1973 NCAA Division I football rankings

Two human polls comprised the 1973 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.

Legend

edit
  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

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Preseason
Aug[1]
Week 1
Sep 10[2]
Week 2
Sep 17[3]
Week 3
Sep 24[4]
Week 4
Oct 1[5]
Week 5
Oct 8[6]
Week 6
Oct 15[7]
Week 7
Oct 22[8]
Week 8
Oct 29[9]
Week 9
Nov 5[10]
Week 10
Nov 12[11]
Week 11
Nov 19[12]
Week 12
Nov 26[13]
Week 13
Dec 3[14]
Week 14 (Final)
Jan[15]
1.USC (55)USC (0–0) (49)USC (1–0) (38)USC (2–0) (36)Ohio State (2–0) (35)Ohio State (3–0) (41)Ohio State (4–0) (39)Ohio State (5–0) (35)Ohio State (6–0) (36)Ohio State (7–0) (35)Ohio State (8–0) (35)Ohio State (9–0) (34)Alabama (10–0) (36)Alabama (11–0) (34)Notre Dame (11–0) (33)1.
2.Ohio State (2)Nebraska (1–0) (8)Nebraska (1–0) (8)Nebraska (2–0) (12)Nebraska (3–0) (10)Nebraska (4–0) (9)Alabama (5–0) (6)Alabama (6–0) (12)Alabama (7–0) (12)Alabama (8–0) (14)Alabama (8–0) (13)Alabama (9–0) (16)Oklahoma (9–0–1) (20)Oklahoma (10–0–1) (16)Ohio State (10–0–1) (11)2.
3.Texas (1)Ohio State (0–0) (2)Ohio State (1–0) (11)Ohio State (1–0) (8)Alabama (3–0) (6)Alabama (4–0) (6)Oklahoma (3–0–1) (8)Oklahoma (4–0–1) (8)Oklahoma (5–0–1) (9)Oklahoma (6–0–1) (7)Oklahoma (7–0–1) (10)Oklahoma (8–0–1) (9)Ohio State (9–0–1) (2)Notre Dame (10–0) (2)Oklahoma (10–0–1) (16)3.
4.Nebraska (2)Texas (0–0)Alabama (1–0) (2)Michigan (2–0) (1)USC (2–0–1) (3.5)USC (3–0–1) (1)Michigan (5–0) (1)Michigan (6–0) (1)Michigan (7–0) (1)Michigan (8–0) (1)Michigan (9–0) (1)Michigan (10–0) (1)Michigan (10–0–1) (1)Ohio State (9–0–1) (2)Alabama (11–1)4.
5.Michigan (2)Michigan (0–0) (1)Michigan (1–0)Alabama (2–0) (1)Michigan (3–0) (2)Michigan (4–0) (1)Penn State (5–0) (4)Penn State (6–0) (4)Notre Dame (6–0)Notre Dame (7–0) (1)Notre Dame (8–0) (1)Notre Dame (8–0) (1)Notre Dame (9–0) (2)Michigan (10–0–1) (1)Penn State (12–0)5.
6.AlabamaAlabama (0–0)Texas (0–0)Penn State (2–0) (2)Oklahoma (1–0–1) (1.5)Oklahoma (2–0–1)USC (4–0–1)USC (5–0–1)Penn State (7–0) (4)Penn State (8–0) (4)Penn State (9–0) (1)Penn State (10–0) (1)Penn State (11–0) (2)Penn State (11–0) (3)Michigan (10–0–1)6.
7.Penn State (1)Penn State (0–0) (1)Penn State (1–0) (1)Notre Dame (1–0)Penn State (3–0) (3)Penn State (4–0) (3)Missouri (5–0) (1)Missouri (6–0) (1)LSU (7–0)LSU (8–0)LSU (8–0)LSU (9–0)USC (9–1–1)USC (9–1–1)Nebraska (9–2–1)7.
8.Notre DameNotre Dame (0–0)Notre Dame (0–0)Oklahoma (1–0) (1)Notre Dame (2–0)Tennessee (4–0)Notre Dame (4–0)Notre Dame (5–0)Arizona State (7–0)USC (6–1–1)UCLA (8–1)UCLA (9–1)LSU (9–1)Texas (8–2)USC (9–2–1)8.
9.TennesseeTennessee (0–0)Oklahoma (1–0)Tennessee (2–0)Tennessee (3–0)Notre Dame (3–0)LSU (5–0)LSU (6–0)USC (5–1–1)UCLA (7–1)USC (7–1–1)USC (8–1–1)Texas (8–2)UCLA (9–2)Arizona State (11–1) т9.
10.UCLAColorado (0–0)Tennessee (1–0)LSU (2–0)LSU (3–0)LSU (4–0)Tennessee (5–0)Nebraska (5–1)UCLA (6–1)Missouri (7–1)Nebraska (7–1–1)Nebraska (8–1–1)UCLA (9–2)Arizona State (10–1)Houston (11–1) т10.
