The AP Poll has been the most well-known poll for a long time, so it seems as good a measure as any to scrutinize rankings. Let's compare...

Note: Prior to 1965, the final AP poll was taken before the bowl games (except for a 1947 post-bowl poll). There are five years when the AP #1 lost in a bowl game, and was not subsequently removed from the #1 ranking. On those years I've listed the most popular #1 team from other sources, and the AP #1 is noted with an asterisk.

The columns labeled AP and EN give the corresponding rankings for years with disagreement, ie. where AP ranked Entropy's #1 and where Entropy ranks AP's #1.

year Entropy #1 AP Poll #1 AP EN notes
2016 Alabama Clemson 2 2
2015 Alabama Alabama
2014 Ohio State Ohio State
2013 Florida State Florida State
2012 Alabama Alabama
2011 Alabama Alabama
2010 Auburn Auburn
2009 Alabama Alabama
2008 Florida Florida
2007 L.S.U. L.S.U.
2006 Florida Florida
2005 Texas Texas
2004 Southern Cal Southern Cal
2003 L.S.U. Southern Cal 2 2 Coach's Poll had LSU #1
2002 Ohio State Ohio State
2001 Miami FL Miami FL
2000 Oklahoma Oklahoma
1999 Florida State Florida State
1998 Tennessee Tennessee
1997 Nebraska Michigan 2 3 Coach's Poll had Nebraska #1
1996 Florida Florida
1995 Nebraska Nebraska
1994 Penn State Nebraska 2 2
1993 Florida State Florida State
1992 Alabama Alabama
1991 Washington Miami FL 2 2 Coach's Poll had Washington #1
1990 Georgia Tech Colorado 2 2 Coach's Poll had Georgia Tech #1
1989 Notre Dame Miami FL 2 2
1988 Notre Dame Notre Dame
1987 Miami FL Miami FL
1986 Penn State Penn State
1985 Oklahoma Oklahoma
1984 Florida BYU 3 3
1983 Nebraska Miami FL 2 2
1982 Penn State Penn State
1981 Clemson Clemson
1980 Pittsburgh Georgia 2 3 see related comments
1979 Alabama Alabama
1978 Southern Cal Alabama 2 2 UPI had USC #1
1977 Notre Dame Notre Dame
1976 USC Pittsburgh 2 2
1975 Oklahoma Oklahoma
1974 Oklahoma Oklahoma
1973 Ohio State Notre Dame 2 3 UPI had Alabama #1
1972 USC USC
1971 Nebraska Nebraska
1970 Notre Dame Nebraska 2 2
1969 Penn State Texas 2 2
1968 Ohio State Ohio State
1967 Oklahoma USC 3 3 no perfect records among major teams
1966 Notre Dame Notre Dame
1965 Michigan State Alabama 2 3 UPI had Michigan State #1
1964 Michigan Arkansas 4 2 * AP #1 Alabama lost to Texas in the Orange Bowl
1963 Texas Texas
1962 Ole Miss Southern Cal 3 2
1961 Alabama Alabama
1960 Iowa Ole Miss 3 5 * AP #1 Minnesota lost to Washington in the Rose Bowl
1959 Ole Miss Syracuse 2 2
1958 LSU LSU
1957 Auburn Auburn
1956 Oklahoma Oklahoma
1955 Oklahoma Oklahoma
1954 Ohio State Ohio State UPI #1 UCLA is ranked #3 by Entropy
1953 Notre Dame Notre Dame * AP #1 Maryland lost to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl
1952 Michigan State Michigan State
1951 Maryland Maryland * AP #1 Tennessee lost to Maryland in the Sugar Bowl
1950 Tennessee Tennessee * AP #1 Oklahoma lost to Kentucky in the Sugar Bowl
1949 Notre Dame Notre Dame
1948 Michigan Michigan
1947 Michigan Michigan
1946 Notre Dame Notre Dame
1945 Army Army
1944 Army Army
1943 Purdue Notre Dame 5 2
1942 Georgia Ohio State 2 3
1941 Minnesota Minnesota
1940 Minnesota Minnesota
1939 Texas A&M Texas A&M
1938 Tennessee TCU 2 3
1937 Pittsburgh Pittsburgh
1936 LSU Minnesota 2 5

For seasons prior to 1936, we'll look at the most popular choices for #1 among various historical polls and systems. The last column lists the second most popular #1 team, if available (and Entropy's ranking of that team in parenthesis).

year Entropy #1 Popular #1 EN alt. popular #1 or notes
1935 SMU Minnesota 2
1934 Minnesota Minnesota Alabama (2)
1933 Michigan Michigan Princeton (3)
1932 Michigan Southern Cal 2
1931 Southern Cal Southern Cal
1930 Alabama Notre Dame 2
1929 Notre Dame Notre Dame
1928 Georgia Tech Georgia Tech
1927 Minnesota Illinois 2 Georgia (5)
1926 Michigan Alabama 6 Stanford (9)
1925 Michigan Alabama 3 Dartmouth (2)
1924 Notre Dame Notre Dame
1923 Illinois Illinois
1922 California Princeton 3 Cornell (7)
1921 Iowa Cornell 13
1920 California California
1919 Centre Harvard 12
1918 Chicago Naval Reserve Pittsburgh 5 Michigan (2)
1917 Pittsburgh Georgia Tech 3
1916 Pittsburgh Pittsburgh
1915 Minnesota Cornell 2
1914 Illinois Army 7
1913 Chicago Harvard 9
1912 Wisconsin Harvard 2
1911 Minnesota Princeton 7 Penn State (3)
1910 Michigan State Harvard 4 Pittsburgh (8)
1909 Notre Dame Yale 2
1908 Chicago Pennsylvania 3 LSU (7)
1907 Princeton Yale 3
1906 Yale Yale
1905 Chicago Chicago Yale (2)
1904 Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
1903 Princeton Princeton
1902 Yale Michigan 2
1901 Wisconsin Michigan 2
1900 Yale Yale

Prior to 1900 there is little dispute over champions. I will merely list my #1 teams:

1899 Princeton
1898 Harvard
1897 Pennsylvania
1896 Princeton
1895 Pennsylvania
1894 Yale
1893 Princeton
1892 Yale
1891 Yale
1890 Harvard
1889 Princeton
1888 Yale
1887 Yale
1886 Yale
1885 Princeton
1884 Yale
1883 Yale
1882 Yale
1881 Yale
1880 Yale
1879 Princeton
1878 Princeton
1877 Princeton
1876 Yale
1875 Harvard
1874 Yale
1873 Princeton
1872 Yale
1871
1870 Princeton
1869 Princeton

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