AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 1936 to 1939 Final Top 25

AP Poll, Rankings 1930s: What are the greatest college football programs of all-time based on the AP poll final rankings?

Where did all the top teams rank in the final 1936 top 25 AP college football poll? Which programs made the cut and which ones just missed out, but received votes?


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The AP rankings have been a part of the fabric of college football since 1936.

So, according to the final AP rankings, how do the programs rank all-time, by decade, and by era? Which ones were the best over the second half of the 1930s?

Here’s the drill. Take all the AP final rankings and use our CFN scoring system – it’s not hard. The AP national champion gets 25 points, the No. 2 team 24, No. 3 23, and so on down to the bottom.

Interestingly enough, Notre Dame didn’t win a national title over the four years the AP ranked teams in the 1930s, but it managed to come out on top of the rankings to be the team of the decade.

1930s AP National Champions
1936 Minnesota
1937 Pittsburgh
1938 TCU
1939 Texas A&M

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings
AP Poll, All-Time Rankings
Greatest Programs of All-Time | 1930s | 1940s1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939

AP College Football Poll: 1936 to 1939 Final All-Time Rankings

1 Notre Dame 69

2 Pitt 66

T3 Duke 62

T3 Minnesota 62

5 Alabama 57

6 Fordham 54

7 Santa Clara 49

8 Tennessee 48

9 TCU 45

T10 LSU 42

T10 USC 42

12 Nebraska 40

13 Dartmouth 38

T14 Cal 36

T14 Cornell 36

T16 Holy Cross 29

T16 Oklahoma 29

T18 Duquesne 28

T18 Northwestern 28

T18 Tulane 28

T18 Villanova 28

T18 Yale 28

23 Texas A&M 25

24 Ohio State 24

25 Washington 21

Others Receiving Votes: Arkansas 20, Carnegie Mellon 20, Missouri 20, UCLA 19, Iowa 17, Michigan 16, Penn 16, Boston College 15, Texas Tech 15, Clemson 14, Georgia Tech 10, Colorado 9, Tennessee 9, Navy 8, Rice 8, North Carolina 7, Marquette 6

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings
Greatest Programs of All-Time | 1930s | 1940s1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939

NEXT: AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 1939 Final Top 20

AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 1940 to 1949 Final Top 25

AP Poll, Rankings 1940s: What are the greatest college football programs of all-time based on the AP poll final rankings?

Where did all the top teams rank in the final 1940 to 1949 top 25 AP college football poll? Which programs made the cut and which ones just missed out, but received votes?


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According to the final AP rankings, how do the programs rank all-time, by decade, and by era? Which ones were the best over the 1940s?

Take all the AP final rankings and use our CFN scoring system – the AP national champion gets 25 points, the No. 2 team 24, No. 3 23, and so on down to the bottom.

Michigan only won one AP national championship in the 1940s – Notre Dame won four, Army two, and Minnesota two – but the consistency mattered. Michigan was in the top nine of every AP poll of the decade.

1940s AP National Champions 
1949 Notre Dame; 1948 Michigan, 1947 Notre Dame, 1946 Notre Dame, 1945 Army, 1944 Army, 1943 Notre Dame, 1942 Ohio State, 1941 Minnesota, 1940 Minnesota

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings
Greatest Programs of All-Time | 1930s | 1940s1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945
1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949

