AP Poll Pre

Associated Press Poll

Year: 1989

7/1/1989

Preseason Poll

Rank	Team (FPV)	Points	Prev
1	Michigan (23)	1,439	4
2	Notre Dame (20)	1,378	1
3	Nebraska (10)	1,333	10
4	Miami (4)	1,322	2
5	USC (1)	1,288	7
6	Florida State (2)	1,202	3
7	LSU	1,059	19
8	Auburn	1,007	8
9	UCLA	996	6
10	Arkansas	884	12
11	Penn State	746	NR
12	Clemson	695	9
13	Syracuse	644	13
14	Colorado	630	NR
15	Oklahoma	620	14
16	Alabama	479	17
17	West Virginia	457	5
18	Arizona	319	NR
19	BYU	306	NR
20	Pittsburgh	282	NR
21	Houston	281	18
22	Illinois	277	NR
23	Iowa	250	NR
24	NC State	238	NR
25	Ohio State	201	NR

Associated Press Poll
Started in 1936.

More Info

The Associated Press began running polls of sports writers to determine who is, by popular opinion, the best college football team in the country. The first AP Poll was run in 1934 but was not run continuously until 1936.

The AP Poll currently lists the top 25 teams in the nation. From 1936 to 1961 the poll only ranked the top 20 teams. From 1962 to 1967 it only ranked the top 10 teams. From 1968 to 1988 the AP Poll returned to ranking the top 20 teams. In 1989 they started ranking the top 25 teams.

The AP poll was used in the beginning of the BCS to calculate the team standings. Due to some controversies within the BCS, the AP Poll was pulled from these calculations which caused the BCS to create the new Harris Poll.