December 1, 1953 AP Poll
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland |
| 2 | Notre Dame |
| 3 | Michigan State |
| 4 | Oklahoma |
| 5 | UCLA |
| 6 | Rice |
| 7 | Illinois |
| 8 | Georgia Tech |
| 9 | Iowa |
| 10 | West Virginia |
| 11 | Texas |
| 12 | Texas Tech |
| 13 | Alabama |
| 14 | Army |
| 15 | Wisconsin |
| 16 | Kentucky |
| 17 | Auburn |
| 18 | Duke |
| 19 | Stanford |
| 20 | Michigan |