Final OAF ranking (& ratings) for the 1982 college football season:
| Rank | Team Name | Rating | Record | AP | UPI | Bowl Game Results |
| 1 | PENN STATE | 112.1606 | 11-1 | 1 | 1 | Beat Georgia 27-23 |
| 2 | GEORGIA | 111.3358 | 11-1 | 4 | 4 | Lost to Penn State |
| 3 | NEBRASKA | 111.1294 | 12-1 | 3 | 3 | Beat LSU 21-20 |
| 4 | CLEMSON | 80.1087 | 9-1-1 | 8 | Probation | No Bowl Game |
| 5 | AUBURN | 76.9013 | 9-3 | 14 | 14 | Beat Boston College 33-26 |
| 6 | SMU | 76.8102 | 11-0-1 | 2 | 2 | Beat Pittsburgh 7-3 |
| 7 | FLORIDA STATE | 76.7567 | 9-3 | 13 | 10 | Beat West Virginia 31-12 |
| 8 | USC | 74.4710 | 8-3 | 15 | Probation | No Bowl Game |
| 9 | WEST VIRGINIA | 74.2247 | 9-3 | 19 | 19 | Lost to Florida State |
| 10 | UCLA | 73.7824 | 10-1-1 | 5 | 5 | Beat Michigan |
| 11 | ALABAMA | 73.4895 | 8-4 | 21..33 | 17 | Beat Illinois 21-15 |
| 12 | SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI | 73.1144 | 8-3 | NR | Probation | No Bowl Game |
| 13 | ARKANSAS | 72.8070 | 9-2-1 | 9 | 8 | Beat Florida 28-24 |
| 14 | FLORIDA | 72.3200 | 8-4 | NR | NR | Lost to Arkansas |
| 15 | MARYLAND | 72.0135 | 8-4 | 20 | 20 | Beat Washington 21-20 |
| 16 | BOSTON COLLEGE | 70.1534 | 8-3-1 | 21..33 | NR | Lost to Auburn |
| 17 | NORTH CAROLINA | 69.9706 | 8-4 | 18 | 13 | Beat Texas 26-10 |
| 18 | LSU | 69.3845 | 8-3-1 | 11 | 11 | Lost to Nebraska |
| 19 | TEXAS | 69.1457 | 9-3 | 17 | 17 | Lost to North Carolina |
| 20 | MISSISSIPPI STATE | 68.4375 | ||||
| 21 | WASHINGTON | 68.2178 | ||||
| 22 | CALIFORNIA | 67.8531 | ||||
| 23 | PITTSBURGH | 67.2846 | ||||
| 24 | ARIZONA STATE | 66.7267 | ||||
| 25 | MIAMI (F) | 65.8009 | ||||
| 26 | MISSISSIPPI | 64.1058 | ||||
| 27 | OKLAHOMA | 63.1609 | ||||
| 28 | NORTH CAROLINA STATE | 62.2125 | ||||
| 29 | DUKE | 62.0532 | ||||
| 30 | TULANE | 60.7262 | ||||
| 31 | VANDERBILT | 60.5660 | ||||
| 32 | ARIZONA | 60.5527 | ||||
| 33 | TENNESSEE | 60.0708 | ||||
| 34 | STANFORD | 59.5753 | ||||
| 35 | GEORGIA TECH | 57.2721 | ||||
| 36 | FRESNO STATE | 54.5900 | ||||
| 37 | NOTRE DAME | 53.0660 | ||||
| 38 | TULSA | 52.5297 | ||||
| 39 | OREGON | 52.1729 | ||||
| 40 | OHIO STATE | 51.5119 | ||||
| 41 | VIRGINIA TECH | 50.7750 | ||||
| 42 | IOWA | 50.6865 | ||||
| 43 | MICHIGAN | 49.8613 | ||||
| 44 | HOUSTON | 45.6860 | ||||
| 45 | SOUTH CAROLINA | 45.6650 | ||||
| 46 | ILLINOIS | 45.5468 | ||||
| 47 | SAN JOSE STATE | 45.4983 | ||||
| 48 | AIR FORCE | 45.4123 | ||||
| 49 | NAVY | 44.8771 | ||||
| 50 | WASHINGTON STATE | 44.6965 | ||||
| 51 | BAYLOR | 43.9498 | ||||
| 52 | TEXAS A+M | 42.8875 | ||||
| 53 | SWLOUISIANA | 41.9959 | ||||
| 54 | TEXAS TECH | 41.8215 | ||||
| 55 | VIRGINIA |