Florida #1 in Fan Poll

Washington, DC - A new Ipsos poll of college football fans shows Florida as the top team in the country, followed closely by Alabama, Texas and LSU.

However, the Ipsos Fan First Poll shows fan opinion varies by region, with the Northeast and Midwest regions voting Alabama number one, while fans in the West and South choose Florida as the top team.

Now in its second year, the Ipsos Fan First Poll will be published every Thursday until the end of the college football season and then once in January after the bowl games.

Contrary to the standard AP Top 25 or USA Today poll, this is a representative poll of college football fans, not a poll consisting of media or coaches.

Fans, in this poll, are selected in a rigorous multi-stage process. First, a representative sample of US adults is selected from the Ipsos online panel. Of this sample, approximately 60% percent are college football fans (here defined as following in some manner at least 1 college football game in a year). Ipsos then selects "avid football fans," representing approximately 40% of all football fans (or 23% of the adult population). The definition of "avid football fans" is based on an index of how often the fan watches college football games on television, listens to games on the radio, attends games in person, as well as reads newspaper and magazine articles related to college football.

For this survey, a national representative sample of 2,014 respondents from Ipsos' U.S. online panel were interviewed (1,163 college fans and 464 avid college fans). Weighting then was employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the U.S. adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls because they are based on samples drawn from opt-in online panels, not on random samples that mirror the population within a statistical probability ratio. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

TEAMS THAT DROPPED OUT OF FAN FIRST POLL:

• Michigan (ranked 11 last week)
• Houston (ranked 15 last week)
• Georgia (ranked 18 last week)
• Nebraska (ranked 22 last week)
• California (ranked 25 last week)

For more information on this news release, please contact: John McMurray Senior Research Manager Ipsos Public Affairs 425.586.5553 [email protected]

or Chris Deeney Senior Vice President Ipsos Public Affairs 312.665.0551 [email protected]

About Ipsos Public Affairs

Ipsos Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research practice made up of seasoned professionals. We conduct strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of American and international organizations, based not only on public opinion research, but elite stakeholder, corporate, and media opinion research.

Ipsos has media partnerships with the most prestigious news organizations around the world. Ipsos Public Affairs is the polling agency of record for The McClatchy Company, the third-largest newspaper company in the United States and the international polling agency of record for Thomson Reuters, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals.

Ipsos Public Affairs is a member of the Ipsos Group, a leading global survey-basedmarket research company. We provide boutique-style customer service and work closely with our clients, while also undertaking global research.

In 2008, Ipsos generated global revenues of e979.3 million ($1.34 billion U.S.).

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