The Associated Press has been ranking the best teams in college football since 1936. Over 80 years and 1,103 polls, a total of 165 schools have been ranked and 44 of them have been ranked No. 1 (Minnesota was the first).
To determine the all-time Top 25, the AP formula counted poll appearances (one point) to mark consistency, No. 1 rankings (one point) to acknowledge elite programs and gave a bonus for AP championships (10 points).
1 OHIO STATE (1,112 Points)
Total appearances:852, 77.24% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:105
Championships:Five (last 2014)
Best full decade:1970s appeared in 92.57% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s appeared in 55.68% of polls.
Poll point:There have only been three seasons during the 80-year history of the AP poll in which the Buckeyes were not ranked at least once, the fewest poll-less seasons of any program.
2 OKLAHOMA (1,055 Points)
Total appearances:784, 71.08% of all polls
First appearance:1938
No.1 ranking:100 1/2
Championships:Seven (last 2000)
Best full decade:1950s appeared in 94.83% of polls.
Worst full decade:1960s appeared in 28.57% of polls.
Poll point:Oklahoma has been top-five in percentage of poll appearances in five decades (1950s, '70s, '80s, 2000, '10), most of any program.
3 NOTRE DAME (1,042 Points)
Total appearances:766, 69.45% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:98
Championships:Eight (last 1988)
Best full decade:1940s appeared in 96.59% of polls.
Worst full decade:2000s appeared in 45.18% of polls.
Poll point:Notre Dame was ranked at least once every season from the first poll in 1936 through 1961.
4 ALABAMA (993 Points)
Total appearances:745, 67.54% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:74
Championships:10 (last 2015)
Best full decade:1970s appeared in 91.22% of polls.
Worst full decade:1950s appeared in 18.97% of polls.
Poll point:From Nov. 3, 1980-Oct. 26, 2008, Alabama was only ranked No. 1 once _ the final poll of the 1992 season. The Tide has been top-ranked 43 times since under coach Nick Saban.
5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (974 Points)
Total appearances:743, 67.36% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:90 1/2
Championships:Five (last 2004)
Best full decade:1970s appeared in 89.86% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s appeared in 47.43% of polls.
Poll point:The Trojans were top-ranked 42 times from Dec. 7, 2003-Sept. 21, 2008 under coach Pete Carroll.
6 NEBRASKA (901 Points)
Total appearances:717, 65% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:72
Championships:Four (last 1995)
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 100% of polls.
Worst full decade:1950s appeared in 5.17% of polls.
Poll point:Mostly under coach Tom Osborne, the Cornhuskers were unranked in only three polls combined during the 1970s, '80s and '90s _ appearing in 99.35 percent over three decades.
7 MICHIGAN (894 Points)
Total appearances:806, 73.07% of all polls
First appearance:1938
No.1 ranking:34
Championships:Two (last 1997)
Best full decade:1970s appeared in 100% of polls.
Worst full decade:1960s appeared in 26.98% of polls.
Poll point:The Wolverines were first team to appear in every poll over the course of a full decade, when they did it in the 1970s under coach Bo Schembechler.
8 TEXAS (822 Points)
Total appearances:703, 63.74% of all polls
First appearance:1940
No.1 ranking:44 1/2
Championships:Three (last 2005)
Best full decade:2000s appeared in 99.40% of polls.
Worst full decade:1990s appeared in 47.34% of polls.
Poll point:The Longhorns have not had a top-10 rankings since Sept. 19, 2010, the program's longest such streak since Nov. 26, 1984-Nov. 4, 1990.
9 FLORIDA STATE (714 Points)
Total appearances:540, 48.96% of all polls
First appearance:1964
No.1 ranking:72
Championships:Three (last 2013)
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 100% of polls.
Worst full decade:1950s no poll appearances.(Florida State started football program in 1947).
Poll point:From Nov. 11, 1990-Sept. 9, 2001, the Seminoles were never ranked lower than 11th under coach Bobby Bowden.
10 FLORIDA (674 Points)
Total appearances:562, 50.95% of all polls
First appearance:1950
No.1 ranking:41
Championships:Three (last 2008)
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 98.82% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s no poll appearances.
Poll point:The Gators had no top-three appearances before Nov. 26, 1984 and then 95 top-three appearances after.
11 LSU (655 Points)
Total appearances:575, 52.13% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:30
Championships:Two (last 2007)
Best full decade:2000s appeared in 82.53% of polls.
Worst full decade:1950s appeared in 25.86% of polls.
Poll point:After being unranked for most of the 1950s, the Tigers held the No. 1 ranking 14 times in 1958 and '59 _ then went 48 years before being ranked No. 1 again (2007).
