1970 NCAA University Division football rankings

1970 NCAA University Division football rankings
Season1970
Bowl season1970–71 bowl games
Preseason No. 1
Ohio State
End of season champions
NCAA University Division football rankings
← 1969
1971 →

Two human polls comprised the 1970 NCAA University Division football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.

Legend

  Increase in ranking
  Decrease in ranking
  Not ranked previous week
  National champion
(#–#)
   Win–loss record
(Italics)
   Number of first place votes
т
 Tied with team above or below also with this symbol

AP Poll

Preseason
Aug[1]		Week 1
Sep 14[2]		Week 2
Sep 21[3]		Week 3
Sep 28[4]		Week 4
Oct 5[5]		Week 5
Oct 12[6]		Week 6
Oct 19[7]		Week 7
Oct 26[8]		Week 8
Nov 2[9]		Week 9
Nov 9[10]		Week 10
Nov 16[11]		Week 11
Nov 23[12]		Week 12
Nov 30[13]		Week 13
Dec 7[14]		Week 14
Jan[15][16]
1.Ohio State (19)Ohio State (0–0) (24)Ohio State (0–0) (14)Ohio State (1–0) (25)Ohio State (2–0) (27)Ohio State (3–0) (20)Ohio State (4–0) (19)Texas (5–0) (15)Texas (6–0) (20)Notre Dame (7–0) (23)Texas (8–0) (26)Texas (8–0) (20)Texas (9–0) (23)Texas (10–0) (30)Nebraska (11–0–1) (39)1.
2.Texas (7)Texas (0–0) (6)Texas (1–0) (16)Texas (2–0) (14)Texas (3–0) (6)Texas (4–0) (13)Texas (4–0) (9)Ohio State (5–0) (16)Notre Dame (6–0) (12)Texas (7–0) (13)Notre Dame (8–0) (7)Ohio State (9–0) (14)Ohio State (9–0) (12)Ohio State (9–0) (10)Notre Dame (10–1) (8)2.
3.USC (6)USC (1–0) (7)Stanford (2–0) (1)Stanford (3–0) (1)Notre Dame (3–0)Notre Dame (4–0) (4)Notre Dame (5–0) (4)Notre Dame (5–0) (4)Ohio State (6–0) (5)Ohio State (7–0) (3)Nebraska (9–0–1) (5)Nebraska (10–0–1) (6)Nebraska (10–0–1) (5)Nebraska (10–0–1) (2)Texas (10–1) (3)3.
4.Arkansas (1)Stanford (1–0)Penn State (1–0) (2)Notre Dame (2–0)USC (3–0–1) (3)Ole Miss (4–0) (1)Nebraska (5–0–1) (1)Nebraska (6–0–1) (1)Nebraska (7–0–1)Nebraska (8–0–1) (3)Michigan (9–0) (6)Notre Dame (9–0) (3)Arkansas (9–1)Tennessee (10–1)Tennessee (11–1)4.
5.Ole Miss (1)Ole Miss (0–0) (1)Ole Miss (1–0) (1)USC (2–0–1) (1)Ole Miss (3–0) (1)Nebraska (4–0–1) (1)Michigan (5–0) (1)Michigan (6–0) (1)Michigan (7–0) (2)Michigan (8–0) (3)Ohio State (8–0) (1)Arkansas (9–1)Tennessee (9–1)LSU (9–2)Ohio State (9–1)5.
6.Notre DameNotre Dame (0–0)Notre Dame (1–0)Nebraska (2–0–1)Nebraska (3–0–1)Michigan (4–0) (1)Auburn (5–0) (1)Stanford (6–1)Stanford (7–1) (1)Stanford (8–1)Arkansas (8–1)LSU (7–2)Notre Dame (9–1)Notre Dame (9–1)Arizona State (11–0) (2)6.
7.Penn State (1)Penn State (0–0) (1)USC (1–0–1) (2)Ole Miss (2–0)Michigan (3–0) (1)Air Force (5–0)Air Force (6–0) (1)Air Force (7–0) (1)Arkansas (6–1)Arkansas (7–1)LSU (7–1)Tennessee (8–1)Michigan (9–1)Michigan (9–1)LSU (9–3)7.
8.MichiganMichigan (0–0) (1)Nebraska (1–0–1)Colorado (2–0)Air Force (4–0)Auburn (4–0)Stanford (5–1)Arkansas (5–1)Tennessee (6–1)Auburn (7–1)Tennessee (7–1)Michigan (9–1)LSU (8–2)Arizona State (10–0) (2)Stanford (9–3)8.
9.NebraskaNebraska (1–0)Missouri (2–0)Michigan (2–0) (1)Auburn (3–0)Stanford (4–1)Arkansas (4–1)Tennessee (5–1)Air Force (8–0)LSU (6–1)Arizona State (8–0) (1)Arizona State (9–0) (2)Arizona State (9–0) (2)Arkansas (9–2)Michigan (9–1)9.
10.StanfordMissouri (1–0)Michigan (1–0) (1)Air Force (3–0)Arkansas (3–1)Arkansas (4–1)USC (4–1–1)LSU (5–1)Auburn (6–1)Tennessee (7–1)Air Force (9–1)Ole Miss (7–1)Auburn (8–2)Auburn (8–2)Auburn (9–2)10.
