| Season: | 1964 |
| Preseason Number 1: | Ole Miss |
Two human polls comprised the 1964 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 November 30, at the end of the 1964 regular season, a month before the bowls.[1] 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 1.[2]
Alabama received 22 of the 35 first-place votes; Arkansas received seven, Notre Dame four, and Michigan two.[3]
| Ranking | Team | Conference | Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | SEC | Lost Orange, 17–21 |
| 2 | Arkansas | Southwest | Won Cotton, 10–7 |
| 3 | Notre Dame | Independent | none |
| 4 | Michigan | Big Ten | Won Rose, 34–7 |
| 5 | Texas | Southwest | Won Orange, 21–17 |
| 6 | Nebraska | Big Eight | Lost Cotton, 7–10 |
| 7 | LSU | SEC | Won Sugar, 13–10 |
| 8 | Oregon State | AAWU (Pac-8) | Lost Rose, 7–34 |
| 9 | Ohio State | Big Ten | none |
| 10 | USC | AAWU (Pac-8) | |
| 11 | Florida State | Independent | Won Gator, 36–19 |
| 12 | Syracuse | Independent | Lost Sugar, 10–13 |
| 13 | Princeton | Ivy | none |
| 14 | Penn State | Independent | |
| Utah | Won Liberty, 32–6 | ||
| 16 | Illinois | Big Ten | none |
| New Mexico | WAC | ||
| 18 | Tulsa | MVC | Won Bluebonnet, 14–7 |
| Missouri | Big Eight | none | |
| 20 | Michigan State | Big Ten | |
| Mississippi | SEC | Lost Bluebonnet, 7–14 | |
The following teams were ranked as the top 25 teams in the final Litkenhous Ratings, released in December 1964:[4] 1. Alabama
2. Michigan
3. Notre Dame
4. Arkansas
5. Texas
6. USC
7. Florida State
8. Florida
9. Ohio State
10. Nebraska
11. Illinois
12. Utah
13. Tulsa
14. Purdue
15. Penn State
16. Syracuse
17. UCLA
18. Ole Miss
19. LSU
20. Michigan State
21. Utah State
22. Oregon State
23. Oregon
24. Minnesota
25. Oklahoma