1997 USA Today/ESPN Rankings
| Final Poll For 1997 Season |
| Rank |
Team |
Record |
Votes |
| 1997 USA Today/ESPN |
| 1 | Nebraska | 13-0-0 | | | 2 | Michigan | 12-0-0 | |
| 3 | Florida State | 11-1-0 | | | 4 | North Carolina | 11-1-0 | |
| 5 | UCLA | 10-2-0 | | | 6 | Florida | 10-2-0 | |
| 7 | Kansas State | 11-1-0 | | | 8 | Tennessee | 11-2-0 | |
| 9 | Washington State | 10-2-0 | | | 10 | Georgia | 10-2-0 | |
| 11 | Auburn | 10-3-0 | | | 12 | Ohio State | 10-3-0 | |
| 13 | Louisiana State | 9-3-0 | | | 14 | Arizona State | 9-3-0 | |
| 15 | Purdue | 9-3-0 | | | 16 | Colorado State | 11-2-0 | |
| 17 | Penn State | 9-3-0 | | | 18 | Washington | 8-4-0 | |
| 19 | Southern Mississippi | 9-3-0 | | | 20 | Syracuse | 9-4-0 | |
| 21 | Texas A&M | 9-4-0 | | | 22 | Mississippi | 8-4-0 | |
| 23 | Missouri | 7-5-0 | | | 24 | Oklahoma State | 8-4-0 | |
| 25 | Air Force | 10-3-0 | |
|
Great Moments in College Football History
The oldest college football bowl game is the Rose Bowl, which was first played in 1902.
