Final OAF ranking (& ratings) for the 1971 college football season:
| Rank | Team Name | Rating | Record |
(After Bowls) AP |
(Before Bowls) UPI |
Bowl Game Results |
| 1 | NEBRASKA | 128.8631 | 13-0 | 1 | 1 | Beat Alabama 38-7 |
| 2 | OKLAHOMA | 119.8158 | 11-1 | 2 | 3 | Beat Auburn 40-22 |
| 3 | ALABAMA | 107.4445 | 11-1 | 4 | 2 | Lost to Nebraska |
| 4 | COLORADO | 83.0766 | 10-2 | 3 | 7 | Beat Houston 29-17 |
| 5 | GEORGIA | 75.9992 | 11-1 | 7 | 8 | Beat North Carolina 7-3 |
| 6 | AUBURN | 74.4947 | 9-2 | 12 | 5 | Lost to Oklahoma |
| 7 | PENN STATE | 73.4688 | 11-1 | 5 | 11 | Beat Texas 30-6 |
| 8 | TENNESSEE | 71.4121 | 10-2 | 9 | 9 | Beat Arkansas 14-13 |
| 9 | LSU | 69.4840 | 9-3 | 11 | 10 | Beat Iowa State 33-15 |
| 10 | MISSISSIPPI | 65.8083 | 10-2 | 15 | 20 | Beat Georgia Tech 41-18 |
| 11 | STANFORD | 58.4618 | 9-3 | 10 | 16 | Beat Michigan 13-12 |
| 12 | MICHIGAN | 57.7839 | 11-1 | 6 | 4 | Lost to Stanford |
| 13 | IOWA STATE | 56.4007 | 8-4 | NR | 17 | Lost to LSU |
| 14 | WASHINGTON | 55.8334 | 8-3 | 19 | NR | No Bowl Game |
| 15 | NOTRE DAME | 54.8080 | 8-2 | 13 | 15 | No Bowl Game |
| 16 | TEXAS | 54.1757 | 8-3 | 18 | 12 | Lost to Penn State |
| 17 | HOUSTON | 53.4885 | 9-3 | 17 | 14 | Lost to Colorado |
| 18 | ARIZONA STATE | 53.1055 | 11-1 | 8 | 6 | Beat Florida State 45-38 |
| 19 | USC | 51.1606 | 6-4-1 | 20 | NR | No Bowl Game |
| 20 | NORTH CAROLINA | 46.7988 | 9-3 | NR | 18 | Lost to Georgia |
| 21 | UCLA | 46.5960 | ||||
| 22 | ILLINOIS | 45.8051 | ||||
| 23 | CALIFORNIA | 45.5828 | ||||
| 24 | OREGON STATE | 44.8376 | ||||
| 25 | NORTHWESTERN | 44.8206 | ||||
| 26 | FLORIDA STATE | 44.1856 | ||||
| 27 | OREGON | 44.1596 | ||||
| 28 | MICHIGAN STATE | 44.1420 | ||||
| 29 | ARKANSAS | 43.7976 | ||||
| 30 | GEORGIA TECH | 43.4663 | ||||
| 31 | WASHINGTON STATE | 43.2985 | ||||
| 32 | OHIO STATE | 42.5170 | ||||
| 33 | AIR FORCE | 40.7532 | ||||
| 34 | BOSTON COLLEGE | 39.9686 | ||||
| 35 | FLORIDA | 39.4988 | ||||
| 36 | DUKE | 38.5776 | ||||
| 37 | WEST VIRGINIA | 38.1723 | ||||
| 38 | TEXAS A+M | 38.1332 | ||||
| 39 | ARMY | 37.8518 | ||||
| 40 | SYRACUSE | 37.7521 | ||||
| 41 | TOLEDO | 37.6854 | ||||
| 42 | TCU | 37.5822 | ||||
| 43 | SOUTH CAROLINA | 37.0293 | ||||
| 44 | RICE | 36.8239 | ||||
| 45 | SAN JOSE STATE | 36.2788 | ||||
| 46 | NAVY | 36.1752 | ||||
| 47 | KANSAS | 36.0800 | ||||
| 48 | CLEMSON | 35.9276 | ||||
| 49 | MINNESOTA | 35.8260 | ||||
| 50 | PITTSBURGH | 35.1789 | ||||
| 51 | WISCONSIN | 35.1481 | ||||
| 52 | MEMPHIS STATE | 34.8309 | ||||
| 53 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 34.5521 | ||||