Every year, football fans and pollsters alike go crazy for the latest preseason picks, the latest opinion on who will prevail this season. One of the main citations for these predictions and opinions is the AP poll.
The AP poll began its preseason football rankings all the way back in 1950. It was a bit different back in those days though, at that point they only recognized 10 teams in their rankings. They eventually expanded to ranking 20 teams, and then later transformed it again to recognize 25 teams. The poll also updates the rankings week by week.
These rankings used to play a major part in who was named the national champion, but then the BCS came along. The AP poll surely played a part in the BCS system, but many of the rankings were based on complicated computer algorithms. Now, it seems, the polls have become even less important.
This year brings a new change to the college football landscape. A committee has been assembled to pick the four best college football teams to compete in a new playoff system. These teams will be put together based entirely on the opinions of the committee. The AP poll has been deemed obsolete. These days it does not really matter where a team is on the AP poll at the beginning or end of the season, as long as the team keeps winning they will keep rising in the minds of voters and fans.