Three human polls and one formulaic ranking make up the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football rankings, in addition to various publications' preseason polls. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), does not bestow a National Championship title for Division I-A football. That title is bestowed by different polling agencies. There are several polls that currently exist. The main weekly polls are the AP Poll and Coaches Poll. About halfway through the season, two additional polls are released; the Harris Interactive Poll and the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings.
During the 2005 season, 34 different teams appeared in the rankings by the major polls, but two teams, USC and Texas, held the top two spots throughout the course of the entire season.
Legend Increase in ranking Decrease in ranking Not ranked previous week Selected for BCS National Championship Game Win–loss record Number of first place votes Tied with team above or below also with this symbol
AP Poll This season was the first season since the inception of the BCS that the AP Poll was not included in the BCS formula. The BCS created the Harris Interactive Poll to serve as its replacement.
Preseason Week 1Sept 6 Week 2Sept 11 Week 3Sept 18 Week 4Sept 25 Week 5Oct 2 Week 6Oct 9 Week 7Oct 16 Week 8Oct 23 Week 9Oct 30 Week 10Nov 6 Week 11Nov 13 Week 12Nov 20 Week 13Nov 27 Week 14Dec 4 Week 15 (Final)Jan 51. USC (60) USC (1–0) (61) USC (2–0) (56) USC (2–0) (57) USC (3–0) (59) USC (4–0) (59) USC (5–0) (58) USC (6–0) (57) USC (7–0) (55) USC (8–0) (57) USC (9–0) (57) USC (10–0) (56) USC (11–0) (50) USC (11–0) (55) USC (12–0) (56) Texas (13-0) (65)1.2. Texas (4) Texas (1–0) (4) Texas (2–0) (8) Texas (3–0) (8) Texas (3–0) (6) Texas (4–0) (6) Texas (5–0) (7) Texas (6–0) (8) Texas (7–0) (10) Texas (8–0) (8) Texas (9–0) (8) Texas (10–0) (9) Texas (10–0) (14) Texas (11–0) (10) Texas (12–0) (9) USC (12-1)2.3. Tennessee (13) Michigan (1–0) LSU (1–0) LSU (1–0) Virginia Tech (4–0) Virginia Tech (5–0) Virginia Tech (6–0) Virginia Tech (6–0) Virginia Tech (7–0) Virginia Tech (7–0) Miami (FL) (7–1) Miami (FL) (8–1) LSU (9–1) LSU (10–1) Penn State (10–1) Penn State (11–1)3.4. Michigan Ohio State (1–0) Virginia Tech (2–0) Virginia Tech (2–0) LSU (1–0) Florida State (4–0) Florida State (5–0) Georgia (6–0) Georgia (7–0) Alabama (8–0) Alabama (9–0) LSU (8–1) Penn State (10–1) Penn State (10–1) Ohio State (9–2) Ohio State (10–2)4.5. LSU LSU (0–0) Tennessee (1–0) Florida (3–0) Florida (4–0) Georgia (4–0) Georgia (5–0) Alabama (6–0) Alabama (7–0) Miami (FL) (6–1) LSU (7–1) Penn State (9–1) Virginia Tech (9–1) Virginia Tech (10–1) Notre Dame (9–2) West Virginia (11–1)5.6. Ohio State Tennessee (1–0) Florida (2–0) Florida State (3–0) Florida State (3–0) Ohio State (3–1) Alabama (5–0) Miami (FL) (5–1) Miami (FL) (5–1) LSU (6–1) Penn State (9–1) Notre Dame (7–2) Notre Dame (8–2) Ohio State (9–2) Oregon (10–1) LSU (11–2)6.7. Oklahoma Virginia Tech (1–0) Georgia (2–0) Georgia (3–0) Georgia (4–0) Alabama (5–0) Miami (FL) (4–1) LSU (4–1) LSU (5–1) UCLA (8–0) Notre Dame (6–2) Virginia Tech (8–1) Ohio State (9–2) Notre Dame (9–2) Auburn (9–2) Virginia Tech (11–2)7.8. Virginia Tech Iowa (1–0) Florida State (2–0) Ohio State (2–1) Ohio State (3–1) Tennessee (3–1) Penn State (6–0) UCLA (6–0) UCLA (7–0) Notre Dame (5–2) Virginia Tech (8–1) Alabama (9–1) Oregon (10–1) Oregon (10–1) Georgia (10–2) Alabama (10–2)8.9. Miami (FL) Georgia (1–0) Ohio State (1–1) Louisville (2–0) Miami (FL) (2–1) Miami (FL) (3–1) Notre Dame (4–1) Notre Dame (4–2) Notre Dame (5–2) Florida State (7–1) Georgia (7–1) Ohio State (8–2) Auburn (9–2) Auburn (9–2) Miami (FL) (9–2) Notre Dame (9–3)9.10. Florida Florida (1–0) Notre Dame (2–0) Tennessee (1–1) Tennessee (1–1) California (5–0) LSU (3–1) Texas Tech (6–0) Florida State (6–1) Penn State (8–1) Ohio State (7–2) Oregon (9–1) Miami (FL) (8–2) Miami (FL) (9–2) LSU (10–2) Georgia (10–3)10.11. Iowa Florida State (1–0) Louisville (1–0) Purdue (2–0) Michigan State (4–0) LSU (2–1) Florida (5–1) Florida State (5–1) Penn State (7–1) Georgia (7–1) Oregon (8–1) Auburn (8–2) UCLA (9–1) UCLA (9–1) West Virginia (10–1) TCU (11–1)11.12. Louisville (1) Louisville (1–0) Purdue (1–0) Miami (FL) (1–1) California (4–0) Notre Dame (4–1) UCLA (5–0) Penn State (6–1) Ohio State (5–2) Ohio State (6–2) Florida (7–2) UCLA (9–1) West Virginia (8–1) West Virginia (9–1) Virginia Tech (10–2) Florida (9–3) т12.13. Georgia Purdue (0–0) Miami (FL) (0–1) California (3–0) Notre Dame (3–1) Florida (4–1) Texas Tech (5–0) Boston College (6–1) Boston College (6–1) Florida (6–2) Texas Tech (8–1) West Virginia (8–1) Georgia (8–2) Georgia (9–2) Alabama (9–2) Oregon (10–2) т13.14. Florida State Miami (FL) (0–1) Michigan (1–1) Michigan (2–1) Arizona State (3–1) Wisconsin (5–0) Boston College (5–1) Ohio State (4–2) Oregon (7–1) Wisconsin (8–1) UCLA (8–1) Georgia (7–2) Alabama (9–2) Alabama (9–2) TCU (10–1) Auburn (9–3)14.15. Purdue Arizona State (1–0) California (2–0) Georgia Tech (3–0) Alabama (4–0) Texas Tech (4–0) Ohio State (3–2) Oregon (6–1) Wisconsin (7–1) Oregon (7–1) Auburn (7–2) TCU (10–1) TCU (10–1) TCU (10–1) Louisville (9–2) Wisconsin (10–3)15.16. Auburn California (1–0) Georgia Tech (2–0) Notre Dame (2–1) Texas Tech (3–0) Penn State (5–0) Michigan State (4–1) Auburn (5–1) Florida (5–2) Texas Tech (7–1) West Virginia (7–1) Fresno State (8–1) Fresno State (8–2) Louisville (8–2) Florida (8–3) UCLA (10–2)16.17. Texas A&M Georgia Tech (1–0) Boston College (2–0) Michigan State (3–0) Wisconsin (4–0) Arizona State (3–2) Tennessee (3–2) Tennessee (3–2) Texas Tech (6–1) Auburn (6–2) Florida State (7–2) Michigan (7–3) Louisville (7–2) Florida (8–3) UCLA (9–2) Miami (FL) (9–3)17.18. Boise State Oklahoma (0–1) Arizona State (1–1) Arizona State (2–1)Minnesota (4–0) Boston College (4–1) California (5–1) Florida (5–2) West Virginia (6–1) West Virginia (6–1) TCU (9–1) Louisville (7–2) Texas Tech (9–2) Texas Tech (9–2) Texas Tech (9–2) Boston College (9–3)18.19. California Boston College (1–0) Texas Tech (1–0) Texas Tech (2–0) Virginia (3–0) Michigan State (4–1) Louisville (4–1) Wisconsin (6–1) Auburn (5–2) Boston College (6–2) Wisconsin (8–2) South Carolina (7–3) Florida (7–3) Boston College (8–3) Boston College (8–3) Louisville (9–3)19.20. Arizona State Notre Dame (1–0) Clemson (2–0) Alabama (3–0) UCLA (3–0) UCLA (4–0) Oregon (5–1) West Virginia (6–1) TCU (7–1) TCU (8–1) Fresno State (7–1) Florida (7–3) Georgia Tech (7–3) Michigan (7–4) Michigan (7–4) Texas Tech (9–3)20.21. Texas Tech Texas Tech (0–0) Oklahoma (1–1) Iowa (2–1) Boston College (3–1) Michigan (3–2) Auburn (4–1) TCU (6–1) Northwestern (5–2) Fresno State (6–1) Michigan (6–3) Texas Tech (8–2) Boston College (8–3) Wisconsin (9–3) Wisconsin (9–3) Clemson (8–4)21.22. Boston College TCU (1–0) Iowa (1–1) Iowa State (2–0) Purdue (2–1) Auburn (4–1) Minnesota (5–1) Michigan State (4–2) Fresno State (5–1) Michigan (6–3) Colorado (7–2) Florida State (7–3) Michigan (7–4) Clemson (7–4) Florida State (8–4) Oklahoma (8–4)22.23. Pittsburgh Virginia (1–0) Fresno State (1–0) Virginia (2–0) Iowa State (3–0) Louisville (3–1) Wisconsin (5–1) Virginia (4–2) Tennessee (3–3) California (6–2) Louisville (6–2) Boston College (7–3) Florida State (7–3) Fresno State (8–3) Clemson (7–4) Florida State (8–5)23.24. Fresno State Fresno State (0–0) Iowa State (2–0) Oregon (3–0) Louisville (2–1) Georgia Tech (3–1) Colorado (4–1) Fresno State (4–1) California (6–2) Louisville (5–2) Georgia Tech (6–2) UTEP (8–1) Wisconsin (8–3) Georgia Tech (7–4) Georgia Tech (7–4) Nebraska (8–4)24.25. Virginia Clemson (1–0) Virginia (1–0) UCLA (3–0) Georgia Tech (3–1) Oregon (4–1) TCU (5–1) California (5–2) Michigan (5–3) Colorado (6–2) Northwestern (6–3) Wisconsin (8–3) Clemson (7–4) Iowa (7–4) Iowa (7–4) California (8–4)25. Preseason Week 1Sept 6 Week 2Sept 11 Week 3Sept 18 Week 4Sept 25 Week 5Oct 2 Week 6Oct 9 Week 7Oct 16 Week 8Oct 23 Week 9Oct 30 Week 10Nov 6 Week 11Nov 13 Week 12Nov 20 Week 13Nov 27 Week 14Dec 4 Week 15 (Final)Jan 5 Dropped:AuburnTexas A&MBoise StatePittsburgh Dropped:TCU Dropped:Boston CollegeClemsonOklahomaFresno State Dropped:MichiganIowaOregon Dropped:MinnesotaVirginiaPurdueIowa State Dropped:Arizona StateMichiganGeorgia Tech Dropped:LouisvilleMinnesotaColorado Dropped:Michigan StateVirginia Dropped:NorthwesternTennessee Dropped:Boston CollegeCalifornia Dropped:ColoradoGeorgia TechNorthwestern Dropped:South CarolinaUTEP Dropped:Florida State Dropped:Fresno State Dropped:MichiganGeorgia TechIowa
Coaches Poll