AP Polls
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Final | 1 | Miami (FL) | 1 | 72 | Big East | |
| 17 | Final | 2 | Oregon | 2 | Pac-10 | ||
| 17 | Final | 3 | Florida | 5 | 2 | SEC (East) | |
| 17 | Final | 4 | Tennessee | 8 | 4 | SEC (East) | |
| 17 | Final | 5 | Texas | 9 | 4 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 17 | Final | 6 | Oklahoma | 10 | 4 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 17 | Final | 7 | LSU | 12 | 5 | SEC (West) | |
| 17 | Final | 8 | Nebraska | 4 | 4 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 17 | Final | 9 | Colorado | 3 | 6 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 17 | Final | 10 | Washington State | 13 | 3 | Pac-10 | |
| 17 | Final | 11 | Maryland | 6 | 5 | ACC | |
| 17 | Final | 12 | Illinois | 7 | 5 | Big Ten | |
| 17 | Final | 13 | South Carolina | 14 | 1 | SEC (East) | |
| 17 | Final | 14 | Syracuse | 18 | 4 | Big East | |
| 17 | Final | 15 | Florida State | 24 | 9 | ACC | |
| 17 | Final | 16 | Stanford | 11 | 5 | Pac-10 | |
| 17 | Final | 17 | Louisville | 23 | 6 | CUSA | |
| 17 | Final | 18 | Virginia Tech | 15 | 3 | Big East | |
| 17 | Final | 19 | Washington | 21 | 2 | Pac-10 | |
| 17 | Final | 20 | Michigan | 17 | 3 | Big Ten | |
| 17 | Final | 21 | Boston College | Big East | |||
| 17 | Final | 22 | Georgia | 16 | 6 | SEC (East) | |
| 17 | Final | 23 | Toledo | 25 | 2 | MAC (West) | |
| 17 | Final | 24 | Georgia Tech | ACC | |||
| 17 | Final | 25 | BYU | 19 | 6 | MWC | |
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 1 | Miami (FL) (11-0) | 1 | 72 | Big East | |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 2 | Oregon (10-1) | 3 | 1 | Pac-10 | |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 3 | Colorado (10-2) | 4 | 1 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 4 | Nebraska (11-1) | 5 | 1 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 5 | Florida (9-2) | 6 | 1 | SEC (East) | |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 6 | Maryland (10-1) | 7 | 1 | ACC | |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 7 | Illinois (10-1) | 8 | 1 | Big Ten | |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 8 | Tennessee (10-2) | 2 | 6 | SEC (East) | |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 9 | Texas (10-2) | 10 | 1 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 10 | Oklahoma (10-2) | 11 | 1 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 11 | Stanford (9-2) | 12 | 1 | Pac-10 | |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 12 | LSU (9-3) | 21 | 9 | SEC (West) | |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 13 | Washington State (9-2) | 13 | Pac-10 | ||
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 14 | South Carolina (8-3) | 14 | SEC (East) | ||
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 15 | Virginia Tech (8-3) | 15 | Big East | ||
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 16 | Georgia (8-3) | 16 | SEC (East) | ||
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 17 | Michigan (8-3) | 17 | Big Ten | ||
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 18 | Syracuse (9-3) | 18 | Big East | ||
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 19 | BYU (12-1) | 9 | 10 | MWC | |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 20 | Fresno State (11-2) | 19 | 1 | WAC | |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 21 | Washington (8-3) | 20 | 1 | Pac-10 | |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 22 | Ohio State (7-4) | 22 | Big Ten | ||
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 23 | Louisville (10-2) | 23 | CUSA | ||
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 24 | Florida State (7-4) | 24 | ACC | ||
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 25 | Toledo (9-2) | 25 | MAC (West) | ||
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 1 | Miami (FL) (11-0) | 1 | 72 | Big East | |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 2 | Tennessee (10-1) | 5 | 3 | SEC (East) | |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 3 | Oregon (10-1) | 4 | 1 | Pac-10 | |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 4 | Colorado (10-2) | 9 | 5 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 5 | Nebraska (11-1) | 6 | 1 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 6 | Florida (9-2) | 2 | 4 | SEC (East) | |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 7 | Maryland (10-1) | 7 | ACC | ||
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 8 | Illinois (10-1) | 8 | Big Ten | ||
