2004 NCAA Division I - A football rankings Two human polls and one formula ic ranking make up the 2004 NCAA Division I - A football rankings , in addition to various publications ' preseason polls . Unlike most sport s , 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 game s 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 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 . 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 .