| Media Poll |
| Rank | Team | Conf | Record | Points | Top 25 | SOS | Last | Next | Prev |
| 1. | Ball State | C-USA | 12-0 (8-0) | 1596 | 0-0 | 72 | W, 27-24 at Boise State | OPEN | 3 |
| 2. | Florida | SEC | 10-1 (7-1) | 1545 | 2-1 | 47 | OPEN | Florida State | 1 |
| 3. | Texas | B12 | 10-1 (7-1) | 1480 | 3-1 | 35 | W, 46-28 Houston | at #24 Ohio State | 4 |
| 4. | California | Pac12 | 11-1 (8-1) | 1417 | 2-1 | 55 | OPEN | OPEN | 2 |
| 5. | Utah | Pac12 | 11-1 (8-1) | 1344 | 1-0 | 85 | OPEN | OPEN | 7 |
| 6. | Georgia | SEC | 10-1 (7-1) | 1254 | 1-1 | 66 | OPEN | Georgia Tech | 5 |
| 7. | Southern Methodist | Sun | 12-0 (8-0) | 1172 | 0-0 | 112 | OPEN | OPEN | 11 |
| 8. | Texas Christian | BigE | 11-1 (7-1) | 1105 | 1-0 | 103 | OPEN | OPEN | 10 |
| 9. | Idaho | MWC | 12-0 (8-0) | 1016 | 0-0 | 116 | W, 19-14 Colorado | OPEN | 12 |
| 10. | Rutgers | BigE | 10-1 (8-0) | 942 | 0-0 | 107 | L, 21-24 at Alabama | Iowa | 6 |
| 11. | LSU | SEC | 10-2 (6-2) | 853 | 4-0 | 21 | OPEN | OPEN | 8 |
| 12. | Illinois | B10 | 9-2 (6-2) | 803 | 1-1 | 27 | W, 45-13 Indiana | Oklahoma | 9 |
| 13. | Texas Tech | B12 | 10-2 (6-2) | 756 | 2-1 | 71 | OPEN | OPEN | 13 |
| 14. | Stanford | Pac12 | 10-2 (7-2) | 702 | 1-2 | 48 | W, 27-13 Iowa | OPEN | 14 |
| 15. | Wake Forest | ACC | 9-3 (5-3) | 656 | 0-2 | 92 | OPEN | OPEN | 15 |
| 16. | Penn State | B10 | 10-2 (6-2) | 583 | 0-1 | 93 | OPEN | OPEN | 20 |
| 17. | Kansas State | B12 | 10-2 (6-2) | 531 | 2-0 | 76 | W, 51-19 at Kansas | OPEN | 16 |
| 18. | Mississippi | SEC | 9-3 (5-3) | 479 | 0-3 | 24 | OPEN | OPEN | 17 |
| 19. | Rice | B12 | 9-3 (5-3) | 414 | 0-3 | 73 | OPEN | OPEN | 18 |
| 20. | Cincinnati | BigE | 9-3 (7-1) | 341 | 0-2 | 70 | OPEN | OPEN | 19 |
| 21. | Fresno State | Pac12 | 9-3 (6-3) | 283 | 1-1 | 59 | OPEN | OPEN | 22 |
| 22. | Maryland | ACC | 9-3 (7-1) | 211 | 2-2 | 30 | W, 30-23 at Notre Dame | OPEN | 24 |
| 23. | Arkansas | SEC | 8-4 (5-3) | 151 | 1-3 | 29 | W, 18-3 Arkansas State | OPEN | 21 |
| 24. | Ohio State | B10 | 8-3 (5-3) | 91 | 1-0 | 61 | OPEN | #3 Texas | 23 |
| 25. | Virginia Tech | ACC | 9-2 (7-1) | 67 | 1-1 | 68 | W, 27-14 at Virginia | Houston | 28 |
| Others receiving votes |
| Notre Dame 41, Kent State 37, Baylor 34, Alabama 32, Miami (OH) 29, USC 28, Auburn 28, Mississippi State 26, North Texas 21, South Florida 20, Oklahoma 15, Miami 10, Texas A&M 5, Connecticut 3, Arizona 2 |
| Dropped out of the Top 25 |
| Notre Dame (25) |
| Coaches Poll |
| Rank | Team | Conf | Record | Points | Top 25 | SOS | Last | Next | Prev |
