College football teams in America are ranked in several different ways, for several different reasons. In all cases, however, the football teams are ranked from top to bottom, with the number of the ranking descending from 1 and arguments ensuing on all sides as to the fairness of the rankings. The national polls are the major way in which football teams in America are ranked, but there are other methods of ranking as well, such as the win-loss record.

One of the primary ways that college football teams in America are ranked is by a nationwide poll. The two major polls are the Associated Press Poll, which polls sportswriters, and the USA Today/ESPN Poll, which polls coaches. In each case, all members of the poll vote each week on which football teams they think are the best in the country according to several criteria, which are discussed below.

The general public often thinks that the best of the football teams in the country is the team with the best win-loss record. The caveat to this is that major college football teams are generally thought to have better teams than those at minor colleges. The team at USC that has a win-loss record of 6-0 is thought to be better than the 7-0 Harvard team. This is because USC and other major college football teams will have recorded victories over football teams more difficult to beat than those defeated by Harvard, which is not regarded as a football powerhouse.

The college football season lasts for several months, and the national polls come out each week, ranking the teams according to the members' votes. A season-ending poll crowns a national champion, although controversy often surrounds this national champion and final poll. In some cases, the two major national polls list different teams as Number 1.

Other ways of ranking football teams are by points scored, points given up, yards gained, yards given up, touchdowns scored and given up, fields goals scored and given up, and overall offensive and defensive efficiency. These rankings are often by average or in the form of total yards. In many cases, the leaders in offensive and defensive categories are near the top of the win-loss record and national poll rankings, although this is not always the case.