AP College Football Poll: 1940 to 1949 Final All-Time Rankings

1 Michigan 210

2 Notre Dame 201

3 Army 146

4 Ohio State 124

5 Tennessee 103

6 Texas 97

7 Duke 86

8 Minnesota 85

9 Navy 83

10 Penn 79

11 Georgia Tech 78

12 Georgia 77

13 Northwestern 69

T14 Oklahoma 67

T14 North Carolina 67

16 Alabama 66

17 Cal 56

18 USC 52

19 Tulsa 51

20 SMU 49

21 LSU 47

22 Rice 45

23 Iowa Pre-Flight 44

24 Boston College 39

25 Stanford 38

Others Receiving Votes:  Santa Clara 37, Texas A&M 37, Mississippi State 35, UCLA 35, Fordham 34, Illinois 33, Ole Miss 33, William & Mary 33, Cornell 32, March Field 32, Bainbridge NTS 30, Washington 30, Great Lakes Navy 29, Indiana 28, Saint Mary’s (CA) Pre-Flight 26, Missouri 25, Pacific 23, Randolph Field 23, Wisconsin 23, Oklahoma State 21, Purdue 21, Michigan State 19, Nebraska 19, Del Monte Pre-Flight 18, Duquesne 18, Holy Cross 17, NC State 17, Oregon 17, Washington State 16, Clemson 15, Kentucky 15, Kansas 14, Oregon State 14, Vanderbilt 14, Yale 14, Georgetown 13, Norman Naval Air Station 13, Tulane 13, Villanova 13, Wake Forest 13, Columbia 12, Maryland 12, Arkansas 10, Auburn 10, Dartmouth 10, El Toro Marines 10, Hardin-Simmons 9, Colorado College 8, Fort Pierce 8, Princeton 8, Delaware 7, Lafayette 7, Baylor 6, Second Air Force 6

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings
Greatest Programs of All-Time | 1930s | 1940s1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945
1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949

NEXT: AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 1949 Final Top 20

AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 1970 to 1979 Final Top 25

AP Poll, Rankings 1970s: What are the greatest college football programs of all-time based on the AP poll final rankings?

Where did all the top teams rank in the final 1970 to 1979 top 25 AP college football poll? Which programs made the cut and which ones just missed out, but received votes?


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According to the final AP rankings, how do the programs rank all-time, by decade, and by era? Which ones were the best over the 1970s?

Take all the AP final rankings and use our CFN scoring system – the AP national champion gets 25 points, the No. 2 team 24, No. 3 23, and so on down to the bottom.

Nebraska started the decade off with two national titles, Alabama ended with two national championships, and Notre Dame managed two of its own. But it was Oklahoma that turned into the star of the 1970s with back-to-back national titles with two second-place finishes and three third-place runs.

1970s AP National Champions 
1970 Nebraska; 1971 Nebraska; 1972 USC; 1973 Notre Dame; 1974 Oklahoma; 1975 Oklahoma; 1976 Pittsburgh; 1977 Notre Dame; 1978 Alabama; 1979 Alabama

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings
Greatest Programs of All-Time | 1930s | 1940s1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975
1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979

AP College Football Poll: 1970 to 1979 Final All-Time Rankings

1 Oklahoma 213

2 Alabama 196

3 Nebraska 191

4 Michigan 179

5 USC 178

6 Ohio State 163

7 Notre Dame 152

8 Penn State 150

9 Texas 148

T10 Arizona State 100

T10 Arkansas 100

12 Houston 99

13 Auburn 79

14 Pitt 73

15 Tennessee 70

16 UCLA 69

17 LSU 62

18 Maryland 56

19 Stanford 54

20 Colorado 53

21 Georgia 52

22 Texas A&M 51

23 NC State 42

24 Miami University 41

25 Washington 38

Others Receiving Votes: 26 North Carolina 34, 27 Florida State 32, 28 Purdue 29, T29 Kentucky 28, T29 Michigan State 28, T29 Texas Tech 28, 32 Clemson 27, 33 Toledo 26, 34 Baylor 24, 35 Missouri 20, T36 BYU 19, T36 Georgia Tech 19, 38 Ole Miss 17, T39 Mississippi State 15, T39 Tulane 15, T41 Cal 12, T41 Dartmouth 12, T41 Oklahoma State 12, 44 Florida 11, T45 Air Force 10, T45 San Diego State 10, T47 Rutgers 9, T47 Temple 9, T49 Arizona 8, T49 Kansas 8, T49 Louisville 8, T49 Michigan 8, T53 Indiana 7, T53 Iowa State 7, T53 Washington State 7, 56 West Virginia 6

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings 
AP Top 20 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975
1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979

NEXT: AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 1979 Final Top 20

AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 1960 to 1969 Final Top 25

AP Poll, Rankings 1960s: What are the greatest college football programs of all-time based on the AP poll final rankings?

