Two human polls comprised the 1961 major college 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 preseasonâÂÂthe AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.
The final AP poll was released on December 5, at the end of the regular season, weeks before the bowls. Starting in the 1961 season and until the 1967 season, the AP poll ranked only 10 teams.
The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, on December 5. <br>Alabama received 18 of the 35 first-place votes; Ohio State received fifteen, Ole Miss one, and Colorado one.