The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Nov. 8, 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. (48) | 9-0 | 1,488 | 1 |
| 2. Florida St. (12) | 9-0 | 1,446 | 2 |
| 3. Oregon | 9-1 | 1,334 | 5 |
| 4. Alabama | 8-1 | 1,326 | 4 |
| 5. TCU | 8-1 | 1,273 | 6 |
| 6. Baylor | 8-1 | 1,193 | 10 |
| 7. Arizona St. | 8-1 | 1,142 | 11 |
| 8. Ohio St. | 8-1 | 1,086 | 13 |
| 9. Auburn | 7-2 | 981 | 3 |
| 10. Mississippi | 8-2 | 948 | 12 |
| 11. Nebraska | 8-1 | 830 | 15 |
| 12. Michigan St. | 7-2 | 782 | 7 |
| 13. Kansas St. | 7-2 | 742 | 9 |
| 14. UCLA | 8-2 | 691 | 18 |
| 15. Notre Dame | 7-2 | 630 | 8 |
| 16. Georgia | 7-2 | 622 | 17 |
| 17. Arizona | 7-2 | 471 | 21 |
| 18. Clemson | 7-2 | 457 | 19 |
| 19. Duke | 8-1 | 431 | 22 |
| 20. LSU | 7-3 | 429 | 14 |
| 21. Marshall | 9-0 | 297 | 23 |
| 22. Wisconsin | 7-2 | 225 | 25 |
| 23. Colorado St. | 9-1 | 128 | NR |
| 24. Georgia Tech | 8-2 | 127 | NR |
| 25. Utah | 6-3 | 87 | 20 |
Others receiving votes: Oklahoma 85, Texas A&M 83, Missouri 68, Southern Cal 47, Minnesota 26, Louisville 12, West Virginia 6, Stanford 4, Boise St. 1, Georgia Southern 1, Miami 1.