12 PENN STATE (647 Points)
Total appearances:589, 53.40% of all polls
First appearance:1940
No.1 ranking:19
Championships:Two (last 1986)
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 95.27% of polls.
Worst full decade:1950s appeared in 20.69% of polls.
Poll point:The Nittany Lions have not been ranked at any point during the last four seasons (2011-15). Since making their poll debut in 1940, Penn State had never gone more than three seasons without being ranked at least once.
13 MIAMI (642 Points)
Total appearances:458, 41.52% of all polls
First appearance:1950
No.1 ranking:67
Championships:Five (last 2001)
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 81.66% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s no poll appearances. (First poll appearance was 1950)
Poll point:The Hurricanes made 367 of their poll appearances (80.13 percent) between Sept. 29, 1980-Jan. 4, 2006.
14 TENNESSEE (624 Points)
Total appearances:568, 51.50% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:18
Championships:Two (last 1998)
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 93.49% of polls.
Worst full decade:1980s appeared in 29.19% of polls.
Poll point:From 1936-59, no Southeastern Conference team had more poll appearances (134) than the Volunteers.
15 GEORGIA (572 Points)
Total appearances:532, 48.23% of all polls
First appearance:1941
No.1 ranking:15
Championships:One (1980)
Best full decade:2000s appeared in 85.54% of polls.
Worst full decade:1950s appeared in 11.21% of polls.
Poll point:Since 1975, the Bulldogs have had only two seasons (1990 and '96) during which they have not been ranked for at least one week.
16 AUBURN (570 Points)
Total appearances:532, 48.23% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:Nine
Championships:Two (last 2010)
Best full decade:1980s appeared in 75.78% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s appeared in 2.27% of polls.
Poll point:The Deep South's oldest rivals, Auburn and Georgia enter 2016 with the same amount of poll appearances. The overall record in 119 games between the two teams is Georgia 56, Auburn 55 and eight ties.
17 UCLA (535 Points)
Total appearances:521, 47.23% of all polls
First appearance:1939
No.1 ranking:7
Championships:None
Best full decade:1980s appeared in 72.67% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s appeared in 29.55% of polls.
Poll point:Highest ranked team to never win a championship.
18 TEXAS A&M (477 Points)
Total appearances:424, 38.44% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:6 1/2
Championships:One (1939)
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 83.43% of polls.
Worst full decade:1960s appeared in 2.38% of polls.
Poll point:The Aggies were last No. 1 in Nov. 11, 1957, and have not been No. 2 since Dec. 1, 1975.
19 MICHIGAN STATE (443 Points)
Total appearances:375, 34% of all polls
First appearance:1948
No.1 ranking:29
Championships:One (1952)
Best full decade:1960s appeared in 74.14% of polls.
Worst full decade:1980s appeared in 16.15% of polls.
Poll point:Has the most No. 1 rankings for a program not ranked No. 1 since the 1960s.
20 WASHINGTON (430 Points)
Total appearances:401, 36.36% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:14 1/2
Championships:None
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 75.74% of polls.
Worst full decade:1960s appeared in 16.67% of polls.
Poll point:Eleven times in the last 12 seasons, the Huskies have had either one or no poll appearances.
21 ARKANSAS (412 Points)
Total appearances:410, 37.17% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:One
Championships:None
Best full decade:1970s appeared in 66.22% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s appeared in 7.95% of polls.
Poll point:The Razorbacks have 30 top-three appearances, but only one (Nov. 20, 2011) since 1978.
22 CLEMSON (411 Points)
Total appearances:387, 35.09% of all polls
First appearance:1939
No.1 ranking:Seven
Championships:One (1981)
Best full decade:1980s appeared in 58.39% of polls.
Worst full decade:1960s appeared in 3.97% of polls.
Poll point:Before the Tigers national championship season in 1981, their best ranking was No. 5 on Sept. 21, 1959.
23 PITTSBURGH (356 Points)
Total appearances:294, 26.65% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:21
Championships:Two (last 1976)
Best full decade:1980s appeared in 50.93% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s appeared in 3.41% of polls.
Poll point:The Panthers have not had a top-five appearance during the regular season since Dec. 6, 1982.
24 WISCONSIN (366 Points)
Total appearances:334, 30.28% of all polls
First appearance:1937
No.1 ranking:One
Championships:None
Best full decade:1960s appeared in 63.69% of polls.
Worst full decade:1980s appeared in 1.86% of polls.
Poll point
uring a 29-year span from 1964-92, the Badgers had just 10 poll appearances. Since '92, Wisconsin has made 215 poll appearances.
