2004 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Two human polls and one formulaic ranking make up the 2004 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, one additional poll is released; the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Rankings.

BCS rankings
The 2004 BCS rankings were based on a formula composed of the Coaches Poll, the AP Poll, and six computer rankings. These rankings are usually released beginning with the eight week of the season. It is the results of this poll that decide which teams play in which bowl games as well as which two teams will play in the BCS National Championship Game. The BCS Rankings are generated by taking the points received in each poll individually, and dividing by the total points that a single team could earn if they were ranked #1 by every member. For example, the maximum total points in the Coaches Poll is 1550, and if a team earns 1387 points, their score in the BCS for the Coaches Poll would be .895. The BCS Rankings then does the same for the AP Poll. Next, the highest and lowest rankings of the 6 computer rankings are dropped, the remaining 4 combined with the points (again awarded by position) and divided by 100. The three percentages are then averaged, and the highest average is then awarded 1st place in the BCS Rankings.

AP poll
The AP Poll is the oldest poll still in use. This poll is compiled by sportswriters across the nation. This season would be the last season that the AP Poll would be included in the BCS formula. The AP believed that the BCS undermined the independence and integrity of the poll and could hurt the AP's reputation. The poll operates identically to the Coaches Poll.

Coaches Poll
The Coaches Poll is the 2nd oldest poll still in use after the AP Poll. It is compiled by a rotating group of 62 college football Division I head coaches. Each voting member ranks teams from 1 to 25. Each team then receives points for their ranking in reverse order: Number 1 earns 25 points, number 2 earns 24 points, and so forth. The points are then combined and the team with the highest points is then ranked #1; second highest is ranked #2 and so forth. Only the top 25 teams with points are ranked, with teams receiving first place votes noted the quantity next to their name. Any team receiving votes after the top 25 are listed after the top 25 by their point totals. However, these are not real rankings: They are not considered #26, #27, etc. The maximum points a single team can earn is 1550.

Preseason polls
Various publications release their preseason top 25 months before the season commences. Each poll uses different methodologies. For instance, some rank the teams based on their perception of the team's strength going into the season and some rank them based on their perception of the team's possible record at the end of the season. These are different because one team may be stronger but have a tougher schedule and another team may be weaker but have a weaker schedule and both teams may end the season with the same record. The 2004-05 BCS Champions USC Trojans are highlighted in gold.