I started with 1968 when the AP poll was expanded from top 10 to top 20. If the champion was unranked I gave them a ranking of 21 until the poll expanded to 25 and then I gave them a ranking of 26. I included all teams recognized as champions of that year, not just the AP champion.
-The non BCS era from 1968-1997: The average national champion ranked 7.6 in the preseason poll.
-The BCS era from 1998-2013: The average national champion ranked 7.2 in the preseason poll.
-The CFP era from 2014-present: The average national champion ranked 3.2 in the preseason poll.
-When Georgia won the 1980 national championship they were the lowest ranked preseason team to ever win the title after the rankings expanded to 20 teams. Georgia was 16th in the AP preseason poll. The record until that year was 11th by Ohio State in the very first Top 20 preseason AP poll in 1968.
-There have been four teams to win a national title starting unranked in an AP preseason top 20 or 25 poll. Three of those teams came in a four year period.
Clemson-1981
Miami- 1983
BYU-1984
-The only team to win a title unranked in a top 25 preseason poll was GA Tech. A shared title with Colorado in 1990. (I know. I know. It wasn't legitimate.)
- 5 teams started no. 1 in the AP preseason top 20 or 25 poll and won at least a share of the national title in the non BCS era: Oklahoma in both 74 and 75, Alabama in 78, Oklahoma in 85, and FSU in 93.
- 2 teams started no. 1 in the BCS era and won the title: FSU in 1999 and USC in 2004
- 1 team started no. 1 in the CFP era and won the title: Alabama in 2017 (Tyler Simmons was not offsides).
The top 5 lowest ranked preseason teams to win the title in each era:
-Non BCS: Clemson UR (80), Miami UR(83), BYU UR (84), Ga. Tech UR (90), UGA 16 (80)
-BCS: Auburn 22 (2010), Oklahoma 19 (2000), LSU 14 (2003), Ohio State 13 (2002), FSU 11 (2003)
-CFP: LSU 6 (2019), Georgia 5 (2021), Ohio State 5 (2014), 3 way tie for fourth: Georgia 3 (2022), Alabama 3, (2020), Alabama 3 (2015)
-No team ranked 4th in preseason has won the CFP.
-Only two teams have really come close to winning a CFP title that were ranked lower than 6th preseason: Georgia 15 (2017) and Clemson 12 (2015)
Champions ranked outside the top 5 in the preseason poll in the non BCS era: 18 of 37 teams. (A 30 season period but with 7 split titles.)
Champions ranked outside the top 5 in the preseason poll in the BCS era: 8 of 17 teams. (A 16 season period with 1 split title.)
Champions ranked outside the top 5 in the preseason poll in the CFP era: 1 of 10 teams. (The team was ranked 6th.)
The answer to my question seems to be probably not.
-The non BCS era from 1968-1997: The average national champion ranked 7.6 in the preseason poll.
-The BCS era from 1998-2013: The average national champion ranked 7.2 in the preseason poll.
-The CFP era from 2014-present: The average national champion ranked 3.2 in the preseason poll.
-When Georgia won the 1980 national championship they were the lowest ranked preseason team to ever win the title after the rankings expanded to 20 teams. Georgia was 16th in the AP preseason poll. The record until that year was 11th by Ohio State in the very first Top 20 preseason AP poll in 1968.
-There have been four teams to win a national title starting unranked in an AP preseason top 20 or 25 poll. Three of those teams came in a four year period.
Clemson-1981
Miami- 1983
BYU-1984
-The only team to win a title unranked in a top 25 preseason poll was GA Tech. A shared title with Colorado in 1990. (I know. I know. It wasn't legitimate.)
- 5 teams started no. 1 in the AP preseason top 20 or 25 poll and won at least a share of the national title in the non BCS era: Oklahoma in both 74 and 75, Alabama in 78, Oklahoma in 85, and FSU in 93.
- 2 teams started no. 1 in the BCS era and won the title: FSU in 1999 and USC in 2004
- 1 team started no. 1 in the CFP era and won the title: Alabama in 2017 (Tyler Simmons was not offsides).
The top 5 lowest ranked preseason teams to win the title in each era:
-Non BCS: Clemson UR (80), Miami UR(83), BYU UR (84), Ga. Tech UR (90), UGA 16 (80)
-BCS: Auburn 22 (2010), Oklahoma 19 (2000), LSU 14 (2003), Ohio State 13 (2002), FSU 11 (2003)
-CFP: LSU 6 (2019), Georgia 5 (2021), Ohio State 5 (2014), 3 way tie for fourth: Georgia 3 (2022), Alabama 3, (2020), Alabama 3 (2015)
-No team ranked 4th in preseason has won the CFP.
-Only two teams have really come close to winning a CFP title that were ranked lower than 6th preseason: Georgia 15 (2017) and Clemson 12 (2015)
Champions ranked outside the top 5 in the preseason poll in the non BCS era: 18 of 37 teams. (A 30 season period but with 7 split titles.)
Champions ranked outside the top 5 in the preseason poll in the BCS era: 8 of 17 teams. (A 16 season period with 1 split title.)
Champions ranked outside the top 5 in the preseason poll in the CFP era: 1 of 10 teams. (The team was ranked 6th.)
The answer to my question seems to be probably not.
