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The Power Four => Big Ten => Topic started by: medinabuckeye1 on August 18, 2026, 04:17:22 PM

Title: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: medinabuckeye1 on August 18, 2026, 04:17:22 PM


It is interesting that not a single #1 vote is going to an SEC school.  The B1G is getting the vast majority (62) with independent Notre Dame picking up 6 and ACC-Miami picking up one.  

This is the 1,268th AP Poll to be released dating all the way back to October 19, 1936 when Minnesota was #1 in the very first AP Poll.  

This is the 296th straight week that Alabama has appeared in the AP Poll dating back to the 2008 preseason AP Poll.  That is by far the longest active streak and is #2 all-time behind only Nebraska's 348 straight appearances from 1981-2002.  If the Tide remain ranked continuously until then, they will catch the Cornhuskers early in the 2029 season.  Active streaks:

* Ohio State's current streak of 97 straight appearances and their streak of 132 straight appearances from 2012-2020 are separated only by the two weeks during the pandemic in 2020 when B1G teams were deemed ineligible due to the B1G pausing sports.  Thus, Ohio State has been ranked in 229 straight AP Polls for which they were eligible.  That would be the second longest active streak behind only Bama's and the third longest streak of all-time behind only Nebraska and Bama.  

# Prior to this, Indiana's longest streak was 11 from 2020-2021.  Curt Cignetti:  Google him, he wins.  

& Indiana's current streak of 30 straight appearances represents nearly a third of Indiana's total appearances since 1936 (97).  Curt Cignetti:  Google him, he wins.  

This is the 1,017th time that Ohio State has appeared in the AP Poll, that leads all:


This is the 736th time that Ohio State has appeared in the top-10 of the AP Poll, that leads all:

Teams in bold are currently in the top-10 so Texas is about to catch USC.  

Alabama is the all-time leader in top-5 appearances but they are not currently in the top-5 so they are being gained on:

Teams in bold are currently in the top-5 so Ohio State is gaining on Bama for #1, Notre Dame is gaining on Michigan for #4, and Texas is gaining on Nebraska for #6.  

Alabama is the all-time leader in appearances at #1 but they are not currently #1 so they are being gained on:

Ohio State is now half way between Bama and Oklahoma.  

Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: Cincydawg on August 18, 2026, 04:21:18 PM
Historically about three of these teams will finish unranked.



Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: medinabuckeye1 on August 18, 2026, 04:39:48 PM
Quote from: Cincydawg on August 18, 2026, 04:21:18 PM
Historically about three of these teams will finish unranked.
FWIW, last year's preseason top-10 with final rankings:

Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: Cincydawg on August 18, 2026, 04:45:25 PM
The top three ranked teams nearly always finish in the top ten.  FSU one year was 3 and dropped out completely, that is rare.
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: MikeDeTiger on August 18, 2026, 04:47:46 PM
Quote from: medinabuckeye1 on August 18, 2026, 04:17:22 PM
* Ohio State's current streak of 97 straight appearances and their streak of 132 straight appearances from 2012-2020 are separated only by the two weeks during the pandemic in 2020 when B1G teams were deemed ineligible due to the B1G pausing sports.  Thus, Ohio State has been ranked in 229 straight AP Polls for which they were eligible.  That would be the second longest active streak behind only Bama's and the third longest streak of all-time behind only Nebraska and Bama.  
Stoopid pandemic.  
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: MrNubbz on August 18, 2026, 04:50:19 PM
So only Oregon and the 'Canes exceeded expectations,I'm thinking the Ducks might be roosting at the top when the fur quits flying.
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: medinabuckeye1 on August 18, 2026, 04:59:55 PM
Quote from: MrNubbz on August 18, 2026, 04:50:19 PM
So only Oregon and the 'Canes exceeded expectations,I'm thinking the Ducks might be roosting at the top when the fur quits flying.
Looked at the other way around:  Last year's final top-10 with preseason ranking:


I would say that Oregon, Ohio State, Georgia, Bama, and Notre Dame all more-or-less met expectations.  They finished within +/-4 of where they started.  

Indiana (+19), Ole Miss (+18), TxTech (+16), and to a lesser extent aTm (+11) and Miami (+8) exceeded expectations.  

The teams that REALLY fell short of expectations were of course Penn State, Clemson, and LSU and two of those have new coaches because of it.  
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: Cincydawg on August 18, 2026, 05:17:27 PM
I find it ... a bit odd that UGA is often perceived as having fallen short last season, yet another indication how it's now NC or bust.

Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: medinabuckeye1 on August 18, 2026, 05:38:18 PM
One more tidbit:

2026 is the 59th consecutive season during which Ohio State has appeared in the AP Poll.  That is the longest such streak of all-time and it is the longest active streak by far:


Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: Cincydawg on August 18, 2026, 05:41:25 PM
I'm surprised UGA is that high.  But you mean appeared at some point in the season obviously.  
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: medinabuckeye1 on August 18, 2026, 10:25:18 PM
Quote from: Cincydawg on August 18, 2026, 05:41:25 PM
I'm surprised UGA is that high.  But you mean appeared at some point in the season obviously. 
Yep, the site I'm getting all my AP tidbits from (https://www.collegepollarchive.com/football/ap/app_streaks_seasons.cfm?streak=any&active=yes) keeps that as a stat, not sure why.  

The AP Poll was:


FWIW, Ohio State's streaks are:
So the only years in which Ohio State was never ranked were 1947, 1966, and 1967 and the last two of those were during the short-lived 10-team era.  
Georgia's streaks (reverse chronological) are:
So Georgia's years of never being ranked were:

Three of those came during the 10-team era.  
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: Gigem on August 18, 2026, 11:03:14 PM
Quote from: Cincydawg on August 18, 2026, 04:21:18 PM
Historically about three of these teams will finish unranked.


  • Ohio State (40)
  • Oregon (14)
  • Georgia
  • Notre Dame (6)
  • Texas
  • Indiana (8)
  • Miami (1)
  • aTm
  • Ole Miss
  • Oklahoma
Pffft. A&M is the most likely to finish unranked. Book it. 
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: Cincydawg on August 19, 2026, 08:27:46 AM
UGA obviously has benefitted from population growth in the state, and putting a lot of money into HS athletics.  
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: medinabuckeye1 on August 19, 2026, 09:51:06 AM
Quote from: Cincydawg on August 19, 2026, 08:27:46 AM
UGA obviously has benefitted from population growth in the state, and putting a lot of money into HS athletics. 
All thanks to Mr. Carrier!  

The growth in the South is insane.  Even within my lifetime, the first time I travelled from Ohio to Florida, Ohio was the more populous state:
1970 Census:
1980 Census:

Florida surpassed Ohio in the 1990 census (by a LOT, 12.9M vs 10.8M) and currently has a population just under double that of Ohio.  

Going back a bit further, my dad was born in 1940 and spent a few summers in the late 1940s with relatives in Atlanta.  At that time Atlanta's population was only a little more than that of Akron and Atlanta only had about 1/3 the population of Cleveland.  Georgia as a whole only had 3.1M people in 1940 while Ohio had well over double that many.  
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: utee94 on August 19, 2026, 09:53:14 AM
Florida is amazing and everyone should move there!
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: Cincydawg on August 19, 2026, 09:56:24 AM
Yup, AC makes it bearable.  And winters are more tolerable.  Cheap labor attracted industry.  I suspect the Interstate system has played a role also.

I was in HS ca. 1970, our school was something of an athletic power, we played in county stadia that were pretty basic, and that was a "rich" county (Dekalb).  I played on baseball fields no better than a cow pasture, ours was OK, but nothing like todays.

Below is Buford HS, which in my day Buford was a tiny tiny crossroads with nothing.  This no doubt doesn't compare with many Texas HS fields, but it's probably an indication of $$$ these HS programs have here.

(https://i.imgur.com/itdp0Wf.png)
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: Cincydawg on August 19, 2026, 09:58:07 AM
My AC is perking along fortunately.  It's "only" 75°F at the moment, but we have east facing windows.

Another factor of course in SEC football is the shift circa 1970 in playing black players.
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: 847badgerfan on August 19, 2026, 10:01:34 AM
Quote from: utee94 on August 19, 2026, 09:53:14 AM
Florida is amazing and everyone should move there!
People don't need encouragement. They are just coming.
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: 847badgerfan on August 19, 2026, 10:02:17 AM
Quote from: Cincydawg on August 19, 2026, 09:56:24 AM

(https://i.imgur.com/itdp0Wf.png)
That's better than most MAC stadiums.
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: utee94 on August 19, 2026, 10:03:41 AM
Quote from: Cincydawg on August 19, 2026, 09:58:07 AM
My AC is perking along fortunately.  It's "only" 75°F at the moment, but we have east facing windows.