11.Colorado тOklahoma (0–0)LSU (1–0)Auburn (2–0)Oklahoma State (3–0)Arizona State (4–0)Nebraska (4–1)Arizona State (6–0)Tennessee (6–1)Nebraska (6–1–1)Texas (6–2)Texas (7–2)Arizona State (10–1)Texas Tech (10–1)Texas Tech (11–1)11.
12.Oklahoma тAuburn (0–0)Auburn (1–0)Oklahoma State (2–0)Arizona State (3–0)Missouri (4–0)Arizona State (5–0)Houston (6–0)Missouri (6–1)Texas Tech (7–1)Texas Tech (8–1)Texas Tech (9–1)Texas Tech (10–1)Nebraska (8–2–1)UCLA (9–2)12.
13.AuburnArizona State (0–0)Arizona State (1–0)Arizona State (2–0)Texas (1–1)Texas (2–1)UCLA (4–1)UCLA (5–1)Nebraska (5–1–1)Texas (5–2)Arizona State (8–1)Arizona State (9–1)Nebraska (8–2–1)LSU (9–2)LSU (9–3)13.
14.Arizona StateFlorida (0–0)NC State (2–0)Texas (0–1)Houston (3–0)Houston (4–0)Houston (5–0)Tennessee (5–1)Tulane (6–0)Arizona State (7–1)Missouri (7–2)Houston (8–1)Houston (9–1)Houston (10–1)Texas (8–3)14.
15.FloridaLSU (0–0)Florida (1–0)Houston (2–0)Missouri (3–0)UCLA (3–1)Miami (FL) (3–1)Tulane (5–0)Texas Tech (6–1)Houston (7–1)Houston (8–1)Miami (OH) (10–0)Miami (OH) (10–0)Miami (OH) (10–0)Miami (OH) (11–0)15.
16.LSUUCLA (0–1)Houston (1–0)Florida (2–0)UCLA (2–1)Miami (FL) (2–1)Colorado (4–1)Miami (OH) (6–0)Miami (OH) (7–0)Tennessee (6–2)Tennessee (6–2)NC State (7–3)NC State (8–3)NC State (8–3)NC State (9–3)16.
17.NC StateNC State (2–0)Oklahoma State (1–0)UCLA (1–1)Miami (FL) (2–0)Colorado (3–1)Tulane (4–0)Kansas (4–2)Colorado (5–2)Miami (OH) (8–0)Miami (OH) (9–0)Tulane (8–1)Kansas (7–3–1)Tulane (9–2)Missouri (8–4)17.
18.HoustonHouston (0–0)UCLA (0–1)Miami (FL) (1–0)Colorado (2–1)Tulane (3–0)Kansas (4–1)Texas Tech (5–1)Houston (6–1)Kansas (5–2–1)Kansas (6–2–1)Oklahoma State (5–2–2)Maryland (8–3)Maryland (8–3)Kansas (7–4–1)18.
19.North CarolinaNorth Carolina (0–0)Colorado (0–1)NC State (2–1)SMU (3–0)Kansas (3–1)Arizona (5–0)Texas (3–2)Auburn (5–2) тKent State (7–1)Arizona (8–1)Missouri (7–3)Tennessee (7–3)Kansas (7–3–1)Tennessee (8–4)19.
20.Texas TechTexas Tech (0–0)
Missouri (2–0)West Virginia (3–0)Miami (OH) (4–0)Miami (OH) (5–0)Richmond (6–0)Texas (4–2) тPittsburgh (5–2–1)NC State (6–3)
  • Kansas (6–3–1) т
  • Pittsburgh (6–3–1) т
Missouri (7–4)Tennessee (8–3)
  • Maryland (8–4) т
  • Tulane (9–3) т
20.
Preseason
Aug[1]
Week 1
Sep 10[2]
Week 2
Sep 17[3]
Week 3
Sep 24[4]
Week 4
Oct 1[5]
Week 5
Oct 8[6]
Week 6
Oct 15[7]
Week 7
Oct 22[8]
Week 8
Oct 29[9]
Week 9
Nov 5[10]
Week 10
Nov 12[11]
Week 11
Nov 19[12]
Week 12
Nov 26[13]
Week 13
Dec 3[14]
Week 14 (Final)
Jan[15]
NoneDropped:
  • North Carolina
  • Texas Tech
Dropped:
  • Bowling Green
  • Colorado
Dropped:
  • Auburn
  • Florida
  • NC State
Dropped:
  • Oklahoma State
  • SMU
  • West Virginia
Dropped:
  • Texas
Dropped:
  • Arizona
  • Colorado
  • Miami (FL)
Dropped:
  • Kansas
  • Richmond
Dropped:
  • Auburn
  • Colorado
  • Tulane
Dropped:
  • Kent State
  • Pittsburgh
Dropped:
  • Arizona
  • Tennessee
Dropped:
  • Oklahoma State
  • Pittsburgh
  • Tulane
Dropped:
  • Missouri
None

