Thursday, June 30, 2011

1941 College Football Final Rankings

The 1941 season was interrupted near its close by the bombing of Pearl Harbor. As a result, some teams were unable to participate in bowl games that might otherwise have played and the Rose Bowl game was actually played in Durham, North Carolina. The Minnesota Golden Gophers were declared national champions in the AP Poll for the 5th time in eight years. However, our analysis shows that, despite being undefeated, the Golden Gophers only had the third-best season of top-division schools. Our national championship goes to the surprise hosts of the Rose Bowl - the Duke Blue Devils.

1. Duke Blue Devils (9-1) - 1.4
2. Texas Longhorns (8-1-1) - 1.7
3. Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-0) - 3.4
4. Navy Midshipmen (7-1-1) - 4.9
5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-0-1) - 6.0
6. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-2) - 6.8
7. Duquesne Dukes (8-0) - 6.9
8. Missouri Tigers (8-2) - 7.3
9. Georgia Bulldogs (9-1-1) - 8.5
10. Texas A&M Aggies (9-2) - 10.8
11. Tennessee Volunteers (8-2) - 12.2
12. Michigan Wolverines (6-1-1) - 12.6
13. Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-1-1) - 13.4
14. Pennsylvania Relays (7-1) - 13.9
15. Fordham Rams (8-1) - 15.8
16. Oregon State Beavers (8-2) - 16.7
17. Texas Tech Red Raiders (9-2) - 16.9
18. Utah Utes (6-0-2) - 18.6
19. Virginia Cavaliers (8-1) - 19.1
20. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1-1) - 19.4
21. Northwestern Wildcats (5-3) - 19.7
22. Ole Miss Rebels (6-2-1) - 22.2
23. TCU Horned Frogs (7-3-1) - 24.3
24. Santa Clara Broncos (6-3) - 24.4
25. Tulane Green Wave (5-4) - 25.3
26. Oklahoma Sooners (6-3) - 25.5
27. Stanford Cardinal (6-3) - 26.8
28. Clemson Tigers (7-2) - 26.9
29. Vanderbilt Commodores (8-2) - 28.1
30. Washington Huskies (5-4) - 31.0
31. Boston College Eagles (7-3) - 31.2
32. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-2) - 31.6
33. LSU Tigers (4-4-2) - 33.2
34. Temple Owls (7-2) - 34.2
35. Miami Hurricanes (8-2) - 35.3
36. Washington State Cougars (6-4) - 37.0
37. California Golden Bears (4-5) - 37.4
38. Rice Owls (6-3-1) - 38.4
39. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2) - 39.2
40. Michigan State Spartans (5-3-1) - 41.7
41. Detroit Mercy Titans (7-2) - 42.0
42. William & Mary Tribe (8-2) - 42.9
43. Cornell Big Red (5-3) - 43.1
(tie) Harvard Crimson (5-2-1) - 43.1
45. Army Black Knights (5-3-1) - 43.4
(tie) Oregon Ducks (5-5) - 43.4
47. SMU Mustangs (5-5) - 45.0
48. Arizona Wildcats (7-3) - 48.0
49. Syracuse Orange (5-2-1) - 48.1
50. Auburn Tigers (4-5-1) - 49.5
51. Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-4) - 50.2
52. Baylor Bears (3-6-1) - 50.9
53. Villanova Wildcats (4-4) - 52.7
54. Marquette Golden Eagles (4-5) - 53.9
55. Dartmouth Big Green (5-4) - 57.4
56. South Carolina Gamecocks (4-4-1) - 58.1
57. Colgate Raiders (3-3-2) - 58.4
58. Arkansas Razorbacks (3-7) - 59.2
59. Georgetown Hoyas (5-4) - 59.9
60. Kentucky Wildcats (5-4) - 61.3
61. UCLA Bruins (5-5-1) - 62.6
62. USC Trojans (2-6-1) - 63.3
63. Columbia Lions (3-5) - 64.0
64. Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-5) - 64.5
65. Holy Cross Crusaders (4-4-2) - 66.0
66. Florida Gators (4-6) - 67.3
67. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (8-2) - 68.1
68. Colorado State Rams (4-2-1) - 68.2
69. Indiana Hoosiers (2-6) - 69.2
70. Pittsburgh Panthers (3-6) - 69.3
71. St. Mary's Gaels (5-4) - 69.8
72. Denver Pioneers (4-3-2) - 71.5
73. Montana Grizzlies (6-3) - 71.9
74. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-6) - 72.8
75. Loyola Marymount Lions (5-5) - 73.7
76. San Francisco Dons (6-4) - 76.0
77. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-5) - 76.2
78. Manhattan Jaspers (4-4-1) - 76.9
79. Wisconsin Badgers (3-5) - 78.2
80. BYU Cougars (4-3-2) - 79.9
(tie) Purdue Boilermakers (2-5-1) - 79.9
82. Virginia Tech Hokies (6-4) - 82.1
83. NC State Wolfpack (4-5-2) - 83.7
(tie) VMI Keydets (4-6) - 83.7
85. West Virginia Mountaineers (4-6) - 85.5
86. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-5-1) - 85.8
87. Hardin-Simmons Cowboys (7-3-1) - 85.9
88. Colorado Buffaloes (3-4-1) - 86.0
89. New Mexico Lobos (5-4-1) - 89.5
90. Idaho Vandals (4-5) - 90.1
91. Citadel Bulldogs (4-3-1) - 91.2
92. Furman Paladins (3-4-2) - 92.1
93. Creighton Bluejays (5-5) - 93.5
94. Illinois Fighting Illini (2-6) - 93.8
95. North Carolina Tar Heels (3-7) - 94.0
96. Yale Bulldogs (1-7) - 95.3
97. Kansas State Wildcats (2-5-2) - 95.9
98. Iowa State Cyclones (2-6-1) - 97.8
99. Princeton Tigers (2-6) - 98.0
100. Brown Bears (5-4) - 99.4
101. Kansas Jayhawks (3-6) - 100.8
102. St. Louis Billikens (4-5-1) - 101.2
103. UTEP Miners (4-5-1) - 102.8
104. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (3-5) - 103.4
105. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-5-1) - 105.5
106. Drake Bulldogs (4-5-1) - 106.4
107. Washington & Lee Generals (1-6-2) - 106.7
108. Washington (MO) Bears (4-5) - 106.9
109. Maryland Terrapins (3-5-1) - 110.2
110. Davidson Wildcats (1-6-3) - 110.3
111. New York University Violets (2-7) - 111.1
112. George Washington Colonials (1-7-1) - 111.9
113. Wyoming Cowboys (2-7-1) - 113.3
114. Utah State Aggies (0-8) - 113.9
115. New Mexico State Aggies (2-7) - 115.7
116. Gonzaga Bulldogs (3-7) - 116.1
117. Richmond Spiders (2-7) - 117.0
118. Sewanee Tigers (2-5) - 117.9
119. Centenary Gents (0-8-2) - 120.0
 
Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

1942 College Football Final Rankings

In 1942, the United States was deep into World War II. A large number of the able-bodied young men had either volunteered or been drafted into military service. Some of these posts fielded football teams that competed against top-division college football teams and as such are included in the rankings. College teams, on the other hand, began to struggle to field teams as more and more of their players entered the military. In 1943, nearly 50 of the top division teams that had competed in 1942 would not field a team.

The national championship in 1942 was awarded to the Ohio State Buckeyes by the AP poll. Other major polls declared the Georgia Bulldogs the champion. Our analysis, however, gives the championship to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, which started the season disadvantaged by being unranked in the polls or they might actually have been voted national champions, since they ended the regular season as the only undefeated team in the country then lost a close game in the Sugar Bowl to the Tennessee Volunteers (who finished #4 in our rankings).

