Oklahoma and Michigan began the season at No. 1 and No. 2. A 28–16 defeat of Oklahoma by Miami on September 27 pushed the Hurricanes into the No. 1 ranking and ultimately proved the spoiler for the Sooners, who finished the 1986 season ranked first in all four major defensive statistical categories – a feat not to be duplicated until 2012, by Alabama. The Crimson Tide moved into the number 2 spot following the Sooners' loss. Probably the strongest case for Penn State was a defeat of the well-regarded, then-No. 2 ranked Alabama squad by a score of 23–3, at Tuscaloosa on October 26. This pushed Penn State into the number two spot. Otherwise, both Miami and Penn State had a number of teams on their schedule that were not strong opponents. Michigan defeated Iowa in a rematch of the previous season's No. 1 vs No. 2 game. Three games later, Michigan was number 2 and undefeated after Penn State fell in the rankings following a 17–15 close win to Maryland.