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 9 | BYU (12-0) | 10 | 1 | MWC | |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 10 | Texas (10-2) | 3 | 7 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 11 | Oklahoma (10-2) | 11 | Big 12 (South) | ||
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 12 | Stanford (9-2) | 12 | Pac-10 | ||
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 13 | Washington State (9-2) | 13 | Pac-10 | ||
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 14 | South Carolina (8-3) | 15 | 1 | SEC (East) | |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 15 | Virginia Tech (8-3) | 14 | 1 | Big East | |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 16 | Georgia (8-3) | 16 | SEC (East) | ||
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 17 | Michigan (8-3) | 17 | Big Ten | ||
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 18 | Syracuse (9-3) | 18 | Big East | ||
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 19 | Fresno State (11-2) | 21 | 2 | WAC | |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 20 | Washington (8-3) | 19 | 1 | Pac-10 | |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 21 | LSU (8-3) | 22 | 1 | SEC (West) | |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 22 | Ohio State (7-4) | 23 | 1 | Big Ten | |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 23 | Louisville (10-2) | 24 | 1 | CUSA | |
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 24 | Florida State (7-4) | ACC | |||
| 15 | 2001-12-02 | 25 | Toledo (9-2) | MAC (West) | |||
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 1 | Miami (FL) (10-0) | 1 | 71 | Big East | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 2 | Florida (9-1) | 3 | 1 | 1 | SEC (East) |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 3 | Texas (10-1) | 5 | 2 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 4 | Oregon (9-1) | 6 | 2 | Pac-10 | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 5 | Tennessee (9-1) | 7 | 2 | SEC (East) | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 6 | Nebraska (11-1) | 2 | 4 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 7 | Maryland (10-1) | 8 | 1 | ACC | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 8 | Illinois (10-1) | 10 | 2 | Big Ten | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 9 | Colorado (9-2) | 14 | 5 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 10 | BYU (11-0) | 9 | 1 | MWC | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 11 | Oklahoma (10-2) | 4 | 7 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 12 | Stanford (8-2) | 13 | 1 | Pac-10 | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 13 | Washington State (9-2) | 15 | 2 | Pac-10 | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 14 | Virginia Tech (8-2) | 16 | 2 | Big East | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 15 | South Carolina (8-3) | 18 | 3 | SEC (East) | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 16 | Georgia (7-3) | 19 | 3 | SEC (East) | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 17 | Michigan (8-3) | 11 | 6 | Big Ten | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 18 | Syracuse (9-3) | 22 | 4 | Big East | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 19 | Washington (8-3) | 12 | 7 | Pac-10 | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 20 | Marshall (10-1) | 20 | MAC (East) | ||
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 21 | Fresno State (10-2) | 23 | 2 | WAC | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 22 | LSU (7-3) | SEC (West) | |||
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 23 | Ohio State (7-4) | Big Ten | |||
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 24 | Louisville (10-2) | 17 | 7 | CUSA | |
| 14 | 2001-11-25 | 25 | Auburn (7-3) | SEC (West) | |||
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 1 | Miami (FL) (9-0) | 1 | 52 | Big East | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 2 | Nebraska (11-0) | 2 | 20 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 3 | Florida (9-1) | 4 | 1 | SEC (East) | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 4 | Oklahoma (10-1) | 3 | 1 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 5 | Texas (9-1) | 5 | Big 12 (South) | ||
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 6 | Oregon (9-1) | 7 | 1 | Pac-10 | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 7 | Tennessee (8-1) | 6 | 1 | SEC (East) | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 8 | Maryland (10-1) | 10 | 2 | ACC | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 9 | BYU (11-0) | 8 | 1 | MWC | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 10 | Illinois (9-1) | 12 | 2 | Big Ten | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 11 | Michigan (8-2) | 11 | Big Ten | ||
