2008 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings Three human polls and one formula ic ranking make up the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS ( Football Bowl Subdivision ) football rankings , in addition to various publications ' preseason polls . Unlike most sport s , college football ' s governing body , the NCAA , does not bestow a National Championship title . That title is bestowed by one or more of four different polling agencies . There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason : the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll . About halfway through the season , two additional polls are released , the Harris Interactive Poll and the Bowl Championship Series ( BCS ) Standings . The Harris Poll and Coaches Poll are factors in the BCS Standings . At the end of the season , the BCS Standings determines who plays in the BCS bowl game s as well as the BCS National Championship Game . As the 2008 football season progresses , rankings are updated weekly . The team voted number one in the final AP and Coaches Polls can claim the title of National Champion . The BCS Rankings and Harris Poll do not vote in a final poll as their sole purpose is to determine who plays in the BCS National Championship Game . Other polls exist and may vote for different schools which causes confusion , especially for split titles . But generally , only the AP and Coaches Polls are used in crowning the National Champion . AP poll . The Associated Press ( AP ) preseason poll was released on August 16 , 2008 . The AP Poll is the oldest poll still in use and is compiled by sportswriters and sports broadcasters across the nation . This season will mark the third season since the inception of the BCS that the AP Poll was not included in the BCS formula . The AP ordered a cease and desist to stop the BCS from using their poll , and the BCS complied and created the Harris Interactive Poll in response . The poll operates identically to the Coaches and Harris Polls , except there is no inclusion into the BCS . USA Today Coaches ' Poll . The " USA Today " Coaches ' Poll is the second oldest poll still in use after the AP Poll , and its preseason poll was released on August 1 , 2008 . It is compiled by a rotating group of 62 college football Division I head coach es . 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 . The final Coaches ' Poll of the 2008 season ( technically taking place in 2009 ) was notable in that the winner of the BCS Championship was not the unanimous number 1 . While the coaches are obligated to vote the winner of that game , Utah coach Kyle Whittingham voted his team number 1 after they completed the only undefeated ( 13 – 0 ) season and routed highly favored Alabama in the 2008 Sugar Bowl . Preseason polls . Various publications release their preseason top 25 months before the season commences .