Since 1950, the AFCA has conducted a weekly Top 20/Top 25 poll during the college football season. The AFCA awards the AFCA Coaches’ Trophy to the No. 1-ranked team in the final FBS Coaches Poll each season. The head coach of the No. 1-ranked team receives the trophy at the American Football Coaches Awards show in early January.
The FBS Coaches Poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of head coaches at FBS schools. The panel is chosen by random draw, conference by conference plus independents, from a pool of coaches who have indicated to the AFCA their willingness to participate. Each coach submits a Top 25 with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second place 24, and so on down to one point for 25th.
The AFCA USA Today FBS Coaches Poll is comprised of 65 head coaches at Bowl Subdivision schools. All are members of the American Football Coaches Association.
The board for the 2020 season: Dino Babers, Syracuse; Craig Bohl, Wyoming; Neal Brown, West Virginia; Troy Calhoun, Air Force; Matt Campbell, Iowa State; Steve Campbell, South Alabama; Jason Candle, Toledo; Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina; Paul Chryst, Wisconsin; Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech; David Cutcliffe, Duke; Butch Davis, Florida International; Manny Diaz, Miami (Fla.); Dana Dimel, Texas-El Paso; Sonny Dykes, Southern Methodist; Luke Fickell, Cincinnati; Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M; Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern; James Franklin, Penn State; Hugh Freeze, Liberty; Willie Fritz, Tulane; Scott Frost, Nebraska; Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech; Todd Graham, Hawaii; Jeff Hafley, Boston College; Thomas Hammock, Northern Illinois; Bryan Harsin, Boise State; Will Healy, Charlotte; Clay Helton, Southern California; Tyson Helton, Western Kentucky; Tom Herman, Texas; Skip Holtz, Louisiana Tech; Mike Houston, East Carolina; Brian Kelly, Notre Dame; Chris Klieman, Kansas State; Lance Leipold, Buffalo; Tim Lester, Western Michigan; Seth Littrell, North Texas; Mike Locksley, Maryland; Scot Loeffler, Bowling Green; Chad Lunsford, Georgia Southern; Gus Malzahn, Auburn; Doug Martin, New Mexico State; Jeff Monken, Army; Dan Mullen, Florida; Billy Napier, Louisiana-Lafayette; Ken Niumatalolo, Navy; Jay Norvell, Nevada; Ed Orgeron, LSU; Gary Patterson, TCU; Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee; Nick Saban, Alabama; Scott Satterfield, Louisville; Jeff Scott, South Florida; Kirby Smart, Georgia; Lovie Smith, Illinois; Jonathan Smith, Oregon State; Frank Solich, Ohio; Jake Spavital, Texas State; Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee; Kevin Sumlin, Arizona; Dabo Swinney, Clemson; Mel Tucker, Michigan State; Matt Wells, Texas Tech; Kyle Whittingham, Utah.
Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Georgia (62) | 14-1 | 1550 | 3 |
2 | Alabama | 13-2 | 1488 | 1 |
3 | Michigan | 12-2 | 1398 | 2 |
4 | Cincinnati | 13-1 | 1346 | 4 |
5 | Ohio State | 11-2 | 1279 | 7 |
6 | Baylor | 12-2 | 1275 | 6 |
7 | Oklahoma State | 12-2 | 1197 | 9 |
8 | Michigan State | 11-2 | 1066 | 10 |
9 | Notre Dame | 11-2 | 1028 | 5 |
10 | Oklahoma | 11-2 | 994 | 13 |
11 | Mississippi | 10-3 | 909 | 8 |
12 | Utah | 10-4 | 877 | 11 |
13 | Pittsburgh | 11-3 | 742 | 12 |
14 | Wake Forest | 11-3 | 609 | 19 |
15 | Kentucky | 10-3 | 592 | 20 |
16 | Clemson | 10-3 | 528 | 22 |
17 | Houston | 12-2 | 510 | 21 |
18 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 13-1 | 502 | 17 |
19 | North Carolina State | 9-3 | 453 | 18 |
20 | Arkansas | 9-4 | 354 | 24 |
21 | Oregon | 10-4 | 336 | 15 |
22 | Brigham Young | 10-3 | 284 | 14 |
23 | Iowa | 10-4 | 276 | 16 |
24 | Utah State | 11-3 | 142 | NR |
25 | Texas A&M | 8-4 | 133 | 23 |
Dropped out: No. 25 Texas-San Antonio (12-2).
