| No. | Team | Record | Points | Previous |
| 1. |
Alabama (58) |
14-0 |
1,450 |
1 |
| 2. |
Texas |
13-1 |
1,360 |
2 |
| 3. |
Florida |
13-1 |
1,323 |
5 |
| 4. |
Boise State |
14-0 |
1,312 |
6 |
| 5. |
Ohio State |
11-2 |
1,190 |
8 |
| 6. |
TCU |
12-1 |
1,104 |
3 |
| 7. |
Iowa |
11-2 |
1,087 |
11 |
| 8. |
Penn State |
11-2 |
1,071 |
9 |
| 9. |
Cincinnati |
12-1 |
943 |
4 |
| 10. |
Virginia Tech |
10-3 |
940 |
12 |
| 11. |
Oregon |
10-3 |
846 |
7 |
| 12. |
BYU |
11-2 |
814 |
14 |
| 13. |
Georgia Tech |
11-3 |
741 |
10 |
| 14. |
Nebraska |
10-4 |
671 |
19 |
| 15. |
Pittsburgh |
10-3 |
667 |
16 |
| 16. |
Wisconsin |
10-3 |
587 |
22 |
| 17. |
LSU |
9-4 |
530 |
13 |
| 18. |
Utah |
10-3 |
466 |
24 |
| 19. |
Miami (Fla.) |
9-4 |
336 |
15 |
| 20. |
Southern California |
9-4 |
217 |
NR |
| 21. |
Ole Miss |
9-4 |
192 |
NR |
| 22. |
West Virginia |
9-4 |
159 |
17 |
| 23. |
Texas Tech |
9-4 |
152 |
NR |
| 24. |
Central Michigan |
12-2 |
123 |
NR |
| 25. |
Oklahoma State |
9-4 |
92 |
18 |
Others receiving votes: Navy 89; Oregon State 78; Clemson 75; Oklahoma 67; Stanford 49; Auburn 17; Georgia 13; Houston 12; Middle Tennessee 12; Arizona 11; Arkansas 10; Connecticut 10; Florida State 9; Air Force 7; Rutgers 7; Northwestern 6; East Carolina 4; SMU 1.