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 12 | Washington (8-2) | 16 | 4 | Pac-10 | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 13 | Stanford (7-2) | 13 | Pac-10 | ||
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 14 | Colorado (8-2) | 15 | 1 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 15 | Washington State (9-2) | 9 | 6 | Pac-10 | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 16 | Virginia Tech (8-2) | 18 | 2 | Big East | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 17 | Louisville (10-1) | 19 | 2 | CUSA | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 18 | South Carolina (8-3) | 22 | 4 | SEC (East) | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 19 | Georgia (6-3) | 23 | 4 | SEC (East) | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 20 | Marshall (9-1) | 24 | 4 | MAC (East) | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 21 | Georgia Tech (7-3) | ACC | |||
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 22 | Syracuse (8-3) | 14 | 8 | Big East | |
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 23 | Fresno State (9-2) | WAC | |||
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 24 | Arkansas (7-3) | SEC (West) | |||
| 13 | 2001-11-18 | 25 | Boston College (7-3) | Big East | |||
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 1 | Miami (FL) (8-0) | 1 | 44 | Big East | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 2 | Nebraska (11-0) | 2 | 28 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 3 | Oklahoma (9-1) | 3 | Big 12 (South) | ||
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 4 | Florida (8-1) | 4 | SEC (East) | ||
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 5 | Texas (9-1) | 5 | Big 12 (South) | ||
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 6 | Tennessee (7-1) | 6 | SEC (East) | ||
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 7 | Oregon (9-1) | 7 | Pac-10 | ||
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 8 | BYU (10-0) | 9 | 1 | MWC | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 9 | Washington State (9-1) | 11 | 2 | Pac-10 | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 10 | Maryland (9-1) | 13 | 3 | ACC | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 11 | Michigan (7-2) | 12 | 1 | Big Ten | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 12 | Illinois (8-1) | 15 | 3 | Big Ten | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 13 | Stanford (6-2) | 16 | 3 | Pac-10 | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 14 | Syracuse (8-2) | 18 | 4 | Big East | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 15 | Colorado (8-2) | 21 | 6 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 16 | Washington (7-2) | 8 | 8 | Pac-10 | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 17 | Auburn (7-2) | 24 | 7 | SEC (West) | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 18 | Virginia Tech (7-2) | 23 | 5 | Big East | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 19 | Louisville (9-1) | 25 | 6 | CUSA | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 20 | UCLA (6-3) | 17 | 3 | Pac-10 | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 21 | Florida State (6-3) | 10 | 11 | ACC | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 22 | South Carolina (7-3) | 14 | 8 | SEC (East) | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 23 | Georgia (5-3) | 19 | 4 | SEC (East) | |
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 24 | Marshall (8-1) | MAC (East) | |||
| 12 | 2001-11-11 | 25 | Ohio State (6-3) | Big Ten | |||
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 1 | Miami (FL) (7-0) | 1 | 55 | Big East | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 2 | Nebraska (10-0) | 2 | 17 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 3 | Oklahoma (8-1) | 3 | Big 12 (South) | ||
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 4 | Florida (7-1) | 4 | SEC (East) | ||
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 5 | Texas (8-1) | 5 | Big 12 (South) | ||
