AP Top 25 Poll
The Associated Press began its college football poll on Oct. 19, 1936, and it is now the longest-running poll of those that award national titles at the end of the season. The preseason poll was started in 1950. A panel of 62 sports writers and broadcasters from around the country votes on the poll weekly.
ORE #9, USC #17, UTAH #22, ASU #29, UW #33, CAL #37, UCLA (not one single vote as usual)
Released August 24
| RANK | TEAM | PV RANK | POINTS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 |
Clemson (14-1) | 2 | 1,520 (38) | ||
| 2 |
 |
* Ohio State (13-1) | 3 | 1,504 (21) | ||
| 3 |
 |
Alabama (11-2) | 8 | 1,422 (2) | ||
|
|
||||||
| 4 |
 |
Georgia (12-2) | 4 | 1,270 | ||
| 5 |
 |
Oklahoma (12-2) | 7 | 1,269 | ||
| 6 |
 |
LSU (15-0) | 1 | 1,186 (1) | ||
| 7 |
 |
* Penn State (11-2) | 9 | 1,147 | ||
| 8 |
 |
Florida (11-2) | 6 | 1,125 | ||
|
|
||||||
| 9 |
 |
* Oregon (12-2) | 5 | 1,119 | ||
| 10 |
 |
Notre Dame (11-2) | 12 | 995 | ||
| 11 |
 |
Auburn (9-4) | 14 | 852 | ||
| 12 |
 |
* Wisconsin (10-4) | 11 | 840 | ||
| 13 |
 |
Texas A&M (8-5) | 764 | |||
| 14 |
 |
Texas (8-5) | 25 | 703 | ||
| 15 |
 |
Oklahoma State (8-5) | 672 | |||
| 16 |
 |
* Michigan (9-4) | 18 | 611 | ||
| 17 |
 |
* USC (8-5) | 534 | |||
| 18 |
 |
North Carolina (7-6) | 496 | |||
|
|
||||||
| 19 |
 |
* Minnesota (11-2) | 10 | 451 | ||
| 20 |
 |
Cincinnati (11-3) | 21 | 234 | ||
| 21 |
 |
UCF (10-3) | 24 | 229 | ||
| 22 |
 |
* Utah (11-3) | 16 | 211 | ||
| 23 |
 |
Iowa State (7-6) | 199 | |||
| 24 |
 |
* Iowa (10-3) | 15 | 134 | ||
| 25 |
 |
Tennessee (8-5) | 133 | |||
Others receiving votes:
Memphis 86, Virginia Tech 85, Boise State 68, Arizona State 66, Miami (FL) 42, Louisville 32, Appalachian State 26, Washington 21, Kentucky 20, Indiana 19, Baylor 15, California 11, TCU 9, Virginia 7, Navy 6, Florida State 6, SMU 3, Mississippi State 3, Air Force 3, Northwestern 1, UAB 1
College Football Playoff to be played as scheduled after 2020 season with no plans for spring 2021. The Big Ten and Pac-12 may need to explore other options if they hope to play for more than league titles: Dennis Dodd (CBSSports.com) — College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock chuckled at Monday’s redefinition of the CFP’s promotional tagline: Who’s In? Who, indeed. Apparently, not the Big Ten and Pac-12. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic put the entire 2020 college football season in question, the CFP seems to moving toward some basic conclusions. On Monday, it announced the dates of… Read more »
One fact to remember, a title like that will always be tainted. For some reason we are going to be happy when 2020 is over and will always look back and shake our heads.
Pray this does not extend into the 2021 season. CoVid-19 is here for years to come, and its tentacles extend into every social activity
Why the AP pre-season poll still came out this year:
“The preseason poll has always been a speculative ranking of teams based on last year’s results and knowledge about the new makeup of teams,” said Michael Giarrusso, AP’s global sports editor. “This year, we think it is crucial to give all the teams and all their fans a snapshot look at what the Top 25 would have been to open the season.”
Oh. That explains it. In other words, the sportswriters needed something to do.
Actually, I’m totally glad the AP pre-season poll came out, putting me into what it appears is a distinct minority. I’m just a CFB nut, and I can never get enough of it, even when many teams aren’t playing. I wonder how IOWA feels about slipping to #24 after destroying USC in the Holiday Bowl? Personally, I think OHIO ST would win it all. Now that’s a team that should be upset about no season. I also find it interesting that TEXAS is only three spots ahead of USC, even though we took some of their rejected coaches to give… Read more »
That kind of explains every preseason poll ever. These days it just creates clicks for the websites. I have always felt no polls until after week 5. That way no voter has to vote with bias, they will have a real look at who is good or not.
What’s the point of this poll. This is a bunch of sportswriters thinking that football will happen. If it happens, looks like it will be in the spring. That will have all of the legitimacy of Arena League Football….
I sure hope not. Those were like kissing your sister IMHO. 😕
Could we be headed towards another split national championship? It hardly seems fair that the polls take into the poll teams who may not take the field in any way this season. Also has LSU fallen so far as to be not in the top two?
Well if 7 of the top 10 and 11 of the top 15 actually get to play, who needs the rest anyway?! Just kidding, kinda. 