Three human polls and one formulaic ranking make up the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) football rankings, in addition to various publications' preseason polls. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a National Championship title. That title is bestowed by one or more of four different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason: the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll. About halfway through the season, two additional polls are released, the Harris Interactive Poll and the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings. The Harris Poll and Coaches Poll are factors in the BCS standings. At the end of the season, the BCS standings determine who plays in the BCS bowl games as well as the BCS National Championship Game.
Legend Increase in ranking Decrease in ranking Not ranked previous week Selected for BCS National Championship Game Win–loss record Number of first place votes Tied with team above or below also with this symbol
AP Poll Preseason Week 1Sept 5 Week 2Sept 10 Week 3Sept 17 Week 4Sept 24 Week 5Oct 1 Week 6Oct 8 Week 7Oct 15 Week 8Oct 22 Week 9Oct 29 Week 10Nov 5 Week 11Nov 12 Week 12Nov 19 Week 13Nov 26 Week 14Dec 3 Week 15 (Final)Jan 9 1. Ohio State (35) Ohio State (1–0) (39) Ohio State (2–0) (59) Ohio State (3–0) (59) Ohio State (4–0) (59) Ohio State (5–0) (62) Ohio State (6–0) (63) Ohio State (7–0) (63) Ohio State (8–0) (63) Ohio State (9–0) (63) Ohio State (10–0) (65) Ohio State (11–0) (64) Ohio State (12–0) (65) Ohio State (12–0) (65) Ohio State (12–0) (65) Florida (13–1) (64) 1.2. Notre Dame (10) Texas (1–0) (7) Notre Dame (2–0) (3) Auburn (3–0) (2) Auburn (4–0) (2) Auburn (5–0) (1) Florida (6–0) Michigan (7–0) Michigan (8–0) Michigan (9–0) Michigan (10–0) Michigan (11–0) (1) Michigan (11–1) USC (10–1) Florida (12–1) Ohio State (12–1)2.3. Texas (8) USC (1–0) (3) Auburn (2–0) (2) USC (2–0) (2) USC (3–0) (2) USC (4–0) USC (5–0) USC (6–0) USC (6–0) West Virginia (7–0) (2) Louisville (8–0) Florida (9–1) USC (9–1) Michigan (11–1) Michigan (11–1) LSU (11–2)3.4. Auburn (3) Auburn (1–0) (3) т USC (1–0) (2) West Virginia (3–0) (2) West Virginia (4–0) (2) West Virginia (5–0) (2) Michigan (6–0) West Virginia (6–0) (2) West Virginia (7–0) (2) Texas (8–1) Texas (9–1) USC (8–1) Florida (10–1) Florida (11–1) LSU (10–2) USC (11–2)4.5. West Virginia (6) Notre Dame (1–0) (8) т West Virginia (2–0) (2) Florida (3–0) Florida (4–0) Florida (5–0) West Virginia (5–0) (2) Texas (6–1) Texas (7–1) Louisville (7–0) Auburn (9–1) Arkansas (9–1) Arkansas (10–1) LSU (10–2) Louisville (11–1) Boise State (13–0) (1) 5.6. USC (3) West Virginia (1–0) (5) LSU (2–0) Michigan (3–0) Michigan (4–0) Michigan (5–0) Texas (5–1) Louisville (6–0) Louisville (7–0) Auburn (8–1) Florida (8–1) Notre Dame (9–1) Notre Dame (10–1) Louisville (10–1) Wisconsin (11–1) Louisville (12–1)6.7. Florida Florida (1–0) Florida (2–0) Texas (2–1) Texas (3–1) Texas (4–1) Louisville (5–0) Tennessee (5–1) Auburn (7–1) Florida (7–1) USC (7–1) Rutgers (9–0) West Virginia (9–1) Wisconsin (11–1) Oklahoma (11–2) Wisconsin (12–1)7.8. LSU LSU (1–0) Texas (1–1) Louisville (3–0) Louisville (4–0) Louisville (4–0) Tennessee (5–1) Auburn (6–1) Tennessee (6–1) Tennessee (7–1) California (8–1) West Virginia (8–1) Louisville (9–1) Arkansas (10–2) т USC (10–2) Michigan (11–2)8.9. California Florida State (1–0) Florida State (2–0) Georgia (3–0) LSU (3–1) LSU (4–1) Notre Dame (5–1) Florida (6–1) Florida (6–1) USC (6–1) Notre Dame (8–1) LSU (8–2) LSU (9–2) Oklahoma (10–2) т Boise State (12–0) Auburn (11–2)9.10. Oklahoma Michigan (1–0) Georgia (2–0) LSU (2–1) Georgia (4–0) Georgia (5–0) California (5–1) Notre Dame (5–1) Clemson (7–1) California (7–1) West Virginia (7–1) Louisville (8–1) Wisconsin (11–1) Boise State (12–0) Auburn (10–2) West Virginia (11–2)10.11. Florida State Tennessee (1–0) Michigan (2–0) Virginia Tech (3–0) Virginia Tech (4–0) Oregon (4–0) Auburn (5–1) California (6–1) Notre Dame (6–1) Notre Dame (7–1) Arkansas (8–1) Texas (9–2) Texas (9–2) Auburn (10–2) Notre Dame (10–2) Oklahoma (11–3)11.12. Miami (FL) Georgia (1–0) Louisville (2–0) Notre Dame (2–1) Notre Dame (3–1) Notre Dame (4–1) Clemson (5–1) Clemson (6–1) California (7–1) Arkansas (7–1) LSU (7–2) Wisconsin (10–1) Boise State (11–0) Notre Dame (10–2) Arkansas (10–3) Rutgers (11–2)12.13. Louisville Louisville (1–0) Tennessee (2–0) Oregon (3–0) Iowa (4–0) Tennessee (4–1) Georgia Tech (5–1) Georgia Tech (5–1) Arkansas (6–1) LSU (6–2) Tennessee (7–2) Boise State (10–0) Oklahoma (9–2) Rutgers (10–1) West Virginia (10–2) Texas (10–3)13.14. Michigan Iowa (1–0) Virginia Tech (2–0) Iowa (3–0) Oregon (3–0) Oklahoma (3–1) LSU (4–2) LSU (5–2) LSU (6–2) Boise State (8–0) Boise State (9–0) Wake Forest (9–1) Auburn (10–2) Virginia Tech (10–2) Virginia Tech (10–2) California (10–3)14.15. Georgia Oklahoma (1–0) Oklahoma (2–0) Tennessee (2–1) Tennessee (3–1) Clemson (4–1) Iowa (5–1) Arkansas (5–1) Boise State (8–0) Rutgers (8–0) Rutgers (8–0) Auburn (9–2) Rutgers (9–1) West Virginia (9–2) Wake Forest (11–2) Arkansas (10–4)15.16. Iowa Virginia Tech (1–0) Iowa (2–0) TCU (3–0) Oklahoma (3–1) California (4–1) Georgia (5–1) Oregon (5–1) Rutgers (7–0) Boston College (7–1) Wisconsin (9–1) Oklahoma (8–2) Georgia Tech (9–2) Wake Forest (10–2) Rutgers (10–2) BYU (11–2)16.17. Virginia Tech Miami (FL) (0–1) Miami (FL) (1–1) Oklahoma (2–1) TCU (3–0) Florida State (3–1) Arkansas (4–1) Nebraska (6–1) Wisconsin (7–1) Wisconsin (8–1) Oklahoma (7–2) California (8–2) Virginia Tech (9–2) Tennessee (9–3) т Tennessee (9–3) Notre Dame (10–3)17.18. Clemson Clemson (1–0) Oregon (2–0) Florida State (2–1) Clemson (3–1) Georgia Tech (4–1) Oregon (5–1) Boise State (6–0) Boston College (6–1) Oklahoma (6–2) Wake Forest (8–1) Georgia Tech (8–2) Boston College (9–2) Texas (9–3) т