The AP Poll may have lost all of its importance in the age of the CFP, but it's still the gold standard when comparing teams' records ever since the first poll in 1936.
By my count, since 2017, UGA has faced more teams which appeared in the final AP poll (37) than anyone else. Our .730 winning percentage is second only to Bama’s (.735). Ohio State, Oklahoma, Clemson, Oklahoma State, and Washington are the only other teams to have a .500 record or better during that time.
According to College Poll Archive:
Total final AP poll appearances: UGA has extended its lead over Auburn to 2 with 42 (12th all-time, 4th best in the current SEC).
Total top 10 finishes: UGA has tied Penn State with 28 (tied for 8th all-time, 2nd best in the SEC, Tennessee is 3rd with 24).
Total top 5 finishes: UGA has passed Penn State with 15 (9th all-time, 2nd best in the SEC, Tennessee is 3rd with 13).
Total #1 finishes: UGA is now tied with three other teams for 9th with 3 (Florida and LSU also have 3).
Now a few random facts about the AP poll:
When the AP poll began in 1936, it featured 20 teams. However, voters only submitted their top 10 teams (this would be the case into the 1960s). As a result, in 1940, only 19 teams made the final poll. From 1962 - 1967, the AP only ranked 10 teams before returning to 20 teams in 1968. The poll expanded to the current 25 teams in 1989.
At its inception, the final AP poll was released before bowl games. In 1965, the the final poll was released after bowl games for the first time. However, the next two years, the final polls were again released prior to bowl games. In 1968, the final poll was again released after bowl games and would continue to be released after bowl games going forward. As an aside, given all the issues surrounding bowl games these days, maybe the AP should rank the top 13 non-playoff teams before the bowls, then release a final poll, adding a ranking of the playoff teams.
I found an interesting website called TipTop25. The site's author has gone back and created "fixed" verions of 87 final AP polls (no 2023 version yet) with brief explanations of his changes. As stated on the site, the repairs, "do not reflect my personal preferences, but are merely the minimum changes required by cold, hard logic." For example, he takes bowl games into account for the years when the final polls were released beforehand. Even so, his repairs did not help us out in 1942 or 1946. He has also created created hypothetical AP top 25 polls for 1901 - 1935. Kind of interesting if you have the time.
TipTop25 and an article from Management And Accounting Web contributed to the facts above.
By my count, since 2017, UGA has faced more teams which appeared in the final AP poll (37) than anyone else. Our .730 winning percentage is second only to Bama’s (.735). Ohio State, Oklahoma, Clemson, Oklahoma State, and Washington are the only other teams to have a .500 record or better during that time.
According to College Poll Archive:
Total final AP poll appearances: UGA has extended its lead over Auburn to 2 with 42 (12th all-time, 4th best in the current SEC).
Total top 10 finishes: UGA has tied Penn State with 28 (tied for 8th all-time, 2nd best in the SEC, Tennessee is 3rd with 24).
Total top 5 finishes: UGA has passed Penn State with 15 (9th all-time, 2nd best in the SEC, Tennessee is 3rd with 13).
Total #1 finishes: UGA is now tied with three other teams for 9th with 3 (Florida and LSU also have 3).
Now a few random facts about the AP poll:
When the AP poll began in 1936, it featured 20 teams. However, voters only submitted their top 10 teams (this would be the case into the 1960s). As a result, in 1940, only 19 teams made the final poll. From 1962 - 1967, the AP only ranked 10 teams before returning to 20 teams in 1968. The poll expanded to the current 25 teams in 1989.
At its inception, the final AP poll was released before bowl games. In 1965, the the final poll was released after bowl games for the first time. However, the next two years, the final polls were again released prior to bowl games. In 1968, the final poll was again released after bowl games and would continue to be released after bowl games going forward. As an aside, given all the issues surrounding bowl games these days, maybe the AP should rank the top 13 non-playoff teams before the bowls, then release a final poll, adding a ranking of the playoff teams.
I found an interesting website called TipTop25. The site's author has gone back and created "fixed" verions of 87 final AP polls (no 2023 version yet) with brief explanations of his changes. As stated on the site, the repairs, "do not reflect my personal preferences, but are merely the minimum changes required by cold, hard logic." For example, he takes bowl games into account for the years when the final polls were released beforehand. Even so, his repairs did not help us out in 1942 or 1946. He has also created created hypothetical AP top 25 polls for 1901 - 1935. Kind of interesting if you have the time.
TipTop25 and an article from Management And Accounting Web contributed to the facts above.
