1988 AP Rankings
| Final Poll For 1988 Season |
| Rank |
Team |
Record |
Votes |
| 1988 AP |
| 1 | Notre Dame | 12-0-0 | | | 2 | Miami | 11-1-0 | |
| 3 | Florida State | 11-1-0 | | | 4 | Michigan | 9-2-1 | |
| 5 | West Virginia | 11-1-0 | | | 6 | UCLA | 10-2-0 | |
| 7 | Southern California | 10-2-0 | | | 8 | Auburn | 10-2-0 | |
| 9 | Clemson | 10-2-0 | | | 10 | Nebraska | 11-2-0 | |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | 10-2-0 | | | 12 | Arkansas | 10-2-0 | |
| 13 | Syracuse | 10-2-0 | | | 14 | Oklahoma | 9-3-0 | |
| 15 | Georgia | 9-3-0 | | | 16 | Washington State | 9-3-0 | |
| 17 | Alabama | 9-3-0 | | | 18 | Houston | 9-3-0 | |
| 19 | Louisiana State | 8-4-0 | | | 20 | Indiana | 8-3-1 | |
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Great Moments in College Football History
The oldest college football bowl game is the Rose Bowl, which was first played in 1902.