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 6 | Tennessee (6-1) | 7 | 1 | SEC (East) | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 7 | Oregon (8-1) | 8 | 1 | Pac-10 | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 8 | Washington (7-1) | 11 | 3 | Pac-10 | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 9 | BYU (9-0) | 13 | 4 | MWC | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 10 | Florida State (6-2) | 14 | 4 | ACC | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 11 | Washington State (8-1) | 16 | 5 | Pac-10 | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 12 | Michigan (6-2) | 6 | 6 | Big Ten | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 13 | Maryland (8-1) | 15 | 2 | ACC | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 14 | South Carolina (7-2) | 17 | 3 | SEC (East) | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 15 | Illinois (7-1) | 21 | 6 | Big Ten | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 16 | Stanford (5-2) | 10 | 6 | Pac-10 | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 17 | UCLA (6-2) | 9 | 8 | Pac-10 | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 18 | Syracuse (7-2) | 19 | 1 | Big East | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 19 | Georgia (5-2) | 18 | 1 | SEC (East) | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 20 | Georgia Tech (6-2) | 23 | 3 | ACC | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 21 | Colorado (7-2) | 25 | 4 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 22 | Michigan State (5-2) | Big Ten | |||
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 23 | Virginia Tech (6-2) | 12 | 11 | Big East | |
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 24 | Auburn (6-2) | SEC (West) | |||
| 11 | 2001-11-04 | 25 | Louisville (8-1) | CUSA | |||
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 1 | Miami (FL) (6-0) | 1 | 55 | Big East | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 2 | Nebraska (9-0) | 3 | 1 | 17 | Big 12 (North) |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 3 | Oklahoma (7-1) | 2 | 1 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 4 | Florida (6-1) | 6 | 2 | SEC (East) | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 5 | Texas (7-1) | 7 | 2 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 6 | Michigan (6-1) | 8 | 2 | Big Ten | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 7 | Tennessee (5-1) | 9 | 2 | SEC (East) | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 8 | Oregon (7-1) | 11 | 3 | Pac-10 | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 9 | UCLA (6-1) | 4 | 5 | Pac-10 | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 10 | Stanford (5-1) | 20 | 10 | Pac-10 | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 11 | Washington (6-1) | 13 | 2 | Pac-10 | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 12 | Virginia Tech (6-1) | 5 | 7 | Big East | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 13 | BYU (8-0) | 16 | 3 | MWC | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 14 | Florida State (5-2) | 19 | 5 | ACC | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 15 | Maryland (7-1) | 10 | 5 | ACC | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 16 | Washington State (7-1) | 14 | 2 | Pac-10 | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 17 | South Carolina (6-2) | 12 | 5 | SEC (East) | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 18 | Georgia (5-2) | 15 | 3 | SEC (East) | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 19 | Syracuse (7-2) | Big East | |||
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 20 | Purdue (5-1) | 24 | 4 | Big Ten | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 21 | Illinois (6-1) | 22 | 1 | Big Ten | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 22 | North Carolina (5-3) | 23 | 1 | ACC | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 23 | Georgia Tech (5-2) | 21 | 2 | ACC | |
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 24 | Texas A&M (7-1) | Big 12 (South) | |||
| 10 | 2001-10-28 | 25 | Colorado (6-2) | 25 | Big 12 (North) | ||
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 1 | Miami (FL) (5-0) | 1 | 47 | Big East | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 2 | Oklahoma (7-0) | 2 | 22 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 3 | Nebraska (8-0) | 3 | 2 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 4 | UCLA (6-0) | 4 | 1 | Pac-10 | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 5 | Virginia Tech (6-0) | 6 | 1 | Big East | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 6 | Florida (5-1) | 7 | 1 | SEC (East) | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 7 | Texas (6-1) | 9 | 2 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 8 | Michigan (5-1) | 10 | 2 | Big Ten | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 9 | Tennessee (4-1) | 11 | 2 | SEC (East) | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 10 | Maryland (7-0) | 12 | 2 | ACC | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 11 | Oregon (6-1) | 5 | 6 | Pac-10 | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 12 | South Carolina (6-1) | 16 | 4 | SEC (East) | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 13 | Washington (5-1) | 15 | 2 | Pac-10 | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 14 | Washington State (7-0) | 19 | 5 | Pac-10 | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 15 | Georgia (5-1) | 17 | 2 | SEC (East) | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 16 | BYU (7-0) | 18 | 2 | MWC | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 17 | Auburn (6-1) | 20 | 3 | SEC (West) | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 18 | Fresno State (6-1) | 8 | 10 | WAC | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 19 | Florida State (4-2) | 21 | 2 | ACC | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 20 | Stanford (4-1) | Pac-10 | |||
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 21 | Georgia Tech (5-2) | 23 | 2 | ACC | |
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 22 | Illinois (6-1) | Big Ten | |||
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 23 | North Carolina (5-3) | ACC | |||
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 24 | Purdue (4-1) | 24 | Big Ten | ||
| 9 | 2001-10-21 | 25 | Colorado (5-2) | 14 | 11 | Big 12 (North) | |
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 1 | Miami (FL) (5-0) | 2 | 1 | 48 | Big East |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 2 | Oklahoma (6-0) | 3 | 1 | 21 | Big 12 (South) |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 3 | Nebraska (7-0) | 4 | 1 | 2 | Big 12 (North) |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 4 | UCLA (5-0) | 7 | 3 | 1 | Pac-10 |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 5 | Oregon (6-0) | 5 | Pac-10 | ||
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 6 | Virginia Tech (6-0) | 6 | Big East | ||
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 7 | Florida (5-1) | 1 | 6 | SEC (East) | |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 8 | Fresno State (6-0) | 8 | WAC | ||
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 9 | Texas (5-1) | 11 | 2 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 10 | Michigan (5-1) | 12 | 2 | Big Ten | |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 11 | Tennessee (3-1) | 13 | 2 | SEC (East) | |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 12 | Maryland (6-0) | 22 | 10 | ACC | |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 13 | Clemson (4-1) | 16 | 3 | ACC | |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 14 | Colorado (5-1) | 20 | 6 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 15 | Washington (4-1) | 10 | 5 | Pac-10 | |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 16 | South Carolina (5-1) | 9 | 7 | SEC (East) | |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 17 | Georgia (4-1) | 19 | 2 | SEC (East) | |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 18 | BYU (6-0) | 18 | MWC | ||
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 19 | Washington State (6-0) | Pac-10 | |||
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 20 | Auburn (5-1) | SEC (West) | |||
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 21 | Florida State (3-2) | 14 | 7 | ACC | |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 22 | Northwestern (4-1) | Big Ten | |||
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 23 | Georgia Tech (4-2) | 15 | 8 | ACC | |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 24 | Purdue (4-1) | 17 | 7 | Big Ten | |
| 8 | 2001-10-14 | 25 | Toledo (5-0) | MAC (West) | |||
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 1 | Florida (5-0) | 2 | 1 | 30 | SEC (East) |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 2 | Miami (FL) (4-0) | 1 | 1 | 23 | Big East |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 3 | Oklahoma (5-0) | 3 | 16 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 4 | Nebraska (6-0) | 4 | 2 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 5 | Oregon (5-0) | 7 | 2 | Pac-10 | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 6 | Virginia Tech (5-0) | 8 | 2 | Big East | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 7 | UCLA (4-0) | 9 | 2 | Pac-10 | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 8 | Fresno State (5-0) | 10 | 2 | 1 | WAC |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 9 | South Carolina (5-0) | 13 | 4 | SEC (East) | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 10 | Washington (4-0) | 11 | 1 | Pac-10 | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 11 | Texas (4-1) | 5 | 6 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 12 | Michigan (4-1) | 15 | 3 | Big Ten | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 13 | Tennessee (3-1) | 6 | 7 | SEC (East) | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 14 | Florida State (3-1) | 16 | 2 | ACC | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 15 | Georgia Tech (4-1) | 17 | 2 | ACC | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 16 | Clemson (3-1) | 19 | 3 | ACC | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 17 | Purdue (4-0) | 21 | 4 | Big Ten | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 18 | BYU (5-0) | 20 | 2 | MWC | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 19 | Georgia (3-1) | SEC (East) | |||