Others receiving votes: San Diego State (12-2) 114; Wisconsin (9-4) 75; Air Force (10-3) 42; Minnesota (9-4) 23; Texas-San Antonio (12-2) 11; Coastal Carolina (11-2) 7; Purdue (9-4) 6; Fresno State (10-3) 3; Army (9-4) 1.
In response to overwhelming support by NCAA FCS coaches, the American Football Coaches Association began publishing a FCS Top 25 Coaches’ Poll in 2018. Prior to 2018, the NCAA FCS Coaches Poll was administered by the Southern Conference. The regional poll had been used to rank teams for consideration for the NCAA playoffs.
The FCS poll follows the same basic format as the Amway Coaches Poll. The FCS Board of Coaches will have 30 voters representing all FCS football playing conferences, as well as independent schools. The FCS Coaches’ Poll will be released on Mondays beginning with a preseason poll in August and will run through the final week of the regular season in November. A final poll will be released the Monday following the NCAA FCS championship game.
Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Post-season | Head Coach |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | North Dakota St. (24) | 14-1 | 600 | 3 | D. No. 9 Montana St., 38-10, in championship | Matt Entz |
2 | Montana St. | 12-3 | 571 | 9 | Lost to No. 3 North Dakota St., 38-10, in championship | Brent Vigen |
3 | James Madison | 12-2 | 548 | 2 | Lost to No. 3 North Dakota St., 20-14, in semifinals | Curt Cignetti |
4 | Sam Houston | 11-1 | 520 | 1 | Lost to No. 9 Montana St., 42-19, in quarterfinals | K.C. Keeler |
5 | South Dakota St. | 11-4 | 471 | 11 | Lost to No. 9 Montana St., 31-17, in semifinals | John Stiegelmeier |
6 | Montana | 10-3 | 470 | 5 | Lost to No. 2 James Madison, 28-6, in quarterfinals | Bobby Hauck |
7 | East Tennessee St. | 11-2 | 438 | 8 | Lost to No. 3 North Dakota St., 27-3, in quarterfinals | Randy Sanders |
8 | Villanova | 10-3 | 435 | 7 | Lost to No. 11 South Dakota St., 35-21, in quarterfinals | Mark Ferrante |
9 | Eastern Washington | 10-3 | 416 | 6 | Lost to No. 5 Montana, 57-41, in second round | Aaron Best |
10 | Kennesaw St. | 11-2 | 399 | 4 | Lost to No. 8 Tennessee St., 32-31, in second round | Brian Bohannon |
11 | Sacramento St. | 9-3 | 358 | 12 | Lost to No. 11 South Dakota St., 24-19, in second round | Troy Taylor |
12 | UT Martin | 10-3 | 307 | 13 | Lost to No. 9 Montana St., 26-7, in second round | Jason Simpson |
13 | UIW | 10-3 | 297 | 15 | Lost to No. 1 Sam Houston, 49-42, in second round | Eric Morris |
14 | Missouri St. | 8-4 | 276 | 10 | Lost to No. 13 UT Martin, 32-31, in first round | Bobby Petrino |
15 | Southeastern Louisiana | 9-4 | 248 | 17 | Lost to No. 2 James Madison, 59-20, in second round | Frank Scelfo |
16 | UC Davis | 8-4 | 205 | 16 | Lost to No. 11 South Dakota St., 56-24, in first round | Dan Hawkins |
17 | Southern Illinois | 8-5 | 203 | 23 | Lost to No. 3 North Dakota St., 38-7, in second round | Nick Hill |
