Coaches' Poll
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I-A college football and Division I college basketball teams.
The football rankings are compiled by the USA Today Board of Coaches which is made up of 63 head coaches at Division I-A institutions.[1] All coaches are members of the American Football Coaches Association. The basketball rankings are compiled by the USA Today Board of Coaches which is made up of 31 head coaches at Division I institutions.[2] All are members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches ("NABC").
The football Coaches' Poll is an element of the BCS rankings, a voting system used to determine who will play in the BCS National Championship Game and be crowned the NCAA Division I-A national champion.
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[edit] History
The Coaches' Poll began selecting the top 20 teams on a weekly basis during the 1950-1951 college football and basketball seasons. It was initially published by United Press (after 1958, United Press International). For the 1990-1991 football and basketball seasons, the poll expanded to a top 25, and it has retained this format since.
[edit] College football
Beginning in the 1974 season, the poll of coaches conducted its final poll after the bowl games for the first time. In 1991, USA Today and CNN took over publishing the coaches' football poll. In 1997, ESPN took the place of CNN as co-sponsor. Finally, following the 2005 season, as a result of controversial voting practices related to the BCS, ESPN dropped its co-sponsorship of the football poll, leaving USA Today as the sole sponsor.[3]
Although the coaches' football poll is often generally in accord with the AP Poll, there are important differences. Eleven times the Coaches Poll has crowned a different national champion than the AP Poll – in 1954, 1957, 1965, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1991, 1997, and 2003 – causing consternation among some college football fans. Also, since 1974, teams on probation are not recognized in the poll of coaches while the AP permits their inclusion.
The winner of the BCS National Championship Game is required to be voted number one, yet the AP Poll does not have this requirement.
The winner of the Coaches' Poll is awarded the exquisite Waterford Crystal National Championship Coaches' Trophy in an on-field post-game presentation.
[edit] Year-by-Year Final Coaches' Poll Football Champions
| Year | School | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Oklahoma | Bud Wilkinson |
| 1951 | Tennessee | Robert Neyland |
| 1952 | Michigan State | Biggie Munn |
| 1953 | Maryland | Jim Tatum |
| 1954 | UCLA | Red Sanders |
| 1955 | Oklahoma | Bud Wilkinson |
| 1956 | Oklahoma | Bud Wilkinson |
| 1957 | Ohio State | Woody Hayes |
| 1958 | LSU | Paul Dietzel |
| 1959 | Syracuse | Ben Schwartzwalder |
| 1960 | Minnesota | Murray Warmath |
| 1961 | Alabama | Bear Bryant |
| 1962 | USC | John McKay |
| 1963 | Texas | Darrell Royal |
| 1964 | Alabama | Bear Bryant |
| 1965 | Michigan State | Duffy Daugherty |
| 1966 | Notre Dame | Ara Parseghian |
| 1967 | USC | John McKay |
| 1968 | Ohio State | Woody Hayes |
| 1969 | Texas | Darrell Royal |
| 1970 | Texas | Darrell Royal |
| 1971 | Nebraska | Bob Devaney |
| 1972 | USC | John McKay |
| 1973 | Alabama | Bear Bryant |
| 1974 | USC | John McKay |
| 1975 | Oklahoma | Barry Switzer |
| 1976 | Pittsburgh | Johnny Majors |
| 1977 | Notre Dame | Dan Devine |
| 1978 | USC | John Robinson |
| 1979 | Alabama | Bear Bryant |
| 1980 | Georgia | Vince Dooley |
| 1981 | Clemson | Danny Ford |
| 1982 | Penn State | Joe Paterno |
| 1983 | Miami (Fla.) | Howard Schnellenberger |
| 1984 | Brigham Young | LaVell Edwards |
| 1985 | Oklahoma | Barry Switzer |
| 1986 | Penn State | Joe Paterno |
| 1987 | Miami (Fla.) | Jimmy Johnson |
| 1988 | Notre Dame | Lou Holtz |
| 1989 | Miami (Fla.) | Dennis Erickson |
| 1990 | Georgia Tech | Bobby Ross |
| 1991 | Washington | Don James |
| 1992 | Alabama | Gene Stallings |
| 1993 | Florida State | Bobby Bowden |
| 1994 | Nebraska | Tom Osborne |
| 1995 | Nebraska | Tom Osborne |
| 1996 | Florida | Steve Spurrier |
| 1997 | Nebraska | Tom Osborne |
| 1998 | Tennessee | Phil Fulmer |
| 1999 | Florida State | Bobby Bowden |
| 2000 | Oklahoma | Bob Stoops |
| 2001 | Miami (Fla.) | Larry Coker |
| 2002 | Ohio State | Jim Tressel |
| 2003 | LSU | Nick Saban |
| 2004 | USC | Pete Carroll |
| 2005 | Texas | Mack Brown |
| 2006 | Florida | Urban Meyer |
| 2007 | LSU | Les Miles |
[edit] College basketball
Beginning in 1993, USA Today and CNN took over publishing the coaches' basketball poll for UPI. Beginning in the 1993-1994 basketball season, the Coaches' Poll began publishing its final poll after the NCAA basketball tournament. From 1995 to 2001, the poll was co-sponsored by USA Today and the NABC. Finally, in 2002, ESPN joined as a co-sponsor of the Coaches' Poll along with USA Today and the National Association of Basketball Coaches where select NABC members serve as the voting block for the poll. ESPN retains its involvement with the basketball poll despite no longer being involved with the football poll.
[edit] 2005-2006 season
[edit] 2005 Board of Coaches (Football)
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[edit] 2005-2006 Board of Coaches (Basketball)
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[edit] 2006-2007 Season
[edit] 2006 Board of Coaches (Football)
Source Those coaches who have been dismissed from position are noted with an asterisk.
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[edit] 2006-2007 Board of Coaches (Basketball)
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[edit] References
- ^ USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll (HTML) (English). USA Today. Retrieved on 2006-07-27.
- ^ USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 Poll (HTML) (English). USA Today. Retrieved on 2006-07-27.
- ^ ESPN Severs Ties to Poll (HTML) (English). USA Today. Retrieved on 2006-07-27.
