# 1962 NCAA University Division football rankings

Two human polls comprised the 1962 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 on December 4, at the end of the 1962 regular season, weeks before the bowls. The poll ranked only the top ten teams from 1962 through 1967.
| | Preseason Aug | Week 1 Sep 24 | Week 2 Oct 1 | Week 3 Oct 8 | Week 4 Oct 15 | Week 5 Oct 22 | Week 6 Oct 29 | Week 7 Nov 5 | Week 8 Nov 12 | Week 9 Nov 19 | Week 10 Nov 26 | Week 11 (Final) Dec 4 | |
| 1. | Ohio State (41) | Alabama (1–0) (14) | Ohio State (1–0) (18) | Alabama (3–0) (23) | Texas (4–0) (21) | Texas (5–0) (23) | Northwestern (5–0) (34) | Northwestern (6–0) (24) | Alabama (8–0) (22) | USC (8–0) (20) | USC (9–0) (19) | USC (10–0) (42) | 1. |
| 2. | Texas (1) | Ohio State (0–0) (19) | Alabama (2–0) (19) | Texas (3–0) (20) | Alabama (4–0) (24) | Alabama (5–0) (18) | Alabama (6–0) (15) | USC (6–0) (6) | USC (7–0) (17) | Ole Miss (8–0) (15) | Wisconsin (8–1) (9) | Wisconsin (8–1) (5) | 2. |
| 3. | Alabama (3) | Texas (1–0) (3) | Texas (2–0) (3) | Penn State (3–0) (3) | USC (3–0) | Northwestern (4–0) (8) | USC (5–0) (1) | Alabama (7–0) (9) | Ole Miss (7–0) (3) | Wisconsin (7–1) (7) | Ole Miss (8–0) (12) | Ole Miss (9–0) (2) | 3. |
| 4. | Michigan State (2) | Penn State (1–0) (3) | Penn State (2–0) | USC (3–0) (1) | LSU (3–0–1) | USC (4–0) (1) | LSU (5–0–1) | Ole Miss (6–0) (9) | Wisconsin (6–1) (8) | Texas (8–0–1) (3) | Texas (9–0–1) | Texas (9–0–1) | 4. |
| 5. | LSU | LSU (1–0) | Georgia Tech (2–0) | Ole Miss (3–0) (1) | Ole Miss (3–0) | Wisconsin (4–0) (1) | Texas (5–0–1) | Texas (6–0–1) (1) | Texas (7–0–1) | Minnesota (6–1–1) (1) | Alabama (8–1) | Alabama (9–1) (1) | 5. |
| 6. | Ole Miss (2) | Michigan State (0–0) | USC (2–0) | LSU (2–0–1) | Ohio State (2–1) (2) | LSU (4–0–1) | Ole Miss (5–0) (1) | Arkansas (6–1) | Missouri (7–0–1) | Alabama (8–1) | Arkansas (9–1) | Arkansas (9–1) | 6. |
| 7. | Purdue | Ole Miss (1–0) (1) | Ole Miss (2–0) | Washington (2–0–1) | Arkansas (4–0) (1) | Ole Miss (4–0) | Michigan State (4–1) (1) | Missouri (6–0–1) | Arkansas (7–1) | Arkansas (8–1) | LSU (8–1–1) | LSU (8–1–1) | 7. |
| 8. | Duke | Georgia Tech (1–0) | Washington (1–0–1) | Arkansas (3–0) (1) | Northwestern (3–0) (3) | Washington (4–0–1) | Arkansas (5–1) | Wisconsin (5–1) | Minnesota (5–1–1) | LSU (7–1–1) | Oklahoma (7–2) | Oklahoma (8–2) | 8. |
| 9. | Penn State | USC (1–0) | Miami (FL) (2–0) | Purdue (1–0–1) | Washington (3–0–1) | Arkansas (4–1) | Washington (4–0–2) | LSU (5–1–1) | Northwestern (6–1) | Penn State (8–1) | Penn State (9–1) (3) | Penn State (9–1) (2) | 9. |
| 10. | Washington | Missouri (1–0) | Army (2–0) | Ohio State (1–1) | Wisconsin (3–0) | Michigan State (3–1) | Auburn (5–0) | Minnesota (4–1–1) | LSU (6–1–1) | Oklahoma (6–2) | Minnesota (6–2–1) | Minnesota (6–2–1) | 10. |
| | Preseason Aug | Week 1 Sep 24 | Week 2 Oct 1 | Week 3 Oct 8 | Week 4 Oct 15 | Week 5 Oct 22 | Week 6 Oct 29 | Week 7 Nov 5 | Week 8 Nov 12 | Week 9 Nov 19 | Week 10 Nov 26 | Week 11 (Final) Dec 4 | |
| | | Dropped: PurdueDukeWashington | Dropped: LSUMichigan StateMissouri | Dropped: Georgia TechMiami (FL)Army | Dropped: Penn StatePurdue | Dropped: Ohio State | Dropped: Wisconsin | Dropped: Michigan StateWashingtonAuburn | None | Dropped: MissouriNorthwestern | None | None | |

## Final Coaches Poll

The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, on December 4. USC received 31 of the 35 first-place votes; Wisconsin received two, Ole Miss one, and Texas one.
| Ranking | Team | Conference | Record | Bowl |
| 1 | USC | AAWU | 11–0 | Won Rose, 42–37 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | 8–2 | Lost Rose, 37–42 |
| 3 | Ole Miss | SEC | 10–0 | Won Sugar, 17–13 |
| 4 | Texas | Southwest | 9–1–1 | Lost Cotton, 0–13 |
| 5 | Alabama | SEC | 10–1 | Won Orange, 17–0 |
| 6 | Arkansas | Southwest | 9–1–1 | Lost Sugar, 13–17 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | Big Eight | 8–3 | Lost Orange, 0–17 |
| 8 | LSU | SEC | 9–1–1 | Won Cotton, 13–0 |
| 9 | Penn State | Independent | 9–2 | Lost Gator, 7–17 |
| 10 | Minnesota | Big Ten | 6–2–1 | none |
| 11 | Georgia Tech | SEC | 7–3–1 | Lost Bluebonnet, 10–14 |
| 12 | Missouri | Big Eight | 8–1–2 | Won Bluebonnet, 14–10 |
| 13 | Ohio State | Big Ten | 6–3 | none |
| 14 | Duke | ACC | 8–2 | none |
| 14 | Washington | AAWU | 7–1–2 | none |
| 16 | Northwestern | Big Ten | 7–2 | none |
| 16 | Oregon State | Independent | 9–2 | Won Liberty, 6–0 |
| 18 | Arizona State | WAC | 7–2–1 | none |
| 18 | Illinois | Big Ten | 2–7 | none |
| 18 | Miami (FL) | Independent | 7–4 | Lost Gotham, 34–36 |
* Prior to the 1975 season, the Big Ten and AAWU (later Pac-8) conferences allowed only one postseason participant each, for the Rose Bowl.