AP Preseason Poll Accuracy & History

Examining the historical reliability of the Associated Press preseason poll and notable trends.

The top 3

1. How Often Preseason #1 Wins National Title: Since the AP preseason rankings began in 1950, only 11 teams that started at No. 1 have finished the season as national champions.
2. Teams with Most Preseason #1 Rankings: Oklahoma holds the record for the most preseason No. 1 rankings in the AP Poll with 10, while Ohio State is tied with Alabama for second with 9 each.
3. Largest Preseason to Final Ranking Jumps: Historically, teams like BYU (1984) have gone from unranked to national champions, while others like Indiana (2025) jumped from No. 20 in preseason to No. 1 at the end of the season.

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