AP Poll
A media poll ranking college football teams.
Glossary category
College Football Rankings Glossary
Ranking terms explain how teams are compared by polls, playoff committees, rating systems, schedules, and resumes.
Back to all glossary termsTop Rankings Terms
AP PollA media poll ranking college football teams.At-Large BidA playoff or postseason spot awarded to a team that did not qualify automatically.Automatic QualifierA team that receives a playoff or postseason spot by meeting a defined qualification rule, often through conference-champion status.Bad LossA loss to a weaker opponent that hurts a team's résumé.Bowl EligibilityA team's status as eligible for a postseason bowl game.CFP First RoundThe opening round of the expanded College Football Playoff.CFP QuarterfinalThe round after the CFP First Round, usually involving the top seeds and first-round winners.CFP RankingsRankings released by the College Football Playoff selection committee.
All Rankings Definitions
35 terms
At-Large Bid
A playoff or postseason spot awarded to a team that did not qualify automatically.
Automatic Qualifier
A team that receives a playoff or postseason spot by meeting a defined qualification rule, often through conference-champion status.
Bad Loss
A loss to a weaker opponent that hurts a team's résumé.
Bowl Eligibility
A team's status as eligible for a postseason bowl game.
CFP First Round
The opening round of the expanded College Football Playoff.
CFP Quarterfinal
The round after the CFP First Round, usually involving the top seeds and first-round winners.
CFP Rankings
Rankings released by the College Football Playoff selection committee.
CFP Selection Committee
The committee responsible for ranking teams and selecting the College Football Playoff field.
CFP Semifinal
The round that determines which teams advance to the national championship game.
Coaches Poll
A college football ranking voted on by selected coaches.
College Football Playoff
The postseason system used to determine the FBS national champion.
Common Opponents
Opponents that two teams both played, often used in ranking or tiebreaker debates.
Conference Championship Game
A game that determines a conference champion, usually played after the regular season.
Conference Record
A team's win-loss record against conference opponents.
FCS Win
A win by an FBS team over an FCS opponent, often evaluated differently in schedule-strength discussions.
First-Round Bye
A playoff advantage allowing a team to skip the first round and begin in a later round.
Football Bowl Subdivision
The highest subdivision of NCAA Division I college football.
Football Championship Subdivision
A Division I football subdivision with a playoff championship format.
Group of Five
A common label for FBS conferences outside the traditional power-conference group.
Head-to-Head
A comparison based on the result between two teams that played each other.
National Championship
The final game or recognized title used to determine the season's champion.
Neutral-Site Win
A win earned at a site not considered a true home game for either team.
Overall Record
A team's total win-loss record across all games.
Power Conference
A conference generally considered part of college football's top competitive and financial tier.
Quality Loss
A loss to a strong opponent that may be viewed less harshly than other losses.
Quality Win
A win over a strong opponent, often a ranked team or highly rated team.
Ranked Win
A win over a team ranked in a poll, committee ranking, or rating system.
Resume Strength
A measure of how impressive a team's results are based on wins, losses, schedule, and opponent quality.
Road Win
A win earned at the opponent's home stadium.
Signature Win
A major win that defines or strengthens a team's season résumé.
Statement Win
A convincing or high-profile win that improves a team's national perception.
Strength of Record
A measure of how impressive a team's record is against its schedule.
Strength of Schedule
A measure of how difficult a team's schedule is.
Tiebreaker
A rule or procedure used to separate teams with the same record, often for conference standings, championship game qualification, playoff selection, or bowl positioning.