It was a crazy season. After reeling off 10-straight, OSU finished with two losses, not looking like a top 10 team, let alone a top 25 team. That doesn't matter to the AP or Coaches poll though, as they still have OSU as a top 15 team at No. 14 in both.
| AP | Coaches | S&P+ | Massey | |
| 1 | Clemson (53) | Clemson (58) | Clemson | Alabama |
| 2 | Alabama (8) | Alabama (5) | Alabama | Oklahoma |
| 3 | Oklahoma | Iowa (1) | Oklahoma | Clemson |
| 4 | Iowa | Oklahoma | Ohio State | Ohio State |
| 5 | Michigan State | Michigan State | Florida State | Michigan State |
| 6 | Ohio State | Ohio State | Michigan | Iowa |
| 7 | Stanford | Stanford | Ole Miss | Notre Dame |
| 8 | North Carolina | North Carolina | Baylor | Stanford |
| 9 | Notre Dame | Florida State | Notre Dame | Baylor |
| 10 | Florida State | Notre Dame | Western Kentucky | Florida State |
| 11 | TCU | TCU | Michigan State | TCU |
| 12 | Baylor | Baylor | Navy | North Carolina |
| 13 | Northwestern | Northwestern | LSU | Ole Miss |
| 14 | Oklahoma State | Oklahoma State | West Virginia | Michigan |
| 15 | Oregon | Florida | Stanford | Oklahoma State |
| 16 | Ole Miss | Oregon | Florida | Florida |
| 17 | Houston | Ole Miss | Arkansas | Houston |
| 18 | Florida | Houston | Bowling Green | Navy |
| 19 | Michigan | Michigan | TCU | LSU |
| 20 | Temple | Utah | Washington | Oregon |
| 21 | Utah | Temple | USC | USC |
| 22 | Navy | Navy | UCLA | Northwestern |
| 23 | LSU | LSU | Mississippi State | Utah |
| 24 | USC | USC | Toledo | Tennessee |
| 25 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | Oklahoma State | Wisconsin |