Where did all the top teams rank in the final 1960 to 1969 top 25 AP college football poll? Which programs made the cut and which ones just missed out, but received votes?


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According to the final AP rankings, how do the programs rank all-time, by decade, and by era? Which ones were the best over the 1940s?

Take all the AP final rankings and use our CFN scoring system – the AP national champion gets 25 points, the No. 2 team 24, No. 3 23, and so on down to the bottom.

Alabama won three AP national championships and was in three other AP top tens to become the program of the 1960s. This was a quirky decade for the AP Poll – it was only a final top 10 from 1961 to 1967.

1960s AP National Champions 
1960 Minnesota; 1961 Alabama; 1962 USC; 1963 Texas; 1964 Alabama; 1965 Alabama; 1966 Notre Dame; 1967 USC; 1968 Ohio State; 1969 Texas

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings
Greatest Programs of All-Time | 1930s | 1940s1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 10 or 20 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965
1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969

AP College Football Poll: 1960 to 1969 Final All-Time Rankings

1 Alabama 181

2 Texas 139

3 Notre Dame 128

4 USC 127

5 Arkansas 122

6 Ohio State 106

7 Ole Miss 105

8 LSU 101

9 Nebraska 96

10 Michigan State 94

11 Penn State 91

12 Missouri 78

13 Oklahoma 72

14 Purdue 67

15 Tennessee 67

16 Minnesota 61

17 UCLA 56

18 Michigan 53

19 Auburn 50

20 Oregon State 48

21 Navy 46

22 Georgia 40

23 Kansas 34

24 Colorado 29

25 SMU 28

Others Receiving Votes: 26 Wisconsin 24, T27 Illinois 23, T27 Iowa 23, T29 Houston 22, T29 Indiana 22, T29 Pitt 22, T32 Arizona 20, T32 Florida 20, T32 Washington 20,T32 Wyoming 20, 36 Georgia Tech 18, 37 Miami 17, T38 Duke 16, T38 Utah State 16, 40 Baylor 14, 41 Yale 12, T42 New Mexico State 9, T42 West Virginia 9, 44 Stanford 7, 45 Syracuse 7, 46 Ohio 6

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings 
AP Top 10 or 20 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965
1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969

NEXT: AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 1969 Final Top 20

AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 1950 to 1959 Final Top 25

AP Poll, Rankings 1950s: What are the greatest college football programs of all-time based on the AP poll final rankings?

Where did all the top teams rank in the final 1950 to 1959 top 25 AP college football poll? Which programs made the cut and which ones just missed out, but received votes?


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According to the final AP rankings, how do the programs rank all-time, by decade, and by era? Which ones were the best over the 1950s?

Take all the AP final rankings and use our CFN scoring system – the AP national champion gets 25 points, the No. 2 team 24, No. 3 23, and so on down to the bottom.

Oklahoma was 1950s college football. It won three national titles, went on a huge winning streak, and rocked the AP top 20 rankings for the decade.

