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College football rankings, explained: How the AP Top 25 poll works

A look at how the AP Top 25 college football rankings are made
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College football rankings are always a matter of intense debate, and a lot of disagreement. How can they not be? A team's place in the AP Top 25 poll, and certainly the College Football Playoff rankings, is crucial to judging the success or failure of a season.

Since 1936, the AP poll has been key in deciding which teams are in the race for the national championship. Then in 1998, the BCS computer model supplanted it as the most important metric. And then in 2014, the College Football Playoff system replaced that, introducing an on-field semifinal format.

But that doesn't mean the AP poll has been relegated to the museums just yet. It's still vital in setting the tone for the argument over much of the season, and helps directly influence the CFP rankings, too.

How is the AP Top 25 poll created? Let's take a look at how the process works.

College football rankings explained: How the AP Top 25 poll is made

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Beginning in late August with the annual preseason poll, the AP ranks the 25 best teams in college football every week during the season. It also releases a poll after the bowl season and College Football Playoff.

More than 60 sports writers and broadcasters across the country cast their votes individually. The AP selects the voters by virtue of their experience covering the sport.

Voters first create a list of what they consider the 25 best teams in the country. From there, they assign each team a number of points, awarding the best team the most number of points, which is 25. They give the second-lowest number to the second-best team, the third-lowest to the third-best team, etc.

  • No. 1 team: 25 points
  • No. 2 team: 24
  • No. 3 team: 23
  • No. 4 team: 22
  • No. 5 team: 21
  • No. 6 team: 20
  • No. 7 team: 19
  • No. 8 team: 18
  • No. 9 team: 17
  • No. 10 team: 16
  • No. 11 team: 15
  • No. 12 team: 14
  • No. 13 team: 13
  • No. 14 team: 12
  • No. 15 team: 11
  • No. 16 team: 10
  • No. 17 team: 9
  • No. 18 team: 8
  • No. 19 team: 7
  • No. 20 team: 6
  • No. 21 team: 5
  • No. 22 team: 4
  • No. 23 team: 3
  • No. 24 team: 2
  • No. 25 team: 1

The AP then combines the numerical value of each voter's poll and ranks the teams by number of points in descending order to create the final rankings.

AP Top 25 poll history

Army emerged as a national championship dynasty during the 1940s.

The AP first unveiled a college football poll back in 1934, but the following season resulted in a three-way tie for the national championship.

That inspired the organization to create a new poll consisting of sports editors, and that's the poll we've seen released every week since 1936.

From 1936 to 1960, the AP ranked 20 teams each week, and from 1961 to 1967 it ranked just the Top 10. It went back to 20 teams for the next 20 years, and expanded to the Top 25 starting in 1989.

Minnesota topped the first-ever AP poll in 1936, followed by No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Army, and No. 4 Northwestern. 

The 7-1 Gophers finished that season as national champions at No. 1 while LSU ranked No. 2, Pittsburgh at No. 3, and Alabama at No. 4.

The AP revealed the first-ever preseason Top 25 rankings ahead of the 1950 NCAA season. Notre Dame led that poll, followed by No. 2 Army, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Tennessee, and No. 5 Texas. Oklahoma, ranked No. 6 that preseason, won the national championship.

Every No. 1 vs. No. 2 game

Notre Dame and Michigan State squared off in a 1 vs. 2 matchup in 1966, one of college football's historic statement games.

So far, we've seen 52 matchups between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams on the same field. The No. 1 team owns a 29-21-2 record in those contests.

Here's a list of every game in college football history involving the top-ranked and second-ranked team in the AP poll on the same field.

1940s

1945 army football

1943
No. 1 Notre Dame at No. 2 Michigan
Michigan Stadium | Ann Arbor, Mich.
Notre Dame won, 35-12

1943
No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Iowa Pre-Flight
Notre Dame Stadium | Notre Dame, Ind.
Notre Dame won, 14-13

1944
No. 1 Army vs. No. 2 Navy
Municipal Stadium | Baltimore, Md.
Army won, 23-7

1945
No. 1 Army vs. No. 2 Notre Dame
Yankee Stadium | Bronx, NY
Army won, 48-0

1945
No. 1 Army vs. No. 2 Navy
Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, Pa.
Army won, 32-13

1946
No. 1 Army vs. No. 2 Notre Dame
Yankee Stadium | Bronx, NY
Tie, 0-0

1960s

Purdue Boilermakers quarterback and future 2-time Super Bowl champion Bob Griese during a college football game.

1962
No. 1 USC vs. No. 2 Wisconsin
Rose Bowl | Pasadena, Calif.
1963 Rose Bowl Game
USC won, 42-37

1963
No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 2 Texas
Cotton Bowl | Dallas, Tex.
Texas won, 28-7

1963
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 2 Navy
Cotton Bowl | Dallas, Tex.
1964 Cotton Bowl Classic
Texas won, 28-6

1966
No. 1 Notre Dame at No. 2 Michigan State
Spartan Stadium | East Lansing, Mich.
Tie, 10-10

1968
No. 1 Purdue at No. 2 Notre Dame
Notre Dame Stadium | Notre Dame, Ind.
Purdue won, 37-22

1968
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 USC
Rose Bowl | Pasadena, Calif.
1969 Rose Bowl Game
Ohio State won, 27-16

1969
No. 1 Texas at No. 2 Arkansas
Razorback Stadium | Fayetteville, Ark.
Texas won, 15-14

1970s

Nebraska won two college football national championships in the early 1970s.