Here are the final results of our analysis:

1. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (10-1) - 1.4
2. Georgia Bulldogs (11-1) - 2.2
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-1) - 3.5
4. Tennessee Volunteers (9-1-1) - 3.7
5. Georgia Pre-Flight Skycrackers (7-1-1) - 5.1
6. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-3) - 5.8
7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-2) - 7.0
8. Wisconsin Badgers (8-1-1) - 9.7
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-2-2) - 9.8
10. North Carolina Pre-Flight Cloudbusters (8-2-1) - 10.3
11. Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-2) - 11.3
12. Boston College Eagles (8-2) - 12.3
13. Michigan Wolverines (7-3) - 12.5
14. Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets (8-3-1) - 13.0
15. LSU Tigers (7-3) - 15.9
16. William & Mary Tribe (9-1-1) - 17.1
17. Auburn Tigers (6-4-1) - 18.1
18. Colorado Buffaloes (7-2) - 18.3
19. Marquette Golden Eagles (7-2) - 18.6
20. Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks (7-3) - 19.3
21. Rice Owls (7-2-1) - 19.6
22. Missouri Tigers (8-3-1) - 20.1
23. Texas Longhorns (9-2) - 21.8
24. Pennsylvania Relays (5-3-1) - 24.8
25. Santa Clara Broncos (7-2) - 26.7
26. Stanford Cardinal (6-4) - 27.9
27. Jacksonville NAS Flyers (9-3) - 28.2
(tie) UCLA Bruins (7-4) - 28.2
(tie) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-2-1) - 28.2
30. Duke Blue Devils (5-4-1) - 30.1
31. Indiana Hoosiers (7-3) - 30.4
32. Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-4) - 30.5
33. St. Mary's Pre-Flight Air Devils (6-3-1) - 35.6
34. Fordham Rams (5-3-1) - 35.8
35. Army Black Knights (6-3) - 36.1
36. Tulane Green Wave (4-5) - 36.2
37. Hardin-Simmons Cowboys (9-1-1) - 36.8
38. North Carolina Tar Heels (5-2-2) - 38.6
(tie) Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-3-1) - 38.6
40. Utah Utes (6-3) - 41.1
41. Colgate Raiders (6-2-1) - 41.9
42. USC Trojans (5-5-1) - 42.8
43. Illinois Fighting Illini (6-4) - 42.9
44. Miami Hurricanes (7-2) - 44.2
45. TCU Horned Frogs (7-3) - 44.5
46. Navy Midshipmen (5-4) - 45.2
47. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-4) - 49.2
48. St. Mary's Gaels (6-3-1) - 49.9
49. Vanderbilt Commodores (6-4) - 50.6
50. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-4) - 50.9
51. Michigan State Spartans (4-3-2) - 51.3
52. Syracuse Orange (6-3) - 51.5
53. Texas A&M Aggies (4-5-1) - 52.6
54. Duquesne Dukes (6-3-1) - 52.8
55. Baylor Bears (6-4-1) - 53.6
(tie) Holy Cross Crusaders (5-4-1) - 53.6
57. Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-5-1) - 57.4
58. Dartmouth Big Green (5-4) - 58.7
59. Penn State Nittany Lions (6-1-1) - 58.8
60. Washington Huskies (4-3-3) - 59.6
61. Denver Pioneers (6-3-1) - 61.1
62. California Golden Bears (5-5) - 61.2
63. Washington State Cougars (6-2-2) - 63.0
64. Georgetown Hoyas (5-3-1) - 64.0
65. San Francisco Dons (6-4) - 64.6
66. Yale Bulldogs (5-3) - 65.2
67. Virginia Tech Hokies (7-2-1) - 66.5
68. Detroit Mercy Titans (5-4) - 67.5
69. Kentucky Wildcats (3-6-1) - 68.3
70. Colorado State Rams (4-3) - 69.7
71. Oregon State Beavers (4-5-1) - 70.1
72. Maryland Terrapins (7-2) - 73.1
73. Arizona Wildcats (6-4) - 73.7
74. Oklahoma Sooners (3-5-2) - 74.3
(tie) Villanova Wildcats (4-4) - 74.3
76. NC State Wolfpack (4-4-2) - 76.2
77. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (7-2) - 76.7
78. Oregon Ducks (2-6) - 77.8
79. Creighton Bluejays (5-4) - 78.5
80. Harvard Crimson (2-6-1) - 80.2
81. Utah State Aggies (6-3-1) - 80.4
82. Furman Paladins (3-6) - 81.2
83. Citadel Bulldogs (5-2) - 82.0
84. Wyoming Cowboys (3-5) - 85.1
85. Cornell Big Red (3-5-1) - 85.9
86. Clemson Tigers (3-6-1) - 86.4
87. South Carolina Gamecocks (1-7-1) - 88.1
88. SMU Mustangs (3-6-2) - 88.4
89. Princeton Tigers (3-5-1) - 88.9
90. Northwestern Wildcats (1-9) - 89.5
91. Pittsburgh Panthers (3-6) - 90.1
92. Brown Bears (4-4) - 91.5
93. VMI Keydets (3-5-1) - 91.8
94. UTEP Miners (5-4) - 94.4
95. Florida Gators (3-7) - 95.3
96. Temple Owls (2-5-3) - 95.4
97. Columbia Lions (3-6) - 96.7
98. Arkansas Razorbacks (3-7) - 97.6
99. Manhattan Jaspers (2-6) - 97.8
100. St. Louis Billikens (4-5) - 98.9
101. Ole Miss Rebels (2-7) - 101.0
102. Loyola Marymount Lions (5-4-1) - 101.8
103. Washington (MO) Bears (5-5) - 102.4
104. George Washington Colonials (3-6) - 103.3
105. New Mexico Lobos (4-5-2) - 104.1
106. Purdue Boilermakers (1-8) - 106.1
107. Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-7) - 107.1
108. BYU Cougars (2-5) - 107.9
109. Iowa State Cyclones (3-6) - 108.7
110. Davidson Wildcats (2-6-1) - 109.5
111. Richmond Spiders (3-6-1) - 111.4
112. Kansas Jayhawks (2-8) - 111.5
113. Idaho Vandals (3-7) - 113.0
114. Virginia Cavaliers (2-6-1) - 114.4
115. Washington & Lee Generals (1-8) - 114.8
116. Arizona State Sun Devils (2-8) - 118.3
117. Kansas State Wildcats (3-8) - 118.4
118. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (1-5) - 118.7
119. Drake Bulldogs (3-7) - 119.5
120. Montana Grizzlies (0-8) - 120.2
121. New Mexico State Aggies (1-8) - 121.4

Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis.

Friday, June 24, 2011

1943 College Football Final Rankings

In 1943, only 76 teams competed at the top division of college football - including the military training schools. Many schools did not field a team or played a very reduced schedule because of World War II. Of the teams that did compete, Notre Dame was far and away the most successful, playing a very difficult schedule and only losing one game - their final game of the season.

1. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-1) - 1.0
2. Duke Blue Devils (8-1) - 2.5
3. Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks (9-1) - 3.5
4. Navy Midshipmen (8-1) - 4.3
5. Michigan Wolverines (8-1) - 4.9
6. Purdue Boilermakers (9-0) - 5.3
7. Del Monte Pre-Flight Navyators (7-1) - 7.2
8. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-3) - 7.5
9. Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets (10-2) - 9.3
10. Colorado College Tigers (7-0) - 10.5
11. Dartmouth Big Green (6-1) - 10.6
12. Army Black Knights (7-2-1) - 11.7
13. Northwestern Wildcats (6-2) - 13.2
14. North Carolina Tar Heels (6-3) - 14.5
15. Pacific Tigers (7-2) - 15.9
16. March Field Flyers (9-1) - 16.1
17. Pennsylvania Relays (6-2-1) - 16.3
18. Richmond Spiders (6-1) - 18.8
19. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (6-1-1) - 19.4
20. Holy Cross Crusaders (6-2) - 19.5
21. Texas Longhorns (7-1-1) - 19.6
22. Colorado Buffaloes (5-2) - 22.3
23. Oklahoma Sooners (7-2) - 23.8
24. Fort Riley Centaurs (6-2-1) - 24.2
25. USC Trojans (8-2) - 24.8
26. Texas A&M Aggies (7-2-1) - 26.2
27. Georgia Pre-Flight Skycrackers (5-1) - 27.4
28. St. Mary's Pre-Flight Air Devils (3-4-1) - 28.6
29. Alameda Coast Guard Sea Lions (4-2-1) - 28.7
30. Cornell Big Red (6-4) - 28.8
31. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-3-1) - 30.0
32. Villanova Wildcats (5-3) - 32.1
33. Colgate Raiders (5-3-1) - 33.2
34. Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-4) - 34.8
35. LSU Tigers (6-3) - 35.2
36. Ohio State Buckeyes (3-6) - 36.5
37. Tulane Green Wave (3-3) - 37.5
38. Georgia Bulldogs (6-4) - 37.7
39. Indiana Hoosiers (4-4-2) - 37.8
40. Marquette Golden Eagles (3-4-1) - 40.8
41. Camp Grant Warriors (2-6-2) - 41.3
42. South Carolina Gamecocks (5-2) - 42.5
43. Virginia Cavaliers (3-4-1) - 42.9
44. Missouri Tigers (3-5) - 43.3
45. Brown Bears (5-3) - 43.7
46. West Virginia Mountaineers (4-3) - 46.3
47. North Carolina Pre-Flight Cloudbusters (2-4-1) - 47.3
48. California Golden Bears (4-6) - 48.0
49. Iowa State Cyclones (4-4) - 49.0
50. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-5) - 49.9
51. Pittsburgh Panthers (3-5) - 50.3
52. Illinois Fighting Illini (3-7) - 52.7
53. Kansas Jayhawks (4-5-1) - 53.0
54. Temple Owls (2-6) - 55.2
55. Yale Bulldogs (4-5) - 55.6
56. NC State Wolfpack (3-6) - 56.5
57. Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-6) - 58.3
58. Maryland Terrapins (4-5) - 60.0
59. Iowa Hawkeyes (1-6-1) - 60.3
60. St. Mary's Gaels (2-5) - 60.7
61. SMU Mustangs (2-7) - 61.5
62. Clemson Tigers (2-6) - 63.5
63. Denver Pioneers (2-5) - 64.1
64. Rice Owls (3-7) - 64.6
65. TCU Horned Frogs (2-6) - 66.0
66. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-4) - 67.2
67. UCLA Bruins (1-8) - 68.2
68. Arkansas Razorbacks (2-7) - 68.4
69. VMI Keydets (2-6) - 69.4
70. Princeton Tigers (1-6) - 70.7
71. Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-6) - 72.3
72. Wisconsin Badgers (1-9) - 72.8
73. Kansas State Wildcats (1-7) - 73.6
74. Utah Utes (0-7) - 75.3
75. San Francisco Dons (1-7) - 76.0
76. Columbia Lions (0-8) - 76.7
 
Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

1944 College Football Final Rankings

In 1944, many of the colleges that had not sponsored a football team in 1943, due to the war, reinstated their football teams for the 1944 season. However, a large number of teams competing actually represented various military training posts, including some of the best teams in the land. Indicative of wartime, the #1 team in our analysis was Army (just as we found in 1945). Here's the rest of the list:

1. Army Black Knights (9-0) - 1.2
2. Randolph Field Ramblers (12-0) - 1.8
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0) - 3.4
4. Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks (10-1) - 4.2
5. Norman NAS (6-0) - 4.7
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-2) - 6.6
7. Michigan Wolverines (8-2) - 6.8
8. Second Air Force Superbombers (10-4-1) - 8.6
9. Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-1) - 9.4
10. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-2) - 9.5
11. Navy Midshipmen (6-3) - 11.2
12. USC Trojans (8-0-2) - 12.3
13. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-3) - 12.8
14. Indiana Hoosiers (7-3) - 13.5
15. Tennessee Volunteers (7-1-1) - 16.5
16. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-2-2) - 17.0
17. Yale Bulldogs (7-0-1) - 19.1
18. Iowa State Cyclones (6-1-1) - 19.7
19. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-1) - 20.1
20. Pennsylvania Relays (5-3) - 20.4
21. Amarillo Field Sky Giants (5-3) - 20.6
22. Duke Blue Devils (6-4) - 20.8
23. Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets (9-2-1) - 21.1
24. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-4-1) - 23.8
25. Colorado Buffaloes (6-2) - 24.4
26. Georgia Bulldogs (7-3) - 26.3
27. NC State Wolfpack (7-2) - 26.6
28. Purdue Boilermakers (5-5) - 27.7
29. Texas Longhorns (5-4) - 29.0
30. Coast Guard Bears (6-3) - 29.7
31. Michigan State Spartans (6-1) - 31.1
32. March Field Flyers (7-2-2) - 31.2
33. Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-3-1) - 32.0
34. Oklahoma Sooners (6-3-1) - 33.8
35. Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-2) - 35.2
36. Texas A&M Aggies (7-4) - 35.5
37. LSU Tigers (2-5-1) - 38.1
38. Virginia Cavaliers (6-1-2) - 39.3
39. TCU Horned Frogs (7-3-1) - 39.4
40. Denver Pioneers (4-3-2) - 40.7
41. Utah Utes (5-2-1) - 41.0
(tie) William & Mary Tribe (5-2-1) - 41.0
43. Tulane Green Wave (4-3) - 41.1
44. Kentucky Wildcats (3-6) - 45.1
45. Missouri Tigers (3-5-2) - 47.2
46. Cornell Big Red (5-4) - 47.4
(tie) Pittsburgh Panthers (4-5) - 47.4
48. Washington Huskies (5-3) - 47.7
49. Drake Bulldogs (7-2) - 48.9
50. Clemson Tigers (4-5) - 49.5
(tie) Penn State Nittany Lions (6-3) - 49.5
52. Holy Cross Crusaders (5-2-2) - 52.1
53. Auburn Tigers (4-4) - 54.0
54. Lubbock Field (5-4) - 54.7
55. Arkansas Razorbacks (5-5-1) - 54.9
56. Dartmouth Big Green (2-5-1) - 55.0
57. Bucknell Bison (7-2-1) - 55.1
58. Rice Owls (5-6) - 57.4
59. Brown Bears (3-4-1) - 58.2
60. Fort Warren Broncos (5-4-1) - 60.8
61. Wisconsin Badgers (3-6) - 61.2
62. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-3-1) - 62.2
63. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (4-3) - 62.3
64. Temple Owls (2-4-2) - 64.1
65. SMU Mustangs (5-5) - 65.3
66. UCLA Bruins (4-5-1) - 65.7
67. Kansas Jayhawks (3-6-1) - 66.6
68. Alameda Coast Guard Sea Lions (4-2-2) - 68.0
69. Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-7) - 69.3
70. Ole Miss Rebels (2-6) - 71.1
71. St. Mary's Pre-Flight Air Devils (4-4) - 72.5
72. Colorado College Tigers (3-6) - 73.1
73. Utah State Aggies (3-3) - 73.2
74. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-4-2) - 74.2
75. Florida Gators (4-3) - 76.2
76. Colgate Raiders (2-5) - 76.4
77. Northwestern Wildcats (1-7-1) - 76.8
78. North Carolina Tar Heels (1-7-1) - 77.4
79. Villanova Wildcats (4-4) - 77.8
80. Columbia Lions (2-6) - 80.0
81. Idaho State Bengals (4-5) - 80.5
82. Syracuse Orange (2-4-1) - 81.9
83. Boston College Eagles (4-3) - 82.3
84. Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-6) - 83.4
85. Iowa Hawkeyes (1-7) - 86.6
86. Maryland Terrapins (1-7-1) - 87.0
87. California Golden Bears (3-6-1) - 87.2
88. Richmond Spiders (2-6) - 88.7
89. Kansas State Wildcats (2-5-2) - 89.9
90. Marquette Golden Eagles (1-7) - 90.3
91. New Mexico Lobos (1-7) - 92.2
92. VMI Keydets (1-8) - 92.4
93. Miami Hurricanes (1-7-1) - 94.4
94. Presbyterian Blue Hose (3-6) - 94.9
95. New York University Violets (2-5) - 95.2

Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

1945 College Football Final Rankings

In 1945, there were still a number of schools that did not field football teams due to World War II although the war had ended on both fronts by the time the first football games of the season were played. Two of the top three teams were, in fact, the military academies - Army and Navy. Army won the national championship, both from the voters and in our analysis.

