AP small college football rankings

Last updated March 05, 2024

The AP small college football rankings was a system used by the Associated Press (AP) from 1960 to 1974 to rank the best small college football teams in the United States.

The United Press International led the way with its UPI small college football rankings starting in 1958. The AP followed with its own small-college rankings starting in October 1960. The AP rankings were issued weekly and were based on ballots cast by an AP board of experts, consisting of one person in each of eight NCAA district.^[1]

Top teams in final polls

The following chart lists the top five teams in the final AP small college rankings for each year from 1960 to 1974. The figures in brackets reflect the number of first-place votes received in the final voting. The figures in parentheses reflect the total points received.

Year	No. 1	No. 2	No. 3	No. 4	No. 5	Source
1960	Ohio [4] (65)	Lenoir–Rhyne (46)	Humboldt State [1] (34)	Whitworth (32)	West Chester Teachers [1] (30)	^[2]
1961	Pittsburg State [5] (70)	Baldwin–Wallace (60)	Fresno State (45)	Florida A&M (42)	Whittier (34)	^[3]
1962	Florida A&M (67)	Wittenberg (66)	Central State (OK) (54)	Southern Miss (44)	Lenoir–Rhyne (34)	^[4]
1963	Northern Illinois [3] (63)	Delaware [3] (53)	Wittenberg (38)	UMass (37)	Saint John's (MN) (35)	^[5]
1964	Wittenberg [6] (114)	Prairie View A&M (101)	Cal State Los Angeles [2] (97)	Louisiana Tech (89)	San Diego State [1] (67)	^[6]
1965	North Dakota State [4] (84)	Middle Tennessee State [2] (68)	Sul Ross [1] (43)	Cal State Los Angeles (35)	Tennessee State (32)	^[7]
1966	San Diego State [14] (158)	Tennessee State [2] (126)	Montana State (113)	Northwestern State (72)	Parsons (70)	^[8]
1967	San Diego State [12] (157)	North Dakota State [2] (137)	New Mexico Highlands [1] (93)	Texas–Arlington [1] (76)	Eastern Kentucky (75)	^[9]
1968	North Dakota State [6] (220)	San Diego State [3] (204)	Chattanooga [1] (162)	New Mexico Highlands (147)	IUP (142)	^[10]
1969	North Dakota State	Montana	Akron	Louisiana Tech	Colorado State-Greeley	^[11]
1970	Arkansas State	Montana	North Dakota State	Tampa	Tennessee State	^[12]
1971	Delaware	McNeese State	Eastern Michigan	Louisiana Tech	Tennessee State	^[13]
1972	Delaware	Louisiana Tech	Cal Poly	Ashland	Tennessee State	^[14]
1973	Tennessee State [17] (708)	Louisiana Tech [21] (706)	Western Kentucky (459)	Wittenberg [1] (407)	Boise State (390) Abilene Christian (390)	^[15]
1974	Central Michigan [32] (658)	Louisiana Tech (477)	Texas A&I [2] (461]	Delaware (460)	Boise State (401)	^[16]

Related Research Articles

One human poll comprised the 1942 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. The Coaches' Poll began operation in 1950; in addition, the AP Poll did not begin conducting preseason polls until that same year.

One human poll comprised the 1945 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. The Coaches' Poll began operation in 1950; in addition, the AP Poll did not begin conducting preseason polls until that same year.

The 1959 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1959 college football season, including the 1959 NCAA College Division football season and the 1959 NAIA football season. The rankings were prepared and published the United Press International (UPI).

The 1960 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1960 college football season, including the 1960 NCAA College Division football season and the 1960 NAIA football season. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of experts, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of 47 small-college coaches from throughout the country.

The 1966 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1966 college football season, including the 1966 NCAA College Division football season and the 1966 NAIA football season. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of sports writers, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches.

The 1964 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1964 college football season, including the 1964 NCAA College Division football season and the 1964 NAIA football season. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of sports writers, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches.

The 1965 small-college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1965 college football season, including the 1965 NCAA College Division football season and the 1965 NAIA football season. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of sports writers, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches.

