The College Football Researchers Association (CFRA) was founded in 1982 by Anthony Cusher of Reeder, North Dakota, and Robert Kirlin of Spokane, Washington. The CFRA took a vote of its members from 1982 to 1992 to select an annual college football national champion. Members were asked to rank the top 10 teams, and a point system was used to determine a national champion based on the members' votes. The CFRA also conducted a retroactive poll to determine historical national champions for each year from 1919 to 1981. The CFRA is listed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as one of 40 former and current selectors of college football national champions, and the CFRA selections are included in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision record book.[1]
In the fall of 2009, under the coordination of Brad Matthews of Wilmington, North Carolina, and with the involvement of past members, the College Football Researchers Association was reorganized, and a group of both new and original CFRA voters was assembled to recreate this poll. The CFRA then retroactively crowned champions from 1993 to 2008, thus covering the period of time when the CFRA was dormant and did not recognize a national champion. According to NCAA records,[2] the College Football Researchers Association has elected more national champions than any other multi-voter poll in the country.
In its current form, the College Football Researchers Association releases four rankings each year, rather than on a weekly basis like more traditional polls: a preseason ranking, a mid-season ranking, an end of regular season ranking, and a final postseason ranking. The CFRA also recognizes one player annually as the CFRA Player of the Year. This player is recognized based on votes submitted by each member of the CFRA.
The rankings and awards are published on cfrapoll.com