In what year did the preseason polls arrive?

by Adam
(Texas)

What year did the polls, AP, UPI, etc quit ranking teams after the season began and start ranking teams in the preseason with their rankings being relevant throughout the season?

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Nov 12, 2009
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First Pre-Season and Post-Season College Football Polls
by: Tex Noel

Thanks for your question.

The first Pre-Season college football polls were released in 1950.

Both the AP and United Press (coaches'poll and precurser to the UPI poll) released
college football's Pre-Season polls.

Interesting, the UP Poll ran from 1950-53 and then suspended it till the 1971 season. I have never seen a reason why this happened.

Here is a brief history when the NCAA-Official National Champions were named:

*AP: 1936-64 and 66-67, teams ranked first in the final regular season poll was named
National Champion. (In 1965, and since 1968 a final/post-bowl poll was released.)

*UP/UPI: 1950-73, final regular season poll; 1974-90 a post-bowl poll.

{USA Today/CNN, 1982-96; USA Today/ESPN, 1997-2005 and since 2006, has been known
as the USA Today Poll. All USA Today polls have been after the bowl games.]

*FWAA: 1954. After the bowls since 1955.

*NFFHF: Pre-Bowl, 1959-70; post-bowl, since 1971.

If you're interested in learning more on college football's unique and interesting history; then a free subscription to The College Football Historian is exactly what you're looking for.

Go to College Football Association and sign up.

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