College Football: Defending AP No. 1 in the AP Preseason Poll

Post Highlights

• Auburn’s No. 23 ranking in the AP preseason poll, is the lowest ranking by a defending AP No. 1 since Minnesota was unranked in 1961.

• Auburn is one of only five defending AP No. 1”s to be ranked out of the top ten of the AP preseason poll.

• The defending AP No. 1 has an average ranking of No. 4 in the AP preseason poll.

In 2010 Auburn finished with college football’s No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press poll.  In 2011 the AP ranked Auburn No. 23 in their preseason poll.  It’s the lowest ranking a defending AP No. 1 has received in the AP preseason poll since 1961, when defending AP No. 1 Minnesota was unranked in the 1961 AP preseason poll. It’s important to keep in mind though that the AP only ranked ten teams in the 1961 preseason poll.  Check out the table below for a complete listing.

Defending AP No. 1 in the AP Preseason Poll

Def AP #1		AP Pre	Rk		Def AP #1		AP Pre	Rk
Auburn		2011	23		Alabama		1980	2
Alabama		2010	1		Alabama		1979	2
Florida		2009	1		Notre Dame		1978	5
LSU		2008	7		Pittsburgh		1977	7
Florida		2007	6		Oklahoma		1976	5
Texas		2006	3		Oklahoma		1975	1
USC		2005	1		Notre Dame		1974	3
USC		2004	1		USC		1973	1
Ohio State		2003	2		Nebraska		1972	1
Miami FL		2002	1		Nebraska		1971	2
Oklahoma		2001	3		Texas		1970	2
Florida State		2000	2		Ohio State		1969	1
Tennessee		1999	2		USC		1968	2
Michigan		1998	5		Notre Dame		1967	1
Florida		1997	2		Alabama		1966	1
Nebraska		1996	1		Alabama		1965	5
Nebraska		1995	2		Texas		1964	4
Florida State		1994	3		USC		1963	1
Alabama		1993	2		Alabama		1962	3
Miami FL		1992	1		Minnesota		1961	UR
Colorado		1991	13		Syracuse		1960	1
Miami FL		1990	1		LSU		1959	1
Notre Dame		1989	2		Auburn		1958	5
Miami FL		1988	8		Oklahoma		1957	1
Penn State		1987	11		Oklahoma		1956	1
Oklahoma		1986	1		Ohio State		1955	4
BYU		1985	10		Maryland		1954	3
Miami FL		1984	10		Michigan State		1953	2
Penn State		1983	4		Tennessee		1952	6
Clemson		1982	11		Oklahoma		1951	4
Georgia		1981	10		Notre Dame		1950	1

The defending AP No. 1 has an average ranking of No. 4 in the AP preseason poll.

The defending AP No. 1 has been ranked No. 1 in the following AP preseason poll 21 times.  It’s the most common ranking for a defending AP No. 1.  The second most common preseason ranking for a defending AP No. 1 has been No. 2 (13 times).

Only five defending AP No. 1’s have been ranked out of the top ten in the AP preseason poll.

Def AP #1	AP Pre	Rk		Finished	AP Rk
Minnesota	1961	UR		8-2	6
Clemson	1982	11		9-1-1	8
Penn State	1987	11		8-4	UR
Colorado	1991	13		8-3-1	20
Auburn	2011	23		?	?

Reference: College Football at Sports-Reference.com