Poll Methodology
Understanding how college football rankings are determined
Established
1936
Number of Voters
62
Voter Type
Sports writers and broadcastersVoting Method
Rank top 25 teams
Point System
25 points for 1st place vote, 24 for 2nd, etc.
Release Frequency
Weekly during season
Team performance and record
Strength of schedule
Head-to-head results
Quality wins and bad losses
Eye test and momentum
AP Poll
- • Media perspective
- • Most transparent
- • Weekly ballots public
- • Longest running poll
Coaches Poll
- • Insider knowledge
- • Often delegated voting
- • Conference bias potential
- • Final ballots only
CFP Rankings
- • Small committee
- • In-depth discussions
- • Playoff implications
- • Private deliberations
Preseason Bias
Teams ranked highly in preseason tend to stay ranked despite performance
Conference Bias
Certain conferences receive favorable treatment in rankings
Recency Bias
Recent games weighted more heavily than early season performance
Brand Recognition
Traditional powerhouses receive benefit of the doubt
Regional Bias
Voters may favor teams from their geographic region
BCS (Bowl Championship Series)
1998-2013Computer rankings + human polls
Determine national championship game participants
Bowl Alliance
1995-1997Conference champions + at-large selections
Match top teams in major bowls
Bowl Coalition
1992-1994Bowl agreements between conferences
Create #1 vs #2 matchup when possible