1966 NCAA University Division football rankings
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
The final AP Poll was released in early December, at the end of the 1966 regular season.[ 1] 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.
Preseason Aug[ 2] Week 1 Sep 19[ 3] Week 2 Sep 26[ 4] Week 3 Oct 3[ 5] Week 4 Oct 10[ 6] Week 5 Oct 17[ 7] Week 6 Oct 24[ 8] Week 7 Oct 31[ 9] Week 8 Nov 7[ 10] Week 9 Nov 14[ 11] Week 10 Nov 21[ 12] Week 11 Nov 28[ 13] Week 12 (Final) Dec 5[ 14] 1. Alabama (15) Michigan State (1–0) (12) Michigan State (2–0) (22) Michigan State (3–0) (20) Michigan State (4–0) (18) Notre Dame (4–0) (31) Notre Dame (5–0) (32) Notre Dame (6–0) (39) Notre Dame (7–0) (32) Notre Dame (8–0) (35) Notre Dame (8–0–1) (37) Notre Dame (9–0–1) (40) Notre Dame (9–0–1) (41) 1. 2. Michigan State (12) UCLA (1–0) (13) UCLA (2–0) (11) UCLA (3–0) (7) Notre Dame (3–0) (15) Michigan State (5–0) (10) Michigan State (6–0) (5) Michigan State (7–0) (6) Michigan State (8–0) (10) Michigan State (9–0) (6) Michigan State (9–0–1) (27) Michigan State (9–0–1) (10) Michigan State (9–0–1) (8) 2. 3. Nebraska (2) Alabama (0–0) (10) Alabama (1–0) (2) Notre Dame (2–0) (8) Alabama (3–0) (4) UCLA (5–0) (3) UCLA (6–0) (2) UCLA (7–0) (3) Alabama (7–0) Alabama (8–0) (1) Alabama (8–0) (8) Alabama (9–0) (7) Alabama (10–0) (7) 3. 4. UCLA (6) Nebraska (1–0) Notre Dame (1–0) (2) Alabama (2–0) (3) UCLA (4–0) (2) Alabama (4–0) (2) Alabama (5–0) (1) Alabama (6–0) (1) Nebraska (8–0) Nebraska (9–0) Nebraska (9–0) (1) Georgia (9–1) Georgia (9–1) 4. 5. Arkansas USC (1–0) (2) USC (2–0) (1) Arkansas (3–0) (2) USC (4–0) (1) USC (5–0) (1) USC (6–0) (1) Georgia Tech (7–0) Georgia Tech (8–0) Georgia Tech (9–0) Georgia Tech (9–0) UCLA (9–1) UCLA (9–1) 5. 6. Notre Dame Arkansas (1–0) (1) Nebraska (2–0) USC (3–0) (1) Nebraska (4–0) Georgia Tech (5–0) Georgia Tech (6–0) Nebraska (7–0) Arkansas (7–1) (1) Arkansas (8–1) (1) UCLA (9–1) Nebraska (9–1) Nebraska (9–1) 6. 7. Syracuse Purdue (1–0) Arkansas (2–0) (1) Nebraska (3–0) Georgia Tech (4–0) Nebraska (5–0) Florida (6–0) Florida (7–0) USC (7–1) USC (7–1) Georgia (8–1) Purdue (8–2) Purdue (8–2) 7. 8. Purdue Notre Dame (0–0) (1) Michigan (2–0) (1) Tennessee (2–0) Florida (4–0) Florida (5–0) Nebraska (6–0) Arkansas (6–1) UCLA (7–1) UCLA (8–1) Purdue (8–2) Georgia Tech (9–1) Georgia Tech (9–1) 8. 9. USC Michigan (1–0) (1) Georgia Tech (2–0)Georgia Tech (3–0) Purdue (3–1) Purdue (4–1) Arkansas (5–1) USC (6–1) Georgia (7–1)Georgia (8–1) Florida (8–1) Miami (FL) (7–2–1)Miami (FL) (7–2–1) 9. 10. Tennessee Baylor (1–0) (1) Tennessee (1–0) Florida (3–0)Baylor (3–1) Oklahoma (4–0)Wyoming (6–0)Tennessee (4–2) Tennessee (5–2) Purdue (7–2) USC (7–2) SMU (8–2)SMU (8–2) 10. Preseason Aug[ 2] Week 1 Sep 19[ 3] Week 2 Sep 26[ 4] Week 3 Oct 3[ 5] Week 4 Oct 10[ 6] Week 5 Oct 17[ 7] Week 6 Oct 24[ 8] Week 7 Oct 31[ 9] Week 8 Nov 7[ 10] Week 9 Nov 14[ 11] Week 10 Nov 21[ 12] Week 11 Nov 28[ 13] Week 12 (Final) Dec 5[ 14] Dropped: Dropped: Dropped: Dropped: Dropped: Dropped: Dropped: Dropped: Dropped: Dropped: Dropped: None
Final Coaches Poll
The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, in late November.[ 15] [ 16] Notre Dame received twenty of the 35 first-place votes; Michigan State received ten, Alabama four, and UCLA one.[ 17]
Ranking
Team
Conference
Bowl
1
Notre Dame
Independent
none
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
^ "Polls give No. 1 nod to Notre Dame" . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon). Associated Press. December 6, 1967. p. 3B.
^ "1966 Preseason AP Football Poll" . College Poll Archive . Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ "September 19, 1966 AP Football Poll" . College Poll Archive . Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ "September 26, 1966 AP Football Poll" . College Poll Archive . Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ "October 3, 1966 AP Football Poll" . College Poll Archive . Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ "October 10, 1966 AP Football Poll" . College Poll Archive . Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ "October 17, 1966 AP Football Poll" . College Poll Archive . Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ "October 24, 1966 AP Football Poll" . College Poll Archive . Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ "October 31, 1966 AP Football Poll" . College Poll Archive . Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ "November 7, 1966 AP Football Poll" . College Poll Archive . Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ "November 14, 1966 AP Football Poll" . College Poll Archive . Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ "November 21, 1966 AP Football Poll" . College Poll Archive . Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ "November 28, 1966 AP Football Poll" . College Poll Archive . Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ "1966 Final AP Football Poll" . College Poll Archive . Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ Meyers, Jeff (November 29, 1966). "Notre Dame is No. 1 in final UPI balloting" . Reading Eagle . (Pennsylvania). UPI. p. 26.
^ "Irish ride USC win to 1st" . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon). AP, UPI. November 29, 1966. p. 3B.
^ "Notre Dame named national champions" . Bend Bulletin . (Oregon). UPI. November 29, 1966. p. 8.
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