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 20 | Colorado (4-1) | Big 12 (North) | |||
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 21 | Ohio State (3-1) | Big Ten | |||
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 22 | Maryland (5-0) | 25 | 3 | ACC | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 23 | Stanford (3-0) | 22 | 1 | Pac-10 | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 24 | Kansas State (2-2) | 12 | 12 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 7 | 2001-10-07 | 25 | Texas A&M (5-0) | 24 | 1 | Big 12 (South) | |
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 1 | Miami (FL) (3-0) | 1 | 34 | Big East | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 2 | Florida (4-0) | 2 | 22 | SEC (East) | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 3 | Oklahoma (4-0) | 3 | 9 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 4 | Nebraska (5-0) | 4 | 2 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 5 | Texas (4-0) | 5 | 4 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 6 | Tennessee (3-0) | 7 | 1 | 7 | SEC (East) |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 7 | Oregon (4-0) | 6 | 1 | Pac-10 | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 8 | Virginia Tech (4-0) | 8 | Big East | ||
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 9 | UCLA (4-0) | 12 | 3 | Pac-10 | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 10 | Fresno State (5-0) | 10 | 1 | WAC | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 11 | Washington (3-0) | 13 | 2 | Pac-10 | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 12 | Kansas State (2-1) | 11 | 1 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 13 | South Carolina (4-0) | 15 | 2 | SEC (East) | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 14 | Northwestern (3-0) | 16 | 2 | Big Ten | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 15 | Michigan (3-1) | 17 | 2 | Big Ten | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 16 | Florida State (3-1) | 18 | 2 | ACC | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 17 | Georgia Tech (3-1) | 9 | 8 | ACC | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 18 | LSU (2-1) | 14 | 4 | SEC (West) | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 19 | Clemson (3-1) | ACC | |||
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 20 | BYU (4-0) | 20 | MWC | ||
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 21 | Purdue (3-0) | 24 | 3 | Big Ten | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 22 | Stanford (3-0) | Pac-10 | |||
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 23 | Toledo (4-0) | 25 | 2 | MAC (West) | |
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 24 | Texas A&M (4-0) | Big 12 (South) | |||
| 6 | 2001-09-30 | 25 | Maryland (4-0) | ACC | |||
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 1 | Miami (FL) (2-0) | 1 | 39 | Big East | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 2 | Florida (3-0) | 2 | 15 | SEC (East) | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 3 | Oklahoma (3-0) | 3 | 11 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 4 | Nebraska (4-0) | 4 | 2 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 5 | Texas (3-0) | 5 | 4 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 6 | Oregon (3-0) | 7 | 1 | Pac-10 | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 7 | Tennessee (2-0) | 8 | 1 | SEC (East) | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 8 | Virginia Tech (3-0) | 9 | 1 | Big East | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 9 | Georgia Tech (3-0) | 10 | 1 | ACC | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 10 | Fresno State (4-0) | 11 | 1 | 1 | WAC |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 11 | Kansas State (2-0) | 12 | 1 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 12 | UCLA (3-0) | 14 | 2 | Pac-10 | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 13 | Washington (2-0) | 13 | Pac-10 | ||
