The AP Poll and Coaches Poll are the two major polls used annually within the highest level of college football to determine the national championship.[1] Division I FBS football is the only National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sport for which the NCAA does not sanction a yearly championship event. As such, it is sometimes unofficially referred to as a "mythical national championship".[2][3][4][5]
These polling systems began with the introduction of the AP poll in 1936, followed by the Coaches' Poll in 1950.
Currently, two widely recognized national champion selectors are the Associated Press, which conducts a poll of sportswriters, and the Coaches' Poll, a survey of active members of the American Football Coaches Association.
Until the 1968 NCAA University Division football season, the final AP Poll of the season was released following the end of the regular season, with the exception of the 1965 season.
NCAA Division I and FBS poll seasons (1936–present)
editThe AP Poll began with the 1936 college football season.[6] The Coaches Poll began with the 1950 college football season and became the second major polling system.[7][better source needed] In 1978, Division I football was split into two distinct divisions and a second poll was added for the new Division I-AA.[8]
NCAA Division I FCS poll seasons (1978–present)
editNCAA Division I football was divided into Division I-A and Division I-AA beginning with the inaugural 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season, initially serving as a voluntary designation and later formalized with specific criteria in 1981.[8] This split allowed independent polling of both divisions in the 1978 season. In 2006, Division I-AA was renamed as Division I FCS.[9]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "It's Writers vs. Coaches in Football's Ballot Bowl".
- ^ "Syracuse and Cornell Still Top Gridders". The Reading Eagle. Reading, PA. November 12, 1923. p. 12. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ Viehman, Harold H., ed. (1939). The 1939 Owl. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh. p. 276. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ Dodd, Dennis (December 22, 2004). "Subtracting AP poll leaves BCS again scrambling for legitimacy". CBSsports.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ Peterson, Bill (November 5, 2008). "UC Football in the Hunt for a Big East Crown and BCS Bid". Citybeat.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ "College Football's Top 25 Dynasties of the AP Era". Athlonsports.com. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- ^ "Historical Reality National College Football Champions".
- ^ a b "history.htm". Theappalachianonline.com. 1998-11-05. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- ^ "NCAA misses the mark in Division I-AA name change". Espn.com. 2006-12-15. Retrieved 2016-09-19.