1966 NCAA University Division football rankings

none August 2023 December 2025 1966 Alabama Notre Dame Two human polls comprised the 1966 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 November 2025 The final AP Poll was released in early December, at the end of the 1966 regular season.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RvFVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_eADAAAAIBAJ&pg=5527%2C1397619 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon Associated Press Polls give No. 1 nod to Notre Dame December 6, 1967 3B In the previous season, the final poll was released in January for the first time, after the bowl games, but not in 1966 or 1967. The AP Poll ranked only the top ten teams from 1962 through 1967. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 (Final) Aug Sep 19 Sep 26 Oct 3 Oct 10 Oct 17 Oct 24 Oct 31 Nov 7 Nov 14 Nov 21 Nov 28 Dec 5 Alabama (15) Michigan State (12) Nebraska (2) UCLA (6) Arkansas Notre Dame Syracuse Purdue USC Tennessee Michigan State (1–0) (12) u UCLA (1–0) (13) u Alabama (0–0) (10) d Nebraska (1–0) d USC (1–0) (2) u Arkansas (1–0) (1) d Purdue (1–0) u Notre Dame (0–0) (1) d Michigan (1–0) (1) npr Baylor (1–0) (1) npr Syracuse Tennessee Michigan State (2–0) (22) UCLA (2–0) (11) Alabama (1–0) (2) Notre Dame (1–0) (2) u USC (2–0) (1) Nebraska (2–0) d Arkansas (2–0) (1) d Michigan (2–0) (1) u Georgia Tech (2–0) npr Tennessee (1–0) npr Baylor Purdue Michigan State (3–0) (20) UCLA (3–0) (7) Notre Dame (2–0) (8) u Alabama (2–0) (3) d Arkansas (3–0) (2) u USC (3–0) (1) d Nebraska (3–0) d Tennessee (2–0) u Georgia Tech (3–0) Florida (3–0) npr Michigan Michigan State (4–0) (18) Notre Dame (3–0) (15) u Alabama (3–0) (4) u UCLA (4–0) (2) d USC (4–0) (1) u Nebraska (4–0) u Georgia Tech (4–0) u Florida (4–0) u Purdue (3–1) npr Baylor (3–1) npr Arkansas Tennessee Notre Dame (4–0) (31) u Michigan State (5–0) (10) d UCLA (5–0) (3) u Alabama (4–0) (2) d USC (5–0) (1) Georgia Tech (5–0) u Nebraska (5–0) d Florida (5–0) Purdue (4–1) Oklahoma (4–0) npr Baylor Notre Dame (5–0) (32) Michigan State (6–0) (5) UCLA (6–0) (2) Alabama (5–0) (1) USC (6–0) (1) Georgia Tech (6–0) Florida (6–0) u Nebraska (6–0) d Arkansas (5–1) npr Wyoming (6–0) npr Oklahoma Purdue Notre Dame (6–0) (39) Michigan State (7–0) (6) UCLA (7–0) (3) Alabama (6–0) (1) Georgia Tech (7–0) u Nebraska (7–0) u Florida (7–0) Arkansas (6–1) u USC (6–1) d Tennessee (4–2) npr Wyoming Notre Dame (7–0) (32) Michigan State (8–0) (10) Alabama (7–0) u Nebraska (8–0) u Georgia Tech (8–0) Arkansas (7–1) (1) u USC (7–1) u UCLA (7–1) d Georgia (7–1) npr Tennessee (5–2) Florida Notre Dame (8–0) (35) Michigan State (9–0) (6) Alabama (8–0) (1) Nebraska (9–0) Georgia Tech (9–0) Arkansas (8–1) (1) USC (7–1) UCLA (8–1) Georgia (8–1) Purdue (7–2) npr Tennessee Notre Dame (8–0–1) (37) Michigan State (9–0–1) (27) Alabama (8–0) (8) Nebraska (9–0) (1) Georgia Tech (9–0) UCLA (9–1) u Georgia (8–1) u Purdue (8–2) u Florida (8–1) npr USC (7–2) d Arkansas Notre Dame (9–0–1) (40) Michigan State (9–0–1) (10) Alabama (9–0) (7) Georgia (9–1) u UCLA (9–1) u Nebraska (9–1) d Purdue (8–2) u Georgia Tech (9–1) d Miami (FL) (7–2–1) npr SMU (8–2) npr Florida USC Notre Dame (9–0–1) (41) nc Michigan State (9–0–1) (8) Alabama (10–0) (7) Georgia (9–1) UCLA (9–1) Nebraska (9–1) Purdue (8–2) Georgia Tech (9–1) Miami (FL) (7–2–1) SMU (8–2) Final Coaches Poll The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, in late November.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fS0rAAAAIBAJ&sjid=A5gFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4006%2C8859398 Reading Eagle Pennsylvania UPI Meyers Jeff Notre Dame is No. 1 in final UPI balloting November 29, 1966 26https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bKtVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=COEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5786%2C6413363 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon AP, UPI Irish ride USC win to 1st November 29, 1966 3B Notre Dame received twenty of the 35 first-place votes; Michigan State received ten, Alabama four, and UCLA one.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=S_5XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=A_cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1332%2C1584153 Bend Bulletin Oregon UPI Notre Dame named national champions November 29, 1966 8 Ranking Team Conference Bowl 1 Notre Dame Independentnone 2 Michigan State Big Ten 3 Alabama SEC Won Sugar, 34–7 4 Georgia SEC Won Cotton, 24–9 5 UCLA AAWU (Pac-8) none 6 Purdue Big Ten Won Rose, 14–13 7 Nebraska Big Eight Lost Sugar, 7–34 8 Georgia Tech Independent Lost Orange, 12–27 9 SMU Southwest Lost Cotton, 9–24 10 Miami (FL) Independent Won Liberty, 14–7 11 Florida SEC Won Orange, 27–12 12 Mississippi SEC Lost Bluebonnet, 0–19 13 Arkansas Southwest none 14 Tennessee SEC Won Gator, 18–12 15 Wyoming WAC Won Sun, 28–20 16 Syracuse Independent Lost Gator, 12–18 17 Houston Independent none 18 USC AAWU (Pac-8) Lost Rose, 13–14 19 Oregon State AAWU (Pac-8) none 20 Virginia Tech Independent Lost Liberty, 7–14 Notre Dame did not participate in bowl games from 1925 through 1968. Prior to the 1975 season, the Big Ten and Pac-8 conferences allowed only one postseason participant each, for the Rose Bowl. Big Ten champion Michigan State was barred from participation in the Rose Bowl due to the conference's no-repeat rule, in effect from 1946 through 1971. The Ivy League has prohibited its members from participating in postseason football since the league was officially formed in 1954. References * Category:College football rankings