1997 Reward Ranking (before bowl games)
| Rank | Name | W | L | Reward | AP | ESPN/USA Today |
| 1 | Tennessee | 11 | 1 | 7.5835 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | Michigan | 11 | 0 | 7.0381 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 12 | 0 | 6.9532 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | Florida | 9 | 2 | 6.8806 | 6 | 8 |
| 5 | Georgia | 9 | 2 | 6.3565 | 12 | 11 |
| 6 | FloridaState | 10 | 1 | 6.2645 | 4 | 4 |
| 7 | WashingtonState | 10 | 1 | 6.2400 | 8 | 7 |
| 8 | NorthCarolina | 10 | 1 | 5.3529 | 7 | 5 |
| 9 | Auburn | 9 | 3 | 5.1837 | 13 | 13 |
| 10 | UCLA | 9 | 2 | 4.9910 | 5 | 6 |
| 11 | KansasState | 10 | 1 | 4.9397 | 10 | 9 |
| 12 | PennState | 9 | 2 | 4.8071 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | LouisianaState | 8 | 3 | 4.6570 | 15 | 15 |
| 14 | OhioState | 10 | 2 | 4.3647 | 9 | 10 |
| 15 | ArizonaState | 8 | 3 | 3.5749 | 16 | 18 |
| 16 | Mississippi | 7 | 4 | 3.4361 | 27 | 29 |
| 17 | MississippiState | 7 | 4 | 3.3906 | 34 | 36 |
| 18 | LouisianaTech | 9 | 2 | 3.1327 | 31 | 33 |
| 19 | Purdue | 8 | 3 | 2.8777 | 17 | 16 |
| 20 | AirForce | 10 | 2 | 2.8172 | 23 | 21 |
| 21 | Marshall | 10 | 2 | 2.7686 | 28 | 31 |
| 22 | Washington | 7 | 4 | 2.7423 | 21 | 23 |
| 23 | TexasA&M | 9 | 3 | 2.6371 | 20 | 19 |
| 24 | SouthernMississippi | 8 | 3 | 2.6167 | 22 | 22 |
| 25 | ColoradoState | 10 | 2 | 2.5969 | 18 | 17 |
| 26 | Virginia | 7 | 4 | 2.4345 | 30 | 30 |
| 27 | MichiganState | 7 | 4 | 2.4229 | 25 | 25 |
| 28 | Clemson | 7 | 4 | 2.2065 | 32 | 28 |
| 29 | Toledo | 9 | 3 | 2.1710 | ||
| 30 | Syracuse | 9 | 3 | 2.0567 | ||
| 31 | OklahomaState | 8 | 3 | 1.8381 | ||
| 32 | Miami(Ohio) | 8 | 3 | 1.7548 | ||
| 33 | Missouri | 7 | 4 | 1.7271 | ||
| 34 | SouthCarolina | 5 | 6 | 1.6745 | ||
| 35 | SouthernCalifornia | 6 | 5 | 1.6491 | ||
| 36 | Wisconsin | 8 | 4 | 1.6444 | ||
| 37 | Ohio | 8 | 3 | 1.5523 | ||
| 38 | Iowa | 7 | 4 | 1.5245 | ||
| 39 | NotreDame | 7 | 5 | 1.5214 | ||
| 40 | Arizona | 6 | 5 | 1.4716 | ||
| 41 | Oregon | 6 | 5 | 1.3983 | ||
| 42 | GeorgiaTech | 6 | 5 | 1.3962 | ||
| 43 | NewMexico | 9 | 3 | 1.3261 | ||
| 44 | Stanford | 5 | 6 | 1.1777 | ||
| 45 | Kentucky | 5 | 6 | 1.1520 | ||
| 46 | NorthCarolinaState | 6 | 5 | 1.0611 | ||
| 47 | WesternMichigan | 8 | 3 | 0.9812 | ||
| 48 | Tulane | 7 | 4 | 0.8325 | ||
| 49 | Arkansas | 4 | 7 | 0.8066 | ||
| 50 | Colorado | 5 | 6 | 0.7836 | ||
| 51 | WestVirginia | 7 | 4 | 0.7702 | ||
| 52 | TexasTech | 6 | 5 | 0.7544 | ||
| 53 | VirginiaTech | 7 | 4 | 0.6785 | ||
| 54 | Rice | 7 | 4 | 0.5787 | ||
| 55 | Alabama | 4 | 7 | 0.5492 | ||
| 56 | Northwestern | 5 | 7 | 0.4814 | ||
| 57 | Cincinnati | 7 |