# 1966 NCAA University Division football rankings

Two human polls comprised the 1966 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

The final AP Poll was released in early December, at the end of the 1966 regular season. In the previous season, the final poll was released in January for the first time, after the bowl games, but not in 1966 or 1967.
The AP Poll ranked only the top ten teams from 1962 through 1967.
| | Preseason Aug | Week 1 Sep 19 | Week 2 Sep 26 | Week 3 Oct 3 | Week 4 Oct 10 | Week 5 Oct 17 | Week 6 Oct 24 | Week 7 Oct 31 | Week 8 Nov 7 | Week 9 Nov 14 | Week 10 Nov 21 | Week 11 Nov 28 | Week 12 (Final) Dec 5 | |
| 1. | Alabama (15) | Michigan State (1–0) (12) | Michigan State (2–0) (22) | Michigan State (3–0) (20) | Michigan State (4–0) (18) | Notre Dame (4–0) (31) | Notre Dame (5–0) (32) | Notre Dame (6–0) (39) | Notre Dame (7–0) (32) | Notre Dame (8–0) (35) | Notre Dame (8–0–1) (37) | Notre Dame (9–0–1) (40) | Notre Dame (9–0–1) (41) | 1. |
| 2. | Michigan State (12) | UCLA (1–0) (13) | UCLA (2–0) (11) | UCLA (3–0) (7) | Notre Dame (3–0) (15) | Michigan State (5–0) (10) | Michigan State (6–0) (5) | Michigan State (7–0) (6) | Michigan State (8–0) (10) | Michigan State (9–0) (6) | Michigan State (9–0–1) (27) | Michigan State (9–0–1) (10) | Michigan State (9–0–1) (8) | 2. |
| 3. | Nebraska (2) | Alabama (0–0) (10) | Alabama (1–0) (2) | Notre Dame (2–0) (8) | Alabama (3–0) (4) | UCLA (5–0) (3) | UCLA (6–0) (2) | UCLA (7–0) (3) | Alabama (7–0) | Alabama (8–0) (1) | Alabama (8–0) (8) | Alabama (9–0) (7) | Alabama (10–0) (7) | 3. |
| 4. | UCLA (6) | Nebraska (1–0) | Notre Dame (1–0) (2) | Alabama (2–0) (3) | UCLA (4–0) (2) | Alabama (4–0) (2) | Alabama (5–0) (1) | Alabama (6–0) (1) | Nebraska (8–0) | Nebraska (9–0) | Nebraska (9–0) (1) | Georgia (9–1) | Georgia (9–1) | 4. |
| 5. | Arkansas | USC (1–0) (2) | USC (2–0) (1) | Arkansas (3–0) (2) | USC (4–0) (1) | USC (5–0) (1) | USC (6–0) (1) | Georgia Tech (7–0) | Georgia Tech (8–0) | Georgia Tech (9–0) | Georgia Tech (9–0) | UCLA (9–1) | UCLA (9–1) | 5. |
| 6. | Notre Dame | Arkansas (1–0) (1) | Nebraska (2–0) | USC (3–0) (1) | Nebraska (4–0) | Georgia Tech (5–0) | Georgia Tech (6–0) | Nebraska (7–0) | Arkansas (7–1) (1) | Arkansas (8–1) (1) | UCLA (9–1) | Nebraska (9–1) | Nebraska (9–1) | 6. |
| 7. | Syracuse | Purdue (1–0) | Arkansas (2–0) (1) | Nebraska (3–0) | Georgia Tech (4–0) | Nebraska (5–0) | Florida (6–0) | Florida (7–0) | USC (7–1) | USC (7–1) | Georgia (8–1) | Purdue (8–2) | Purdue (8–2) | 7. |
| 8. | Purdue | Notre Dame (0–0) (1) | Michigan (2–0) (1) | Tennessee (2–0) | Florida (4–0) | Florida (5–0) | Nebraska (6–0) | Arkansas (6–1) | UCLA (7–1) | UCLA (8–1) | Purdue (8–2) | Georgia Tech (9–1) | Georgia Tech (9–1) | 8. |
| 9. | USC | Michigan (1–0) (1) | Georgia Tech (2–0) | Georgia Tech (3–0) | Purdue (3–1) | Purdue (4–1) | Arkansas (5–1) | USC (6–1) | Georgia (7–1) | Georgia (8–1) | Florida (8–1) | Miami (FL) (7–2–1) | Miami (FL) (7–2–1) | 9. |
| 10. | Tennessee | Baylor (1–0) (1) | Tennessee (1–0) | Florida (3–0) | Baylor (3–1) | Oklahoma (4–0) | Wyoming (6–0) | Tennessee (4–2) | Tennessee (5–2) | Purdue (7–2) | USC (7–2) | SMU (8–2) | SMU (8–2) | 10. |
| | Preseason Aug | Week 1 Sep 19 | Week 2 Sep 26 | Week 3 Oct 3 | Week 4 Oct 10 | Week 5 Oct 17 | Week 6 Oct 24 | Week 7 Oct 31 | Week 8 Nov 7 | Week 9 Nov 14 | Week 10 Nov 21 | Week 11 Nov 28 | Week 12 (Final) Dec 5 | |
| | | Dropped: SyracuseTennessee | Dropped: BaylorPurdue | Dropped: Michigan | Dropped: ArkansasTennessee | Dropped: Baylor | Dropped: OklahomaPurdue | Dropped: Wyoming | Dropped: Florida | Dropped: Tennessee | Dropped: Arkansas | Dropped: FloridaUSC | None | |

## Final Coaches Poll

The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, in late November. Notre Dame received twenty of the 35 first-place votes; Michigan State received ten, Alabama four, and UCLA one.
| Ranking | Team | Conference | Bowl |
| 1 | Notre Dame | Independent | none |
| 2 | Michigan State | Big Ten | none |
| 3 | Alabama | SEC | Won Sugar, 34–7 |
| 4 | Georgia | SEC | Won Cotton, 24–9 |
| 5 | UCLA | AAWU (Pac-8) | none |
| 6 | Purdue | Big Ten | Won Rose, 14–13 |
| 7 | Nebraska | Big Eight | Lost Sugar, 7–34 |
| 8 | Georgia Tech | Independent | Lost Orange, 12–27 |
| 9 | SMU | Southwest | Lost Cotton, 9–24 |
| 10 | Miami (FL) | Independent | Won Liberty, 14–7 |
| 11 | Florida | SEC | Won Orange, 27–12 |
| 12 | Mississippi | SEC | Lost Bluebonnet, 0–19 |
| 13 | Arkansas | Southwest | none |
| 14 | Tennessee | SEC | Won Gator, 18–12 |
| 15 | Wyoming | WAC | Won Sun, 28–20 |
| 16 | Syracuse | Independent | Lost Gator, 12–18 |
| 17 | Houston | Independent | none |
| 18 | USC | AAWU (Pac-8) | Lost Rose, 13–14 |
| 19 | Oregon State | AAWU (Pac-8) | none |
| 20 | Virginia Tech | Independent | Lost Liberty, 7–14 |
* Notre Dame did not participate in bowl games from 1925 through 1968.
* Prior to the 1975 season, the Big Ten and Pac-8 conferences allowed only one postseason participant each, for the Rose Bowl.
** Big Ten champion Michigan State was barred from participation in the Rose Bowl due to the conference's no-repeat rule, in effect from 1946 through 1971.
* The Ivy League has prohibited its members from participating in postseason football since the league was officially formed in 1954.