Two human polls comprised the 1976 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I 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.
Increase in ranking | ||
Decrease in ranking | ||
Not ranked previous week | ||
National champion | ||
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Win-loss record | |
(Italics)
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Number of first place votes | |
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Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
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 (Final) Jan[14] | ||
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1. | Nebraska (25) | Michigan (1-0) (28) | Michigan (2-0) (47) | Michigan (3-0) (56) | Michigan (4-0) (52) | Michigan (5-0) (57) | Michigan (6-0) (58) | Michigan (7-0) (53) | Michigan (8-0) (57) | Pittsburgh (9-0) (49) | Pittsburgh (10-0) (44) | Pittsburgh (10-0) (39) | Pittsburgh (11-0) (45) | Pittsburgh (12-0) (59) | 1. |
2. | Michigan (10) | Ohio State (1-0) (18) | Ohio State (2-0) (3) | Pittsburgh (3-0) (2) | Pittsburgh (4-0) (3) | Pittsburgh (5-0) (3) | Pittsburgh (6-0) (4) | Pittsburgh (7-0) (6) | Pittsburgh (8-0) (5) | UCLA (8-0-1) (7) | UCLA (9-0-1) (13) | Michigan (10-1) (13) | Michigan (10-1) (8) | USC (11-1) (3) | 2. |
3. | Arizona State (7) | Pittsburgh (1-0) (9) | Pittsburgh (2-0) (7) | Oklahoma (3-0) (2) | Oklahoma (4-0) (3) | Nebraska (4-0-1) | Nebraska (5-0-1) | UCLA (6-0-1) | UCLA (7-0-1) | USC (7-1) (2) | USC (8-1) (1) | USC (9-1) (7) | USC (10-1) (3) | Michigan (10-2) | 3. |
4. | Ohio State (3) | Oklahoma (1-0) (4) | Oklahoma (2-0) (3) | UCLA (3-0) | Georgia (4-0) (2) | UCLA (4-0-1) | UCLA (5-0-1) | USC (5-1) | USC (6-1) | Michigan (8-1) (2) | Michigan (9-1) (2) | Georgia (9-1) (1) | Maryland (11-0) (2) | Houston (10-2) | 4. |
5. | Oklahoma (6) | UCLA (1-0) (2) | UCLA (2-0) | Nebraska (2-0-1) | UCLA (3-0-1) | Maryland (5-0) | Oklahoma (5-0-1) | Maryland (7-0) | Texas Tech (6-0) | Texas Tech (7-0) (1) | Texas Tech (8-0) (1) | Maryland (11-0) (2) | Georgia (10-1) | Oklahoma (9-2-1) | 5. |
6. | Alabama (3) | Missouri (1-0) | Nebraska (1-0-1) | Georgia (3-0) | Nebraska (3-0-1) | Oklahoma (4-0-1) | Maryland (6-0) | Texas Tech (5-0) (1) | Maryland (8-0) | Maryland (9-0) (2) | Georgia (9-1) ? | UCLA (9-1-1) | Houston (8-2) | Ohio State (9-2-1) | 6. |
7. | Texas (3) | Penn State (1-0) | Georgia (2-0) | Maryland (3-0) | Maryland (4-0) | Missouri (4-1) | USC (4-1) | Georgia (6-1) | Georgia (7-1) | Georgia (8-1) | Maryland (10-0) ? | Houston (7-2) | UCLA (9-1-1) | Texas A&M (10-2) | 7. |
8. | USC (2) | Nebraska (0-0-1) | Maryland (2-0) | Ohio State (2-1) | Kansas (4-0) | USC (4-1) | Texas Tech (4-0) | Ohio State (5-1-1) | Ohio State (6-1-1) | Ohio State (7-1-1) | Ohio State (8-1-1) | Oklahoma (7-2-1) | Oklahoma (8-2-1) | Maryland (11-1) | 8. |
