The AP rankings were selected by a board of sports writers, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches.
The 1969 North Dakota State Bison football team compiled a perfect 10–0 record and was rated No.
Montana compiled a 10–0 record in the regular season and was ranked No.
North Dakota State and Montana met in the post-season Camellia Bowl with North Dakota State prevailing by a 30–3 score.
The New Pittsburgh Courier, a leading African American newspaper, ranked the top 1969 teams from historically black colleges and universities in an era when college football was often racially segregated.