Final Associated Press poll appearances by SEC team

The Associated Press Top 25 has become college football’s version of an NCAA Tournament appearance. Inclusion is a validation of a program’s season and an acknowledgement that the team deserves recognition.

For Millennials and those in Generation Z, you may be surprised to learn that for the majority of its history, the AP poll included just 20 teams. It expanded to 25 in 1989.

Some more poll history:

• The first Associated Press poll came out in 1934, though it didn’t exist in ’35 and started on a continual basis in ’36. Former SEC assistant director of media relations Charles Woodroof compiled the votes for that first poll.
• From 1962 to 1967, the AP poll only acknowledged 10 teams.
• With one exception, until 1968, the final poll got released after the regular season and did not account for bowl results.
• The SEC has participated in the last dozen meetings between AP No. 1 and No. 2 teams. Florida, LSU, Alabama and Auburn have all won such games since ’08. There have been 50 of those meetings all-time.
• For those wondering whether Ole Miss and Mississippi State ever have been ranked in the final AP poll at the same time prior to Dan Mullen and Hugh Freeze, the answer is yes — several times. The first: 1941.
• There have been 80 total years in which the Associated Press has ranked the nation’s best college football team.

To no one’s surprise, Alabama leads the overall count with 54 appearances in the final AP poll. The Tide have appeared in the poll nearly 68 percent of the time. Bama overtook Tennessee, which led early, decades ago, though the Vols are the only other SEC program to have appeared more than 50 percent of the time.

But there have been some recent movers. Florida has shot up the list thanks in large part to coach Steve Spurrier and coach Urban Meyer. After a few fairly early appearances, Kentucky has not gotten many AP votes in recent years. And Ole Miss has crept within striking distance of Arkansas and Texas A&M.

Here are the current SEC members listed by all-time AP poll appearances (final poll only).