Bravo to lucky (well, maybe not lucky, just downright dominant) No. 13 Miami, ranked the 13th all-time college football program by the Associated Press “in the first-ever all-time rankings tabulated by the organization from more than 1,100 weekly polls over the past 80 years.”
This is very cool, and very impressive.
According to the AP, “the ranking was based on total poll appearances, number of times ranked No. 1 and AP national championships.”
“College football is rich with history, and the AP poll is a unique measure of how the sport has changed through time,” said Noreen Gillespie, deputy sports editor. “The all-time list lets fans interact with that history, and debate how the nation’s top programs fared over time.”
To view The Associated Press’ all-time rankings, click HERE.
Following is part of the release sent out by UM:
Starting Aug. 15, AP will release a series of eight stories focused on trends and top teams during each decade of the AP poll, including the University of Miami’s domination in the 1980s. The historical poll data also will be used in coverage of the upcoming season to provide a perspective unique to AP.
Now known as The AP Top 25, the poll originated with 20 teams, then was reduced to 10 teams from 1961 to 1967 before expanding back to 20. The poll then grew to 25 teams starting with the 1989 season.
The 2016 preseason AP Top 25 will be released on Aug. 21.
The Associated Press began its college football poll on Oct. 19, 1936, It is now the longest-running poll of those that award national titles at the end of the season. A panel of 61 sports writers and broadcasters from around the country votes on the poll weekly. All of the voters have an extensive background in covering college football.
SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN