| Media Poll |
| Rank | Team | Conf | Record | Points | Top 25 | SOS | Last | Next | Prev |
| 1. | Maryland | ACC | 17-0 (8-0) | 1609 | 1-0 | 88 | W, 41-6 #17 Texas | - | 6 |
| 2. | Fresno State | MWC | 12-2 (8-0) | 1549 | 1-0 | 120 | L, 16-27 #17 Texas | OPEN | 4 |
| 3. | Ohio State | B10 | 14-2 (7-1) | 1482 | 3-1 | 25 | L, 33-41 #17 Texas | OPEN | 2 |
| 4. | Texas Christian | B12 | 15-1 (8-0) | 1417 | 2-0 | 33 | L, 18-56 #1 Maryland | OPEN | 1 |
| 5. | Arkansas | SEC | 11-3 (8-1) | 1352 | 1-1 | 58 | L, 14-22 at #12 USC | OPEN | 9 |
| 6. | West Virginia | BigE | 13-2 (8-0) | 1282 | 1-1 | 48 | L, 23-26 #17 Texas | OPEN | 3 |
| 7. | Mississippi State | SEC | 10-3 (8-1) | 1193 | 1-1 | 77 | L, 19-38 #16 UCLA | OPEN | 7 |
| 8. | Baylor | B12 | 10-3 (6-2) | 1129 | 4-3 | 3 | W, 20-19 at East Carolina | OPEN | 13 |
| 9. | Wisconsin | B10 | 10-3 (5-3) | 1051 | 3-2 | 18 | W, 38-30 Florida State | OPEN | 15 |
| 10. | Navy | BigE | 11-3 (7-1) | 964 | 1-0 | 47 | L, 23-28 #14 Stanford | OPEN | 5 |
| 11. | Texas Tech | B12 | 11-2 (6-2) | 904 | 0-2 | 71 | W, 37-27 Colorado | OPEN | 16 |
| 12. | USC | Pac-12 | 11-3 (6-2) | 856 | 2-1 | 51 | L, 15-44 at #4 Texas Christian | OPEN | 11 |
| 13. | Louisville | BigE | 10-3 (6-2) | 793 | 0-1 | 69 | W, 33-20 at #25 Georgia Tech | OPEN | 18 |
| 14. | Stanford | Pac-12 | 12-3 (6-2) | 736 | 0-2 | 105 | L, 21-46 at #1 Maryland | OPEN | 8 |
| 15. | Arizona | Pac-12 | 10-3 (5-3) | 668 | 1-2 | 87 | W, 40-3 at Wyoming | OPEN | 17 |
| 16. | UCLA | Pac-12 | 11-3 (6-2) | 598 | 4-0 | 38 | L, 17-50 at #3 Ohio State | OPEN | 12 |
| 17. | Texas | B12 | 13-4 (7-1) | 530 | 3-0 | 15 | L, 6-41 at #1 Maryland | - | 10 |
| 18. | Florida | SEC | 10-4 (7-2) | 461 | 0-1 | 82 | W, 41-13 at Michigan | OPEN | 21 |
| 19. | Oklahoma | MWC | 11-3 (7-1) | 374 | 0-1 | 91 | L, 16-62 at #1 Maryland | OPEN | 14 |
| 20. | Illinois | B10 | 9-4 (4-4) | 310 | 1-3 | 41 | W, 57-7 Northern Illinois | OPEN | 19 |
| 21. | Indiana | B10 | 9-4 (5-3) | 250 | 1-3 | 37 | W, 41-17 Iowa State | OPEN | 22 |
| 22. | Brigham Young | B12 | 9-4 (4-4) | 202 | 1-3 | 28 | W, 20-15 at Washington State | OPEN | 27 |
| 23. | Penn State | B10 | 8-5 (6-2) | 130 | 3-3 | 5 | W, 28-0 Kentucky | OPEN | 26 |
| 24. | Duke | ACC | 10-4 (7-1) | 104 | 1-1 | 75 | W, 35-21 at LSU | OPEN | 49 |
| 25. | Georgia Tech | ACC | 8-5 (6-2) | 75 | 1-4 | 16 | L, 20-33 #13 Louisville | OPEN | 23 |
| Others receiving votes |
| Colorado 42, Florida State 41, Washington State 39, Iowa State 34, Oklahoma State 31, Wake Forest 29, Boise State 28, Montana 23, Purdue 20, South Florida 16, Michigan 15, LSU 11, Texas A&M 6, Georgia 2 |
| Dropped out of the Top 25 |
| Colorado (20), Florida State (24), Washington State (25) |
| Coaches Poll |
| Rank | Team | Conf | Record | Points | Top 25 | SOS | Last | Next | Prev |