The 1967 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1967 college football season, including the 1967 NCAA College Division football season and the 1967 NAIA football season. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of sports writers, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches.

The 1968 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1968 college football season, including the 1968 NCAA College Division football season and the 1968 NAIA football season. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of sports writers, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches.

The 1961 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1961 college football season, including the 1961 NCAA College Division football season and the 1961 NAIA football season. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of experts, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches from throughout the country.

The 1962 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1962 college football season, including the 1962 NCAA College Division football season and the 1962 NAIA football season. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of eight sports writers, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches from throughout the country.

The 1963 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1963 college football season, including the 1963 NCAA College Division football season and the 1963 NAIA football season. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of sports writers, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches.

The 1970 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1970 college football season, including the 1970 NCAA College Division football season and the 1970 NAIA football season. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of sports writers, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches.

The 1971 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1971 college football season, including the 1971 NCAA College Division football season and the 1971 NAIA football season. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of sports writers, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches.

The 1972 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1972 college football season, including the 1972 NCAA College Division football season and the 1972 NAIA football season. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of sports writers, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches.

The 1973 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1973 NCAA Division II, Division III, and NAIA football seasons. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of sports writers, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches.

The 1974 NCAA College Division football rankings are from the United Press International poll of College Division head coaches and from the Associated Press poll of sportswriters and broadcasters. The 1974 NCAA Division II football season was the 17th year UPI published a Coaches Poll and it was the 15th year for the Associated Press. Both polls used the term "College Division" in 1974, but many of the referenced publications continued to use the "Small College" terminology.

The 1961 NCAA College Division football season was the sixth season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the NCAA College Division level.

The 1967 NCAA College Division football season was the 12th season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the NCAA College Division level.

The UPI small college football rankings was a system used by the United Press International (UPI) from 1958 to 1974 to rank the best small college football teams in the United States.

References

↑ "Ohio U. Leads Small College Grid Poll; Muskingum Gains Ranking". The Daily Reporter. Associated Press. October 6, 1960. p. 18.
↑ "Ohio Cops 'Small' AP Grid Poll". Fort Lauderdale News. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. December 1, 1960. p. 6-D. Retrieved May 2, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Kansas School Nabs Small College Honor". The Lawton Constitution. Lawton, Oklahoma. November 23, 1961. p. 26. Retrieved January 25, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "AP Small College Football Poll". The Decatur Daily Review. Decatur, Illinois. November 30, 1962. p. 14. Retrieved January 24, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "N. Illinois On Top in Final Vote". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. November 29, 1963. p. 85. Retrieved May 17, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Wittenberg No. 1 in Final Small College Football Poll". News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. November 25, 1964. p. 5-B. Retrieved January 24, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Bisons Are Picked As Best Team". Biddeford-Saco Journal. Biddeford, Maine. November 24, 1965. p. 6. Retrieved January 24, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Small College Football Poll". The News-Palladium. Benton Harbor, Michigan. December 1, 1966. p. 24. Retrieved January 19, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "San Diego State Finishes As Top Team 2nd Season". The Jacksonville Daily Journal. Jacksonville, Illinois. November 26, 1967. p. 29. Retrieved May 5, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "A&I 6th in AP Poll". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. December 5, 1968. p. 6-B. Retrieved May 5, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Tech Remains Fourth; E. Tenn. St. Is 20th". The Town Talk. Alexandria, Louisiana. November 27, 1969. p. A-15. Retrieved May 5, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Javelinas Ranked 7th In Final AP Poll". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. December 3, 1970. p. 8-G. Retrieved May 21, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Delaware is first". The Courier-News. Bridgewater, New Jersey. November 24, 1971. p. 41. Retrieved May 18, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Delaware Takes Second Straight Rankings Title". The Jacksonville Daily Journal. Jacksonville, Illinois. November 23, 1972. p. 38. Retrieved May 18, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "'Bows No. 9 in Final AP Poll". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Honolulu, Hawaii. December 20, 1973. p. E-1. Retrieved May 18, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Chips Were No. 1!". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. December 24, 1974. p. B-4. Retrieved May 24, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

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[1] "Ohio U. Leads Small College Grid Poll; Muskingum Gains Ranking". The Daily Reporter. Associated Press. October 6, 1960. p. 18.

