1972 NCAA University Division football rankings
Two human polls comprised the 1972 National Collegiate Athletic Association 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.Legend
AP Poll
The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, in early December.
USC was a unanimous selection, with all 35 first-place votes.
| Ranking | Team | Conference | Bowl |
| 1 | USC | Pac-8 | Won Rose, 42–17 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | Big Eight | Won Sugar, 14–0 |
| 3 | Ohio State | Big Ten | Lost Rose, 17–42 |
| 4 | Alabama | SEC | Lost Cotton, 13–17 |
| 5 | Texas | Southwest | Won Cotton, 17–13 |
| 6 | Michigan | Big Ten | none |
| 7 | Auburn | SEC | Won Gator, 24–3 |
| 8 | Penn State | Independent | Lost Sugar, 0–14 |
| 9 | Nebraska | Big Eight | Won Orange, 40–6 |
| 10 | LSU | SEC | Lost Bluebonnet, 17–24 |
| 11 | Tennessee | SEC | Won Bluebonnet, 24–17 |
| 12 | Notre Dame | Independent | Lost Orange, 6–40 |
| 13 | Arizona State | WAC | Won Fiesta, 49–35 |
| 14 | Colorado | Big Eight | Lost Gator, 3–24 |
| 14 | North Carolina | ACC | Won Sun, 32–28 |
| 16 | Louisville | MVC | none |
| 17 | UCLA | Pac-8 | none |
| 17 | Washington State | Pac-8 | none |
| 17 | Utah State | Independent | none |
| 20 | San Diego State | PCAA | none |
Source:
