The Tigers moved up to No. 19 in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll. Florida State remained No. 2 while Duke moved up to No. 20.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | 1ST PLACE VOTES | PREV | CHANGE | HI/LOW |
| 1 | Mississippi State | 8-0 | 1526 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 1/NR |
| 2 | Florida State | 8-0 | 1501 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 1/2 |
| 3 | Auburn | 7-1 | 1355 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2/8 |
| 4 | Alabama | 7-1 | 1349 | 0 | 3 | -1 | 1/7 |
| 5 | Oregon | 8-1 | 1289 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3/11 |
| 6 | Michigan State | 7-1 | 1241 | 0 | 5 | -1 | 5/13 |
| 7 | TCU | 7-1 | 1150 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 10/NR |
| 8 | Notre Dame | 7-1 | 1121 | 0 | 7 | -1 | 5/17 |
| 9 | Kansas State | 7-1 | 1087 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 11/25 |
| 10 | Baylor | 7-1 | 957 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 3/13 |
| 11 | Ohio State | 7-1 | 901 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 6/20 |
| 12 | Arizona State | 7-1 | 854 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 12/24 |
| 13 | Ole Miss | 7-2 | 793 | 0 | 9 | -4 | 3/19 |
| 14 | Nebraska | 8-1 | 766 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 16/22 |
| 15 | LSU | 7-2 | 636 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 8/NR |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 6-2 | 601 | 0 | 20 | 4 | 3/20 |
| 17 | Georgia | 6-2 | 508 | 0 | 8 | -9 | 6/14 |
| 18 | UCLA | 7-2 | 438 | 0 | 25 | 7 | 7/NR |
| 19 | Clemson | 6-2 | 394 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 16/NR |
| 20 | Duke | 7-1 | 320 | 0 | 24 | 4 | 23/NR |
| 21 | Arizona | 6-2 | 307 | 0 | 15 | -6 | 13/NR |
| 22 | Utah | 6-2 | 253 | 0 | 18 | -4 | 18/NR |
| 22 | Marshall | 8-0 | 253 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 22/NR |
| 24 | Wisconsin | 6-2 | 146 | 0 | 26 | 2 | 14/NR |
| 25 | West Virginia | 6-3 | 130 | 0 | 22 | -3 | 22/NR |