1. Army Black Knights (9-0) - 1.1
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (10-0) - 1.9
3. Navy Midshipmen (7-1-1) - 3.4
4. Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-0) - 3.8
5. Indiana Hoosiers (9-0-1) - 4.9
6. Georgia Bulldogs (9-2) - 6.3
7. Pennsylvania Relays (6-2) - 7.2
8. Tennessee Volunteers (8-1) - 7.4
9. LSU Tigers (7-2) - 10.0
10. Michigan Wolverines (7-3) - 10.7
11. Columbia Lions (8-1) - 11.4
12. Holy Cross Crusaders (8-2) - 12.2
(tie) Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-3) - 12.2
14. Miami Hurricanes (9-1-1) - 13.1
15. Texas Longhorns (10-1) - 15.3
16. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-2-1) - 15.7
17. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-2) - 17.4
18. St. Mary's Gaels (6-2) - 19.4
19. Purdue Boilermakers (7-3) - 19.8
(tie) Virginia Cavaliers (7-2) - 19.8
21. Duke Blue Devils (6-2) - 20.0
22. Temple Owls (7-1) - 22.4
23. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-3) - 24.1
24. Northwestern Wildcats (4-4-1) - 25.2
(tie) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-3-1) - 25.2
26. Clemson Tigers (6-3-1) - 25.8
27. Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-3) - 26.3
28. New Mexico Lobos (6-1-1) - 28.7
29. William & Mary Tribe (6-3) - 29.4
30. Maryland Terrapins (6-2-1) - 29.7
31. Villanova Wildcats (4-4) - 32.1
32. North Carolina Tar Heels (5-5) - 33.2
33. Oklahoma Sooners (5-5) - 34.3
34. Yale Bulldogs (6-3) - 34.6
35. Washington State Cougars (6-2-1) - 35.3
36. Texas A&M Aggies (6-4) - 38.6
37. Wisconsin Badgers (3-4-2) - 39.2
38. USC Trojans (7-4) - 40.7
39. Washington Huskies (6-3) - 40.9
40. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (4-6) - 41.8
41. SMU Mustangs (5-6) - 41.9
42. Missouri Tigers (6-4) - 42.2
43. Michigan State Spartans (5-3-1) - 42.7
44. Marquette Golden Eagles (5-4-1) - 42.9
45. Iowa State Cyclones (4-3-1) - 44.2
46. Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets (6-4-1) - 45.2
47. Detroit Mercy Titans (6-3) - 45.5
48. Tennessee-Chattanooga Mocs (5-3) - 47.3
49. Colorado Buffaloes (5-3) - 47.6
50. Brown Bears (3-4-1) - 49.1
51. Baylor Bears (5-5-1) - 49.2
52. Drake Bulldogs (5-4-1) - 50.4
53. Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-5) - 50.6
54. South Carolina Gamecocks (2-4-3) - 53.6
55. Illinois Fighting Illini (2-6-1) - 54.2
56. Cornell Big Red (5-4) - 55.3
57. Denver Pioneers (4-5-1) - 55.6
58. UCLA Bruins (5-4) - 57.3
59. California Golden Bears (4-5-1) - 58.5
60. NC State Wolfpack (3-6) - 60.0
61. TCU Horned Frogs (5-5) - 61.0
62. Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-5-2) - 62.4
63. Colorado College Tigers (4-3-1) - 63.2
64. VMI Keydets (5-4) - 64.0
65. Rice Owls (5-6) - 66.2
66. Merchant Marine Mariners (5-3) - 66.6
(tie) Pittsburgh Panthers (3-7) - 66.6
68. Kansas Jayhawks (4-5-1) - 70.1
69. Oregon State Beavers (4-4-1) - 70.7
70. Utah State Aggies (4-3) - 70.9
71. Auburn Tigers (5-5) - 71.1
72. Utah Utes (4-4) - 71.8
73. Oregon Ducks (3-6) - 72.0
74. Colgate Raiders (3-4-1) - 73.5
75. Wichita State Shockers (6-4) - 74.3
76. Dartmouth Big Green (1-6-1) - 76.7
77. Harvard Crimson (5-3) - 77.2
78. Boston College Eagles (3-4) - 77.3
(tie) Princeton Tigers (2-3-2) - 77.3
80. St. Louis Billikens (5-4) - 79.2
81. Tulane Green Wave (2-6-1) - 80.5
82. Virginia Tech Hokies (2-6) - 82.2
83. Ole Miss Rebels (4-5) - 82.6
84. Arkansas Razorbacks (3-7) - 83.0
85. Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-5) - 84.9
86. Florida Gators (4-5-1) - 86.1
87. Vanderbilt Commodores (3-6) - 86.5
88. Syracuse Orange (1-6) - 86.7
89. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (2-6) - 87.7
90. Bucknell Bison (2-5) - 89.0
91. West Virginia Mountaineers (2-6-1) - 91.2
92. New York University Violets (3-4) - 93.1
93. Iowa Hawkeyes (2-7) - 93.7
94. Kentucky Wildcats (2-8) - 94.2
95. Colorado State Rams (2-5-1) - 96.0
96. Richmond Spiders (2-6) - 96.9
97. Idaho Vandals (1-7) - 98.5
98. Kansas State Wildcats (1-7) - 99.0
99. Presbyterian Blue Hose (1-6) - 99.2
100. Lafayette Leopards (1-7-1) - 101.4
101. Coast Guard Bears (0-7-1) - 101.5

Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

1946 College Football Final Rankings

Prior to running our analysis of the 1946 season, the Georgia Bulldogs were the top candidate for our "Always a Bridesmaid" award, for the strongest program that had never won a national championship in the Baggaley NCAA Football Ranking System. However, the results of the 1946 season analysis change that, as we are indeed naming the Georgia Bulldogs national champions for 1946. This bucks the trend of the major polls, which named Notre Dame national champions followed by the United States Military Academy ranked #2 - both of these teams had gone undefeated except for a November 9th meeting played in Yankee Stadium, in which they played to a 0-0 tie. The Bulldogs were ranked third.

Still, it is amazing to realize that the SEC power has not garnered the award for having the best season in our analysis since 1946. This means that since (and including) 1946, even though they finished 3rd in 1982 and 5th on four different occasions, the Bulldogs have finished #1 in our rankings the same number of times as the Kentucky Wildcats,  the BYU Cougars, the Utah Utes, the San Diego State Aztecs, the New Mexico State Aggies, the Arkansas State Red Wolves and the Dartmouth Big Green. Congratulations Bulldogs!

