| Season: | 1962 |
| Preseason Number 1: | Ohio State |
| Champions: | USC |
Two human polls comprised the 1962 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.
| Increase in ranking | |||
| Decrease in ranking | |||
| Not ranked previous week | |||
| National champion | |||
| Win–loss record | |||
| Number of first place votes | |||
| Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
The final AP Poll was released on December 4,[1] at the end of the 1962 regular season, weeks before the bowls. The poll ranked only the top ten teams from 1962 through 1967.
The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, on
USC received 31 of the 35 first-place votes; Wisconsin received two, Ole Miss one, and Texas one.
| Ranking | Team | Conference | Record | Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USC | AAWU | 11–0 | Won Rose, 42–37 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | 8–2 | Lost Rose, 37–42 |
| 3 | Ole Miss | SEC | 10–0 | Won Sugar, 17–13 |
| 4 | Texas | Southwest | 9–1–1 | Lost Cotton, 0–13 |
| 5 | Alabama | SEC | 10–1 | Won Orange, 17–0 |
| 6 | Arkansas | Southwest | 9–1–1 | Lost Sugar, 13–17 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | Big Eight | 8–3 | Lost Orange, 0–17 |
| 8 | LSU | SEC | 9–1–1 | Won Cotton, 13–0 |
| 9 | Penn State | Independent | 9–2 | Lost Gator, 7–17 |
| 10 | Minnesota | Big Ten | 6–2–1 | none |
| 11 | Georgia Tech | SEC | 7–3–1 | Lost Bluebonnet, 10–14 |
| 12 | Missouri | Big Eight | 8–1–2 | Won Bluebonnet, 14–10 |
| 13 | Ohio State | Big Ten | 6–3 | none |
| 14 | Duke | ACC | 8–2 | |
| Washington | AAWU | 7–1–2 | ||
| 16 | Northwestern | Big Ten | 7–2 | |
| Oregon State | Independent | 9–2 | Won Liberty, 6–0 | |
| 18 | Arizona State | WAC | 7–2–1 | none |
| Illinois | Big Ten | 2–7 | ||
| Miami (FL) | Independent | 7–4 | Lost Gotham, 34–36 | |