18 | Stephen F. Austin | 8-4 | 188 | 19 | Lost to No. 15 UIW, 35-28 OT, in first round | Colby Carthel |
19 | Jackson St. | 11-2 | 136 | 14 | Lost to South Carolina St., 31-10, in Celebration Bowl | Deion Sanders |
20 | South Dakota | 7-5 | 133 | 20t | Lost to No. 23 Southern Illinois, 22-10, in first round | Bob Nielson |
21 | Princeton | 9-1 | 130 | 18 | DNQ Playoffs | Bob Surace |
22 | Holy Cross | 10-3 | 117 | 24 | Lost to No. 7 Villanova, 21-16, in second round | Bob Chesney |
23 | Dartmouth | 9-1 | 89 | 20t | DNQ Playoffs | Buddy Teevens |
24 | Florida A&M | 9-3 | 88 | 22 | Lost to No. 17 Southeastern Louisiana, 38-14, in first round | Willie Simmons |
25 | Northern Iowa | 6-6 | 62 | 25 | Lost to No. 6 Eastern Washington, 19-9, in first round | Mark Farley |
Dropped Out: None
Others Receiving Votes: Davidson, 20; Sacred Heart, 18; South Carolina St., 17; Eastern Kentucky, 13; Mercer, 9; Monmouth (N.J.), 6; Chattanooga, 5; Harvard, 4; Columbia, 1; Elon, 1; Rhode Island, 1.
In response to overwhelming support by NCAA Division II coaches, the American Football Coaches Association began publishing a Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll in 2000. Prior to 2000, there was no coaches’ polls for NCAA Division II. The regional poll had been used to rank teams for consideration for the NCAA playoffs.
The Division II poll follows the same basic format as the Amway Coaches Poll. The Division II Board of Coaches will have 30 voters representing all Division II conferences, as well as independent schools. The Division II Coaches’ Poll will be released on Mondays beginning with a preseason poll in August and will run through the final week of the regular season in November. A final poll will be released the Monday following the NCAA Division II championship game.
Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Post-season | Head Coach |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ferris St. (Mich.) (30) | 14-0 | 750 | 1 | D. No. 5 Valdosta St. (Ga.), 58-17, in national championship | Tony Annese |
2 | Valdosta St. (Ga.) | 12-2 | 720 | 5 | Lost to No. 1 Ferris St. (Mich.), 58-17, in national championship | Gary Goff |
3 | Colorado School of Mines | 12-2 | 651 | 9 | Lost to No. 5 Valdosta St. (Ga.), 34-31, in semifinals | Gregg Brandon |
4 | Northwest Missouri St. | 11-2 | 646 | 3 | Lost to No. 1 Ferris St. (Mich.), 41-20, in quarterfinals | Rich Wright |
5 | Shepherd (W.Va.) | 13-2 | 626 | 8 | Lost to No. 1 Ferris St. (Mich.), 55-7, in semifinals | Ernie McCook |
6 | Bowie St. (Md.) | 12-2 | 545 | 10 | Lost to No. 5 Valdosta St. (Ga.), 41-17, in quarterfinals | Damon Wilson |
7 | Grand Valley St. (Mich.) | 10-2 | 521 | 4 | Lost to No. 1 Ferris St. (Mich.), 50-24, in second round | Matt Mitchell |
8 | Kutztown (Pa.) | 11-2 | 497 | 12 | Lost to No. 8 Shepherd (W.Va.), 30-28, in quarterfinals | Jim Clements |
9 | Notre Dame (Ohio) | 11-2 | 454 | 6 | Lost to No. 8 Shepherd (W.Va.), 38-34, in second round | Mickey Mental |