1. Georgia Bulldogs (11-0) - 1.1
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-0-1) - 2.0
3. Army Black Knights (9-0-1) - 3.1
4. Hardin-Simmons Cowboys (11-0) - 4.2
5. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-2) - 4.9
6. UCLA Bruins (10-1) - 6.8
7. North Carolina Tar Heels (8-2-1) - 7.5
8. Rice Owls (9-2) - 8.6
9. Illinois Fighting Illini (8-2) - 9.3
10. Michigan Wolverines (6-2-1) - 11.4
(tie) Tennessee Volunteers (9-2) - 11.4
12. LSU Tigers (9-1-1) - 12.1
13. William & Mary Tribe (8-2) - 12.6
14. Yale Bulldogs (7-1-1) - 12.7
15. Texas Longhorns (8-2) - 15.0
16. Oklahoma Sooners (8-3) - 15.9
(tie) Tulsa Golden Hurricane (9-1) - 15.9
18. Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-2) - 18.8
19. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-3) - 19.0
20. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-4) - 19.8
21. Pennsylvania Relays (6-2) - 21.5
22. Duke Blue Devils (4-5) - 23.2
23. Kentucky Wildcats (7-3) - 23.6
24. Oregon State Beavers (7-1-1) - 24.5
25. NC State Wolfpack (8-3) - 24.6
26. Miami Hurricanes (8-2) - 25.5
27. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-2) - 26.6
28. Columbia Lions (6-3) - 27.9
29. Boston College Eagles (6-3) - 29.0
30. Vanderbilt Commodores (5-4) - 31.6
31. USC Trojans (6-4) - 32.6
32. Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-3) - 33.3
33. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-4) - 33.7
34. Villanova Wildcats (6-4) - 33.8
35. Harvard Crimson (7-2) - 34.2
36. Arkansas Razorbacks (6-3-2) - 36.0
37. Nevada Wolf Pack (7-2) - 36.4
38. Cornell Big Red (5-3-1) - 36.6
39. Penn State Nittany Lions (6-2) - 38.0
40. Stanford Cardinal (6-3-1) - 39.6
41. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-3-2) - 39.9
42. Washington Huskies (5-4) - 42.8
43. Utah State Aggies (7-2-1) - 43.9
44. Utah Utes (8-3) - 45.9
45. St. Mary's Gaels (6-3) - 46.3
46. Detroit Mercy Titans (6-4) - 46.8
(tie) Indiana Hoosiers (6-3) - 46.8
48. Northwestern Wildcats (4-4-1) - 48.2
49. Kansas Jayhawks (7-2-1) - 49.0
50. Richmond Spiders (6-2-3) - 49.5
51. Tulane Green Wave (3-7) - 51.4
52. SMU Mustangs (4-5-1) - 51.5
53. Colgate Raiders (4-4) - 53.4
54. Navy Midshipmen (1-8) - 55.5
55. Virginia Cavaliers (4-4-1) - 56.1
56. South Carolina Gamecocks (5-3) - 56.6
57. Texas A&M Aggies (4-6) - 57.3
58. Holy Cross Crusaders (5-4) - 58.2
59. Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-4) - 58.8
60. Virginia Tech Hokies (3-4-3) - 59.6
61. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-7-1) - 60.4
62. Princeton Tigers (3-5) - 61.2
63. Wisconsin Badgers (4-5) - 61.7
64. Michigan State Spartans (5-5) - 64.1
65. Georgetown Hoyas (5-3) - 64.2
66. Missouri Tigers (5-4-1) - 66.8
67. Pittsburgh Panthers (3-5-1) - 66.9
68. TCU Horned Frogs (2-7-1) - 68.4
69. George Washington Colonials (4-3) - 69.2
70. Tennessee-Chattanooga Mocs (5-5) - 70.8
71. VMI Keydets (4-5-1) - 71.1
72. Clemson Tigers (4-5) - 71.7
73. Arizona Wildcats (4-4-2) - 73.8
74. Colorado Buffaloes (5-4-1) - 74.0
75. Denver Pioneers (5-5-1) - 74.1
76. Oregon Ducks (4-4-1) - 74.2
77. Syracuse Orange (4-5) - 75.2
78. San Francisco Dons (3-6) - 75.9
79. Marquette Golden Eagles (4-5) - 77.7
80. Auburn Tigers (4-6) - 80.1
81. Dartmouth Big Green (3-6) - 82.5
82. Temple Owls (2-4-2) - 82.8
83. Maryland Terrapins (3-6) - 83.5
84. Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-6) - 84.5
85. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-5) - 84.8
86. California Golden Bears (2-7) - 85.5
87. Montana Grizzlies (4-4) - 86.1
88. New York University Violets (5-3) - 87.8
89. Purdue Boilermakers (2-6-1) - 89.9
90. Montana State Bobcats (5-3-2) - 90.2
91. Washington State Cougars (1-6-1) - 91.2
92. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (5-2-2) - 92.0
93. Washington & Lee Generals (2-6) - 93.2
94. Brown Bears (3-5-1) - 93.6
95. New Mexico Lobos (5-5-2) - 95.7
96. BYU Cougars (5-4-1) - 96.9
97. Santa Clara Broncos (2-5-1) - 97.2
98. Ole Miss Rebels (2-7) - 97.5
99. New Mexico State Aggies (5-5) - 98.5
100. Davidson Wildcats (4-5) - 99.0
101. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (5-5) - 99.5
102. Furman Paladins (2-8) - 101.5
103. UTEP Miners (3-6) - 101.6
104. Citadel Bulldogs (3-5) - 102.7
105. St. Louis Billikens (4-6) - 104.6
106. Colorado State Rams (2-7) - 106.9
107. Baylor Bears (1-8) - 107.0
108. Wichita State Shockers (5-5) - 107.5
109. Bucknell Bison (3-6) - 108.6
110. Iowa State Cyclones (2-6-1) - 111.0
111. Fordham Rams (0-7) - 111.9
112. Florida Gators (0-9) - 112.0
113. Merchant Marine Mariners (4-7) - 112.8
114. Arizona State Sun Devils (2-7-2) - 115.1
115. Drake Bulldogs (2-6-1) - 116.0
(tie) Wyoming Cowboys (1-8-1) - 116.0
117. Lafayette Leopards (2-7) - 118.6
118. Idaho Vandals (1-8) - 119.1
119. Kansas State Wildcats (0-9) - 119.4
120. Portland Pilots (2-7-1) - 120.9

Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis.

Monday, June 13, 2011

1947 College Football Final Rankings

In 1947, there were five teams that did not suffer a single loss - three of them did have ties. Most of the debate of the day was between the Michigan Wolverines and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, both of whom finished their seasons undefeated and untied. Surprisingly, though, our analysis shows that the 10-1 Texas Longhorns had a better season than all of the undefeated teams. The Longhorns' only loss was on the road to the 10-0-2 and #5 ranked SMU Mustangs by a single point and they won their rest of their games by a comfortable margin. Michigan, meanwhile, won close games against Illinois and Minnesota, teams that finished ranked 29th and 33rd in our rankings. And Notre Dame only beat #52 Northwestern by a touchdown - a team that only won 3 games all season.