[2] "Ohio Cops 'Small' AP Grid Poll". Fort Lauderdale News. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. December 1, 1960. p. 6-D. Retrieved May 2, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[3] "Kansas School Nabs Small College Honor". The Lawton Constitution. Lawton, Oklahoma. November 23, 1961. p. 26. Retrieved January 25, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[4] "AP Small College Football Poll". The Decatur Daily Review. Decatur, Illinois. November 30, 1962. p. 14. Retrieved January 24, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[5] "N. Illinois On Top in Final Vote". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. November 29, 1963. p. 85. Retrieved May 17, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[6] "Wittenberg No. 1 in Final Small College Football Poll". News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. November 25, 1964. p. 5-B. Retrieved January 24, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[7] "Bisons Are Picked As Best Team". Biddeford-Saco Journal. Biddeford, Maine. November 24, 1965. p. 6. Retrieved January 24, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[8] "Small College Football Poll". The News-Palladium. Benton Harbor, Michigan. December 1, 1966. p. 24. Retrieved January 19, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[9] "San Diego State Finishes As Top Team 2nd Season". The Jacksonville Daily Journal. Jacksonville, Illinois. November 26, 1967. p. 29. Retrieved May 5, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[10] "A&I 6th in AP Poll". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. December 5, 1968. p. 6-B. Retrieved May 5, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[11] "Tech Remains Fourth; E. Tenn. St. Is 20th". The Town Talk. Alexandria, Louisiana. November 27, 1969. p. A-15. Retrieved May 5, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[12] "Javelinas Ranked 7th In Final AP Poll". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. December 3, 1970. p. 8-G. Retrieved May 21, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[13] "Delaware is first". The Courier-News. Bridgewater, New Jersey. November 24, 1971. p. 41. Retrieved May 18, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[14] "Delaware Takes Second Straight Rankings Title". The Jacksonville Daily Journal. Jacksonville, Illinois. November 23, 1972. p. 38. Retrieved May 18, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[15] "'Bows No. 9 in Final AP Poll". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Honolulu, Hawaii. December 20, 1973. p. E-1. Retrieved May 18, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[16] "Chips Were No. 1!". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. December 24, 1974. p. B-4. Retrieved May 24, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

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v t e Small college football national champions (1958–1974)
Selectors	AP (1960–1974) UPI (1958–1974)
1950s	1958: Mississippi Southern 1959: Bowling Green
1960s	1960: Ohio 1961: Pittsburg State 1962: Florida A&M (AP) / Southern Miss (UPI) 1963: Northern Illinois (AP) / Delaware (UPI) 1964: Wittenberg (AP) / Cal State Los Angeles (UPI) 1965: North Dakota State 1966: San Diego State 1967: San Diego State 1968: North Dakota State (AP) / San Diego State (UPI) 1969: North Dakota State
1970s	1970: Arkansas State (AP/UPI) 1971: Delaware (AP/UPI) 1972: Delaware (AP/UPI) 1973: Tennessee State (AP/UPI) 1974: Central Michigan / 1975: Louisiana Tech (UPI)

v t e Systems used to determine college football national championships
NCAA Division I-A/FBS	Various polling systems (1869–present) Bowl Coalition (1992–1994) Bowl Alliance (1995–1997) Bowl Championship Series (1998–2013) College Football Playoff (2014–present)
NCAA Division I-AA/FCS	NCAA Division I Football Championship (1978–present)
NCAA Division II	NCAA Division II Football Championship (1973–present)
NCAA Division III	NCAA Division III Football Championship (1973–present)
NAIA	NAIA Football National Championship (1956–present) NAIA Division II Football National Championship (1970–1996)
Additional systems	Black college football national championship (1920–present) UPI small college football rankings (1958–1974) AP small college football rankings (1960–1974) NCCAA Victory Bowl (1997–present)