Clemson moved up to No. 22 in the latest USA Today coaches poll.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | 1st Place Votes | Prev | CHANGE | Hi/Low |
| 1 | Mississippi State | 6-0 | 1490 | 26 | 6 | 5 | 1/NR |
| 2 | Florida State | 6-0 | 1489 | 31 | 1 | -1 | 1/2 |
| 3 | Ole Miss | 6-0 | 1436 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3/19 |
| 4 | Baylor | 6-0 | 1392 | 0 | 3 | -1 | 3/10 |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 6-0 | 1292 | 0 | 5 | – | 5/17 |
| 6 | Michigan State | 5-1 | 1129 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 6/13 |
| 7 | Alabama | 5-1 | 1121 | 0 | 7 | – | 1/7 |
| 8 | Auburn | 5-1 | 1111 | 0 | 2 | -6 | 2/8 |
| 9 | Oregon | 5-1 | 1017 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 3/11 |
| 10 | Georgia | 5-1 | 1013 | 0 | 10 | – | 6/14 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 5-1 | 1005 | 0 | 9 | -2 | 3/11 |
| 12 | TCU | 4-1 | 824 | 0 | 12 | – | 12/NR |
| 13 | Ohio State | 4-1 | 737 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 6/20 |
| 14 | Kansas State | 4-1 | 710 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 14/25 |
| 15 | Oklahoma State | 5-1 | 610 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 15/NR |
| 16 | East Carolina | 5-1 | 518 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 16/NR |
| 17 | Arizona | 5-1 | 502 | 0 | 13 | -4 | 13/NR |
| 18 | Arizona State | 4-1 | 471 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 12/24 |
| 19 | Nebraska | 5-1 | 433 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 17/22 |
| 20 | Stanford | 4-2 | 344 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 10/22 |
| 21 | Texas A&M | 5-2 | 269 | 0 | 14 | -7 | 7/21 |
| 22 | Clemson | 4-2 | 244 | 0 | 25 | 3 | 16/NR |
| 23 | Utah | 4-1 | 161 | 0 | 27 | 4 | 23/NR |
| 24 | Marshall | 6-0 | 153 | 0 | 26 | 2 | 24/NR |
| 25 | USC | 4-2 | 125 | 0 | 31 | 6 | 10/NR |