| 1. | Ball State | C-USA | 12-0 (8-0) | 1513 | 0-0 | 72 | W, 27-24 at Boise State | OPEN | 3 |
| 2. | Florida | SEC | 10-1 (7-1) | 1462 | 1-1 | 47 | OPEN | Florida State | 1 |
| 3. | Texas | B12 | 10-1 (7-1) | 1408 | 3-1 | 35 | W, 46-28 Houston | at #21 Ohio State | 4 |
| 4. | Georgia | SEC | 10-1 (7-1) | 1344 | 1-1 | 66 | OPEN | Georgia Tech | 2 |
| 5. | California | Pac12 | 11-1 (8-1) | 1286 | 1-1 | 55 | OPEN | OPEN | 5 |
| 6. | Utah | Pac12 | 11-1 (8-1) | 1225 | 1-0 | 85 | OPEN | OPEN | 7 |
| 7. | Texas Christian | BigE | 11-1 (7-1) | 1162 | 1-0 | 103 | OPEN | OPEN | 8 |
| 8. | Southern Methodist | Sun | 12-0 (8-0) | 1084 | 0-0 | 112 | OPEN | OPEN | 10 |
| 9. | Idaho | MWC | 12-0 (8-0) | 1005 | 0-0 | 116 | W, 19-14 Colorado | OPEN | 11 |
| 10. | LSU | SEC | 10-2 (6-2) | 926 | 3-0 | 21 | OPEN | OPEN | 9 |
| 11. | Rutgers | BigE | 10-1 (8-0) | 848 | 0-0 | 107 | L, 21-24 at Alabama | Iowa | 6 |
| 12. | Illinois | B10 | 9-2 (6-2) | 790 | 1-2 | 27 | W, 45-13 Indiana | Oklahoma | 12 |
| 13. | Maryland | ACC | 9-3 (7-1) | 738 | 3-2 | 30 | W, 30-23 at #25 Notre Dame | OPEN | 15 |
| 14. | Stanford | Pac12 | 10-2 (7-2) | 689 | 1-2 | 48 | W, 27-13 Iowa | OPEN | 13 |
| 15. | Texas Tech | B12 | 10-2 (6-2) | 644 | 3-1 | 71 | OPEN | OPEN | 14 |
| 16. | Wake Forest | ACC | 9-3 (5-3) | 578 | 0-2 | 92 | OPEN | OPEN | 16 |
| 17. | Kansas State | B12 | 10-2 (6-2) | 518 | 2-0 | 76 | W, 51-19 at Kansas | OPEN | 17 |
| 18. | Penn State | B10 | 10-2 (6-2) | 450 | 1-1 | 93 | OPEN | OPEN | 22 |
| 19. | Rice | B12 | 9-3 (5-3) | 407 | 0-3 | 73 | OPEN | OPEN | 18 |
| 20. | Mississippi | SEC | 9-3 (5-3) | 334 | 0-2 | 24 | OPEN | OPEN | 19 |
| 21. | Ohio State | B10 | 8-3 (5-3) | 291 | 1-0 | 61 | OPEN | #3 Texas | 21 |
| 22. | Virginia Tech | ACC | 9-2 (7-1) | 247 | 1-1 | 68 | W, 27-14 at Virginia | Houston | 27 |
| 23. | Cincinnati | BigE | 9-3 (7-1) | 209 | 0-2 | 70 | OPEN | OPEN | 23 |
| 24. | Fresno State | Pac12 | 9-3 (6-3) | 163 | 1-1 | 59 | OPEN | OPEN | 25 |
| 25. | Notre Dame | B10 | 8-4 (6-2) | 111 | 1-3 | 46 | L, 23-30 #13 Maryland | OPEN | 20 |
| Others receiving votes |
| Alabama 84, Kent State 53, Baylor 49, Miami (OH) 47, USC 43, Auburn 38, Arkansas 34, Mississippi State 29, Texas A&M 26, Arizona 26, North Texas 21, Oklahoma State 18, Oklahoma 15, Connecticut 14, South Florida 12, Virginia 8, Vanderbilt 3, West Virginia 3, Miami 3, Michigan 3 |
| Dropped out of the Top 25 |
| Alabama (24) |
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