Two human polls comprised the 1963 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 9,[1] at the end of the 1963 regular season, weeks before the bowls. (The season had been extended due to postponements after the assassination of President Kennedy.)
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 December 3.[2]
Texas received 31 of the 35 first-place votes and Navy received the other four.[3]
| Ranking | Team | Conference | Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | Southwest | Won Cotton, 28–6 |
| 2 | Navy | Independent | Lost Cotton, 6–28 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh | Independent | none |
| 4 | Illinois | Big Ten | Won Rose, 17–7 |
| 5 | Nebraska | Big Eight | Won Orange, 13–7 |
| 6 | Auburn | SEC | Lost Orange, 7–13 |
| 7 | Mississippi | SEC | Lost Sugar, 7–12 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | Big Eight | none |
| 9 | Alabama | SEC | Won Sugar, 12–7 |
| 10 | Michigan State | Big Ten | none |
| 11 | Mississippi State | SEC | Won Liberty, 16–12 |
| 12 | Syracuse | Independent | none |
| 13 | Arizona State | WAC | |
| 14 | Memphis State | Independent | |
| 15 | Washington | AAWU | Lost Rose, 7–17 |
| 16 | Penn State | Independent | none |
| USC | AAWU | ||
| Missouri | Big Eight | ||
| 19 | North Carolina | ACC | Won Gator, 35–0 |
| 20 | Baylor | Southwest | Won Bluebonnet, 14–7 |
The following teams were ranked as the top 25 teams in the final Litkenhous Ratings, released in December 1963:[4] 1. Texas
2. Ole Miss
3. Navy
4. Illinois
5. Pittsburgh
6. Michigan State
7. Auburn
8. Alabama
9. Syracuse
10. USC
11. Nebraska
12. Baylor
13. Georgia Tech
14. Oklahoma
15. Arkansas
16. Air Force
17. Mississippi State
18. Washington
19. Michigan
20. Northwestern
21. Ohio State
22. Oregon
23. LSU
25. Missouri
25. Rice