Your rankings heading into Notre Dame Week:
| AP Top 25 | |||
| RK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS |
| 1 | Florida State (43) | 10-0 | 1476 |
| 2 | Alabama (16) | 9-1 | 1439 |
| 3 | Oregon (1) | 9-1 | 1385 |
| 4 | Mississippi State | 9-1 | 1289 |
| 5 | TCU | 9-1 | 1237 |
| 6 | Baylor | 8-1 | 1232 |
| 7 | Ohio State | 9-1 | 1167 |
| 8 | Ole Miss | 8-2 | 1064 |
| 9 | Georgia | 8-2 | 948 |
| 10 | Michigan State | 8-2 | 941 |
| 11 | UCLA | 8-2 | 876 |
| 12 | Kansas State | 7-2 | 868 |
| 13 | Arizona State | 8-2 | 720 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 8-2 | 707 |
| 15 | Arizona | 8-2 | 695 |
| 16 | Auburn | 7-3 | 531 |
| 17 | Georgia Tech | 9-2 | 523 |
| 18 | Marshall | 10-0 | 383 |
| 19 | Missouri | 8-2 | 376 |
| 20 | Utah | 7-3 | 349 |
| 21 | Nebraska | 8-2 | 291 |
| 22 | Colorado State | 9-1 | 281 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | 7-3 | 206 |
| 24 | USC | 7-3 | 195 |
| 25 | Duke | 8-2 | 85 |
- Dropped from rankings: Notre Dame 15, Clemson 18, LSU 20
- Others receiving votes: Notre Dame 74, Clemson 52, Boise State 29, Louisville 29, LSU 26, Minnesota 10, West Virginia 8, Miami (FL) 3, Texas A&M 3, Arkansas 2
| USA Today Poll | |||
| RK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS |
| 1 | Florida State (39) | 10-0 | 1518 |
| 2 | Alabama (17) | 9-1 | 1494 |
| 3 | Oregon (6) | 9-1 | 1434 |
| 4 | Mississippi State | 9-1 | 1296 |
| 5 | TCU | 9-1 | 1279 |
| 6 | Baylor | 8-1 | 1272 |
| 7 | Ohio State | 9-1 | 1228 |
| 8 | Ole Miss | 8-2 | 1041 |
| 9 | Michigan State | 8-2 | 1030 |
| 10 | Georgia | 8-2 | 981 |
| 11 | Kansas State | 7-2 | 880 |
| 12 | UCLA | 8-2 | 862 |
| 13 | Arizona | 8-2 | 726 |
| 14 | Arizona State | 8-2 | 721 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 8-2 | 715 |
| 16 | Georgia Tech | 9-2 | 511 |
| 17 | Auburn | 7-3 | 508 |
| 18 | Marshall | 10-0 | 427 |
| 19 | Nebraska | 8-2 | 409 |
| 20 | Missouri | 8-2 | 406 |
| 21 | Utah | 7-3 | 286 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | 7-3 | 265 |
| 23 | Colorado State | 9-1 | 259 |
| 24 | USC | 7-3 | 132 |
| 25 | Duke | 8-2 | 130 |
- Dropped from rankings: Notre Dame 16, Clemson 17, LSU 20
- Others receiving votes: Notre Dame 118, Clemson 69, LSU 43, Boise State 32, Minnesota 29, Louisville 19, Iowa 7, Miami (FL) 6, Texas 5, Cincinnati 3, Texas A&M 3, Stanford 2, Northern Illinois 2, West Virginia 1, Arkansas 1