11.MissouriArkansas (0–1)Houston (1–0)Arkansas (2–1)West Virginia (4–0)USC (3–1–1)Tennessee (4–1)Arizona State (6–0)LSU (5–1)Arizona State (7–0) (1)Stanford (8–2)Auburn (7–2)Air Force (9–2)Air Force (9–2)Arkansas (9–2)11.
12.LSULSU (0–0)Arkansas (1–1)Auburn (2–0)Stanford (3–1)Arizona State (4–0)Arizona State (5–0)Auburn (5–1)Arizona State (6–0)Ole Miss (6–1)Ole Miss (7–1)Air Force (9–2)Stanford (8–3)Stanford (8–3)Toledo (12–0)12.
13.HoustonKansas State (1–0)Florida (2–0)UCLA (3–0)Georgia Tech (4–0)Colorado (3–1)Ole Miss (4–1)Ole Miss (5–1)Ole Miss (5–1)Air Force (8–1)Auburn (7–2)Stanford (8–3)Georgia Tech (8–3)Georgia Tech (8–3)Georgia Tech (9–3)13.
14.Kansas StateFlorida (1–0)Oklahoma (2–0)West Virginia (3–0)Arizona State (3–0)Tennessee (3–1)LSU (4–1)San Diego State (6–0)San Diego State (7–0)San Diego State (8–0)San Diego State (9–0)Dartmouth (9–0)Toledo (11–0)Dartmouth (9–0)Dartmouth (9–0)14.
15.FloridaHouston (0–0)UCLA (2–0)Georgia Tech (3–0)UCLA (3–1)LSU (3–1)Houston (3–1)Pittsburgh (5–1)Toledo (8–0)Dartmouth (7–0)Toledo (10–0)Toledo (11–0)Dartmouth (9–0)Toledo (11–0)USC (6–4–1)15.
16.AlabamaUCLA (1–0)West Virginia (2–0)Penn State (1–1)Missouri (3–1)Georgia Tech (4–1)UCLA (4–2)Oregon (5–2)UCLA (5–3)Toledo (9–0)Dartmouth (8–0)Georgia Tech (7–3)Ole Miss (7–2)USC (6–4–1)Air Force (9–3)16.
17.South CarolinaWest Virginia (1–0)Tennessee (1–0)Alabama (2–1)Colorado (2–1)Texas Tech (4–1)San Diego State (6–0)Missouri (4–3)Dartmouth (6–0)UCLA (5–3)Georgia Tech (7–3)Penn State (7–3)USC (6–4–1)Houston (8–3)Tulane (8–4)17.
18.UCLAOklahoma (1–0)Colorado (1–0)Arizona State (2–0)North Carolina (4–0)Missouri (3–2)Pittsburgh (4–1)USC (4–2–1)Houston (3–2)USC (5–3–1)Northwestern (5–4)Northwestern (6–4)Penn State (7–3)Penn State (7–3)Penn State (7–3)18.
19.Arizona StateGeorgia (0–0)Georgia Tech (2–0)North Carolina (3–0)LSU (2–1)Houston (2–1) тColorado (3–2) тUCLA (4–3)Alabama (5–3)Oregon (6–3)Texas Tech (8–2)Colorado (6–4)Northwestern (6–4)Texas Tech (8–3)Houston (8–3)19.
20.
Arizona State (0–0)Air Force (2–0)Missouri (2–1)Tennessee (2–1)UCLA (3–2) тToledo (6–0) тNorthwestern (3–3)Syracuse (4–3)Kansas State (6–3)Penn State (6–3)Washington (6–4)Oklahoma (7–4)Oklahoma (7–4)
  • Oklahoma (7–4–1) т
  • Ole Miss (7–4) т
20.
Preseason
Aug[1]		Week 1
Sep 14[2]		Week 2
Sep 21[3]		Week 3
Sep 28[4]		Week 4
Oct 5[5]		Week 5
Oct 12[6]		Week 6
Oct 19[7]		Week 7
Oct 26[8]		Week 8
Nov 2[9]		Week 9
Nov 9[10]		Week 10
Nov 16[11]		Week 11
Nov 23[12]		Week 12
Nov 30[13]		Week 13
Dec 7[14]		Week 14
Jan[15][16]
Dropped:
  • Alabama
  • South Carolina
  • Auburn
Dropped:
  • LSU
  • Kansas State
  • Georgia
  • Arizona State
Dropped:
  • Houston
  • Florida
  • Oklahoma
  • Tennessee
Dropped:
  • Penn State
  • Alabama
Dropped:
  • West Virginia
  • North Carolina
Dropped:
  • Georgia Tech
  • Texas Tech
  • Missouri
Dropped:
  • Houston
  • Colorado
  • Toledo
Dropped:
  • Pittsburgh
  • Oregon
  • Missouri
  • USC
  • Northwestern
Dropped:
  • Houston
  • Alabama
  • Syracuse
Dropped:
  • UCLA
  • USC
  • Oregon
  • Kansas State
Dropped:
  • San Diego State
  • Texas Tech
Dropped:
  • Colorado
  • Washington
Dropped:
  • Ole Miss
  • Northwestern
Dropped:
Texas Tech

