MCLEAN, Va., (PRNewswire) — The coaches vote. The media vote. Even computers make their college football selections. Now the fans have their say with the USA TODAY/Gallup Fan Poll. The first poll results are available online at USATODAY.com.
The pre-season poll is based on a nationally representative sample of 400 college football fans recruited by Gallup. Fans had to demonstrate a high degree of interest in and knowledge of the sport and commit to being a serious evaluator of teams as the season unfolds. One in four fans met the screening criteria and agreed to submit weekly rankings of the top 10 teams in the country for this poll.
Future weekly poll results will appear on Monday nights on USATODAY.com and Tuesdays in USA TODAY through the season except after the Labor Day weekend, when it will run in the newspaper on Wednesday. The newspaper will publish the top 15 rankings each week. USATODAY.com will publish the full list.
USA TODAY/Gallup College Football Fan Pre-season Poll Results
Rank Team First place votes Points
1. Ohio State 197 3,316
2. Texas 81 2,978
3. Southern Cal 31 2,580
4. Notre Dame 46 2,521
5. Auburn 10 1,670
6. West Virginia 6 1,346
7. Florida 6 1,183
8. LSU 2 1,138
9. Oklahoma 3 807
10. Florida State 2 701
11. Michigan 2 558
12. Miami, Fla. 2 540
13. Penn State 3 509
14. Georgia 2 331
15. California 1 298