College Football: 26 Things for which every fan should be thankful

Dec 7, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Texas State University head football coach Dennis Franchione on screen with the 2014 Amway Coaches Poll Top 6 during the Amway Coaches Poll Reveal at NYIT Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

23. Polls

The polls used to decide the national championship, then they were a part of the BCS formula. Now they’re just a way of passing the time until the playoff rankings are released in November. But even though the polls don’t carry the weight they once did, they are still a crucial part of the weekly college football discussion.

Whether it’s the Associated Press poll or the coaches poll, everyone wants to see their team move up in the rankings, or complain when they’re dropped too far after a loss.

All the big publications and networks – Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Fox, CBS, etc – have their own polls and power rankings as well, and that adds more fuel to the fires of debate every week. From the preseason until the last down of the Championship game, everyone watches the polls.

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