25 IOWA (329 Points)
Total appearances:307, 27.83% of all polls
First appearance:1939
No.1 ranking:7
Championships:None
Best full decade:1980s appeared in 46.58% of polls.
Worst full decade:1970s no poll appearances.
Poll point:The Hawkeyes worst decade ('70s) was followed by their best after Hayden Fry took over as coach in 1979.
TOP 100 TEAMS
RANK TEAM NAME POINTS
26 Georgia Tech 320
27 Colorado 316
28 Oregon 293
29 Mississippi 290
30 Arizona State 284
31 Virginia Tech 276
32 Stanford 272
33 West Virginia 271
34 BYU 258
35 Missouri 256
36 Purdue 246
37 Minnesota 241
38 North Carolina 240
39 TCU 234
40 Maryland 230
41 Syracuse 221
42 Army 214
43 Oklahoma State 208
44 Kansas State 207
45 California 199
46 Mississippi State 195
47 Baylor 187
48 South Carolina 185
49 Houston 184
50 Northwestern 183
51 Illinois 181
52 Virginia 174
53 Duke 172
54 Arizona 168
55 SMU 165
56 N.C. State 149
57 Boston College 141
58 Texas Tec 137
59 Washington State 129
60 Navy 128
61 Boise State 127
62 Louisville 119
63 Kansas 108
64 Utah 100
65 Oregon State 95
66 Penn 89
67 Air Force 78
68 Kentucky 75
69 Rice 70
70 Tulane 62
71 Wyoming 56
72 Indiana 55
72 Fresno State 55
72 Southern Mississippi 55
72 Cornell 55
76 Toledo 45
77 Santa Clara 43
77 Tulsa 43
77 Colorado State 43
80 Wake Forest 42
81 Cincinnati 41
81 Miami (Ohio) University 41
83 Fordham 40
83 Iowa State 40
85 Holy Cross 39
86 Rutgers 38
87 Dartmouth 37
88 East Carolina 37
89 Vanderbilt 31
90 Yale 30
91 Princeton 29
91 Marshall 29
93 Hawaii 28
94 USF 26
95 Villanova 25
96 Northern Illinois 23
97 Duquesne 20
98 Iowa Pre-Flight 18
99 Columbia 16
99 William & Mary 16
99 Nevada 16
99 Bowling Green 16
To determine the all-time Top 25, the AP formula counted poll appearances (one point) to mark consistency, No. 1 rankings (one point) to acknowledge elite programs and gave a bonus for AP championships (10 points).
1 OHIO STATE (1,112 Points)
Total appearances:852, 77.24% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:105
Championships:Five (last 2014)
Best full decade:1970s appeared in 92.57% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s appeared in 55.68% of polls.
Poll point:There have only been three seasons during the 80-year history of the AP poll in which the Buckeyes were not ranked at least once, the fewest poll-less seasons of any program.
2 OKLAHOMA (1,055 Points)
Total appearances:784, 71.08% of all polls
First appearance:1938
No.1 ranking:100 1/2
Championships:Seven (last 2000)
Best full decade:1950s appeared in 94.83% of polls.
Worst full decade:1960s appeared in 28.57% of polls.
Poll point:Oklahoma has been top-five in percentage of poll appearances in five decades (1950s, '70s, '80s, 2000, '10), most of any program.
3 NOTRE DAME (1,042 Points)
Total appearances:766, 69.45% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:98
Championships:Eight (last 1988)
Best full decade:1940s appeared in 96.59% of polls.
Worst full decade:2000s appeared in 45.18% of polls.
Poll point:Notre Dame was ranked at least once every season from the first poll in 1936 through 1961.
4 ALABAMA (993 Points)
Total appearances:745, 67.54% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:74
Championships:10 (last 2015)
Best full decade:1970s appeared in 91.22% of polls.
Worst full decade:1950s appeared in 18.97% of polls.
Poll point:From Nov. 3, 1980-Oct. 26, 2008, Alabama was only ranked No. 1 once _ the final poll of the 1992 season. The Tide has been top-ranked 43 times since under coach Nick Saban.
5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (974 Points)
Total appearances:743, 67.36% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:90 1/2
Championships:Five (last 2004)
Best full decade:1970s appeared in 89.86% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s appeared in 47.43% of polls.
Poll point:The Trojans were top-ranked 42 times from Dec. 7, 2003-Sept. 21, 2008 under coach Pete Carroll.
6 NEBRASKA (901 Points)
Total appearances:717, 65% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:72
Championships:Four (last 1995)
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 100% of polls.