1950s AP National Champions 
1950 Oklahoma; 1951 Tennessee; 1952 Michigan State; 1953 Maryland; 1954 Ohio State, 1955 Oklahoma; 1956 Oklahoma; 1957 Auburn; 1958 LSU; 1959 Syracuse

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings
Greatest Programs of All-Time | 1930s | 1940s1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959

AP College Football Poll: 1950 to 1959 Final All-Time Rankings

1 Oklahoma 212

2 Michigan State 154

T3 Notre Dame 120

T3 Ohio State 120

5 Ole Miss 113

6 Georgia Tech 104

T7 Maryland 102

T7 Tennessee 102

9 UCLA 96

10 Army 92

11 Texas 91

12 Auburn 87

13 Iowa 84

14 TCU 82

15 Syracuse 72

T16 Illinois 67

T16 Michigan 67

18 Navy 60

19 Clemson 59

20 Miami 58

21 Alabama 56

22 LSU 48

T23 Princeton 47

T23 Texas A&M 47

25 Kentucky 46

Others Receiving Votes: Cal 45, Rice 45, Baylor 40, Duke 40, Florida 39, Stanford 36, Pitt 34, Arkansas 33, Tulsa 22, Georgia 21, Purdue 21, Air Force 20, Penn State 20, Oregon State 16, Arizona State 14, Minnesota 14, Texas Tech 14, Mississippi State 12, San Francisco 12, Miami University 11, NC State 11, South Carolina 11, Boston University 10, George Washington 9, Nebraska 9, Missouri 8, SMU 8, Oklahoma State 7, Colorado 6, Holy Cross 6, Rutgers 6, Tulane 6

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings
Greatest Programs of All-Time | 1930s | 1940s1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959

NEXT: AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 1959 Final Top 20

AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 1980 to 1989 Final Top 25

AP Poll, Rankings 1980s: What are the greatest college football programs of all-time based on the AP poll final rankings?

Where did all the top teams rank in the final 1980 to 1989 top 25 AP college football poll? Which programs made the cut and which ones just missed out, but received votes?


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According to the final AP rankings, how do the programs rank all-time, by decade, and by era? Which ones were the best over the 1980s?

Take all the AP final rankings and use our CFN scoring system – the AP national champion gets 25 points, the No. 2 team 24, No. 3 23, and so on down to the bottom.

Miami turned into the team of the 1980s with its three national championships and the swagger and style to go with them, but Nebraska had the most overall success in the AP poll. There wasn’t a national title, but the program was in the fight year after year.

1980s AP National Champions 
1980 Georgia, 1981 Clemson, 1982 Penn State, 1983 Miami, 1984 BYU, 1985 Oklahoma, 1986 Penn State, 1987 Miami, 1988 Notre Dame, 1989 Miami

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings
Greatest Programs of All-Time | 1930s | 1940s1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 20 & 25 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985
1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989

AP College Football Poll: 1980 to 1989 Final All-Time Rankings

1 Nebraska 190

2 Miami 174

3 Michigan 144

4 Oklahoma 142

5 UCLA 128

6 Penn State 125

T7 Auburn 124

T7 Florida State 124

9 Georgia 113

10 Clemson 112

11 Alabama 106

T12 Ohio State 99

T12 USC 99

14 BYU 85

15 SMU 83

16 Washington 80

17 Pitt 79

18 LSU 76

19 Notre Dame 75

20 Arkansas 69

21 Iowa 66

22 Florida 64

23 Arizona State 58

T24 Tennessee 55

T24 Texas A&M 55

Others Receiving Votes: 26 Texas 54, 27 West Virginia 52, 28 Oklahoma State 49, 29 North Carolina 41, T30 Baylor 35, T30 Boston College 35, T30 Syracuse 35, 33 Illinois 32, 34 Air Force 31, T35 Maryland 28, T35 Michigan State 28, 37 South Carolina 26, 38 Colorado 22, 39 Houston 20, 40 Arizona 16, 41 Virginia 14, 42 Washington State 10, 43 Purdue 9, T44 Kentucky 7, T44 Georgia Tech 7, T44 Mississippi State 7, T44 Missouri 7, T44 Texas Tech 7, T49 East Carolina 6, T49 Indiana 6, T49 Virginia Tech 6

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings 
AP Top 20 & 25 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985
1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989

NEXT: AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 1989 Final Top 25

AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 1990 to 1999 Final Top 25

AP Poll, Rankings 1990s: What are the greatest college football programs of all-time based on the AP poll final rankings?

