The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Oct. 4, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:
| Record | Pts | Prv | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ohio St. (40) | 5-0 | 1620 | 1 |
| 2. Miami (FL) (21) | 5-0 | 1579 | 3 |
| 3. Oregon (5) | 5-0 | 1542 | 2 |
| 4. Mississippi | 5-0 | 1376 | 4 |
| 5. Texas A&M | 5-0 | 1361 | 6 |
| 6. Oklahoma | 5-0 | 1346 | 5 |
| 7. Indiana | 5-0 | 1213 | 8 |
| 8. Alabama | 4-1 | 1202 | 10 |
| 9. Texas Tech | 5-0 | 1135 | 11 |
| 10. Georgia | 4-1 | 1084 | 12 |
| 11. LSU | 4-1 | 949 | 13 |
| 12. Tennessee | 4-1 | 892 | 15 |
| 13. Georgia Tech | 5-0 | 782 | 17 |
| 14. Missouri | 5-0 | 775 | 19 |
| 15. Michigan | 4-1 | 707 | 20 |
| 16. Notre Dame | 3-2 | 610 | 21 |
| 17. Illinois | 5-1 | 522 | 22 |
| 18. BYU | 5-0 | 463 | 23 |
| 19. Virginia | 5-1 | 452 | 24 |
| 20. Vanderbilt | 5-1 | 407 | 16 |
| 21. Arizona St. | 4-1 | 214 | 25 |
| 22. Iowa St. | 5-1 | 165 | 14 |
| 23. Memphis | 6-0 | 153 | - |
| 24. South Florida | 4-1 | 150 | - |
| 25. Florida St. | 3-2 | 147 | 18 |
Others receiving votes: Cincinnati 129, Texas 111, Penn St. 97, Utah 84, Nebraska 60, Southern Cal 46, UNLV 19, North Texas 16, TCU 14, Washington 10, Mississippi St. 10, Navy 4, Louisville 3, Auburn 1.