9. | Pittsburgh (1) | Georgia (1-0) | Texas A&M (2-0) | Kansas (3-0) | Missouri (3-1) | Ohio State (3-1-1) | Ohio State (4-1-1) | Nebraska (5-1-1) | Nebraska (6-1-1) | Nebraska (7-1-1) | Houston (6-2) | Texas Tech (8-1) | Texas Tech (9-1) | Nebraska (9-3-1) | 9. |
10. | Penn State | Maryland (1-0) | Kansas (3-0) | Alabama (2-1) | Ohio State (2-1-1) | Texas Tech (3-0) | Georgia (5-1) | Missouri (5-2) | Florida (6-1) | Alabama (7-2) | Oklahoma (7-2-1) | Nebraska (7-2-1) | Texas A&M (9-2) | Georgia (10-2) | 10. |
11. | Notre Dame | Texas A&M (1-0) | Penn State (1-1) | LSU (2-0-1) | USC (3-1) | Georgia (4-1) | Florida (4-1) | Notre Dame (5-1) | Notre Dame (6-1) | Missouri (6-3) | Texas A&M (7-2) (1) | Texas A&M (8-2) | Ohio State (8-2-1) | Alabama (9-3) | 11. |
12. | Maryland | Arkansas (1-0) | Arkansas (2-0) | Missouri (2-1) | Florida (3-1) | Florida (3-1) | Notre Dame (4-1) | Florida (5-1) | Arkansas (5-1) | Houston (6-2) | Nebraska (7-2-1) | Ohio State (8-2-1) | Colorado (8-3) | Notre Dame (9-3) | 12. |
13. | Arkansas | Kansas (2-0) | Alabama (1-1) | USC (2-1) | Boston College (3-0) | Texas (2-1-1) | Texas (2-1-1) | Oklahoma (5-1-1) | Oklahoma State (5-2) | Arkansas (5-1-1) | Notre Dame (7-2) | Notre Dame (8-2) | Nebraska (7-3-1) | Texas Tech (10-2) | 13. |
14. | Texas A&M | Alabama (0-1) | Illinois (2-0) | North Carolina (4-0) | Notre Dame (3-1) | Notre Dame (3-1) | Houston (4-1) | Arkansas (4-1) | Colorado (6-2) | Oklahoma (6-2-1) | Iowa State (8-2) | Colorado (8-3) ? | Oklahoma State (8-3) | Oklahoma State (9-3) | 14. |
15. | California | Boston College (1-0) | LSU (1-0-1) | Boston College (2-0) | Texas Tech (2-0) | Kansas (4-1) | Arkansas (3-1) | Texas (3-1-1) | Alabama (6-2) | Florida (6-2) | Colorado (7-3) | Oklahoma State (7-3) ? | Notre Dame (8-3) | UCLA (9-2-1) | 15. |
16. | Georgia | LSU (0-0-1) | North Carolina (3-0) | Ole Miss (3-1) | Texas (2-1) | LSU (3-1-1) ? | Iowa State (5-1) | Oklahoma State (4-2) | Missouri (5-3) | Texas A&M (6-2) | Oklahoma State (6-3) | Penn State (7-3) | Alabama (8-3) | Colorado (8-4) | 16. |
17. | UCLA | North Carolina (2-0) | Ole Miss (2-1) | Texas Tech (2-0) | Texas A&M (3-1) | Ole Miss (4-2) ? | Missouri (4-2) | Alabama (5-2) | Oklahoma (5-2-1) | Oklahoma State (5-3) | Penn State (7-3) | Rutgers (10-0) | Rutgers (11-0) | Rutgers (11-0) | 17. |
18. | Florida | Arizona State (0-1) | Boston College (1-0) | Notre Dame (2-1) | Arkansas (3-1) | Arkansas (3-1) | Alabama (4-2) | Mississippi State (6-1) | Texas A&M (6-2) | Notre Dame (6-2) | Alabama (7-3) | Alabama (7-3) | Baylor (7-2-1) | Kentucky (8-4) | 18. |
19. | Kansas | Texas (0-1) | USC (1-1) | Florida (2-1) | North Carolina (4-1) | Houston (3-1) | South Carolina (5-2) | Colorado (5-2) | Houston (5-2) | Colorado (6-3) | Missouri (6-4) ? | Mississippi State (9-2) ? | North Carolina (9-2) | Iowa State (8-3) | 19. |
