# 1963 NCAA University Division football rankings

Two human polls comprised the 1963 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 9, at the end of the 1963 regular season, weeks before the bowls. (The season had been extended due to postponements after the assassination of President Kennedy.) The poll ranked only the top ten teams from 1962 through 1967.
| | Preseason Aug | Week 1 Sep 23 | Week 2 Sep 30 | Week 3 Oct 7 | Week 4 Oct 14 | Week 5 Oct 21 | Week 6 Oct 28 | Week 7 Nov 4 | Week 8 Nov 11 | Week 9 Nov 18 | Week 10 Nov 25 | Week 11 Dec 2 | Week 12 (Final) Dec 9 | |
| 1. | USC (34) | USC (1–0) (23) | Oklahoma (2–0) (36) | Oklahoma (2–0) (40) | Texas (4–0) (51) | Texas (5–0) (50) | Texas (6–0) (49) | Texas (7–0) (45) | Texas (8–0) (48) | Texas (9–0) (45) | Texas (9–0) (20) | Texas (10–0) (42) | Texas (10–0) (34) | 1. |
| 2. | Ole Miss (9) | Alabama (1–0) (16) | Alabama (2–0) (9) | Texas (3–0) (5) | Wisconsin (3–0) (5) | Wisconsin (4–0) (3) | Illinois (4–0–1) (1) | Illinois (5–0–1) (4) | Navy (7–1) (4) | Navy (8–1) (6) | Navy (8–1) (2) | Navy (8–1) (8) | Navy (9–1) (10) | 2. |
| 3. | Alabama (5) | Oklahoma (1–0) (2) | Texas (2–0) (2) | Alabama (3–0) (4) | Pittsburgh (3–0) | Pittsburgh (4–0) | Ole Miss (4–0–1) | Ole Miss (5–0–1) (1) | Ole Miss (6–0–1) | Ole Miss (7–0–1) | Ole Miss (7–0–1) | Illinois (7–1–1) | Illinois (7–1–1) | 3. |
| 4. | Oklahoma | Texas (1–0) | Northwestern (2–0) (1) т | Navy (3–0) (3) | Ohio State (2–0–1) | Illinois (3–0–1) | Navy (5–1) (1) | Navy (6–1) (1) | Michigan State (5–1–1) (1) | Michigan State (6–1–1) | Michigan State (6–1–1) | Pittsburgh (8–1) (1) | Pittsburgh (9–1) (5) | 4. |
| 5. | Texas | Navy (1–0) (3) | Wisconsin (2–0) (1) т | Wisconsin (2–0) (1) | Ole Miss (2–0–1) | Ole Miss (3–0–1) | Auburn (5–0) | Auburn (6–0) (2) | Oklahoma (6–1) | Pittsburgh (7–1) | Pittsburgh (7–1) | Auburn (9–1) | Auburn (9–1) | 5. |
| 6. | Northwestern | Wisconsin (1–0) | Navy (2–0) (2) | Pittsburgh (3–0) (1) | Oklahoma (2–1) | Alabama (4–1) | Oklahoma (4–1) | Oklahoma (5–1) | Pittsburgh (6–1) | Oklahoma (7–1) | Alabama (7–1) | Nebraska (9–1) | Nebraska (9–1) | 6. |
| 7. | Wisconsin | Northwestern (1–0) (5) | Georgia Tech (2–0) (2) | USC (2–1) | Illinois (2–0–1) | Oklahoma (3–1) | Alabama (5–1) | Alabama (6–1) | Alabama (6–1) | Alabama (7–1) | Nebraska (9–1) | Ole Miss (7–0–2) | Ole Miss (7–0–2) | 7. |
| 8. | Arkansas | Arkansas (1–0) | USC (1–1) | Ohio State (2–0) | Georgia Tech (3–1) | Auburn (5–0) | Wisconsin (4–1) | Pittsburgh (5–1) | Illinois (5–1–1) | Illinois (6–1–1) | Illinois (6–1–1) | Oklahoma (8–2) | Alabama (8–2) | 8. |
| 9. | Navy | Georgia Tech (1–0) | Pittsburgh (2–0) | Penn State (3–0) | Alabama (3–1) | Northwestern (4–1) | Ohio State (3–1–1) | Michigan State (4–1–1) | Auburn (6–1) | Auburn (7–1) | Auburn (8–1) | Alabama (7–2) | Michigan State (6–2–1) | 9. |
| 10. | Ohio State тWashington т | Pittsburgh (1–0) (2) | Ole Miss (1–0–1) | Ole Miss (2–0–1) | Navy (3–1) тNorthwestern (3–1) т | Navy (4–1) | Pittsburgh (4–1) | Ohio State (4–1–1) | Nebraska (7–1) | Nebraska (8–1) | Oklahoma (7–2) | Michigan State (6–2–1) | Oklahoma (8–2) | 10. |
| | Preseason Aug | Week 1 Sep 23 | Week 2 Sep 30 | Week 3 Oct 7 | Week 4 Oct 14 | Week 5 Oct 21 | Week 6 Oct 28 | Week 7 Nov 4 | Week 8 Nov 11 | Week 9 Nov 18 | Week 10 Nov 25 | Week 11 Dec 2 | Week 12 (Final) Dec 9 | |
| | | Dropped: Ole MissOhio StateWashington | Dropped: Arkansas | Dropped: Georgia TechNorthwestern | Dropped: Penn StateUSC | Dropped: Georgia TechOhio State | Dropped: Northwestern | Dropped: Wisconsin | Dropped: Ohio State | None | None | None | None | |

## Final Coaches Poll

The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, on December 3. Texas received 31 of the 35 first-place votes and Navy received the other four.
| Ranking | Team | Conference | Bowl |
| 1 | Texas | Southwest | Won Cotton, 28–6 |
| 2 | Navy | Independent | Lost Cotton, 6–28 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh | Independent | none |
| 4 | Illinois | Big Ten | Won Rose, 17–7 |
| 5 | Nebraska | Big Eight | Won Orange, 13–7 |
| 6 | Auburn | SEC | Lost Orange, 7–13 |
| 7 | Mississippi | SEC | Lost Sugar, 7–12 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | Big Eight | none |
| 9 | Alabama | SEC | Won Sugar, 12–7 |
| 10 | Michigan State | Big Ten | none |
| 11 | Mississippi State | SEC | Won Liberty, 16–12 |
| 12 | Syracuse | Independent | none |
| 13 | Arizona State | WAC | none |
| 14 | Memphis State | Independent | none |
| 15 | Washington | AAWU | Lost Rose, 7–17 |
| 16 | Penn State | Independent | none |
| 16 | USC | AAWU | none |
| 16 | Missouri | Big Eight | none |
| 19 | North Carolina | ACC | Won Gator, 35–0 |
| 20 | Baylor | Southwest | Won Bluebonnet, 14–7 |
* Prior to the 1975 season, the Big Ten and AAWU (later 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.

## Litkenhous Ratings

The following teams were ranked as the top 25 teams in the final Litkenhous Ratings, released in December 1963:
1. Texas 2. Ole Miss 3. Navy 4. Illinois 5. Pittsburgh 6. Michigan State 7. Auburn 8. Alabama 9. Syracuse 10. USC 11. Nebraska 12. Baylor 13. Georgia Tech 14. Oklahoma 15. Arkansas 16. Air Force 17. Mississippi State 18. Washington 19. Michigan 20. Northwestern 21. Ohio State 22. Oregon 23. LSU 25. Missouri 25. Rice