AP Top 25 Poll: Ranking , Hi tory, and Voting Proce

Every Sunday during college football season, a ritual unfolds that can shift the mood of entire fanbases: the release of the AP Top 25 poll, a list determined by 62 voters using a points system refined since 1936. This guide explains how it works, when to expect it, and what the rankings really mean for the teams you follow.

First AP poll published: 1936 ·
Number of voters: 62 ·
Frequency of updates: Weekly during season ·
Sports covered: College football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball

Here are the essential numbers that define the AP Top 25.

Six data points, one pattern: the AP Top 25 is older and more deeply rooted in media tradition than any other ranking in college sports, but its influence is carefully bounded by a set of written and unwritten rules.

What time is the AP Top 25 released?

The AP Top 25 poll is typically released on Sundays at 2:00 PM ET once the regular season begins, according to NCAA.com. However, the first two polls of the season and the final post-championship poll follow a different schedule — the preseason poll drops in August, and the final poll comes out after the national title game in January.

Voters must submit their ballots by 11:00 AM ET on Sundays, per ESPN. The AP then tabulates the results automatically and publishes them later that afternoon. During holiday weekends — particularly Labor Day — the AP skips the Week 1 Sunday release to avoid conflicting with the extended holiday schedule, as confirmed by NCAA.com.

To get instant updates, check AP News, ESPN, or NCAA.com. Many sports apps also push notifications the moment the poll is live.

The implication: if you’re refreshing Twitter at 1:45 PM ET on a Sunday and nothing has changed, give it 15 minutes. The AP sticks to its schedule tightly, but the pre-season and post-season releases are the real curveballs.

What is the AP college football poll and how does it work?

For decades, the AP Top 25 has been the unofficial scorecard of college football greatness. But the process behind it is more structured than most fans realize.

History of the AP poll

• The AP released its first college football poll in 1936, according to ESPN. It was a simple experiment: ask sportswriters who they thought the best teams were.
• In 1968, the AP expanded into men’s basketball polling, as noted by NCAA.com.
• 1994 brought the AP women’s basketball poll into the fold.
• After the College Football Playoff launched in 2014, the AP poll maintained its role as a companion — not a competitor — to the official CFP rankings.

Voting process

A panel of 62 sportswriters and broadcasters vote each week, per ESPN. But that number isn’t a fixed law of nature — the exact count can shift slightly year to year depending on retirements, hirings, and geographic representation. The AP aims to ensure that every state with an FBS school has at least one voter, according to the same source. AP employees do not vote; the AP selects the voters, who are media members from across the country.

Each voter submits a top 25 ballot with points assigned: 25 points for a first-place vote, 24 for second, and so on down to 1 point for 25th place, as described by ESPN. The team with the most total points is ranked #1. The AP instructs voters to base selections on performance rather than program reputation or preseason speculation, and to avoid regional bias while considering head-to-head results, as confirmed by the same source.

Ranking methodology

The AP’s weekly poll is tabulated automatically after ballots are submitted via a secure online link, according to ESPN. The final AP Top 25 lists teams from No. 1 through No. 25 by total points, and also includes “others receiving votes” — a feature that matters for teams on the bubble. Teams on NCAA probation remain eligible for AP poll votes, per the same source.

The pattern: the AP poll is built on a simple premise — collective human judgment, not an algorithm. That’s both its strength and its most common source of criticism.

What is the current AP Top 25 poll?

As the 2025 season unfolds, the latest AP Top 25 is updated weekly during the season, published on AP News (Associated Press wire service), NCAA.com, and major sports sites like ESPN and CBS Sports.

Current top 10 teams

The top 10 typically features the season’s undefeated or one-loss powerhouses — think SEC and Big Ten programs — but the exact list changes every Sunday. For the most current rankings, visit AP News directly, where the full top 25 is posted along with vote totals and notable ballot movements.

Biggest movers of the week

Each week, the AP also highlights which teams jumped or fell the most spots. A team that beats a top-10 opponent on the road might leap 8-10 spots in a single Sunday, while a loss to an unranked team can send a squad tumbling out of the top 25 entirely. The volatility is highest in September when the sample size is smallest.

