# 1969 NCAA University Division football rankings

Two human polls comprised the 1969 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 | Week 1 Sep 22 | Week 2 Sep 29 | Week 3 Oct 6 | Week 4 Oct 13 | Week 5 Oct 20 | Week 6 Oct 27 | Week 7 Nov 3 | Week 8 Nov 10 | Week 9 Nov 17 | Week 10 Nov 24 | Week 11 Dec 1 | Week 12 Dec 8 | Week 13 (Final) Jan | |
| 1. | Ohio State (26) | Ohio State (0–0) (25) | Ohio State (1–0) (35) | Ohio State (2–0) (34) | Ohio State (3–0) (31) | Ohio State (4–0) (27) | Ohio State (5–0) (35) | Ohio State (6–0) (30) | Ohio State (7–0) (25) | Ohio State (8–0) (31) | Texas (8–0) (33) | Texas (9–0) (31) | Texas (10–0) (22) | Texas (11–0) (36) | 1. |
| 2. | Arkansas (2) | Penn State (1–0) (5) | Penn State (2–0) (2) | Texas (3–0) (5) | Texas (4–0) (5) | Texas (4–0) (5) | Texas (5–0) (2) | Texas (6–0) (5) | Texas (7–0) (4) | Texas (8–0) (7) | Arkansas (8–0) | Arkansas (9–0) | Penn State (10–0) (5) | Penn State (11–0) (7) | 2. |
| 3. | Penn State (3) | Arkansas (1–0) (1) | Arkansas (2–0) | Arkansas (3–0) | USC (4–0) | Tennessee (5–0) (1) | Tennessee (5–0) (1) | Tennessee (6–0) (2) | Tennessee (7–0) (2) | Arkansas (8–0) | Penn State (9–0) (3) | Penn State (10–0) (3) | Arkansas (9–1) | USC (10–0–1) | 3. |
| 4. | Texas (1) | Texas (1–0) (2) | Texas (2–0) (3) | USC (3–0) (1) | Arkansas (4–0) | Arkansas (4–0) | Arkansas (5–0) | Arkansas (6–0) | Arkansas (7–0) | Penn State (8–0) (1) | Ohio State (8–1) | Ohio State (8–1) | Ohio State (8–1) (1) | Ohio State (8–1) (2) | 4. |
| 5. | USC | USC (1–0) (1) | USC (2–0) | Penn State (3–0) (1) | Penn State (4–0) | Missouri (5–0) | Penn State (6–0) (1) | Penn State (7–0) (1) | Penn State (7–0) (1) | USC (8–0–1) | USC (9–0–1) (1) | USC (9–0–1) (1) | USC (9–0–1) (1) | Notre Dame (8–2–1) | 5. |
| 6. | Oklahoma | Oklahoma (1–0) | Oklahoma (2–0) | Georgia (3–0) | Missouri (4–0) | UCLA (6–0) | USC (5–0–1) | USC (6–0–1) | USC (7–0–1) | UCLA (8–0–1) | Missouri (9–1) | Missouri (9–1) | Missouri (9–1) | Missouri (9–2) | 6. |
| 7. | Houston (1) | Georgia (1–0) | Georgia (2–0) | Missouri (3–0) | Tennessee (4–0) | USC (4–0–1) | Florida (6–0) | UCLA (7–0–1) | UCLA (7–0–1) | Missouri (8–1) | Michigan (8–2) (1) | Michigan (8–2) (1) | Michigan (8–2) (1) | Arkansas (9–2) | 7. |
| 8. | Georgia | Ole Miss (1–0) | Purdue (2–0) | Oklahoma (2–0) | UCLA (5–0) | Penn State (5–0) (1) | LSU (6–0) | Notre Dame (5–1–1) | Missouri (7–1) | Notre Dame (7–1–1) | Notre Dame (8–1–1) | LSU (9–1) | LSU (9–1) | Ole Miss (8–3) | 8. |
| 9. | Ole Miss | Notre Dame (1–0) | Missouri (2–0) | Purdue (3–0) | LSU (4–0) | LSU (5–0) | UCLA (6–0–1) | Missouri (6–1) | Notre Dame (6–1–1) | Tennessee (7–1) | LSU (9–1) | Notre Dame (8–1–1) | Notre Dame (8–1–1) | Michigan (8–3) | 9. |
| 10. | Missouri | Indiana (1–0) | Tennessee (2–0) | Tennessee (3–0) | Florida (4–0) | Florida (5–0) | Notre Dame (4–1–1) | Purdue (6–1) | Purdue (7–1) | LSU (8–1) | Tennessee (8–1) | UCLA (8–1–1) | UCLA (8–1–1) | LSU (9–1) | 10. |
| 11. | Notre Dame | Missouri (1–0) | UCLA (3–0) | UCLA (4–0) | Notre Dame (3–1) | Oklahoma (3–1) | Georgia (5–1) | Auburn (5–2) | Auburn (6–2) | Auburn (7–2) | UCLA (8–1–1) | Auburn (8–2) | Tennessee (9–1) | Nebraska (9–2) | 11. |
| 12. | Michigan State | Florida (1–0) (2) | Florida (2–0) | Florida (3–0) | Oklahoma (2–1) | Notre Dame (3–1–1) | Kansas State (5–1) | LSU (6–1) | LSU (7–1) | Michigan (7–2) | Auburn (7–2) | Tennessee (9–1) | Auburn (8–2) | Houston (9–2) | 12. |
| 13. | Alabama | Michigan State (1–0) | Michigan (2–0) | Alabama (3–0) | Michigan (3–1) | Georgia (4–1) | Purdue (5–1) | Florida (6–1) | Stanford (5–2–1) | Ole Miss (6–3) | Nebraska (8–2) | Nebraska (8–2) | Ole Miss (7–3) | UCLA (8–1–1) | 13. |
| 14. | Indiana | UCLA (2–0) | Michigan State (2–0) | LSU (3–0) | Georgia (3–1) | Auburn (4–1) | Missouri (5–1) | Stanford (4–2–1) | Michigan (6–2) | Stanford (6–2–1) | Ole Miss (6–3) | Ole Miss (7–3) | Nebraska (8–2) | Florida (9–1–1) | 14. |
| 15. | Tennessee | Alabama (1–0) | Alabama (2–0) | Notre Dame (2–1) | Auburn (3–1) | Purdue (4–1) | Wyoming (6–0) | Kansas State (5–2) | Florida (6–1–1) | Florida (7–1–1) | Stanford (7–2–1) | Purdue (8–2) | Florida (8–1–1) | Tennessee (9–2) | 15. |
| 16. | Stanford | Purdue (1–0) | LSU (2–0) | Stanford (2–1) | Wyoming (4–0) | Wyoming (5–0) | Stanford (3–2–1) | Georgia (5–2) | Georgia (5–2–1) | Nebraska (7–2) | Purdue (8–2) | West Virginia (9–1) | Stanford (7–2–1) | Colorado (8–3) | 16. |
| 17. | UCLA | Auburn (1–0) | Stanford (2–0) | West Virginia (4–0) | Purdue (3–1) | Ole Miss (3–2) | Auburn (4–2) | Ole Miss (4–3) | Nebraska (6–2) | Purdue (7–2) | Florida (7–1–1) | Stanford (7–2–1) | Houston (8–2) т | West Virginia (10–1) | 17. |
| 18. | Purdue | Arizona State (1–0) | West Virginia (3–0) | Wyoming (3–0) | Stanford (2–2) | Kansas State (4–1) | Colorado (4–2) | Michigan (5–2) | Houston (6–2) т | West Virginia (8–1) | Houston (7–2) | Florida (8–1–1) | Purdue (8–2) т | Purdue (8–2) | 18. |
| 19. | Minnesota | Tennessee (1–0) | Wyoming (2–0) | Michigan State (2–1) | Ole Miss (2–2) | Stanford (3–2) | Air Force (4–2) | Air Force (5–2) | Ole Miss (5–3) т | Houston (6–2) | West Virginia (9–1) | Houston (8–2) | West Virginia (9–1) | Stanford (7–2–1) | 19. |
| 20. | Auburn | Michigan (1–0) | Ole Miss (1–1) | Auburn (2–1) тNebraska (2–1) т | Alabama (3–1) | Air Force (3–2) | Michigan (4–2) | Nebraska (5–2) тOklahoma (4–2) т | Air Force (6–2) | Toledo (9–0) | Toledo (10–0) | Toledo (10–0) | Toledo (10–0) | Auburn (8–3) | 20. |
| | Preseason Aug | Week 1 Sep 22 | Week 2 Sep 29 | Week 3 Oct 6 | Week 4 Oct 13 | Week 5 Oct 20 | Week 6 Oct 27 | Week 7 Nov 3 | Week 8 Nov 10 | Week 9 Nov 17 | Week 10 Nov 24 | Week 11 Dec 1 | Week 12 Dec 8 | Week 13 (Final) Jan | |
| | | Dropped: HoustonMinnesotaStanford | Dropped: Arizona StateAuburnIndianaNotre Dame | Dropped: MichiganOle Miss | Dropped: Michigan StateNebraskaWest Virginia | Dropped: AlabamaMichigan | Dropped: Ole MissOklahoma | Dropped: ColoradoWyoming | Dropped: Kansas StateOklahoma | Dropped: Air ForceGeorgia | None | None | None | Dropped: Toledo | |

