| AP Top 25 | ||
| Rk | Team | Points |
| 1 | USC (62) | 1622 |
| 2 | LSU (2) | 1511 |
| 3 | West Virginia (1) | 1396 |
| 4 | Texas | 1375 |
| 5 | Michigan | 1371 |
| 6 | Florida | 1276 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 1192 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 1166 |
| 9 | Virginia Tech | 1148 |
| 10 | Louisville | 1031 |
| 11 | Ohio State | 876 |
| 12 | California | 790 |
| 13 | Georgia | 782 |
| 14 | UCLA | 605 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 571 |
| 16 | Rutgers | 560 |
| 17 | Penn State | 542 |
| 18 | Auburn | 519 |
| 19 | Florida State | 392 |
| 20 | Nebraska | 377 |
| 21 | Arkansas | 376 |
| 22 | TCU | 283 |
| 23 | Hawaii | 256 |
| 24 | Boise State | 187 |
| 25 | Texas A&M | 162 |
| Complete AP poll | ||
The ACC is barely represented. I seem to recall reading that Wake had a shot to win it all.
ML/NJ