AP Poll College Football 2011: 13 Things You Need to Know

The preseason Associated Press college football poll has been a staple in college football for nearly a century. While the AP has been around awarding champions in college football for quite some time, today's BCS standings do not include it into the formula.

The AP still has the power to name its own champion but on very few occasions do the AP voters and the BCS formula disagree.

With the release of the AP poll comes more interest and talk about who belongs where and who will be number one, but let’s first take a look at the history of the poll and what things any college football fanatic should know about the Associated Press college football poll.

Began in 1934

The AP poll first began taking tallies during the 1934 season. There were numerous publications that awarded championships at the time so the AP joined the pack.

In 1936, the poll began to run annually to determine a national champion in college football. The poll has been in its fair share of controversy in the past and is sure to be involved in more since the separation of its content from the BCS formula.

The AP is one of the longest standing rankings in college football and no matter what changes are to occur in the future, there will always be a voice for the media to announce their college football choice.

Has the AP Always Consisted of 25?

The AP poll currently consists of the top 25 teams in the college football world. When the AP began, only 20 teams were ranked until the 1962 season. During a span of six years, only 10 teams were recognized. After the 1967 season, the poll returned to 20 teams until 1989 when it expanded to the current 25 team format.

The top 25 has become the standard in every ranking system that is used today and has allowed for bowl games to carry more weight with ranked teams playing in the contest. Who knows, maybe 30 teams will become the new standard with the overflow of bowl games.

How Many Teams Have Started and Finished Number 1?

There have been 10 teams that finished ranked number one after starting there to begin the season. One of those, the 2004 USC Trojans, have been stripped on paper but I am pretty confident I watched that win.

The most consistent team that has been ranked number one and carried the torch to the finish has been Oklahoma. The Sooners have started and finished number one four times since 1950. That is a good sign for the Sooners as today’s poll has them slated as number one.

Only two teams have carried out the rigorous task of finishing number one in the same decade. Florida State accomplished the feat in 1993 and 1999 while Oklahoma did it in 1974 and 1975.

The AP and the BCS

When the BCS began its tabulations to fix the college football championship questions in 1997, the AP was included in the tabulation. In 2003, things got dicey between the two organizations when the AP kept USC as their national title holder while LSU won the BCS title.

Shortly after the misgivings between the two, the AP and the BCS parted ways following the 2004 season. The AP still announces its national champion after the BCS title game has concluded and there hasn’t been a split champion since the 2003 season.

When Was the First Post Bowl Game Poll?

Bowl games have become the determining factor in numerous championships in years past and today it is the set standard, but it hasn’t always been that way. On rare occasions in times past, the AP has awarded the championship to teams that have lost their bowl games.

The AP changed their ways officially in 1968 by announcing a full post bowl season poll to recognize its champion.

The Past Decade of Number 1s

This past decade has only provided one preseason number one title winner. That was the now defunct 2004 USC squad. Oklahoma is hoping to change the trend this season and come out with the crystal ball.

The Longest Fall from Grace in History

The 2007 season began with high hopes for the Michigan Wolverines. The Wolverines were entering the season as the number five team in the country looking for success and hopefully a national title.

The first game of the season was slated against FCS power Appalachian State in the Big House. App State came to Michigan with a mission and victory in mind and pulled out arguably the largest upset in the polls history, dropping Michigan 21 spots and out of the poll.

Who Was the First Team to Lose to a FCS Team While Ranked?

Again, the Michigan Wolverines take the card in this contest. When they lost the season opener in 2007, it became the first time that any FBS team ranked in the top 25 lost to a lower division FCS team.

Virginia Tech followed the lead in 2010, losing to James Madison at home while being ranked number 13 in the country.

Number 1s vs. the Number 2s

The number one ranked team has faced the number two a total of 46 times to date. The number one team is 27-17-2 against the number two team in history so far. This season will undoubtedly bring some new blood to this conversation but as of now, the pollsters seem to be getting it right.

Who Holds the Record for the Most Weeks at Number 1?

Again, the Sooners from Oklahoma are shining bright in the AP poll. The Sooners have been ranked number one more than any other team in college football. The Sooners have held the number one slot 97 weeks since 1936.

More than 50 percent of the time that Oklahoma has spent in the AP poll has been as a part of the top 10. Talk about consistency.

If Oklahoma Is First, Who Is Second?

Despite their struggles as of late, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is one of the most consistent teams in the AP poll. The Irish come in a close second to Oklahoma for week’s ranked number one with 95 of their own.

The Irish have played in nine games where it was a number one slated against a number two and they hold a 5-2-2 record in those contests. The hope for the Irish is that Brian Kelly can bring back the excitement and winning tradition to South Bend.

Nontraditional Powers in the Top 5

The top five has not been a friendly place for the nontraditional powers in the past. Despite the separation of the AP and the BCS, they tend to mimic each other. Boise State opens this season at number five which is a rare find while TCU comes in at number 14, the next best non-automatic qualifier.

TCU reached number two last season after its victory over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. It will be interesting to watch how the Horned Frogs climb this season and how Boise fares with the return of Kellen Moore and others.

SEC Overwhelms the Top 25

When the preseason AP poll was released earlier today, the SEC was leading the conference pack with eight teams in the top 25. Five of the six teams in the SEC West alone are present in the poll.

The SEC is undoubtedly the most powerful conference in college football and will look to continue its dominance despite conference realignments in 2011.