## Final Coaches Poll

The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, in early December. One coach on the 35-member board did not vote. Texas received 28 of the 34 first-place votes; Penn State received four and one each went to USC and Nebraska.
| Ranking | Team | Conference | Bowl |
| 1 | Texas | Southwest | Won Cotton, 21–17 |
| 2 | Penn State | Independent | Won Orange, 10–3 |
| 3 | Arkansas | Southwest | Lost Sugar, 22–27 |
| 4 | USC | Pac-8 | Won Rose, 10–3 |
| 5 | Ohio State | Big Ten | none |
| 6 | Missouri | Big Eight | Lost Orange, 3–10 |
| 7 | LSU | SEC | none |
| 8 | Michigan | Big Ten | Lost Rose, 3–10 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | Independent | Lost Cotton, 17–21 |
| 10 | UCLA | Pac-8 | none |
| 11 | Tennessee | SEC | Lost Gator, 13–14 |
| 12 | Nebraska | Big Eight | Won Sun, 46–6 |
| 13 | Mississippi | SEC | Won Sugar, 27–22 |
| 14 | Stanford | Pac-8 | none |
| 15 | Auburn | SEC | Lost Bluebonnet, 7–36 |
| 16 | Houston | Independent | Won Bluebonnet, 36–7 |
| 17 | Florida | SEC | Won Gator, 14–13 |
| 18 | Purdue | Big Ten | none |
| 18 | San Diego State | PCAA | Won Pasadena, 28–7 |
| 18 | West Virginia | Independent | Won Peach, 14–3 |
* 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.