The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Jan. 19, 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. Indiana (66) | 16-0 | 1650 | 1 |
| 2. Miami (FL) | 13-3 | 1584 | 10 |
| 3. Mississippi | 13-2 | 1492 | 6 |
| 4. Oregon | 13-2 | 1429 | 5 |
| 5. Ohio St. | 12-2 | 1378 | 3 |
| 6. Georgia | 12-2 | 1364 | 2 |
| 7. Texas Tech | 12-2 | 1232 | 4 |
| 8. Texas A&M | 11-2 | 1157 | 7 |
| 9. Alabama | 11-4 | 1065 | 11 |
| 10. Notre Dame | 10-2 | 1049 | 9 |
| 11. BYU | 12-2 | 961 | 12 |
| 12. Texas | 10-3 | 952 | 14 |
| 13. Oklahoma | 10-3 | 941 | 8 |
| 14. Utah | 11-2 | 812 | 15 |
| 15. Vanderbilt | 10-3 | 623 | 13 |
| 16. Virginia | 11-3 | 603 | 20 |
| 17. Iowa | 9-4 | 430 | – |
| 18. Tulane | 11-3 | 404 | 17 |
| 19. James Madison | 12-2 | 399 | 19 |
| 20. Southern Cal | 9-4 | 378 | 16 |
| 21. Michigan | 9-4 | 276 | 18 |
| 22. Houston | 10-3 | 270 | – |
| 23. Navy | 11-2 | 227 | 22 |
| 24. North Texas | 12-2 | 191 | 23 |
| 25. TCU | 9-4 | 125 | – |
Others receiving votes: Illinois 123, Washington 76, SMU 69, Duke 58, Arizona 54, Georgia Tech 44, Tennessee 10, Missouri 8, Louisville 7, Old Dominion 3, W. Michigan 2, Wake Forest 2, Hawaii 1, Boise St. 1.