The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Oct. 25, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:
| Record | Pts | Pv | |
| 1. Mississippi St. (46) | 7-0 | 1,486 | 1 |
| 2. Florida St. (14) | 7-0 | 1,453 | 2 |
| 3. Alabama | 7-1 | 1,290 | 4 |
| 4. Auburn | 6-1 | 1,267 | 5 |
| 5. Oregon | 7-1 | 1,199 | 6 |
| 6. Notre Dame | 6-1 | 1,161 | 7 |
| 7. Mississippi | 7-1 | 1,095 | 3 |
| 8. Michigan St. | 7-1 | 1,086 | 8 |
| 9. Georgia | 6-1 | 1,074 | 9 |
| 10. TCU | 6-1 | 1,030 | 10 |
| 11. Kansas St. | 6-1 | 930 | 11 |
| 12. Baylor | 6-1 | 839 | 12 |
| 13. Ohio St. | 6-1 | 676 | 13 |
| 14. Arizona | 6-1 | 669 | 15 |
| 15. Arizona St. | 6-1 | 667 | 14 |
| 16. LSU | 7-2 | 574 | 24 |
| 17. Nebraska | 7-1 | 535 | 16 |
| 18. Utah | 6-1 | 524 | 19 |
| 19. Oklahoma | 5-2 | 430 | 17 |
| 20. West Virginia | 6-2 | 379 | 22 |
| 21. East Carolina | 6-1 | 366 | 18 |
| 22. Clemson | 6-2 | 265 | 21 |
| 23. Marshall | 8-0 | 184 | 23 |
| 24. Duke | 6-1 | 121 | NR |
| 25. UCLA | 6-2 | 106 | 25 |
Others receiving votes: Colorado St. 29, Southern Cal 22, Wisconsin 14, Stanford 9, Louisville 8, Missouri 7, N. Dakota St. 3, Oklahoma St. 2.