Where did all the top teams rank in the final 1990 to 1999 top 25 AP college football poll? Which programs made the cut and which ones just missed out, but received votes?


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According to the final AP rankings, how do the programs rank all-time, by decade, and by era? Which ones were the best over the 1990s?

Take all the AP final rankings and use our CFN scoring system – the AP national champion gets 25 points, the No. 2 team 24, No. 3 23, and so on down to the bottom.

Florida State won two national championships and owned the decade throughout with a top four finish in every season. It was also the start of the BCS era in 1998. The AP mattered as a big part of the puzzle, but it would still crown its own champion. That would become an issue in the 2000s.

1990s AP National Champions 
1990 Colorado; 1991 Miami; 1992 Alabama; 1993 Florida State; 1994 Nebraska;
1995 Nebraska; 1996 Florida; 1997 Michigan; 1998 Tennessee; 1999 Florida State

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings
Greatest Programs of All-Time | 1930s | 1940s1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 25 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995
1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999

AP College Football Poll: 1990 to 1999 Final All-Time Rankings

1 Florida State 233

2 Florida 194

3 Nebraska 172

4 Tennessee 163

5 Michigan 154

6 Penn State 146

7 Miami 137

T8 Alabama 117

T8 Ohio State 117

10 Colorado 116

11 Texas A&M 114

12 Notre Dame 105

13 Kansas State 95

14 Washington 78

15 Auburn 67

16 Georgia 65

17 Virginia Tech 60

18 UCLA 54

19 Syracuse 53

20 North Carolina 50

21 Georgia Tech 48

22 Texas 46

23 Arizona 44

24 Wisconsin 42

25 BYU 36

Others Receiving Votes: 26 Arizona State 34, T27 Iowa 33, T27 USC 33, T27 Washington State 33, 30 Virginia 32, 31 Oregon 30, T32 Michigan State 29, T32 Northwestern 29, T34 Clemson 28, T34 Oklahoma 28, 36 LSU 27, 37 Ole Miss 23, 38 Auburn 22, T39 Boston College 21, T39 Kansas 21, T39 Stanford 21, 42 NC State 20, T43 Arkansas 19, T43 Cal 19, T43 Colorado State 19, T43 Southern Miss 19, T43 Tulane 19 , T43 West Virginia 19 ,49 Mississippi State 18, T50 Auburn 17 ,T50 East Carolina 17, T52 Houston 16, T52 Marshall 16, T52 Utah 16, T55 Air Force 14, T55 Louisville 14, T55 Purdue 14, T58 Minnesota 8, T58 Missouri 8, 60 Auburn 7, 61 Hawaii 6, 62 Tulsa 5, T63 Auburn 4, T63 Wyoming 4, T65 Illinois 3, T65 Texas Tech 3, T67 Auburn 2, T67 Oklahoma State 2, T67 Toledo 2, T70 Army 1, T70 Wake Forest 1

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings
AP Top 25 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995
1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999

NEXT: AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 1999 Final Top 25

AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 2010 to 2019 Final Top 25

AP Poll, Rankings 2010s: What are the greatest college football programs of all-time based on the AP poll final rankings?

Where did all the top teams rank in the final 2010 to 2019 top 25 AP college football poll? Which programs made the cut and which ones just missed out, but received votes?


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According to the final AP rankings, how do the programs rank all-time, by decade, and by era? Which ones were the best over the 2010s?

Take all the AP final rankings and use our CFN scoring system – the AP national champion gets 25 points, the No. 2 team 24, No. 3 23, and so on down to the bottom.

It was the era of Alabama with four national championships and coming very, very close to a few others. Clemson rose up over the second half of the decade to be a superpower, but Ohio State was great, Oklahoma was always in the College Football Playoff mix and … it was Alabama’s decade.

