The First AP Top 25 Poll for College Football 2016
The 2016 Associated Press (AP) polls for college football are out with two of the top three teams leading the national title race. Alabama is number one and has ten AP national titles. Clemson is a very close second, followed by Oklahoma in third with seven AP national titles. Notre Dame is ranked No. 10 and they hold eight national titles while USC (20) and Miami (NR) both have five each.
A panel of 61 sports writers and broadcasters from around the country votes on the poll weekly. All of the voters have an extensive background in covering college football and are asked to vote based “on performance, not reputation.”
The AP Top 25 is determined by a simple points system based on how each voter ranks college football’s best teams. According to collegefootball.ap.org a team receives 25 points for each first-place vote, 24 points for second place and so on through to the 25th team, which receives one point. The rankings are set by listing the teams’ point totals from highest to lowest. The mathematical formula is the same as the one used for the AP Top 25 rankings for men’s and women’s basketball.
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 Coaches Poll began selecting the “Top 20” teams on a weekly basis during the 1950-1951 college football. The Coaches Poll are compiled by the Amway Board of Coaches which is made up of 62 head coaches at Division I FBS institutions.
Preseason AP Top 25 (first-place votes) Last Updated – August 21, 2016
- Alabama (33)
- Clemson (16)
- Oklahoma (4)
- Florida State (5)
- LSU (1)
- Ohio State (1)
- Michigan (1)
- Stanford
- Tennessee
- Notre Dame
- Ole Miss
- Michigan State
- TCU
- Washington
- Houston
- UCLA
- Iowa
- Georgia
- Louisville
- USC
- Oklahoma State
- North Carolina
- Baylor
- Oregon
- Florida
Others receiving votes: Miami, Texas A&M, Utah, Washington State, Boise State, San Diego State, Wisconsin, Auburn, Pittsburgh, Arkansas, Texas, Nebraska, Navy,Northwestern, Western Kentucky, South Florida, Toledo
| RANK | SCHOOL | POINTS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (55) | 1585 | |
| 2 | Clemson (7) | 1524 | |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 1398 | |
| 4 | Florida State (1) | 1351 | |
| 5 | Ohio State | 1321 | |
| 6 | LSU | 1241 | |
| 7 | Stanford | 1149 | |
| 8 | Michigan | 1062 | |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 1034 | |
| 10 | Tennessee | 960 | |
| 11 | Michigan State | 901 | |
| 12 | Ole Miss | 792 | |
| 13 | Houston | 668 | |
| 14 | TCU | 649 | |
| 15 | Iowa | 579 | |
| 16 | Georgia | 525 | |
| 17 | USC | 468 | |
| 18 | Washington | 454 | |
| 19 | Oklahoma State | 426 | |
| 20 | North Carolina | 422 | |
| 21 | Baylor | 383 | |
| 22 | Oregon | 361 | |
| 23 | Louisville | 331 | |
| 24 | UCLA | 296 | |
| 25 | Florida | 245 |
