The AVCA Pre-season Polls: A Look Back
By Lionsfan (updated on August 13, 2015)
[Editor’s Note: Lionsfan first published this on August 27, 2014. We’ve updated the table and “Polling by Numbers” data, to reflect the 2014 season results and the 2015 preseason poll.]
With the AVCA Poll just released yesterday, it’s the perfect time to look back at past AVCA Pre-season Polls to see if we can spot any trends, or derive any insight. OK, insight may be a tall order, but it’s fun to try, right?
The table below lists the AVCA preseason No. 1 team for every season since 1982, along with the team that ended up winning the NCAA Division I title that year, and the preseason AVCA ranking of the championship team. We also have a column indicating the seven years in which the AVCA preseason #1 didn’t make the Final Four.
[Note: in a few years, the records appear to indicate that there was no AVCA pre-season poll. In those years, we used the first available poll. Also, to err is human, to send us corrections for our errors is . . . welcome. Thanks!]
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AVCA Pre-Season #1 Teams -- 1982 to 2014 (Click on Images for more Team Information)
| Year | Pre-Season AVCA #1 | Pre-Season AVCA #1 Didn't Make Final Four?  | NCAA Div. I National Champion | NCAA Div. I Champion's Pre-Season AVCA Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | No Poll | No Poll |  | No Poll |
| 1982 | | -- |  | 2 |
| 1983 | | -- | | 1 |
| 1984 |  | -- |  | 2 |
| 1985 | | -- | | 4 |
| 1986 | | -- | | 1 |
| 1987 | | | | 2 |
| 1988 | |  | 7 | |
| 1989 | | |  | 4 |
| 1990 | | -- | | 1 |
| 1991 | | -- | | 1 |
| 1992 | | -- |  | 4 |
| 1993 | | | | 2 |
| 1994 | | -- | | 1 |
| 1995 | | -- | Nebraska | 2 |
| 1996 | | -- | | 2 |
| 1997 | | -- | | 1 |
| 1998 | Penn State | -- | | 2 |
| 1999 | Penn State | -- | Penn State | 1 |
| 2000 | | | Nebraska | 6 |
| 2001 | Nebraska | -- | | 10 |
| 2002 | | -- | | 3 |
| 2003 | | -- | | 1 |
| 2004 | | -- | | 6 |
| 2005 | Nebraska | -- |  | 2 |
| 2006 | Nebraska | -- | Nebraska | 1 |
| 2007 | Nebraska | | Penn State | 3 |
| 2008 | Penn State | -- | Penn State | 1 |
| 2009 | Penn State | -- | Penn State | 1 |
| 2010 | Penn State | -- | Penn State | 1 |
| 2011 | Penn State | | | 11 |
| 2012 | | | | 2 |
| 2013 | | -- | Penn State | 2 |
| 2014 | Penn State | -- | Penn State | 1 |
| 2015 | Penn State | ? | ? |
Polling by the Numbers 
- 24 times – the reigning NCAA champion has been ranked #1 the following season.
- 13 times the pre-season #1 has won the national title.
- 7 times the pre-season #1 did not make the Final Four: 1987 Pacific (lost to Hawaii in Regional Final); 1989 Hawaii (lost to Long Beach in Regional Final); 1993 Stanford (lost to UCLA in Regional Semi); 2000 UCLA (lost to Wisconsin in Regional Final); 2007 Nebraska (Lost to Cal in Regional Final); 2011 Penn State (lost to UCLA in Regional Semi); 2012 UCLA (lost to Michigan State in Second Round).
- 1 time UCLA was not ranked in the pre-season poll (2014).
Pre-season Rankings of NCAA Championship Teams
- Pre-season #1: 13 titles
- Pre-season #2: 10 titles
- Pre-season #3: 2 titles
- Pre-season #4: 3 titles
- Pre-season #6: 2 titles
- Pre-season #7: 1 title
- Pre-season #10: 1 title
- Pre-season #11: 1 title
- No team ranked pre-season #5 (for 2014, that’s you, Southern Cal), #8 (2014 – Purdue), #9 (2014 – BYU) or #12 or lower has ever won a national title.
Teams with Most Preseason #1 Rankings
- 8: Penn State
- 6: UCLA
- 5: Stanford
- 4: Nebraska, Hawaii
- 3: Southern Cal, Pacific
- 1: Texas
- Long Beach is the only program with a national title (it has won three times) to never be
ranked #1 in in the AVCA pre-season poll.