Worst full decade:1950s appeared in 5.17% of polls.
Poll point:Mostly under coach Tom Osborne, the Cornhuskers were unranked in only three polls combined during the 1970s, '80s and '90s _ appearing in 99.35 percent over three decades.
7 MICHIGAN (894 Points)
Total appearances:806, 73.07% of all polls
First appearance:1938
No.1 ranking:34
Championships:Two (last 1997)
Best full decade:1970s appeared in 100% of polls.
Worst full decade:1960s appeared in 26.98% of polls.
Poll point:The Wolverines were first team to appear in every poll over the course of a full decade, when they did it in the 1970s under coach Bo Schembechler.
8 TEXAS (822 Points)
Total appearances:703, 63.74% of all polls
First appearance:1940
No.1 ranking:44 1/2
Championships:Three (last 2005)
Best full decade:2000s appeared in 99.40% of polls.
Worst full decade:1990s appeared in 47.34% of polls.
Poll point:The Longhorns have not had a top-10 rankings since Sept. 19, 2010, the program's longest such streak since Nov. 26, 1984-Nov. 4, 1990.
9 FLORIDA STATE (714 Points)
Total appearances:540, 48.96% of all polls
First appearance:1964
No.1 ranking:72
Championships:Three (last 2013)
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 100% of polls.
Worst full decade:1950s no poll appearances.(Florida State started football program in 1947).
Poll point:From Nov. 11, 1990-Sept. 9, 2001, the Seminoles were never ranked lower than 11th under coach Bobby Bowden.
10 FLORIDA (674 Points)
Total appearances:562, 50.95% of all polls
First appearance:1950
No.1 ranking:41
Championships:Three (last 2008)
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 98.82% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s no poll appearances.
Poll point:The Gators had no top-three appearances before Nov. 26, 1984 and then 95 top-three appearances after.
11 LSU (655 Points)
Total appearances:575, 52.13% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:30
Championships:Two (last 2007)
Best full decade:2000s appeared in 82.53% of polls.
Worst full decade:1950s appeared in 25.86% of polls.
Poll point:After being unranked for most of the 1950s, the Tigers held the No. 1 ranking 14 times in 1958 and '59 _ then went 48 years before being ranked No. 1 again (2007).
12 PENN STATE (647 Points)
Total appearances:589, 53.40% of all polls
First appearance:1940
No.1 ranking:19
Championships:Two (last 1986)
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 95.27% of polls.
Worst full decade:1950s appeared in 20.69% of polls.
Poll point:The Nittany Lions have not been ranked at any point during the last four seasons (2011-15). Since making their poll debut in 1940, Penn State had never gone more than three seasons without being ranked at least once.
13 MIAMI (642 Points)
Total appearances:458, 41.52% of all polls
First appearance:1950
No.1 ranking:67
Championships:Five (last 2001)
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 81.66% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s no poll appearances. (First poll appearance was 1950)
Poll point:The Hurricanes made 367 of their poll appearances (80.13 percent) between Sept. 29, 1980-Jan. 4, 2006.
14 TENNESSEE (624 Points)
Total appearances:568, 51.50% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:18
Championships:Two (last 1998)
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 93.49% of polls.
Worst full decade:1980s appeared in 29.19% of polls.
Poll point:From 1936-59, no Southeastern Conference team had more poll appearances (134) than the Volunteers.
15 GEORGIA (572 Points)
Total appearances:532, 48.23% of all polls
First appearance:1941
No.1 ranking:15
Championships:One (1980)
Best full decade:2000s appeared in 85.54% of polls.
Worst full decade:1950s appeared in 11.21% of polls.
Poll point:Since 1975, the Bulldogs have had only two seasons (1990 and '96) during which they have not been ranked for at least one week.
16 AUBURN (570 Points)
Total appearances:532, 48.23% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:Nine
Championships:Two (last 2010)
Best full decade:1980s appeared in 75.78% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s appeared in 2.27% of polls.
Poll point:The Deep South's oldest rivals, Auburn and Georgia enter 2016 with the same amount of poll appearances. The overall record in 119 games between the two teams is Georgia 56, Auburn 55 and eight ties.
17 UCLA (535 Points)
Total appearances:521, 47.23% of all polls
First appearance:1939
No.1 ranking:7
Championships:None
Best full decade:1980s appeared in 72.67% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s appeared in 29.55% of polls.
Poll point:Highest ranked team to never win a championship.
18 TEXAS A&M (477 Points)
Total appearances:424, 38.44% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:6 1/2
Championships:One (1939)
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 83.43% of polls.