10 | Harding (Ark.) | 11-2 | 448 | 7 | Lost to No. 3 Northwest Missouri St., 28-9, in second round | Paul Simmons |
11 | Angelo St. (Tex.) | 11-3 | 437 | NR | Lost to No. 9 Colorado School of Mines, 34-26, in quarterfinals | Jeff Girsch |
12 | West Florida | 9-2 | 422 | 2 | Lost to Newberry (S.C.), 33-30 OT, in first round | Pete Shinnick |
13 | West Georgia | 9-3 | 413 | 13 | Lost to No. 5 Valdosta St. (Ga.), 66-35, in second round | David Dean |
14 | New Haven (Conn.) | 10-2 | 307 | 18 | Lost to No. 12 Kutztown (Pa.), 10-7, in second round | Chris Pincince |
15 | Nebraska-Kearney | 10-3 | 304 | 21 | Lost to Angelo St. (Texas), 20-7, in second round | Josh Lynn |
16 | Western Colorado | 10-2 | 293 | 11 | Lost to No. 21 Nebraska-Kearney, 31-24, in first round | Jas Bains |
17 | Newberry (S.C.) | 10-3 | 271 | NR | Lost to No. 10 Bowie St. (Md.), 13-10, in second round | Todd Knight |
18 | Albany St. (Ga.) | 10-2 | 233 | 16 | Lost to No. 13 West Georgia, 23-7, in first round | Gabe Giardina |
19 | Bemidji St. (Minn.) | 10-3 | 175 | NR | Lost to No. 9 Colorado School of Mines, 55-6, in second round | Brent Bolte |
20 | Slippery Rock (Pa.) | 9-3 | 166 | 19 | Lost to No. 6 Notre Dame (Ohio), 33-25, in first round | Shawn Lutz |
21 | California (Pa.) | 9-1 | 135 | 14 | DNQ Playoffs | Gary Dunn |
22 | Frostburg St. (Md.) | 10-1 | 134 | 15 | DNQ Playoffs | DeLane Fitzgerald |
23 | Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) | 9-2 | 101 | 17 | DNQ Playoffs | Todd Knight |
24 | Bentley (Mass.) | 9-2 | 97 | 20 | Lost to No. 18 New Haven (Conn.), 38-13, in first round | Bill Kavanaugh |
25 | Washburn (Kan.) | 9-3 | 84 | 24 | Lost to No. 7 Harding (Ark.), 30-14, in first round | Craig Schurig |
In response to overwhelming support by NCAA Division III coaches, the American Football Coaches Association began publishing a Division III Top 25 Coaches’ Poll in 1999.
Prior to 1999, there were no coaches’ polls for any NCAA divisions other than Football Bowl Subdivision. The NCAA had published a regional poll for Division III prior to 1999, but discontinued the poll because of changes in the selection process for the Division III playoffs that took effect in 1999.
The regional poll had been used to rank teams for consideration for the 16-team playoff tournament. But in 1999, the Division III playoffs expanded to 28 teams and the regional format was no longer used.
The Division III poll follows the same basic format as the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. The Division III Board of Coaches will have 42 voters, representing all Division III conferences. The Division III Coaches’ Poll will be released on Mondays beginning in September and will run through the completion of the regular season in mid-November. A final poll will be released on the Monday following the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.
Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Post-season | Head Coach |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.) (47) | 15-0 | 1175 | 2 | D. No. 1 North Central (Ill.), 57-24, in national championship | Pete Fredenburg |
2 | North Central (Ill.) | 13-1 | 1126 | 1 | Lost to No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.), 57-24, in national championship | Jeff Thorne |
3 | Wisconsin-Whitewater | 13-1 | 1071 | 3 | Lost to No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.), 24-7, in semifinals | Kevin Bullis |
4 | Mount Union (Ohio) | 13-1 | 1037 | 4 | Lost to No. 1 North Central (Ill.), 26-13, in semifinals | Geoff Dartt |
5 | Linfield (Ore.) | 11-1 | 960 | 6 | Lost to No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.), 49-24, in quarterfinals | Joseph Smith |
6 | Central (Iowa) | 12-1 | 890 | 10 | Lost to No. 3 Wisconsin-Whitewater, 51-21, in quarterfinals | Jeff McMartin |
7 | Muhlenberg (Pa.) | 11-2 | 842 | 13 | Lost to No. 4 Mount Union (Ohio), 35-29 OT, in quarterfinals | Nate Milne |
8 | St. John’s (Minn.) | 11-1 | 822 | 5 | Lost to No. 6 Linfield (Ore.), 31-28, in second round | Gary Fasching |
9 | Wheaton (Ill.) | 10-2 | 727 | 9 | Lost to No. 10 Central (Iowa), 30-28, in second round | Jesse Scott |
10 | Hardin-Simmons (Tex.) | 9-1 | 695 | 8 | DNQ Playoffs | Jesse Burleson |
11 | Delaware Valley (Pa.) | 11-1 | 675 | 7 | Lost to No. 13 Muhlenberg (Pa.), 14-0, in second round | Duke Greco |
12 | Wisconsin-La Crosse | 9-3 | 625 | 15 | Lost to No. 1 North Central (Ill.), 34-20, in second round | Matt Janus |
13 | Johns Hopkins (Md.) | 10-2 | 576 | 16 | Lost to No. 4 Mount Union (Ohio), 45-35, in second round | Greg Chimera |
14 | Rensselaer (N.Y.) | 11-2 | 568 | 20 | Lost to No. 1 North Central (Ill.), 55-6, in quarterfinals | Ralph Isernia |
15 | Trinity (Tex.) | 9-1 | 566 | 14 | Lost to No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.), 13-3, in first round | Jerheme Urban |
16 | Cortland (N.Y.) | 11-1 | 491 | 12 | Lost to No. 20 Rensselaer (N.Y.), 21-14, in second round | Curt Fitzpatrick |
17 | Salisbury (Md.) | 8-2 | 407 | 11 | Lost to No. 16 Johns Hopkins (Md.), 45-20, in first round | Sherman Wood |
18 | Bethel (Minn.) | 8-3 | 389 | 17 | Lost to No. 10 Central (Iowa), 61-35, in first round | Steve Johnson |
19 | Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) | 10-2 | 376 | 19 | Lost to No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.), 42-7, in second round | Tony Joe White |
20 | Randolph-Macon (Va.) | 9-1 | 206 | 18 | DNQ Playoffs | Pedro Arruza |
21 | Redlands (Calif.) | 8-2 | 176 | 21 | Lost to No. 6 Linfield (Ore.), 44-10, in first round | Jim Good |
22 | Wisconsin-River Falls | 9-2 | 160 | 25 | D. Washington (Mo.), 48-27, in Culver’s Isthmus Bowl | Matt Walker |
23 | Lake Forest (Ill.) | 10-1 | 120 | 22 | Lost to No. 5 St. John’s (Minn.), 41-14, in first round | Jim Catanzaro |
24 | Ithaca (N.Y.) | 8-2 | 116 | 24 | DNQ Playoffs | Dan Swanstrom |
25 | Albion (Mich.) | 9-2 | 109 | 23 | Lost to No. 15 Wisconsin-La Crosse, 58-23, in first round | Dustin Beurer |
Dropped Out: None
Others Receiving Votes: DePauw (Ind.), 102; Aurora (Ill.), 54; Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 30; Merchant Marine (N.Y.), 28; Baldwin Wallace (Ohio), 20; Carnegie Mellon (Pa.), 15; Hobart (N.Y.), 13; Susquehanna (Pa.), 13; Union (N.Y.), 13; Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.), 12; Springfield (Mass.), 12; Huntingdon (Ala.), 10; Coe (Iowa), 9; Washington & Lee (Va.), 8; Williams (Mass.), 7; John Carroll (Ohio), 6; Endicott (Mass.), 5; Heidelberg (Pa.), 4; Wabash (Ind.), 4; Ohio Wesleyan, 2; Methodist (N.C.), 1; Rose-Hulman (Ind.), 1; Wartburg (Iowa), 1.