2010s AP National Champions 
2010 Auburn; 2011 Alabama; 2012 Alabama; 2013 Florida State; 2014 Ohio State; 2015 Alabama; 2016 Clemson; 2017 Alabama; 2018 Clemson; 2019 LSU

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings
Greatest Programs of All-Time | 1930s | 1940s1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 25 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019

AP College Football Poll: 2010 to 2019 Final All-Time Rankings

1 Alabama 207

2 Ohio State 171

3 Clemson 168

4 Oklahoma 147

5 LSU 124

6 Oregon 115

7 Georgia 110

8 Florida State 103

9 Stanford 96

10 Notre Dame 93

T11 Michigan State 89

T11 Wisconsin 89

13 Baylor 81

14 TCU 71

15 USC 70

16 Florida 69

17 Michigan 66

18 Oklahoma State 65

19 Penn State 63

20 Auburn 58

21 South Carolina 57

22 UCF 53

23 Washington 46

24 Texas A&M 39

25 Boise State 36

Others Receiving Votes: T26 Kansas State 33, T26 Missouri 33, 28 Louisville 31, 29 Iowa 29, 30 Utah 27, T31 Houston 26, T31 Northwestern 26, T31 UCLA 26, T34 Ole Miss 25, T34 Texas 25, 36 West Virginia 23, 37 Mississippi State 22, 38 Arkansas 21, T39 Arizona State 19, T39 Miami 19, 41 Georgia Tech 18, 42 Virginia Tech 17, T43 Minnesota 16, T43 Washington State 16, T45 Kentucky 14, T45 Navy 14, T45 Utah State 14, 48 USF 12, T49 Maryland 11, T49 North Carolina 11, T49 Western Michigan 11, 52 Colorado 9, T53 Cincinnati 8, T53 Tennessee 8, T55 Appalachian State 7, T55 Arizona 7, T55 Army 7, T58 Oregon State 6, T58 Southern Miss 6, T60 San Jose State 5, T60 Vanderbilt 5, T62 Air Force 4, T62 Northern Illinois 4, T64 Duke 3, T64 Marshall 3,T64 NC State 3, T64 Nebraska 3, 68 WKU 2, 69 San Diego State 1

AP Poll, All-Time Rankings
AP Top 25 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019

NEXT: AP College Football Poll, Rankings: 2019 Final Top 25

AP Poll College Basketball Rankings Final Top 25: 2020 to 2022

AP Poll, college basketball rankings 2020s: What are the greatest programs of all-time based on the AP poll final rankings?

Where did all the top college basketball teams rank in the final 2020 to 2022 top 25 AP polls? Which programs made the cut and which ones just missed out, but received votes?


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According to the final AP rankings, how do the programs rank all-time, by decade, and by era? Which ones were the best over the 2020’s?

Take all the AP final rankings and use our CFN scoring system – the AP final regular season No. 1 gets 25 points, the No. 2 team 24, No. 3 23, and so on down to the bottom.

In a strange way thanks to a global pandemic, the 2020 final AP rankings might be the truest of the bunch when it comes giving credit to who the best teams were in the regular season – there wasn’t an NCAA Tournament. At least so far, Gonzaga has had the most regular season fun without the final payoff.

AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings1950s | 1960s
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 25 2020 | 2021 | 2022
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time  

NCAA Basketball National Champions
2020 NONE, 2021 Baylor, 2022 Kansas, 2013 COMING