Final Coaches Poll

The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, in early December.[17]
Two coaches on the 35-member board did not submit votes.[17]
Texas received 25 of the 33 first place votes; Ohio State received six and Nebraska two.[18]

Ranking Team Conference Bowl
1 Texas Southwest Lost Cotton, 11–24
2 Ohio State Big Ten Lost Rose, 17–27
3 Nebraska Big Eight Won Orange, 17–12
4 Tennessee SEC Won Sugar, 34–13
5 Notre Dame Independent Won Cotton, 24–11
6 LSU SEC Lost Orange, 12–17
7 Michigan Big Ten none
8 Arizona State WAC Won Peach, 48–26
9 Auburn SEC Won Gator, 35–28
10 Stanford Pac-8 Won Rose, 27–17
11 Air Force Independent Lost Sugar, 13–34
12 Arkansas Southwest none
13 Houston Independent
14 Dartmouth Ivy League
15 Oklahoma Big Eight Tied Bluebonnet, 24–24
16 Colorado Big Eight Lost Liberty, 3–17
17 Georgia Tech Independent Won Sun, 17–9
Toledo MAC Won Tangerine, 40–12
19 Penn State Independent none
USC Pac-8
  • Prior to the 1975 season, the Big Ten and Pac-8 conferences allowed only one postseason participant each, for the Rose Bowl.
  • The Ivy League has prohibited its members from participating in postseason football since the league was officially formed in 1954.

References

  1. ^ "1970 Preseason AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  2. ^ "September 14, 1970 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  3. ^ "September 21, 1970 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  4. ^ "September 28, 1970 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  5. ^ "October 5, 1970 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  6. ^ "October 12, 1970 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  7. ^ "October 19, 1970 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  8. ^ "October 26, 1970 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  9. ^ "November 2, 1970 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  10. ^ "November 9, 1970 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  11. ^ "November 16, 1970 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  12. ^ "November 23, 1970 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  13. ^ "November 30, 1970 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  14. ^ "December 7, 1970 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  15. ^ "1970 Final AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  16. ^ Thomas, Ben (January 5, 1971). "Nebraska wins the vote as nation's best college club". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. p. 3B.
  17. ^ a b "Texas first in final UPI poll". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). UPI. December 8, 1970. p. 30.
  18. ^ "Texas wins UPI grid crown". Bend Bulletin. (Oregon). UPI. December 8, 1970. p. 8.