DALLAS (FWAA) – The Football Writers Association of America's Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll will return for its fourth season with its 2005 preseason rankings to be announced Monday, Aug. 29. At that time, the poll's 16-voter lineup will also be released. With the preseason poll and throughout the season, each ballot will be made public, along with a short synopsis written by each pollster.

The Grantland Rice Trophy

Voting during college football's regular season will commence in October, with the first in-season poll to be released on Monday, Oct. 10. Each Monday through Dec. 5, the Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll will be released on the FWAA's official website, footballwriters.com, and on grantlandrice.com. The final poll and the winner of the Grantland Rice Trophy will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006.

Also, each Monday of the season, the voters will name the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week. This weekly national award has coincided with the poll in each of the previous three seasons. Since there are games scheduled for Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, the first team of the week will be named the following day, Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Last season, the FWAA named 13 national teams of the week from seven different conferences as well as two teams from the ranks of the Division I-A Independents. The Big Ten had three national teams of the week to lead all conferences.

The Grantland Rice Trophy has been presented to the FWAA's national champion following each season since 1954. It was the first national championship trophy to be awarded after college football's post-season bowl games. The award is named in honor of the legendary sportswriter, who passed away in 1954. Since 2002, the final Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll has determined the winner. Prior to 2002, a select committee of FWAA members chose the association's national champion. USC won its record sixth Grantland Rice Trophy last season and is seeking to become the first school to ever win three straight FWAA national titles.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 900 men and women across North America who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all areas of the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game day operations, major awards, its national poll and annual All-America team.

Since 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and Tempe, Ariz., have hosted five games that have decided the college football national championship, including two Bowl Championship Series title games. The 2006 game will be played on Jan. 2 and will be the final game played at Sun Devil Stadium. The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, along with the BCS Championship Game, will move to the new Multi-Purpose Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., beginning in 2007.

For more information about the Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll and the Grantland Rice Trophy, contact Steve Richardson, executive director of the FWAA, at 972-713-6198 or tiger@fwaa.com. For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, contact Shawn Schoeffler, Vice-President, Media Relations, at 480-350-0909 or sschoeffler@fiestabowl.org.

Related links:
• Grantland Rice Trophy (grantlandrice.com)
• Tostitos Fiesta Bowl