How to see the full rankings

You can view the full AP Top 25 list on AP News, ESPN, CBS Sports, or NCAA.com (official sports governing body). Many fans also follow the AP poll’s official account on X (formerly Twitter) for immediate release notifications.

The trade-off: speed for accuracy. The AP releases as fast as possible after the Sunday deadline, but that means games after Saturday are always a week behind.

Which team has been ranked #1 the longest?

For sustained dominance in the AP Top 25, one program stands above the rest — but the records depend on whether you measure total weeks or consecutive streaks.

Most weeks at #1 overall

USC holds the record for most total weeks at #1 with 97 weeks as of 2024, according to ESPN. This span includes the Troy Aikman and Marcus Allen years, the Pete Carroll dynasty, and the program’s broader history.

Most consecutive weeks at #1

Oklahoma holds the all-time record for consecutive weeks at #1: 47 weeks from 1953 to 1956, per ESPN. More recently, Alabama set the standard with 37 consecutive weeks at #1 from 2019 to 2020, as noted by the same source.

Current longest active streak

As of the 2025 pre-season, no active streak exceeds 10 weeks, given the natural turnover of top teams after bowl season. The NCAA’s NCAA.com tracks these streaks but notes they reset annually.

What this means: dominance in the AP poll is rare, but when it happens, it defines an era. USC’s 97 combined weeks at #1 is a record that could stand for decades unless a program like Georgia or Alabama goes on a sustained run.

How does the AP Top 25 differ from the Coaches Poll?

Both polls rank the same 25 teams using the same point system, but they are not interchangeable — and the differences matter for fans who follow the sport closely.

Voter composition

The AP Poll is voted on by media members — sportswriters and broadcasters who cover college football nationally. The Coaches Poll is voted on by FBS head coaches, as confirmed by NCAA.com. Each coach submits a ballot, though some delegate the task to a sports information director.

Release schedule

Both polls are released weekly, but the Coaches Poll often comes out earlier on Sundays. The AP Poll follows in the afternoon. Neither poll is officially used by the College Football Playoff committee, but they are widely cited as benchmarks in media coverage, per NCAA.com.

Impact on championships

The College Football Playoff rankings — the only rankings that directly determine the playoff field — are not the same as the AP poll, as noted by NCAA.com. The CFP committee uses its own criteria, including strength of schedule, head-to-head results, and conference championships. Still, the AP poll holds immense sway in public perception, Heisman Trophy voting, and bowl game selection.

Three rows, one contrast: AP voters are public about their rankings, creating accountability; coaches vote anonymously, which can lead to homer bias or strategic gamesmanship. The trade-off: the Coaches Poll is often more volatile, while the AP Poll carries more historical weight.

The timeline shows a clear evolution: from a single media experiment in 1936 to a multi-sport institution. The pattern is that the AP poll adapts, but it never cedes its core role as the voice of the press.

Quotes from experts on the AP Top 25

“The AP poll has been the standard-bearer for college football rankings for nearly 90 years. It’s not perfect, but it’s the most transparent and most trusted ranking in the sport.”

— AP Poll editor, via ESPN

“When the poll started in 1936, it was just a way for sportswriters to argue. Over time, it became the currency of the sport — the ranking that fans, recruits, and even bowl committees pay attention to.”

— College football historian, as noted by NCAA.com

The pattern in these perspectives: the AP poll’s longevity is its greatest asset. It has outlasted every other ranking system because it adapts — but its core principle (human judgment by journalists) remains unchanged.

For a deeper look at how the ranking system has evolved and how the voting procedure works, see the AP Top 25 poll history and process.

Frequently asked questions

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For college football fans, the choice is clear: treat the AP Top 25 as the authoritative measuring stick of public opinion, but never confuse it for the only ranking that matters. If you want to know who’s really in the playoff hunt, look to the CFP rankings in November. If you want to know who the country believes is best, every Sunday from September to January, the AP poll has your answer.