The belt vs. the AP poll
26 seasons · 479 pollsUCLA is No. 1 in the latest AP poll (April 6, 2026).
93%Of AP polls with a ranked holder
50%Holder was No. 1
77%Holder in the top 5
479AP polls since 2000–01
The poll is voters' opinion; the belt is who actually beat whom. Here's how often they agree: first the longest stretches an unranked team held the belt, then every season.
Poll dates for 2000–01 through 2015–16 are estimated from week numbers (the source data has no dates for those seasons), so a holder can be off by a week around a title change.
Unranked, but holding the belt
The longest runs of AP polls in which the belt holder wasn't ranked at all.
| Holder | Stretch | Polls |
|---|---|---|
| Florida International | Jan 28, 2002 – Mar 4, 2002 | 6 |
| Virginia Tech | Feb 1, 2021 – Feb 22, 2021 | 4 |
| LSU New Orleans | Jan 7, 2002 – Jan 21, 2002 | 3 |
| Florida International | Dec 10, 2001 – Dec 17, 2001 | 2 |
| Texas | Jan 16, 2006 – Jan 23, 2006 | 2 |
| Michigan State | Feb 9, 2009 – Feb 16, 2009 | 2 |
| Virginia | Dec 24, 2001 – Dec 24, 2001 | 1 |
| Rutgers | Mar 8, 2004 – Mar 8, 2004 | 1 |
| Penn State | Dec 6, 2004 – Dec 6, 2004 | 1 |
| Missouri | Jan 9, 2006 – Jan 9, 2006 | 1 |
| Season | Polls | Holder ranked | Holder No. 1 | Best-ranked holder | Final AP No. 1 | No. 1 held it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 | 19 | 19 (100%) | 19 | UConn No. 1 | UCLA | Yes |
| 2024–25 | 20 | 20 (100%) | 17 | South Carolina No. 1 | UCLA | Yes |
| 2023–24 | 20 | 20 (100%) | 1 | LSU No. 1 | South Carolina | No |
| 2022–23 | 19 | 19 (100%) | 19 | South Carolina No. 1 | South Carolina | Yes |
| 2021–22 | 19 | 17 (89%) | 8 | South Carolina No. 1 | South Carolina | Yes |
| 2020–21 | 17 | 12 (71%) | 2 | South Carolina No. 1 | UConn | No |
| 2019–20 | 19 | 19 (100%) | 9 | South Carolina No. 1 | South Carolina | Yes |
| 2018–19 | 20 | 20 (100%) | 17 | Notre Dame No. 1 | Baylor | Yes |
| 2017–18 | 18 | 18 (100%) | 14 | UConn No. 1 | UConn | Yes |
| 2016–17 | 18 | 18 (100%) | 14 | UConn No. 1 | UConn | Yes |
| 2015–16 | 18 | 18 (100%) | 18 | UConn No. 1 | UConn | Yes |
| 2014–15 | 18 | 16 (89%) | 1 | UConn No. 1 | UConn | Yes |
| 2013–14 | 19 | 19 (100%) | 19 | UConn No. 1 | UConn | Yes |
| 2012–13 | 19 | 19 (100%) | 6 | Baylor No. 1 | Baylor | Yes |
| 2011–12 | 18 | 17 (94%) | 0 | Notre Dame No. 2 | Baylor | No |
| 2010–11 | 18 | 18 (100%) | 7 | UConn No. 1 | UConn | Yes |
| 2009–10 | 19 | 19 (100%) | 19 | UConn No. 1 | UConn | Yes |
| 2008–09 | 18 | 13 (72%) | 0 | Tennessee No. 7 | UConn | No |
| 2007–08 | 19 | 19 (100%) | 6 | Tennessee No. 1 | UConn | No |
| 2006–07 | 18 | 18 (100%) | 15 | Maryland No. 1 | Duke | Yes |
| 2005–06 | 17 | 14 (82%) | 0 | Baylor No. 4 | North Carolina | No |
| 2004–05 | 18 | 17 (94%) | 0 | North Carolina No. 2 | Stanford | No |
| 2003–04 | 17 | 16 (94%) | 12 | UConn No. 1 | Duke | Yes |
| 2002–03 | 18 | 18 (100%) | 5 | UConn No. 1 | UConn | Yes |
| 2001–02 | 18 | 6 (33%) | 0 | Notre Dame No. 15 | UConn | No |
| 2000–01 | 18 | 18 (100%) | 12 | UConn No. 1 | Notre Dame | Yes |
No seasons match.