1971
No. 1 Nebraska at No. 2 Oklahoma
Memorial Stadium | Norman, Okla.
Nebraska won, 35-31

1971
No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 2 Alabama
Orange Bowl | Miami, Fla.
1972 Orange Bowl
Nebraska won, 38-6

1978
No. 1 Penn State vs. No. 2 Alabama
Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans, La.
1979 Sugar Bowl
Alabama won, 14-7

1980s

Herschel Walker of Georgia, one of the top overall players in college football history at any position.

1981
No. 1 USC vs. No. 2 Oklahoma
Memorial Coliseum | Los Angeles, Calif.
USC won, 28-24

1982
No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 2 Penn State
Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans, La.
1983 Sugar Bowl
Penn State won, 27-23

1985
No. 1 Iowa vs. No. 2 Michigan
Kinnick Stadium | Iowa City, Ia.
Iowa won, 12-10

1986
No. 1 Oklahoma at No. 2 Miami
Orange Bowl | Miami, Fla.
Miami won, 28-16

1986
No. 1 Miami vs. No. 2 Penn State
Sun Devil Stadium | Tempe, Ariz.
1987 Fiesta Bowl
Penn State won, 14-10

1987
No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 2 Miami
Orange Bowl | Miami, Fla.
1988 Orange Bowl
Miami won, 20-14

1988
No. 1 Notre Dame at No. 2 USC
Memorial Coliseum | Los Angeles, Calif.
Notre Dame won, 27-10

1989
No. 1 Notre Dame at No. 2 Michigan
Michigan Stadium | Ann Arbor, Mich.
Notre Dame won, 24-19

1990s

Nebraska had a share in three college football national championships during the 1990s under Tom Osborne.

1991
No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 2 Miami
Doak Campbell Stadium | Tallahassee, Fla.
Miami won, 17-16

1992
No. 1 Miami vs. No. 2 Alabama
Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans, La.
1993 Sugar Bowl
Alabama won, 34-13

1993
No. 1 Florida State at No. 2 Notre Dame
Notre Dame Stadium | Notre Dame, Ind.
Notre Dame won, 31-24

1993
No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 2 Nebraska
Orange Bowl | Miami, Fla.
1994 Orange Bowl
Florida State won, 18-16

1995
No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 2 Florida
Sun Devil Stadium | Tempe, Ariz.
1996 Fiesta Bowl
Nebraska won, 62-24

1996
No. 1 Florida at No. 2 Florida State
Doak Campbell Stadium | Tallahassee, Fla.
Florida State won, 24-21

1998
No. 1 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Florida State
Sun Devil Stadium | Tempe, Ariz.
1999 Fiesta Bowl
Tennessee won, 23-16

1999
No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 2 Virginia Tech
Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans, La.
2000 Sugar Bowl
Florida State won, 46-29

2000s

Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow on a rushing attempt during a college football game in the SEC.

2002
No. 1 Miami vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Sun Devil Stadium | Tempe, Ariz.
2003 Fiesta Bowl
Ohio State won, 31-24 (2 OT)

2004
No. 1 USC vs. No. 2 Oklahoma
Pro Player Stadium | Miami Gardens, Fla.
2005 Orange Bowl
USC won, 55-19

2005
No. 1 USC vs. No. 2 Texas
Rose Bowl | Pasadena, Calif.
2006 Rose Bowl
Texas won, 41-38

2006
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Texas
DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium | Austin, Tex.
Ohio State won, 24-7

2006
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Michigan
Ohio Stadium | Columbus, Ohio
Ohio State won, 42-39

2006
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Florida
University of Phoenix Stadium | Glendale, Ariz.
2007 BCS National Championship
Florida won, 41-14

2007
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 LSU
Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans, La.
2008 BCS National Championship
LSU won, 38-24

2008
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 Florida
Georgia Dome | Atlanta, Ga.
2008 SEC Championship
Florida won, 31-20

2008
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 2 Oklahoma
Dolphin Stadium | Miami Gardens, Fla.
2009 BCS National Championship
Florida won, 24-14

2009
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 2 Alabama
Georgia Dome | Atlanta, Ga.
2009 SEC Championship
Alabama won, 32-13

2009
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 Texas
Rose Bowl | Pasadena, Calif.
2010 BCS National Championship
Alabama won, 37-21

2010s

Joe Burrow led LSU to an undefeated season and a College Football Playoff national title in 2019.

2010
No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Oregon
University of Phoenix Stadium | Glendale, Ariz.
2011 BCS National Championship
Auburn won, 22-19

2011
No. 1 LSU at No. 2 Alabama
Bryant-Denny Stadium | Tuscaloosa, Ala.
LSU won, 9-6 (OT)

2011
No. 1 LSU vs. No. 2 Alabama
Mercedes-Benz Superdome | New Orleans, La.
2012 BCS National Championship
Alabama won, 21-0

2012
No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Alabama
Sun Life Stadium | Miami Gardens, Fla.
2013 BCS National Championship
Alabama won, 42-14

2013
No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 2 Auburn
Rose Bowl | Pasadena, Calif.
2014 BCS National Championship
Florida State won, 34-31

2015
No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 2 Alabama
University of Phoenix Stadium | Glendale, Ariz.
2016 CFP National Championship
Alabama won, 45-40

2018
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 Clemson
Levi's Stadium | Santa Clara, Calif.
2019 CFP National Championship
Clemson won, 44-16

2019
No. 1 LSU at No. 2 Alabama
Bryant-Denny Stadium | Tuscaloosa, Ala.
LSU won, 46-41

2020s

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Ladd McConkey catches a pass during a college football game in the SEC.

2022
No. 2 Tennessee at No. 1 Georgia
Sanford Stadium | Athens, Ga.
Georgia won, 27-13

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