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 14 | LSU (2-0) | 15 | 1 | SEC (West) | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 15 | South Carolina (3-0) | 18 | 3 | SEC (East) | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 16 | Northwestern (2-0) | 16 | Big Ten | ||
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 17 | Michigan (2-1) | 20 | 3 | Big Ten | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 18 | Florida State (2-1) | 6 | 12 | ACC | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 19 | Oregon State (1-1) | 22 | 3 | Pac-10 | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 20 | BYU (3-0) | 24 | 4 | MWC | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 21 | Mississippi State (1-1) | 17 | 4 | SEC (West) | |
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 22 | Illinois (3-0) | Big Ten | |||
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 23 | Michigan State (2-0) | Big Ten | |||
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 24 | Purdue (2-0) | Big Ten | |||
| 5 | 2001-09-23 | 25 | Toledo (3-0) | MAC (West) | |||
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 1 | Miami (FL) (2-0) | 1 | 40 | Big East | |
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 2 | Florida (2-0) | 2 | 14 | SEC (East) | |
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 3 | Oklahoma (3-0) | 3 | 11 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 4 | Nebraska (3-0) | 5 | 1 | 2 | Big 12 (North) |
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 5 | Texas (2-0) | 4 | 1 | 4 | Big 12 (South) |
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 6 | Florida State (2-0) | 6 | ACC | ||
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 7 | Oregon (2-0) | 7 | Pac-10 | ||
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 8 | Tennessee (2-0) | 8 | SEC (East) | ||
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 9 | Virginia Tech (2-0) | 9 | Big East | ||
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 10 | Georgia Tech (3-0) | 10 | ACC | ||
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 11 | Fresno State (3-0) | 19 | 8 | 1 | WAC |
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 12 | Kansas State (1-0) | 12 | Big 12 (North) | ||
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 13 | Washington (1-0) | 15 | 2 | Pac-10 | |
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 14 | UCLA (2-0) | 14 | Pac-10 | ||
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 15 | LSU (2-0) | 13 | 2 | SEC (West) | |
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 16 | Northwestern (1-0) | 16 | Big Ten | ||
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 17 | Mississippi State (1-0) | 18 | 1 | SEC (West) | |
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 18 | South Carolina (2-0) | 21 | 3 | SEC (East) | |
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 19 | Clemson (2-0) | 20 | 1 | ACC | |
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 20 | Michigan (1-1) | 11 | 9 | Big Ten | |
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 21 | Ohio State (1-0) | 24 | 3 | Big Ten | |
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 22 | Oregon State (1-1) | 22 | Pac-10 | ||
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 23 | Notre Dame (0-1) | 17 | 6 | Ind | |
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 24 | BYU (3-0) | MWC | |||
| 4 | 2001-09-09 | 25 | Louisville (3-0) | CUSA | |||
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 1 | Miami (FL) (1-0) | 2 | 1 | 37 | Big East |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 2 | Florida (1-0) | 1 | 1 | 19 | SEC (East) |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 3 | Oklahoma (2-0) | 3 | 10 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 4 | Texas (1-0) | 5 | 1 | 4 | Big 12 (South) |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 5 | Nebraska (2-0) | 4 | 1 | 2 | Big 12 (North) |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 6 | Florida State (1-0) | 6 | ACC | ||
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 7 | Oregon (1-0) | 7 | Pac-10 | ||
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 8 | Tennessee (1-0) | 8 | SEC (East) | ||
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 9 | Virginia Tech (1-0) | 9 | Big East | ||
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 10 | Georgia Tech (2-0) | 11 | 1 | ACC | |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 11 | Michigan (1-0) | 12 | 1 | Big Ten | |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 12 | Kansas State | 13 | 1 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 13 | LSU (1-0) | 14 | 1 | SEC (West) | |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 14 | UCLA (1-0) | 17 | 3 | Pac-10 | |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 15 | Washington | 15 | Pac-10 | ||
