;October 7: Top-ranked USC beat Stanford at home, 30–0. The No. 2 Houston Cougars, who had come from nowhere to reach a lofty ranking, lost at home to unranked North Carolina State, 16–6. No. 3 UCLA edged Penn State 17–15. In a Big Ten matchup, No. 4 Purdue beat Northwestern 25–16, and No. 5 Georgia shut out South Carolina at home, 21–0. In South Bend, No. 6 Notre Dame crushed Iowa 56–6 to return to the Top Five as it prepared to face USC. The next poll was No. 1 USC, No. 2 Purdue, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 UCLA, and No. 5 Notre Dame.