| 1. | Maryland | ACC | 17-0 (8-0) | 1510 | 0-0 | 88 | W, 41-6 #18 Texas | - | 6 |
| 2. | Texas Christian | B12 | 15-1 (8-0) | 1450 | 2-0 | 33 | L, 18-56 #1 Maryland | OPEN | 1 |
| 3. | Ohio State | B10 | 14-2 (7-1) | 1386 | 4-1 | 25 | L, 33-41 #18 Texas | OPEN | 2 |
| 4. | Arkansas | SEC | 11-3 (8-1) | 1331 | 2-1 | 58 | L, 14-22 at #5 USC | OPEN | 8 |
| 5. | USC | Pac-12 | 11-3 (6-2) | 1279 | 3-1 | 51 | L, 15-44 at #2 Texas Christian | OPEN | 5 |
| 6. | West Virginia | BigE | 13-2 (8-0) | 1206 | 1-1 | 48 | L, 23-26 #18 Texas | OPEN | 3 |
| 7. | Wisconsin | B10 | 10-3 (5-3) | 1136 | 4-2 | 18 | W, 38-30 Florida State | OPEN | 14 |
| 8. | Navy | BigE | 11-3 (7-1) | 1068 | 0-0 | 47 | L, 23-28 #16 Stanford | OPEN | 4 |
| 9. | Texas Tech | B12 | 11-2 (6-2) | 1014 | 0-2 | 71 | W, 37-27 #22 Colorado | OPEN | 15 |
| 10. | Fresno State | MWC | 12-2 (8-0) | 949 | 1-0 | 120 | L, 16-27 #18 Texas | OPEN | 7 |
| 11. | Mississippi State | SEC | 10-3 (8-1) | 881 | 1-1 | 77 | L, 19-38 #15 UCLA | OPEN | 10 |
| 12. | Baylor | B12 | 10-3 (6-2) | 843 | 3-3 | 3 | W, 20-19 at East Carolina | OPEN | 16 |
| 13. | Louisville | BigE | 10-3 (6-2) | 795 | 0-1 | 69 | W, 33-20 at Georgia Tech | OPEN | 18 |
| 14. | Arizona | Pac-12 | 10-3 (5-3) | 752 | 1-3 | 87 | W, 40-3 at Wyoming | OPEN | 17 |
| 15. | UCLA | Pac-12 | 11-3 (6-2) | 688 | 3-2 | 38 | L, 17-50 at #3 Ohio State | OPEN | 9 |
| 16. | Stanford | Pac-12 | 12-3 (6-2) | 647 | 1-2 | 105 | L, 21-46 at #1 Maryland | OPEN | 11 |
| 17. | Washington State | Pac-12 | 8-5 (6-2) | 607 | 1-3 | 31 | L, 15-20 #25 Brigham Young | OPEN | 22 |
| 18. | Texas | B12 | 13-4 (7-1) | 563 | 3-0 | 15 | L, 6-41 at #1 Maryland | - | 13 |
| 19. | Oklahoma | MWC | 11-3 (7-1) | 488 | 0-1 | 91 | L, 16-62 at #1 Maryland | OPEN | 12 |
| 20. | Illinois | B10 | 9-4 (4-4) | 441 | 1-3 | 41 | W, 57-7 Northern Illinois | OPEN | 19 |
| 21. | Penn State | B10 | 8-5 (6-2) | 375 | 3-2 | 5 | W, 28-0 Kentucky | OPEN | 24 |
| 22. | Colorado | Pac-12 | 9-5 (6-2) | 337 | 2-2 | 24 | L, 27-37 at #9 Texas Tech | OPEN | 21 |
| 23. | Florida | SEC | 10-4 (7-2) | 291 | 0-1 | 82 | W, 41-13 at Michigan | OPEN | 23 |
| 24. | Indiana | B10 | 9-4 (5-3) | 247 | 1-3 | 37 | W, 41-17 Iowa State | OPEN | 26 |
| 25. | Brigham Young | B12 | 9-4 (4-4) | 195 | 1-3 | 28 | W, 20-15 at #17 Washington State | OPEN | 28 |
| Others receiving votes |
| Oklahoma State 151, Georgia Tech 104, Iowa State 73, Florida State 47, Duke 44, Wake Forest 40, Purdue 35, Montana 34, Boise State 34, South Florida 30, Alabama 29, Arizona State 26, Cincinnati 26, Michigan 24, Texas A&M 24, Nebraska 21, Marshall 21, Boston College 18, Western Michigan 15, Missouri 12, Army 12, Air Force 9, Central Michigan 5, Connecticut 3, Kansas 3, Georgia 3 |
| Dropped out of the Top 25 |
| Georgia Tech (20), Florida State (25) |
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