Texas (9–3) Wake Forest (11–3)18.19. Penn State Penn State (1–0) Nebraska (2–0) Clemson (2–1) Florida State (3–1) Iowa (4–1) Missouri (6–0) Rutgers (6–0) Oklahoma (5–2) Clemson (7–2) Georgia Tech (7–2) Virginia Tech (8–2) Tennessee (8–3) Nebraska (9–3) BYU (10–2) Virginia Tech (10–3)19.20. Nebraska Oregon (1–0) TCU (2–0) Boston College (3–0) California (3–1) Boise State (5–0) Boise State (6–0) Oklahoma (4–2) Nebraska (6–2) Georgia Tech (6–2) Virginia Tech (7–2) Boston College (8–2) Wake Forest (9–2) BYU (10–2) California (9–3) Boston College (10–3)20.21. Oregon Nebraska (1–0) California (1–1) California (2–1) Nebraska (3–1) Virginia Tech (4–1) Nebraska (5–1) Wisconsin (6–1) Georgia Tech (5–2) Texas A&M (8–1) Oregon (7–2) Maryland (8–2) BYU (9–2) California (8–3) Texas A&M (9–3) Oregon State (10–4)21.22. TCU California (0–1) Arizona State (2–0) Arizona State (3–0) Boise State (4–0) Nebraska (4–1) Virginia Tech (4–1) Boston College (5–1) Texas A&M (7–1) Wake Forest (7–1) Boston College (7–2) Tennessee (7–3) California (8–3) Texas A&M (9–3) Nebraska (9–4) TCU (11–2)22.23. Tennessee TCU (1–0) Boston College (2–0) Nebraska (2–1) Rutgers (4–0) Missouri (5–0) Oklahoma (3–2) Texas A&M (6–1) Missouri (7–1) Virginia Tech (6–2) Maryland (7–2) BYU (8–2) Nebraska (8–3) Georgia Tech (9–3) Boston College (9–3) Georgia (9–4)23.24. Arizona State Texas Tech (1–0) Texas Tech (2–0) Penn State (2–1) Georgia Tech (3–1) Rutgers (5–0) Rutgers (5–0) Missouri (6–1) Wake Forest (6–1) Oregon (6–2) Texas A&M (8–2) Nebraska (8–3) Clemson (8–3) Hawaiʻi (10–2) Oregon State (9–4) Penn State (9–4)24.25. Texas Tech Arizona State (1–0) Penn State (1–1) Boise State (3–0) Missouri (4–0) Boston College (4–1) Wisconsin (5–1) Wake Forest (6–1) Oregon (5–2) Washington State (6–3) BYU (7–2) Clemson (8–3) Hawaiʻi (9–2) Boston College (9–3) TCU (10–2) Tennessee (9–4)25. Preseason Week 1Sept 5 Week 2Sept 10 Week 3Sept 17 Week 4Sept 24 Week 5Oct 1 Week 6Oct 8 Week 7Oct 15 Week 8Oct 22 Week 9Oct 29 Week 10Nov 5 Week 11Nov 12 Week 12Nov 19 Week 13Nov 26 Week 14Dec 3 Week 15 (Final)Jan 9 Dropped:None Dropped:Clemson Dropped:Miami (FL)Texas Tech Dropped:Boston CollegeArizona StatePenn State Dropped:TCU Dropped:Florida StateBoston College Dropped:IowaGeorgiaVirginia Tech Dropped:None Dropped:NebraskaMissouri Dropped:ClemsonWashington State Dropped:OregonTexas A&M Dropped:Maryland Dropped:Clemson Dropped:Georgia TechHawaiʻi Dropped:Texas A&MNebraska
Coaches Poll Jim Tressel, head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, refused to vote in the Week 15 poll, citing a conflict of interest. In a change to the Coaches Poll for the 2006 season, the final ballots are made public. Tressel did not want his vote of picking Florida or Michigan to play against his team to be known publicly and therefore refused to vote and was an unprecedented move in that no Coaches Poll voter has ever refused to vote.