Preseason USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll
October 3, 2016
| Team | Points | (First Place Votes) | Last Poll | Record | Weeks in Poll | |
| 1 | University of North Dakota 504 | (28) | 1 | 34- | 6-4 | 1 |
| 2 | Quinnipiac University 435 | 2 | 32- | 4-7 | 1 | |
| 3 | Boston University | 424 | (6) | 14 | 21-13-5 | 1 |
| 4 | University of Denver | 413 | 3 | 25-10-6 | 1 | |
| 5 | University of Minnesota Duluth | 352 | 12 | 19-16-5 | 1 | |
| 6 | St Cloud State University 293 | 5 | 31- | 9-1 | 1 | |
| 7 | UMass Lowell | 260 | 8 | 25-10-5 | 1 | |
| 8 | University of Notre Dame | 230 | 13 | 19-11-7 | 1 | |
| 9 | Boston College 221 | 4 | 28- | 8-5 | 1 | |
| 10 | Providence College 188 | 7 | 27- | 7-4 | 1 | |
| 11 | University of Minnesota | 166 | NR | 20-17-0 | 1 | |
| 12 | University of Michigan 143 | 6 | 25- | 8-5 | 1 | |
| 13 | Harvard University | 136 | 9 | 19-11-4 | 1 | |
| 14 | Northeastern University | 107 | 11 | 22-14-5 | 1 | |
| 15 | Bowling Green State University | 64 | NR | 22-14-6 | 1 |
Others receiving votes: St. Lawrence University 53, Yale University 36, Ohio State University 30, Clarkson University 6, University of Nebraska Omaha 6, Minnesota State University 4, Cornell University 3, Rochester Institute of Technology 3, Ferris State University 1, Penn State University 1, University of Wisconsin 1.
