Unlike the USA Today Poll, the final AP Top 25 of the college football season does not have Michigan State and Michigan in the top 10. Both teams are actually just on the outside looking in, with the Spartans being ranked 11th and the Wolverines 12th.
There are two reasons for this difference. For one, USC is actually ranked in the AP Top 25. The Trojans aren't eligible to be included in the USA Today Poll due to their NCAA sanctions. However, that isn't the case for the AP Top 25, which put the Trojans sixth. The other difference is that Wisconsin is ahead of the Wolverines and Spartans in the AP Top 25 despite losing to Oregon in the Rose Bowl. The USA Today Poll, on the other hand, opted to put the Badgers behind their Big Ten counterparts.
Here's the full AP Top 25:
| Rank | Team | Record | Votes | Previous |
| 1 | Alabama (55) | 12-1 | 1,495 | 2 |
| 2 | LSU (1) | 13-1 | 1,425 | 1 |
| 3 | Oklahoma State (4) | 12-1 | 1,399 | 3 |
| 4 | Oregon | 12-2 | 1,250 | 6 |
| 5 | Arkansas | 11-2 | 1,198 | 7 |
| 6 | USC | 10-2 | 1,181 | 5 |
| 7 | Stanford | 11-2 | 1,167 | 4 |
| 8 | Boise State | 12-1 | 1,127 | 8 |
| 9 | South Carolina | 11-2 | 1,013 | 10 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 11-3 | 905 | 9 |
| 11 | Michigan State | 11-3 | 873 | 12 |
| 12 | Michigan | 11-2 | 839 | 13 |
| 13 | Baylor | 10-3 | 780 | 15 |
| 14 | TCU | 11-2 | 653 | 16 |
| 15 | Kansas State | 10-3 | 621 | 11 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 10-3 | 572 | 19 |
| 17 | West Virginia | 10-3 | 547 | 23 |
| 18 | Houston | 13-1 | 518 | 20 |
| 19 | Georgia | 10-4 | 439 | 18 |
| 20 | Southern Miss | 12-2 | 411 | 22 |
| 21 | Virginia Tech | 11-3 | 329 | 17 |
| 22 | Clemson | 10-4 | 188 | 14 |
| 23 | Florida State | 9-4 | 154 | 25 |
| 24 | Nebraska | 9-4 | 143 | 21 |
| 25 | Cincinnati | 10-3 | 103 | NR |
Also receiving votes: Brigham Young 51, Auburn 40, Northern Illinois 33, Missouri 23, Texas 15, Rutgers 3, Penn State 2, North Dakota State 2, Virginia 1