Two human polls comprised the 1991 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I-A football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.

Legend

AP Poll

Coaches Poll

FWAA poll

The Football Writers Association of America awarded the Grantland Rice Trophy to Washington based on the post-bowl voting of a 5-member committee. The Huskies received 3 first-place votes while the Hurricanes got two. The voting members of the FWAA committee were Bob Hammel of the Bloomington Herald-Times, Bil Lumpkin of the Birmingham Post-Herald, Bill McGrotha of the Tallahassee Democrat, Volney Meece of the Daily Oklahoman, and Thomas O'Toole of the Scripps Howard News Service.

NFF poll

In its first year after losing the Coaches' Poll, United Press International polled 104 members of the National Football Foundation to assemble a Top 25 ranking. Washington was ranked No. 1 in the final UPI-NFF poll, with 71 first-place votes to Miami's 21, and won the NFF MacArthur Bowl national championship trophy.