The list below is sorted by "underratedness." The teams at the top of the list were the most underrated (final poll standing furthest above preseason poll standing); the teams at the bottom of the list were the most overrated (final poll standing furthest below preseason poll standing). Any team not mentioned was unranked in both preseason and final polls.
| Team | Delta | Preseason Consensus |
Final AP Standing |
| UCLA | +21 | - | 5 |
| Washington State | +17 | - | 9 |
| Georgia | +16 | - | 10 |
| Kansas State | +14 | 22 | 8 |
| Michigan | +13½ | 14-t | 1 |
| Arizona State | +12 | - | 14 |
| Purdue | +11 | - | 15 |
| Southern Miss | +7 | - | 19 |
| Colorado State | +6 | 23 | 17 |
| Texas A&M | +6 | - | 20 |
| Auburn | +5 | 16 | 11 |
| Mississippi | +4 | - | 22 |
| Missouri | +3 | - | 23 |
| Nebraska | +3 | 5 | 2 |
| Oklahoma State | +2 | - | 24 |
| Florida State | +1 | 4 | 3 |
| North Carolina | +1 | 7 | 6 |
| Georgia Tech | +1 | - | 25 |
| Southern Cal | -1 | 25 | - |
| Ohio State | -2 | 10 | 12 |
| Louisiana State | -2 | 11 | 13 |
| Michigan State | -2 | 24 | - |
| Florida | -3 | 1 | 4 |
| Tennessee | -5 | 2 | 7 |
| Iowa | -5 | 21 | - |
| Brigham Young | -6 | 20 | - |
| Syracuse | -6½ | 14-t | 21 |
| Clemson | -7 | 19 | - |
| Stanford | -8 | 18 | - |
| Alabama | -9 | 17 | - |
| Washington | -12 | 6 | 18 |
| Penn State | -13 | 3 | 16 |
| Miami-Florida | -13 | 13 | - |
| Texas | -14 | 12 | - |
| Notre Dame | -17 | 9 | - |
| Colorado | -18 | 8 | - |