Another factor of course in SEC football is the shift circa 1970 in playing black players.
I originally read that as "paying"... which is also appropriate.
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: Cincydawg on August 19, 2026, 10:06:46 AM
I do find it interesting in this day of NIL that SEC "ascendancy" may be attenuated.  (I never thought it was all that terrific back when, very solid no doubt.)

The "SEC Helmet" is still a thing, I think.  Folks put a lot of emphasis on which team wins the NC of course, and which league.  I look broader than that, I think it pretty clear the B1G and SEC are ahead of the others, and probably close to each other.
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: medinabuckeye1 on August 19, 2026, 11:41:50 AM
Quote from: utee94 on August 19, 2026, 09:53:14 AM
Florida is amazing and everyone should move there!
LoL, not like Texas hasn't seen spectacular growth as well.  

It is interesting to me that the top four most populous states were very stable for 80 years from just before the Civil War until just before WWII then changed dramatically in the 80 years after that from 1940-2020.  

In the 1860 census Illinois overtook NC, GA, KY, IN, MA, TN, and VA to move up to #4 behind only NY, PA, and OH.  From then until the 1940 census the only change at the top was that Illinois overtook Ohio in the 1890 census.  In 1940 the four most populous states were:
At that time the three current most populous states were:
In 2020 NY/PA/IL/OH are still contiguous but they have dropped from 1-4 to 4-7:

Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: jgvol on August 19, 2026, 01:38:15 PM
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/news/college-football/5-strange-but-true-facts-about-the-history-of-the-ap-top-25/ 
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: Cincydawg on August 19, 2026, 06:01:39 PM
Quote from: medinabuckeye1 on August 18, 2026, 04:17:22 PM
  • Ohio State (40)
  • Oregon (14)
  • Georgia
  • Notre Dame (6)
  • Texas
  • Indiana (8)
  • Miami (1)
  • aTm
  • Ole Miss
  • Oklahoma
  • LSU
  • TxTech
  • Bama
  • USC
  • BYU
  • Michigan
  • Washington
  • Penn State
  • SMU
  • Tennessee
  • Utah
  • Iowa
  • Houston
  • Louisville
  • Mizzou
So, I'm pondering how much of these rankings is due to "Helmet", e.g., a reflection of past performances rather than some level headed assessment of their prospects this season.  Voters are more comfortable ranking a name like Penn State or Alabama at 18 and 13 than say at 28 and 33.  
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: medinabuckeye1 on August 20, 2026, 09:55:42 AM
Quote from: Cincydawg on August 19, 2026, 06:01:39 PM
So, I'm pondering how much of these rankings is due to "Helmet", e.g., a reflection of past performances rather than some level headed assessment of their prospects this season.  Voters are more comfortable ranking a name like Penn State or Alabama at 18 and 13 than say at 28 and 33. 
It is really impossible to separate the two.  

Here are the teams most frequently ranked in the preseason poll (77 polls dating back to 1950, there was no preseason poll before that):
Obviously that is a list of helmet and helmet-adjacent teams so you *COULD* say that they get ranked because of their helmet status but that is a chicken-and-egg issue.  They are helmets BECAUSE they usually finish ranked.  Here is a list of the teams that have most frequently finished ranked:



It is the exact same 10 teams.  Yes the voters tend to rank the helmets in the preseason but the voters also tend to be right.  
Title: Re: Preseason AP Poll
Post by: bayareabadger on August 20, 2026, 03:31:06 PM
Quote from: Cincydawg on August 19, 2026, 09:56:24 AM
Yup, AC makes it bearable.  And winters are more tolerable.  Cheap labor attracted industry.  I suspect the Interstate system has played a role also.

I was in HS ca. 1970, our school was something of an athletic power, we played in county stadia that were pretty basic, and that was a "rich" county (Dekalb).  I played on baseball fields no better than a cow pasture, ours was OK, but nothing like todays.

Below is Buford HS, which in my day Buford was a tiny tiny crossroads with nothing.  This no doubt doesn't compare with many Texas HS fields, but it's probably an indication of $$$ these HS programs have here.

(https://i.imgur.com/itdp0Wf.png)
The salaries of some of those Georgia high school coaches are getting bananas, especially because a lot of them don’t have other duties.