National Champions
Fixed AP Polls
Annual Top 25 1901-1935
Partial Rankings 1890-1900
About Me
E-mail:
James@TipTop25.com
|
Comments on 12-8 AP College Football Poll
If
you've been wondering why I haven't been fixing the AP college football
poll every week, it's because I don't bother to fix the AP poll's top
25
until after the final edition is released in January. When there are no
more games to be played, there is no longer any wiggle room for
ignoring head-to-head results and season-long performance. But before
that, there can be plenty of room for wiggling. |
Here
it is, the final AP poll for the 2023 season, cleansed of logical
errors! But
before I get to correcting the AP poll's errors, let me make one thing
clear. This is not about what I would personally prefer to see in the
rankings. I myself would be inclined to rank 11-2 Mississippi and 10-3
LSU ahead of 11-2 Missouri (more on this issue in the linked article), and I
would put 10-3 Notre Dame ahead of 10-3 Arizona (also covered in the linked article),
just as a couple of
examples. But in these cases, the choices the AP poll made are
logically viable. This
is about fixing only those AP poll
choices that are not logically valid or fair. |
I have also repaired the errors in all the AP polls going back to the first one in 1936. You can find those repaired polls by clicking the Fixed AP Polls link at the upper left of this page, or by clicking this one right here. |
As many of you had noticed and lamented via email,
I had only written one National Championship article in 6
years. Just been too busy! I would still like to write full articles
about each season like I have for 1901-1969, but for now, what I am
going to do instead is write partial articles that do nothing more than
explain my reasoning for my Mythical National Championship (MNC) selections.
Full profiles of the teams and their seasons will have to wait until I
have time to write those up. |
Greatest College Football Programs of All TimeHere it is, my list of the greatest college football programs of all time (1901 to the present). This list is based on total top-25 ranking points: a program gets 25 points for each #1 finish, 24 for #2, etc., down to 1 point for a #25 finish. For this list I am using my fixed AP polls for the seasons 1936-2023, and I am using my fixed hypothetical AP polls for the seasons 1901-1935.Who's #1? And who's #162? Hit the link for the entire top-to-bottom list: Greatest Football Programs of All Time |
But wait, that's not all! I've got a few more lists for your perusing pleasure: Most Overrated and Underrated Programs in AP Poll History -- Also lists the most overrated and underrated programs for each decade going back to the 1980s Greatest College Football Dynasties of the AP Poll Era Annual Best Conference List -- The major conference with the best record against nonconference opponents for each season going back to 1920. |
Greatest Major-College/FBS Coaches of All TimeI have 2 different lists here of the greatest head coaches of all time, and each list looks very different because each measures something different. First I offer a list of the greatest all-time coaches by winning percentage. This is the best and most accurate such list you will find, as even the NCAA's list has errors in it (all fully explained in the footnotes of the list).Top Major-College Football Coaches of All Time by Winning Percentage Next I offer a list of the greatest all-time coaches by top-25 ranking points (25 points for each 1st place finish, 24 for 2nd, etc., down to 1 point for each 25th place finish). For this list I am again using my fixed AP polls for the seasons 1936-2020, I am using my fixed hypothetical AP polls for the seasons 1901-1935, and I am using my partial rankings for the seasons 1890-1900. This list is similar to a list of coaches by total all-time wins, as it emphasizes longevity in addition to success. Indeed, unlike the other list, longevity is crucial to finishing in the top 10 of this list (minimum 25 years as a head coach!). Top College Football Coaches by Total Ranking Points |
|
I have also written articles summarizing the mythical national championship race for each season 1902 through 1969, with more to come. You can find those summaries by clicking the National Champions link at the upper left of this page. Or this one. |
Here
it is, the very first AP college football poll, fully repaired and made
sensible. It took me 2 1/2 years to fix every AP poll. 1936 was a good
season for the AP poll to debut, since there was a full-blown
controversy at the top of the poll. Minnesota finished #1, but
Pittsburgh likely would have finished #1 if the AP had conducted a poll
after the bowls, and writers continued to argue about it through the
following Spring. |
I've
done it! Completed all the top 25s 1901-1935! Woohoo! I'll not be doing
earlier ones, as the further you go back, the less nation-wide college
football becomes, and the harder it is to find 25 teams worthy of
being listed at all. |
I have created hypothetical AP poll top 25s for every season prior to the actual AP poll's debut in 1936, going back to 1901. You can find those here. |
Fixing the Final AP College Football Poll for the 2023 Season
Finally! More National Championship Selections!
The 1901 College Football National Championship