Poll is so important in college football
The Associated Press Top College Football Poll is the most critical in college football, and for a good reason. It determines who gets to play in the annual CFB Playoff. The AP Poll is compiled by a panel of media members across the country. The team with the highest ranking in the poll at the end of the regular season is crowned national champion.
Several things can happen between now and the end of the season that can impact who ends up being ranked number one. Teams can lose, they can win, they can have close games, and they can make big headlines. But ultimately, it comes down to how well each team performs on Saturdays.
This year’s edition of the AP Poll features Alabama as its top team and Clemson as a second. Ohio State rounds out the top three, while Auburn, Oklahoma, and Miami (FL) are all in positions four through seven, respectively. There are some exciting matchups throughout this Top 25, but nothing more than between Alabama and Clemson. These two teams have met twice already this season, with Alabama winning both times by a comfortable margin, so it will be interesting to see if either of them can change that trend or if Clemson falls apart in their final game of the year against South Carolina, which would give Ohio State a chance at taking home their fourth National Championship since 2013
-Hype surrounding college football
The 2014 season is just around the corner, and college football fans are getting hyped for the big games. There are a lot of great teams this year, and who knows who will be crowned champions at the end of the year. But before any of that happens, one thing needs to happen: The AP Top College Football Poll needs to be released.
This poll is essential to many people, as it determines which teams make it into the BCS bowls. There are some great matchups this year, and whoever wins their respective conference championships will most likely get a bid in one of the BCS bowls. However, even if a team doesn’t win their conference championship and isn’t ranked high enough in the AP Top College Football Poll, they can still go to a BCS bowl if an automatic selection process chooses them.
There is always a lot of hype surrounding college football season, and this poll reflects that nicely. It’s sure to be an exciting few weeks until we finally know who will be crowned champion on December 3rd.
-How the system works and how it affects rankings
The AP Top 25 College Football Poll is compiled by a vote of the sport’s coaches. The poll is released on Tuesdays during the regular season and reflects how the coaching staff perceives teams.
Each week, the AP Top 25 College Football Poll is released with teams ranked in order based on their votes. The first team to be declared the “Top Team” will hold that spot until another group surpasses them.
The system works like this: A team’s ranking equals its voting points (AP Points). Each voter is allocated at least 10 points for each game they have evaluated (1 point for a first-place vote, 9 points for a second-place vote, etc.). The ranking of each team is then determined by adding up the points for all of its games and dividing that total by the number of ballots the player received.
If two or more teams have an equal number of votes, their rankings are determined by their winning percentage against other opponents – i.e., the higher-ranked team beating fewer opponents than lower-ranked teams earns more points. It should be noted that while this system gives bonus points to undefeated teams, it does not penalize losing teams – i.e., a 2-2 team would have twice as many issues as a 1-3 team because it has beaten two more opponents.
To help make sense of these wildly fluctuating rankings, below we
-How the polls have changed over time
The Associated Press college football poll has been released every week since 1936. The poll is compiled from the votes of media members who cover college football.
The poll has always been considered an essential tool for predicting how the season will go. However, over the years, the poll has undergone several changes that have affected how it is used.
One of the most significant changes was made in 1975 when the AP began ranking teams. Previously, the poll was simply a collection of individual player rankings. Now, teams are ranked based on their performance throughout the season. This change created a more accurate prediction of how teams would play in future games.
Another significant change happened in 1989 when computer voting was introduced into the poll. This allowed media members to vote by telephone instead of attending weekly in-person meetings. This change made polling much faster and easier and increased accuracy overall.
However, some controversies have been attached to computer voting and ranking teams. For example, there have been cases where certain schools have had an advantage over others because their players were ranked higher by the computers than other schools’ players.
Overall, these changes have helped make the AP Top College Football Poll one of the most reliable tools for predicting how the season will play out.
-A look at the history of polls in college football
The Top 25 College Football Poll has been released every week since 1936. The AP poll is made up of media members who cover the sport. Only a few schools have had consistent success in the AP poll throughout the years. These schools are Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Michigan.
Alabama has been the top school in the AP poll for 34 years. They have also won seven national championships during this period. Ohio State has also been very successful in the AP poll. They have finished in the top three for 24 out of the last 30 years. Notre Dame has also had a lot of success in the AP poll. They have finished in the top five for 21 out of those 30 years. Michigan has also had a lot of success in the AP poll throughout its history. They have finished in either first or second place for 18 out of those 30 years.