Worst full decade:1960s appeared in 2.38% of polls.
Poll point:The Aggies were last No. 1 in Nov. 11, 1957, and have not been No. 2 since Dec. 1, 1975.
19 MICHIGAN STATE (443 Points)
Total appearances:375, 34% of all polls
First appearance:1948
No.1 ranking:29
Championships:One (1952)
Best full decade:1960s appeared in 74.14% of polls.
Worst full decade:1980s appeared in 16.15% of polls.
Poll point:Has the most No. 1 rankings for a program not ranked No. 1 since the 1960s.
20 WASHINGTON (430 Points)
Total appearances:401, 36.36% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:14 1/2
Championships:None
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 75.74% of polls.
Worst full decade:1960s appeared in 16.67% of polls.
Poll point:Eleven times in the last 12 seasons, the Huskies have had either one or no poll appearances.
21 ARKANSAS (412 Points)
Total appearances:410, 37.17% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:One
Championships:None
Best full decade:1970s appeared in 66.22% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s appeared in 7.95% of polls.
Poll point:The Razorbacks have 30 top-three appearances, but only one (Nov. 20, 2011) since 1978.
22 CLEMSON (411 Points)
Total appearances:387, 35.09% of all polls
First appearance:1939
No.1 ranking:Seven
Championships:One (1981)
Best full decade:1980s appeared in 58.39% of polls.
Worst full decade:1960s appeared in 3.97% of polls.
Poll point:Before the Tigers national championship season in 1981, their best ranking was No. 5 on Sept. 21, 1959.
23 PITTSBURGH (356 Points)
Total appearances:294, 26.65% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:21
Championships:Two (last 1976)
Best full decade:1980s appeared in 50.93% of polls.
Worst full decade:1940s appeared in 3.41% of polls.
Poll point:The Panthers have not had a top-five appearance during the regular season since Dec. 6, 1982.
24 WISCONSIN (366 Points)
Total appearances:334, 30.28% of all polls
First appearance:1937
No.1 ranking:One
Championships:None
Best full decade:1960s appeared in 63.69% of polls.
Worst full decade:1980s appeared in 1.86% of polls.
Poll point
uring a 29-year span from 1964-92, the Badgers had just 10 poll appearances. Since '92, Wisconsin has made 215 poll appearances.25 IOWA (329 Points)
Total appearances:307, 27.83% of all polls
First appearance:1939
No.1 ranking:7
Championships:None
Best full decade:1980s appeared in 46.58% of polls.
Worst full decade:1970s no poll appearances.
Poll point:The Hawkeyes worst decade ('70s) was followed by their best after Hayden Fry took over as coach in 1979.
TOP 100 TEAMS
RANK TEAM NAME POINTS
26 Georgia Tech 320
27 Colorado 316
28 Oregon 293
29 Mississippi 290
30 Arizona State 284
31 Virginia Tech 276
32 Stanford 272
33 West Virginia 271
34 BYU 258
35 Missouri 256
36 Purdue 246
37 Minnesota 241
38 North Carolina 240
39 TCU 234
40 Maryland 230
41 Syracuse 221
42 Army 214
43 Oklahoma State 208
44 Kansas State 207
45 California 199
46 Mississippi State 195
47 Baylor 187
48 South Carolina 185
49 Houston 184
50 Northwestern 183
51 Illinois 181
52 Virginia 174
53 Duke 172
54 Arizona 168
55 SMU 165
56 N.C. State 149
57 Boston College 141
58 Texas Tec 137
59 Washington State 129
60 Navy 128
61 Boise State 127
62 Louisville 119
63 Kansas 108
64 Utah 100
65 Oregon State 95
66 Penn 89
67 Air Force 78
68 Kentucky 75
69 Rice 70
70 Tulane 62
71 Wyoming 56
72 Indiana 55
72 Fresno State 55
72 Southern Mississippi 55
72 Cornell 55
76 Toledo 45
77 Santa Clara 43
77 Tulsa 43
77 Colorado State 43
80 Wake Forest 42
81 Cincinnati 41
81 Miami (Ohio) University 41
83 Fordham 40
83 Iowa State 40
85 Holy Cross 39
86 Rutgers 38
87 Dartmouth 37
88 East Carolina 37
89 Vanderbilt 31
90 Yale 30
91 Princeton 29
91 Marshall 29
93 Hawaii 28
94 USF 26
95 Villanova 25
96 Northern Illinois 23
97 Duquesne 20
98 Iowa Pre-Flight 18
99 Columbia 16
99 William & Mary 16
99 Nevada 16
99 Bowling Green 16