AP Poll: 2020 to 2022 Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings

1 Gonzaga 74

2 Kansas 72

3 Baylor 66

4 Villanova 44

5 Kentucky 37

6 Illinois 36

7 Houston 35

8 Florida State 34

9 Duke 32

10 San Diego State 30

11 Iowa 29

12 Creighton 26

12 Ohio State 26

14 Arkansas 25

T15 Arizona 24

T15 Auburn 24

17 Dayton 23

T18 Michigan 22

T18 Purdue 22

T20 Alabama 21

T20 Tennessee 21

T20 Virginia 21

T20 Wisconsin 21

24 Texas Tech 19

25 Texas 18

Others Receiving Votes (Points): Michigan State 17, Oklahoma State 15, UCLA 15, West Virginia 15, Maryland 14, Oregon 13, Providence 13, Louisville 12, BYU 11, Seton Hall 11, Loyola-Chicago 9, Saint Mary’s 8, Murray State 6, USC 6, UConn 5, Colorado 4, Boise State 3, Butler 3, Colorado State 2, Virginia Tech 1

AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings1950s | 1960s
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Top 25 2020 | 2021 | 2022
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time  

NEXT: AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: 2013 Final Top 25

AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: Greatest 25 Programs Of All-Time

AP Poll college basketball all-time rankings. Where do all the best programs and teams rank since the start of the poll?

According to the AP college basketball polls, where do all of the teams historically rank? Here are the top basketball programs of all-time utilizing the AP’s final rankings.


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AP Poll College Basketball Rankings: Greatest Program Of All-Time

AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
Coaches Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time

The AP’s top 25 poll is better known for its football rankings, but it’s been among the most consistently reliably systems for basketball, too. The football side started in 1936, basketball in the 1948-1949 season.

No other rankings are as good when it comes to providing a college basketball historical snapshot.

According to the AP final rankings for each season, how and where did all the college basketball teams rank since they all started? What did the voters think over the years?

Just like we do for the football rankings, take all the AP final rankings and use our simple scoring system – the final AP No. 1 in each season gets 25 points, the No. 2 team 24, No. 3 23, and so on down to the bottom.

Now, with that said, there’s one massive difference between football and basketball.

It’s a glitch, and there’s no way around it. Unlike football – at least since 1968 – the AP comes out with its final basketball rankings at the end of the regular season and not after the whole season is over. So the NCAA Tournament doesn’t factor in to almost all of the year’s AP college basketball rankings.

The AP has always named a college football national champion, and that mattered in the old poll-and-bowl days. But then came the BCS – and it still matted to a certain extent – and now we have the College Football Playoff to define a national champion. That’s not the deal for basketball.

You can look at this two different ways.

On one side, that makes these rankings a true representation of how good the basketball teams were in each season. To be blunt, the NCAA Tournament – which didn’t officially become the dominant force over the NIT until 1971 – is a gimmick. A team can finish seventh in its conference, get hot for two weekends, and it’s deep in the mix for the national title.

On the other side, the 1988 NCAA Tournament champion Kansas Jayhawks weren’t in the final AP Top 25. The 1985 Villanova Wildcats weren’t ranked, and the 1983 NC State Wolfpack were 16th. So those teams – and others – get little to no credit in the rankings below, proving that determining a national title based on the opinion of judges probably isn’t the best way to go.

So there are a bunch of structural inconsistencies, but …

Based on the final AP college basketball rankings from the 1948-1949 season through to the end of the 2021-2022 regular season, who earned the most all-time recognition from the AP voters?

AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
College Football AP Greatest Programs of All-Time
@ColFootballNews

AP Poll: 1949 to 2022 Final All-Time College Basketball Rankings

1 Kentucky 1082

2 North Carolina 944

3 Duke 921

4 Kansas 857

5 UCLA 732

6 Louisville 518

7 Arizona 475

8 Indiana 458

9 Michigan State 416

10 Ohio State 415

11 Syracuse 403

12 Cincinnati 400

13 Michigan 398

14 Illinois 394

15 Villanova 387

16 Notre Dame 358

17 Purdue 324

18 Maryland 314

19 Marquette 311

20 Georgetown 286

21 Gonzaga 285

22 Oklahoma 283

T23 Utah 271

T23 UConn 271

T23 Arkansas 271

AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
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