20. | Miami (OH) | Ole Miss (1-1) | Texas Tech (2-0) | Penn State (1-2) | LSU (2-1-1) | Alabama (3-2) |
| Cincinnati (5-1) | Texas (3-2-1) | South Carolina (6-3) | Rutgers (10-0) ? | North Carolina (9-2) ? |
| Mississippi State (9-2) | 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 (Final) Jan[14] | ||
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Week 1 Sep 13 | Week 2 Sep 20 | Week 3 Sep 27 | Week 4 Oct 4 | Week 5 Oct 11 | Week 6 Oct 18 | Week 7 Oct 25 | Week 8 Nov 1 | Week 9 Nov 8 | Week 10 Nov 15 | Week 11 Nov 22 | Week 12 Nov 29 | Week 13 Jan 4 (Final) | ||
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1. | Ohio State (1-0) | Michigan (2-0) | Pittsburgh (9-0) | Pittsburgh (10-0) | Pittsburgh (10-0) | Pittsburgh (11-0) | Pittsburgh (12-0) (39) | 1. | ||||||
2. | Michigan (1-0) | Ohio State (2-0) | Pittsburgh (4-0) | Pittsburgh (5-0) | Pittsburgh (6-0) | Pittsburgh (7-0) | Pittsburgh (8-0) | Michigan (10-1) | USC (11-1) (3) | 2. | ||||
3. | UCLA (1-0) | Pittsburgh (2-0) | Pittsburgh (3-0) | USC (10-1) | Michigan (10-2) | 3. | ||||||||
4. | Pittsburgh (1-0) | UCLA (2-0) | Georgia (10-1) | Houston (10-2) | 4. | |||||||||
5. | Oklahoma (1-0) | Oklahoma (2-0) | Maryland (11-0) | Ohio State (9-2-1) | 5. | |||||||||
6. | Missouri (1-0) | Nebraska (1-0-1) | Oklahoma (9-2-1) | 6. | ||||||||||
7. | Penn State (1-0) | Georgia (2-0) | Nebraska (8-3-1) | 7. | ||||||||||
8. | Nebraska (0-0-1) | Maryland (2-0) | Texas A&M (10-2) | 8. | ||||||||||
9. | Georgia (1-0) | Texas A&M (2-0) | Alabama (9-3) | 9. | ||||||||||
10. | Texas A&M (1-0) | Penn State (1-1) | Georgia (10-2) | 10. | ||||||||||
11. | Maryland (1-0) | Arkansas (2-0) | Maryland (11-1) | 11. | ||||||||||
12. | Arkansas (1-0) | Kansas (3-0) | Notre Dame (9-3) | 12. | ||||||||||
13. | Alabama (0-1) | Alabama (1-1) | Texas Tech (10-2) | 13. | ||||||||||
14. | LSU (0-0-1) | Illinois (2-0) | Oklahoma State (9-3) | 14. | ||||||||||
15. | Boston College (1-0) | LSU (1-0-1) ? | UCLA (9-2-1) | 15. | ||||||||||
16. | Kansas (2-0) ? | USC (1-1) ? | Colorado (8-4) | 16. | ||||||||||
17. | North Carolina (2-0) ? | Boston College (1-0) | Rutgers (11-0) | 17. | ||||||||||
18. | Texas Tech (1-0) ? | North Carolina (3-0) | Iowa State (8-3) | 18. | ||||||||||
19. | USC (0-1) | Florida (1-1) ? | Baylor (8-2-1) ? | 19. | ||||||||||
20. | Oklahoma State (1-0) | Texas Tech (1-0) ? | Kentucky (8-4) ? | 20. | ||||||||||
Week 1 Sep 13 | Week 2 Sep 20 | Week 3 Sep 27 | Week 4 Oct 4 | Week 5 Oct 11 | Week 6 Oct 18 | Week 7 Oct 25 | Week 8 Nov 1 | Week 9 Nov 8 | Week 10 Nov 15 | Week 11 Nov 22 | Week 12 Nov 29 | Week 13 Jan 4 (Final) | ||
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