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 16 | Northwestern | 16 | Big Ten | ||
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 17 | Notre Dame | 18 | 1 | Ind | |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 18 | Mississippi State | 20 | 2 | SEC (West) | |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 19 | Fresno State (1-0) | WAC | |||
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 20 | Clemson (1-0) | 19 | 1 | ACC | |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 21 | South Carolina (1-0) | 21 | SEC (East) | ||
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 22 | Oregon State | 10 | 12 | Pac-10 | |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 23 | Wisconsin (1-1) | 22 | 1 | Big Ten | |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 24 | Ohio State | 23 | 1 | Big Ten | |
| 3 | 2001-09-02 | 25 | Georgia (1-0) | SEC (East) | |||
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 1 | Florida | 1 | 21 | SEC (East) | |
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 2 | Miami (FL) | 2 | 33 | Big East | |
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 3 | Oklahoma (1-0) | 3 | 10 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 4 | Nebraska (1-0) | 4 | 3 | Big 12 (North) | |
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 5 | Texas | 5 | 4 | Big 12 (South) | |
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 6 | Florida State | 6 | ACC | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 7 | Oregon | 7 | 1 | Pac-10 | |
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 8 | Tennessee | 8 | SEC (East) | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 9 | Virginia Tech | 9 | Big East | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 10 | Oregon State | 11 | 1 | Pac-10 | |
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 11 | Georgia Tech | 10 | 1 | ACC | |
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 12 | Michigan | 12 | Big Ten | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 13 | Kansas State | 13 | Big 12 (North) | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 14 | LSU | 14 | SEC (West) | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 15 | Washington | 15 | Pac-10 | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 16 | Northwestern | 16 | Big Ten | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 17 | UCLA | 17 | Pac-10 | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 18 | Notre Dame | 18 | Ind | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 19 | Clemson | 19 | ACC | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 20 | Mississippi State | 20 | SEC (West) | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 21 | South Carolina | 21 | SEC (East) | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 22 | Wisconsin (1-0) | 22 | Big Ten | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 23 | Ohio State | 23 | Big Ten | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 24 | Colorado State | 24 | MWC | ||
| 2 | 2001-08-26 | 25 | Alabama | 25 | SEC (West) | ||
| Wk | Date | Rk | School | Prev | Chng | 1st | Conf |
| 1 | Preseason | 1 | Florida | NA | — | 20 | SEC (East) |
| 1 | Preseason | 2 | Miami (FL) | NA | — | 33 | Big East |
| 1 | Preseason | 3 | Oklahoma | NA | — | 10 | Big 12 (South) |
| 1 | Preseason | 4 | Nebraska | NA | — | 4 | Big 12 (North) |
| 1 | Preseason | 5 | Texas | NA | — | 5 | Big 12 (South) |
| 1 | Preseason | 6 | Florida State | NA | — | ACC | |
| 1 | Preseason | 7 | Oregon | NA | — | Pac-10 | |
| 1 | Preseason | 8 | Tennessee | NA | — | SEC (East) | |
| 1 | Preseason | 9 | Virginia Tech | NA | — | Big East | |
| 1 | Preseason | 10 | Georgia Tech | NA | — | ACC | |
| 1 | Preseason | 11 | Oregon State | NA | — | Pac-10 | |
| 1 | Preseason | 12 | Michigan | NA | — | Big Ten | |
| 1 | Preseason | 13 | Kansas State | NA | — | Big 12 (North) | |
| 1 | Preseason | 14 | LSU | NA | — | SEC (West) | |
| 1 | Preseason | 15 | Washington | NA | — | Pac-10 | |
| 1 | Preseason | 16 | Northwestern | NA | — | Big Ten | |
| 1 | Preseason | 17 | UCLA | NA | — | Pac-10 | |
| 1 | Preseason | 18 | Notre Dame | NA | — | Ind | |
| 1 | Preseason | 19 | Clemson | NA | — | ACC | |
| 1 | Preseason | 20 | Mississippi State | NA | — | SEC (West) | |
| 1 | Preseason | 21 | South Carolina | NA | — | SEC (East) | |
| 1 | Preseason | 22 | Wisconsin | NA | — | Big Ten | |
| 1 | Preseason | 23 | Ohio State | NA | — | Big Ten | |
| 1 | Preseason | 24 | Colorado State | NA | — | MWC | |
| 1 | Preseason | 25 | Alabama | NA | — | SEC (West) |
BCS Playoff Standings