Coaches' Poll

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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.

Contents

[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

Source, accessed 2005-11-15

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)

[edit] 2005-2006 Board of Coaches (Basketball)

[edit] 2006-2007 Season

[edit] 2006 Board of Coaches (Football)

Source Those coaches who have been dismissed from position are noted with an asterisk.

[edit] 2006-2007 Board of Coaches (Basketball)

Source, accessed 2006-11-15

[edit] References

  1. ^ USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll (HTML) (English). USA Today. Retrieved on 2006-07-27.
  2. ^ USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 Poll (HTML) (English). USA Today. Retrieved on 2006-07-27.
  3. ^ ESPN Severs Ties to Poll (HTML) (English). USA Today. Retrieved on 2006-07-27.

[edit] External links

[edit] See also