| Rank | Team | Conference | Trend | This Week | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas (5-0) | SEC | 1 | vs. Mississippi State W 35-13 | 1516 (52) |
| 2 | Ohio State (5-0) | Big Ten | 1 | vs. Iowa W 35-7 | 1473 (9) |
| 3 | Oregon (5-0) | Big Ten | 3 | vs. Michigan State W 31-10 | 1348 (0) |
| 4 | Penn State (5-0) | Big Ten | 3 | vs. UCLA W 27-11 | 1305 (0) |
| 5 | Georgia (4-1) | SEC | - | vs. Auburn W 31-13 | 1299 (0) |
| 6 | Miami (FL) (6-0) | ACC | 2 | @ California W 39-38 | 1187 (0) |
| 7 | Alabama (4-1) | SEC | -6 | @ Vanderbilt L 35-40 | 1182 (0) |
| 8 | Tennessee (4-1) | SEC | -4 | @ Arkansas L 14-19 | 1001 (0) |
| 9 | Ole Miss (5-1) | SEC | 3 | @ South Carolina W 27-3 | 978 (0) |
| 10 | Clemson (4-1) | ACC | 5 | @ Florida State W 29-13 | 861 (0) |
| 11 | Iowa State (5-0) | Big 12 | 5 | vs. Baylor W 43-21 | 853 (0) |
| 11 | Notre Dame (4-1) | IA Independents | 3 | vs. Louisville W 31-24 | 853 (0) |
| 13 | LSU (4-1) | SEC | - | vs. South Alabama W 42-10 | 827 (0) |
| 14 | BYU (5-0) | Big 12 | 3 | @ Baylor W 34-28 | 753 (0) |
| 15 | Texas A&M (5-1) | SEC | 10 | vs. Missouri W 41-10 | 702 (0) |
| 16 | Utah (4-1) | Big 12 | 2 | vs. Arizona L 10-23 | 473 (0) |
| 17 | Boise State (4-1) | Mountain West | 4 | vs. Utah State W 62-30 | 463 (0) |
| 18 | Kansas State (4-1) | Big 12 | 2 | vs. Oklahoma State W 42-20 | 459 (0) |
| 18 | Indiana (6-0) | Big Ten | 5 | @ Northwestern W 41-24 | 459 (0) |
| 18 | Oklahoma (4-1) | SEC | 1 | @ Auburn W 27-21 | 459 (0) |
| 21 | Missouri (4-1) | SEC | -12 | @ Texas A&M L 10-41 | 352 (0) |
| 22 | Pittsburgh (5-0) | ACC | - | @ North Carolina W 34-24 | 196 (0) |
| 23 | Illinois (4-1) | Big Ten | 1 | @ Penn State L 7-21 | 182 (0) |
| 24 | Michigan (4-2) | Big Ten | -14 | @ Washington L 17-27 | 170 (0) |
| 25 | SMU (5-1) | ACC | - | @ Louisville W 34-27 | 165 (0) |
Others receiving votes:
Southern Cal 98, Nebraska 51, Navy 43, Army 33, Vanderbilt 26, Arkansas 17, Washington St. 8, Iowa 8, Texas Tech 7, Syracuse 6, Washington 4, Louisville 4, Colorado 3, Kentucky 1.
Point values in parentheses indicate the number of first place votes.