The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sep. 18, 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. Alabama (59) | 3-0 | 1547 | 1 |
| 2. Georgia (3) | 3-0 | 1491 | 2 |
| 3. Oregon | 3-0 | 1385 | 4 |
| 4. Oklahoma | 3-0 | 1302 | 3 |
| 5. Iowa | 3-0 | 1298 | 5 |
| 6. Penn St. | 3-0 | 1197 | 10 |
| 7. Texas A&M | 3-0 | 1158 | 7 |
| 8. Cincinnati | 3-0 | 1145 | 8 |
| 9. Clemson | 2-1 | 1074 | 6 |
| 10. Ohio St. | 2-1 | 976 | 9 |
| 11. Florida | 2-1 | 930 | 11 |
| 12. Notre Dame | 3-0 | 874 | 12 |
| 13. Mississippi | 3-0 | 717 | 17 |
| 14. Iowa St. | 2-1 | 664 | 14 |
| 15. BYU | 3-0 | 603 | 23 |
| 16. Arkansas | 3-0 | 537 | 20 |
| 17. Coastal Carolina | 3-0 | 526 | 16 |
| 18. Wisconsin | 1-1 | 513 | 18 |
| 19. Michigan | 3-0 | 456 | 25 |
| 20. Michigan St. | 3-0 | 389 | - |
| 21. North Carolina | 2-1 | 306 | 21 |
| 22. Fresno St. | 3-1 | 201 | - |
| 23. Auburn | 2-1 | 166 | 22 |
| 24. UCLA | 2-1 | 142 | 13 |
| 25. Kansas St. | 3-0 | 127 | - |
Others receiving votes: TCU 91, Liberty 56, Virginia Tech 52, Oklahoma St. 51, Maryland 29, Arizona St. 24, Texas 22, San Diego St. 16, Southern Cal 16, West Virginia 14, LSU 14, Kentucky 12, Boston College 9, Wake Forest 7, Texas Tech 5, Stanford 3, Memphis 3, Wyoming 1, Louisville 1.