Final Coaches Poll

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This was the last season in which the final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, in early December.[16]
Alabama received 21 of the 34 first-place votes; Oklahoma received nine, Ohio State two, Notre Dame one, and Michigan one.

Ranking Team Conference Bowl
1 Alabama SEC Lost Sugar, 23–24
2 Oklahoma Big Eight none
3 Ohio State Big Ten Won Rose, 42–21
4 Notre Dame Independent Won Sugar, 24–23
5 Penn State Independent Won Orange, 16–9
6 Michigan Big Ten none
7 USC Pac-8 Lost Rose, 21–42
8 Texas Southwest Lost Cotton, 3–19
9 UCLA Pac-8 none
10 Arizona State WAC Won Fiesta, 28–7
11 Nebraska Big Eight Won Cotton, 19–3
Texas Tech Southwest Won Gator, 28–19
13 Houston Independent Won Bluebonnet, 47–7
14 LSU SEC Lost Orange, 9–16
15 Kansas Big Eight Lost Liberty, 18–31
Tulane Independent Lost Bluebonnet, 7–47
17 Miami (OH) Mid-American Won Tangerine, 16–7
18 Maryland ACC Lost Peach, 16–17
19 San Diego State PCAA none
Florida SEC Lost Tangerine, 7–16

References

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  1. ^ "1973 Preseason AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  2. ^ "September 10, 1973 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  3. ^ "September 17, 1973 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  4. ^ "September 24, 1973 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  5. ^ "October 1, 1973 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  6. ^ "October 8, 1973 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  7. ^ "October 15, 1973 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  8. ^ "October 22, 1973 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  9. ^ "October 29, 1973 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  10. ^ "November 5, 1973 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  11. ^ "November 12, 1973 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  12. ^ "November 19, 1973 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  13. ^ "November 26, 1973 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  14. ^ "December 3, 1973 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  15. ^ "1973 Final AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  16. ^ "Tide tops both polls". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). UPI/AP. December 4, 1973. p. 20.