1986 USA Today/CNN Rankings
| Final Poll For 1986 Season |
| Rank |
Team |
Record |
Votes |
| 1986 USA Today/CNN |
| 1 | Penn State | 12-0-0 | | | 2 | Miami | 11-1-0 | |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 11-1-0 | | | 4 | Nebraska | 10-2-0 | |
| 5 | Arizona State | 10-1-1 | | | 6 | Ohio State | 10-3-0 | |
| 7 | Auburn | 10-2-0 | | | 8 | Michigan | 11-2-0 | |
| 9 | Alabama | 10-3-0 | | | 10 | Louisiana State | 9-3-0 | |
| 11 | Arizona | 9-3-0 | | | 12 | Texas A&M | 9-3-0 | |
| 13 | UCLA | 8-3-1 | | | 14 | Baylor | 9-3-0 | |
| 15 | Boston College | 9-3-0 | | | 16 | Iowa | 9-3-0 | |
| 17 | Arkansas | 9-3-0 | | | 18 | Clemson | 8-2-2 | |
| 19 | Washington | 8-3-1 | | | 20 | Virginia Tech | 9-2-1 | |
| 21 | Florida State | 7-4-1 | | | 22 | Stanford | 8-4-0 | |
| 23 | Georgia | 8-4-0 | | | 24 | North Carolina State | 8-3-1 | |
| 25 | San Diego State | 8-4-0 | |
|
Great Moments in College Football History
Touchdowns in college football were originally counted as three points.
