The Ipsos
Weekly College Football
Fan First Poll
(WEEK 14)

Washington, DC - A new Ipsos poll of college football fans shows Alabama retaining its spot as the number one team in the country after beating Auburn. Florida moves up to the second spot after defeating Florida State, while Oklahoma and Texas round out the top 4.

The Ipsos Fan First Poll shows fan opinion varies from the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) rankings, in which Alabama is also number one, but Oklahoma (and not Florida) is second, while Texas is third and Florida fourth.

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 Coaches' poll or Writers' poll, this is the first representative poll of college football fans.

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 watching at least 1 college football game during the season). Ipsos then selects "avid football fans," representing approximately 38% 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 newspapers and magazine articles related to college football.

For this survey, a national representative sample of 1,018 respondents from Ipsos' U.S. online panel were interviewed online (614 college fans and 235 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.

The Ipsos Fan First Poll (THROUGH WEEK 14)

TEAMS THAT DROPPED OUT OF THE FAN FIRST POLL:

• Iowa (8-4 - idle in week 14)
• Florida State (8-4 - lost in week 14)

RANKING BY REGION:

For more information on this news release, please contact: John McMurray Senior Research Manager Ipsos Public Affairs (425) 586-5553 [email protected]

or Clifford Young, PhD Senior Vice President Ipsos Public Affairs (312) 375-3328 [email protected]

About Ipsos

Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals that helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world. Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends to develop and test emergent or existing products or services, and build brands. They also test advertising and study audience responses to various media, and measure public opinion around the globe.

They help clients create long-term relationships with their customers, stakeholders or other constituencies. Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting and offers a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999. In 2007, Ipsos generated global revenues of e927.2 million ($1.27 billion U.S.).

Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos offerings and capabilities.