1. Texas Longhorns (10-1) - 1.6
2. Michigan Wolverines (10-0) - 1.8
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-0) - 2.6
4. Pennsylvania Relays (7-0-1) - 4.1
5. North Carolina Tar Heels (8-2) - 5.8
6. SMU Mustangs (9-0-2) - 6.8
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (9-0-1) - 7.3
8. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-1) - 7.9
9. USC Trojans (7-2-1) - 8.9
10. Ole Miss Rebels (9-2) - 11.1
11. Rice Owls (6-3-1) - 12.1
12. William & Mary Tribe (9-2) - 12.5
13. Army Black Knights (5-2-2) - 12.6
14. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-3) - 14.0
15. Kentucky Wildcats (8-3) - 14.7
16. California Golden Bears (9-1) - 15.5
17. Virginia Cavaliers (7-3) - 15.9
18. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-1) - 17.8
19. Kansas Jayhawks (8-1-2) - 18.8
20. Columbia Lions (7-2) - 19.1
21. Michigan State Spartans (7-2) - 22.2
22. Maryland Terrapins (7-2-2) - 22.5
23. UCLA Bruins (5-4) - 23.6
24. Arkansas Razorbacks (6-4-1) - 26.1
(tie) Wisconsin Badgers (5-3-1) - 26.1
26. San Francisco Dons (7-3) - 27.0
27. Georgia Bulldogs (7-4-1) - 27.6
28. Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-3) - 27.9
29. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-3-1) - 29.1
30. Oklahoma Sooners (7-2-1) - 29.2
31. NC State Wolfpack (5-3-1) - 32.1
32. Utah Utes (8-1-1) - 34.0
33. Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-3) - 34.1
(tie) Oregon Ducks (7-3) - 34.1
35. Missouri Tigers (6-4) - 36.0
36. Vanderbilt Commodores (6-4) - 36.5
37. LSU Tigers (5-3-1) - 36.7
38. TCU Horned Frogs (4-5-2) - 38.3
39. West Virginia Mountaineers (6-4) - 39.1
40. Hardin-Simmons Cowboys (8-3) - 39.8
41. Tennessee Volunteers (5-5) - 39.9
42. Duke Blue Devils (4-3-2) - 40.5
43. Purdue Boilermakers (5-4) - 42.4
44. Princeton Tigers (5-3) - 43.1
45. Villanova Wildcats (6-3-1) - 43.3
46. Nevada Wolf Pack (9-2) - 44.4
47. Detroit Mercy Titans (6-4) - 47.5
48. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-4) - 47.6
49. South Carolina Gamecocks (6-2-1) - 47.8
(tie) Yale Bulldogs (6-3) - 47.8
51. Indiana Hoosiers (5-3-1) - 49.9
52. Northwestern Wildcats (3-6) - 53.0
53. Boston College Eagles (5-4) - 53.9
54. Baylor Bears (5-5) - 54.9
55. Texas A&M Aggies (3-6-1) - 55.1
56. Oregon State Beavers (5-5) - 57.6
57. Washington Huskies (3-6) - 58.1
58. Dartmouth Big Green (4-4-1) - 59.0
59. Holy Cross Crusaders (4-4-2) - 59.8
60. Navy Midshipmen (1-7-1) - 60.8
61. Brown Bears (4-4-1) - 62.7
62. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (5-5) - 63.0
63. Arizona Wildcats (5-4-1) - 64.1
64. Denver Pioneers (5-4-1) - 65.3
65. Marquette Golden Eagles (4-5) - 66.1
66. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (7-4) - 66.6
67. Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-5) - 66.8
68. Montana Grizzlies (7-4) - 66.9
69. Harvard Crimson (4-5) - 69.3
70. Clemson Tigers (4-5) - 69.6
71. UTEP Miners (5-3-1) - 70.3
72. Boston University Terriers (5-3) - 71.0
73. Tulane Green Wave (2-5-2) - 71.3
74. Virginia Tech Hokies (4-5) - 72.8
75. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-5-1) - 73.7
76. Davidson Wildcats (6-3-1) - 75.0
77. Georgetown Hoyas (3-4-1) - 76.5
78. Cornell Big Red (4-5) - 76.9
79. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-7) - 77.7
80. Washington & Lee Generals (5-5) - 79.3
81. Colorado Buffaloes (4-5) - 82.1
82. Washington State Cougars (3-7) - 82.2
83. VMI Keydets (3-5-1) - 83.7
84. Wichita State Shockers (7-4) - 84.1
85. Ohio State Buckeyes (2-6-1) - 84.7
86. Wyoming Cowboys (4-5) - 88.1
87. Utah State Aggies (6-5) - 88.3
88. Santa Clara Broncos (4-4) - 88.4
89. Colgate Raiders (1-5-2) - 89.1
90. Colorado State Rams (5-4-1) - 89.3
91. New Mexico Lobos (4-5-1) - 90.2
92. Florida Gators (4-5-1) - 90.3
93. Idaho Vandals (4-4) - 90.4
94. Tennessee-Chattanooga Mocs (4-6) - 92.7
95. Citadel Bulldogs (3-5) - 95.7
96. Miami Hurricanes (2-7-1) - 96.5
97. Iowa State Cyclones (3-6) - 97.5
98. Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-7) - 98.4
99. Syracuse Orange (3-6) - 98.8
100. BYU Cougars (3-7) - 101.2
101. Temple Owls (3-6) - 101.5
102. Montana State Bobcats (4-5) - 101.7
(tie) Richmond Spiders (3-7) - 101.7
104. St. Mary's Gaels (3-7) - 102.2
105. St. Louis Billikens (4-6) - 104.9
106. Arizona State Sun Devils (4-7) - 107.1
107. Furman Paladins (2-7) - 107.4
108. George Washington Colonials (1-7-1) - 107.8
109. Pittsburgh Panthers (1-8) - 108.7
110. Auburn Tigers (2-7) - 110.0
111. Drake Bulldogs (1-7-1) - 111.1
112. Stanford Cardinal (0-9) - 111.3
113. Portland Pilots (1-8) - 114.0
114. Duquesne Dukes (2-8) - 114.4
115. New York University Violets (2-5-1) - 115.3
116. New Mexico State Aggies (3-6) - 115.9
117. Fordham Rams (1-6-1) - 117.5
118. Kansas State Wildcats (0-10) - 118.5
119. Merchant Marine Mariners (2-9) - 119.8
120. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (1-7) - 121.0

Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

1961 College Football Final Rankings

At the end of the 1961 season, undefeated Ohio State declined an invitation to participate in the Rose Bowl, citing a desire to reduce the institutional emphasis on sports over academics. The irony should not escape any modern-day sports fan, given the turn of events surrounding the Buckeye football program as we approach the 2011 season - 50 years later. The decision not to participate is even more interesting in light of the fact that the difference in the voting between the second-ranked Buckeyes and first-ranked Alabama in the polls was the slightest of margins. Although at the time there were no post-bowl polls, a convincing win in the Rose Bowl might have added to the argument that Ohio State was deserving of a national championship. It is unfathomable to see such a decision being made today - especially by the Ohio State University.

Regardless, we are left with the games that were actually played for our analysis, and that analysis shows that the polls got it right in 1961. In fact, it is doubtful that even a Rose Bowl victory would have made up the difference for Ohio State, as in our analysis, their season was only the sixth best in the country.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-0) - 1.0
2. Texas Longhorns (10-1) - 2.1
3. Ole Miss Rebels (9-2) - 3.1
4. LSU Tigers (10-1) - 4.4
5. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-0) - 6.2
6. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0-1) - 6.3
7. Michigan State Spartans (7-2) - 7.7
(tie) Utah State Aggies (9-1-1) - 7.7
9. Arkansas Razorbacks (8-3) - 7.8
10. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-3) - 11.0
11. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-4) - 12.3
12. Kansas Jayhawks (7-3-1) - 12.8
13. Michigan Wolverines (6-3) - 13.1
14. Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-2) - 13.7
15. Syracuse Orange (8-3) - 14.8
16. Wyoming Cowboys (6-1-2) - 15.4
17. Colorado Buffaloes (9-2) - 16.6
18. Arizona Wildcats (8-1-1) - 19.6
(tie) Memphis Tigers (8-2) - 19.6
20. Purdue Boilermakers (6-3) - 19.9
21. Missouri Tigers (7-2-1) - 21.7
22. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-4) - 21.8
23. Rice Owls (7-4) - 23.5
24. Duke Blue Devils (7-3) - 23.6
25. Miami Hurricanes (7-4) - 24.8
26. Tennessee Volunteers (6-4) - 25.2
27. Army Black Knights (6-4) - 28.1
28. Villanova Wildcats (8-2) - 28.4
29. Navy Midshipmen (7-3) - 29.1
30. Arizona State Sun Devils (7-3) - 30.1
31. Auburn Tigers (6-4) - 30.4
32. Columbia Lions (6-3) - 31.1
33. Wisconsin Badgers (6-3) - 32.1
34. Baylor Bears (6-5) - 33.2
35. Utah Utes (6-4) - 35.7
36. UCLA Bruins (7-4) - 37.6
37. North Carolina Tar Heels (5-5) - 38.0
38. Clemson Tigers (5-5) - 38.4
39. Dartmouth Big Green (6-3) - 38.8
40. Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-5) - 39.7
(tie) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-5) - 39.7
42. Texas A&M Aggies (4-5-1) - 39.8
43. Maryland Terrapins (7-3) - 43.4
44. Holy Cross Crusaders (7-3) - 43.6
45. Oklahoma Sooners (5-5) - 44.9
46. Houston Cougars (5-4-1) - 45.5
47. Northwestern Wildcats (4-5) - 46.7
48. Kentucky Wildcats (5-5) - 49.0
49. Harvard Crimson (6-3) - 49.5
50. Iowa State Cyclones (5-5) - 50.8
51. TCU Horned Frogs (3-5-2) - 51.3
52. Oregon Ducks (4-6) - 53.0
53. Oregon State Beavers (5-5) - 53.1
54. Princeton Tigers (5-4) - 54.9
55. Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-6-1) - 55.8
56. New Mexico Lobos (7-4) - 56.3
57. NC State Wolfpack (4-6) - 57.5
58. Furman Paladins (7-3) - 58.3
59. Detroit Mercy Titans (5-4) - 58.8
60. Wichita State Shockers (8-3) - 59.6
61. Washington Huskies (5-4-1) - 59.9
62. Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-6) - 61.6
63. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (6-4) - 62.6
64. Florida Gators (4-5-1) - 65.1
65. Pittsburgh Panthers (3-7) - 65.3
66. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-6) - 66.0
67. Citadel Bulldogs (7-3) - 67.1
68. Richmond Spiders (5-5) - 67.6
69. South Carolina Gamecocks (4-6) - 68.7
70. West Virginia Mountaineers (4-6) - 71.5
71. Florida State Seminoles (4-5-1) - 71.6
72. Boston College Eagles (4-6) - 72.0
73. Colgate Raiders (5-4) - 72.3
74. New Mexico State Aggies (5-4-1) - 72.6
75. VMI Keydets (6-4) - 75.2
76. USC Trojans (4-5-1) - 76.0
77. Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-6) - 77.6
78. San Jose State Spartans (6-4) - 78.1
79. Georgia Bulldogs (3-7) - 79.2
80. Cornell Big Red (3-6) - 79.8
81. George Washington Colonials (3-6) - 82.3
82. Virginia Cavaliers (4-6) - 82.4
83. Indiana Hoosiers (2-7) - 83.8
84. Virginia Tech Hokies (4-5) - 84.2
(tie) Washington State Cougars (3-7) - 84.2
86. Stanford Cardinal (4-6) - 84.4
87. Boston University Terriers (4-5) - 85.6
88. Yale Bulldogs (4-5) - 88.0
89. Vanderbilt Commodores (2-8) - 88.1
90. Pacific Tigers (5-4) - 88.3
91. Tulane Green Wave (2-8) - 90.3
92. Davidson Wildcats (4-4) - 90.6
93. Xavier Musketeers (6-4) - 91.3
94. SMU Mustangs (2-7-1) - 94.1
95. Montana Grizzlies (2-6) - 95.3
96. Cincinnati Bearcats (3-7) - 96.2
97. North Texas Mean Green (5-4-1) - 96.9
98. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (2-8) - 98.5
99. Air Force Falcons (3-7) - 100.3
100. BYU Cougars (2-8) - 100.4
101. California Golden Bears (1-8-1) - 100.5
102. William & Mary Tribe (1-9) - 102.5
103. Kansas State Wildcats (2-8) - 103.0
104. Idaho Vandals (2-7) - 105.2
105. UTEP Miners (3-7) - 105.5
106. Pennsylvania Relays (2-7) - 107.7
107. Colorado State Rams (0-10) - 108.3
108. Illinois Fighting Illini (0-9) - 108.5
109. Dayton Flyers (2-8) - 109.3
110. Brown Bears (0-9) - 110.7
111. Hardin-Simmons Cowboys (0-10) - 112.0

Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis.

1948 College Football Final Rankings

1948 had four unbeaten teams, two of which, Michigan and Clemson, were unbeaten and untied. Michigan was given the national championship by the voters, and our analysis - in this case - concurs.

1. Michigan Wolverines (9-0) - 1.6
2. North Carolina Tar Heels (9-1-1) - 1.9
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-0-1) - 4.0
4. Oklahoma Sooners (10-1) - 4.5
5. Ole Miss Rebels (8-1) - 5.3
6. Tulane Green Wave (9-1) - 6.6
7. California Golden Bears (10-1) - 6.8
8. Army Black Knights (8-0-1) - 7.4
9. SMU Mustangs (9-1-1) - 9.3
10. Vanderbilt Commodores (8-2-1) - 9.9
11. Northwestern Wildcats (8-2) - 11.1
12. Clemson Tigers (11-0) - 12.9
13. Georgia Bulldogs (9-2) - 13.0
14. Villanova Wildcats (8-2-1) - 14.3
15. Michigan State Spartans (6-2-2) - 14.5
16. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-1-1) - 14.6
17. Missouri Tigers (8-3) - 17.4
18. Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-2) - 19.1
19. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-3) - 20.4
20. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-3) - 20.7
21. USC Trojans (6-3-1) - 21.7
22. Santa Clara Broncos (7-2-1) - 22.5
23. Cornell Big Red (8-1) - 23.5
24. Oregon Ducks (9-2) - 24.0
25. Nevada Wolf Pack (9-2) - 24.3
26. Texas Longhorns (7-3-1) - 24.8
27. Dartmouth Big Green (6-2) - 26.2
28. Baylor Bears (6-3-2) - 28.1
29. Utah Utes (8-1-1) - 28.4
30. William & Mary Tribe (7-2-2) - 29.6
31. Pennsylvania Relays (5-3) - 29.7
32. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-4) - 32.9
33. Kentucky Wildcats (5-3-2) - 33.9
34. Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-3) - 34.0
35. Boston College Eagles (5-2-2) - 35.6
36. Kansas Jayhawks (7-3) - 37.4
37. Tennessee Volunteers (4-4-2) - 38.1
38. Maryland Terrapins (6-4) - 38.7
39. Rice Owls (5-4-1) - 39.1
40. UTEP Miners (8-2-1) - 39.6
41. West Virginia Mountaineers (9-3) - 40.6
42. Pittsburgh Panthers (6-3) - 40.8
43. Brown Bears (7-2) - 41.7
44. TCU Horned Frogs (4-5-1) - 42.9
45. Arkansas Razorbacks (5-5) - 45.7
46. Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-4-1) - 46.3
47. Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-4) - 47.8
48. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-4-1) - 48.1
49. Hardin-Simmons Cowboys (6-2-3) - 48.9
50. Duke Blue Devils (4-3-2) - 49.5
51. Princeton Tigers (4-4) - 52.1
52. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-2) - 52.3
53. VMI Keydets (6-3) - 52.5
54. Columbia Lions (4-5) - 53.0
55. Harvard Crimson (4-4) - 53.2
56. Oregon State Beavers (5-4-3) - 55.4
57. Stanford Cardinal (4-6) - 57.5
58. Virginia Cavaliers (5-3-1) - 58.3
59. Illinois Fighting Illini (3-6) - 59.8
60. Detroit Mercy Titans (6-3) - 60.3
61. Purdue Boilermakers (3-6) - 62.9
62. Colorado State Rams (8-3) - 63.1
63. NC State Wolfpack (3-6-1) - 63.3
64. Iowa Hawkeyes (4-5) - 64.1
65. Miami Hurricanes (4-6) - 65.1
66. LSU Tigers (3-7) - 65.7
67. Florida Gators (5-5) - 66.7
68. Wyoming Cowboys (4-5) - 67.3
69. Yale Bulldogs (4-5) - 67.5
70. Holy Cross Crusaders (5-5) - 69.6
71. Arizona Wildcats (6-5) - 71.1
72. Denver Pioneers (4-5-1) - 71.4
73. Washington State Cougars (4-5-1) - 73.1
74. Drake Bulldogs (7-3) - 74.5
75. Tennessee-Chattanooga Mocs (4-5) - 76.0
76. St. Mary's Gaels (4-6) - 76.6
77. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-5) - 76.8
78. Washington Huskies (2-7-1) - 77.0
79. Iowa State Cyclones (4-6) - 80.1
80. Colorado Buffaloes (3-6) - 80.3
81. Wisconsin Badgers (2-7) - 81.3
82. Colgate Raiders (3-6) - 82.1
83. Indiana Hoosiers (2-7) - 83.1
84. Richmond Spiders (5-3-2) - 83.9
85. Georgetown Hoyas (3-4-1) - 84.4
86. UCLA Bruins (3-7) - 85.4
87. Navy Midshipmen (0-8-1) - 86.3
88. Idaho Vandals (3-6) - 89.9
(tie) Texas A&M Aggies (0-9-1) - 89.9
90. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-5) - 90.0
91. Boston University Terriers (6-2) - 90.9
92. Temple Owls (2-6-1) - 92.0
93. Wichita State Shockers (5-4-1) - 92.6
94. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (6-5) - 92.8
95. Utah State Aggies (5-6) - 93.4
96. George Washington Colonials (4-6) - 94.6
97. Davidson Wildcats (3-5-1) - 97.3
98. Washington & Lee Generals (4-6) - 97.4
99. Marquette Golden Eagles (2-8) - 98.4
100. Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-8) - 99.6
101. New Mexico Lobos (2-9) - 100.5
102. Furman Paladins (2-6-1) - 101.9
103. BYU Cougars (5-6) - 102.8
104. San Francisco Dons (2-7) - 104.5
105. St. Louis Billikens (4-7) - 104.8
106. Fordham Rams (3-6) - 105.6
107. Virginia Tech Hokies (0-8-1) - 106.5
108. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (0-9-1) - 109.8
109. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (4-5) - 110.2
110. New York University Violets (3-6) - 110.4
111. Auburn Tigers (1-8-1) - 111.2
112. Syracuse Orange (1-8) - 111.8
113. Citadel Bulldogs (2-7) - 113.6
114. New Mexico State Aggies (3-7) - 114.4
115. Duquesne Dukes (2-7) - 115.7
116. Kansas State Wildcats (1-9) - 116.6
117. Montana Grizzlies (3-7) - 117.6

Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis.

Friday, June 10, 2011

What about 2004's College Football National Championship?

The news has been filled recently with reports that the BCS has decided to vacate USC's 2004 National Championship as a result of the NCAA investigation into improper benefits received by one of their major players. We, however, are pleased to announce that we will not be doing the same with our rankings for that year. The reason? USC finished second in our rankings to the undefeated Utah Utes.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

1949 College Football Final Rankings

In 1949, three teams had undefeated, untied seasons. Our analysis agrees with the voters, however, who awarded the national championship overwhelmingly to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In our analysis, it was a lot closer than the voters made it, however, with the Oklahoma Sooners giving a pretty good argument for their own national title.

1. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-0) - 1.4
2. Oklahoma Sooners (11-0) - 1.6
3. California Golden Bears (10-1) - 3.4
4. Army Black Knights (9-0) - 3.6
5. Rice Owls (10-1) - 5.9
6. Maryland Terrapins (9-1) - 6.1
7. Texas Longhorns (6-4) - 8.2
8. Baylor Bears (8-2) - 9.6
9. Santa Clara Broncos (8-2-1) - 10.1
10. Michigan State Spartans (6-3) - 10.2
11. Kentucky Wildcats (9-3) - 12.4
12. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1-2) - 12.9
13. Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-2) - 13.1
14. Cornell Big Red (8-1) - 13.7
15. Villanova Wildcats (8-1) - 14.0
16. LSU Tigers (8-3) - 16.6
(tie) Stanford Cardinal (7-3-1) - 16.6
18. Michigan Wolverines (6-2-1) - 16.8
19. Wyoming Cowboys (9-1) - 17.5
20. USC Trojans (5-3-1) - 20.6
21. Tulane Green Wave (7-2-1) - 21.3
22. UCLA Bruins (6-3) - 22.1
23. Wisconsin Badgers (5-3-1) - 24.5
24. Pennsylvania Relays (4-4) - 26.0
25. North Carolina Tar Heels (7-4) - 26.1
26. Tennessee Volunteers (7-2-1) - 26.7
27. SMU Mustangs (5-4-1) - 28.4
28. Brown Bears (8-1) - 28.5
29. Dartmouth Big Green (6-2) - 28.9
30. TCU Horned Frogs (6-3-1) - 30.0
31. Princeton Tigers (6-3) - 30.7
32. Oregon State Beavers (7-3) - 30.8
33. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-3) - 31.4
34. Virginia Cavaliers (7-2) - 32.8
35. Missouri Tigers (7-4) - 34.0
36. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-3-1) - 35.2
37. Colorado State Rams (9-1) - 35.6
38. Illinois Fighting Illini (3-4-2) - 39.2
39. William & Mary Tribe (6-4) - 39.7
40. Duke Blue Devils (6-3) - 40.4
41. Pittsburgh Panthers (6-3) - 41.8
42. Fordham Rams (5-3) - 43.0
43. Arkansas Razorbacks (5-5) - 43.2
44. Miami Hurricanes (6-3) - 44.8
45. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-4) - 45.3
46. San Francisco Dons (7-3) - 45.9
47. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-3) - 47.0
48. Northwestern Wildcats (4-5) - 48.2
49. Georgia Bulldogs (4-6-1) - 48.5
50. Navy Midshipmen (3-5-1) - 48.6
51. Boston University Terriers (6-2) - 50.4
52. Oregon Ducks (4-6) - 51.0
53. UTEP Miners (8-2-1) - 51.3
54. Vanderbilt Commodores (5-5) - 53.4
55. Purdue Boilermakers (4-5) - 54.1
56. Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-4-2) - 54.3
57. Kansas Jayhawks (5-5) - 57.7
58. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-6) - 58.8
59. Loyola Marymount Lions (6-4) - 59.6
60. Iowa State Cyclones (5-3-1) - 61.3
61. Iowa Hawkeyes (4-5) - 62.4
62. Boston College Eagles (4-4-1) - 63.0
63. Ole Miss Rebels (4-5-1) - 63.4
64. Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-5) - 64.7
65. Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-5) - 65.0
66. Florida Gators (4-5-1) - 66.0
67. Hardin-Simmons Cowboys (6-4-1) - 67.7
68. Houston Cougars (5-4-1) - 67.9
69. Temple Owls (5-4) - 70.4
70. Detroit Mercy Titans (5-4) - 71.1
71. South Carolina Gamecocks (4-6) - 71.4
72. Drake Bulldogs (6-2-1) - 71.8
73. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (5-5-1) - 72.1
74. Arizona State Sun Devils (7-3) - 72.6
75. Montana Grizzlies (5-4) - 73.3
76. Yale Bulldogs (4-4) - 74.4
77. Washington Huskies (3-7) - 75.7
78. Auburn Tigers (2-4-3) - 78.7
79. Washington State Cougars (3-6) - 79.2
80. Marquette Golden Eagles (4-5) - 80.4
81. West Virginia Mountaineers (4-6-1) - 81.3
82. Georgetown Hoyas (5-5) - 81.5
83. Syracuse Orange (4-5) - 82.5
84. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (5-4) - 84.1
85. St. Mary's Gaels (3-6-1) - 84.3
86. George Washington Colonials (4-5) - 86.4
87. Nevada Wolf Pack (5-5) - 87.0
88. Clemson Tigers (4-4-2) - 87.9
(tie) Idaho Vandals (3-5) - 87.9
90. Texas A&M Aggies (1-8-1) - 89.3
91. Washington & Lee Generals (3-5-1) - 89.9
92. Indiana Hoosiers (1-8) - 92.5
93. NC State Wolfpack (3-7) - 92.7
94. VMI Keydets (3-5-1) - 94.5
95. Bradley Hilltops (5-5) - 94.6
96. Colorado Buffaloes (3-7) - 95.1
97. Citadel Bulldogs (4-5) - 98.9
98. New York University Violets (3-6) - 100.1
99. New Mexico State Aggies (4-6) - 100.2
100. Denver Pioneers (4-6) - 100.9
101. Columbia Lions (2-7) - 101.0
102. Wichita State Shockers (3-6-1) - 101.7
103. Utah Utes (2-7-1) - 103.3
104. Furman Paladins (3-6) - 103.4
(tie) Kansas State Wildcats (2-8) - 103.4
106. Duquesne Dukes (3-6) - 103.8
107. Utah State Aggies (3-7) - 104.8
108. Arizona Wildcats (2-7-1) - 108.4
109. St. Louis Billikens (2-6-1) - 109.1
110. Richmond Spiders (3-7) - 109.5
111. Virginia Tech Hokies (1-7-2) - 112.2
112. Colgate Raiders (1-8) - 113.3
113. New Mexico Lobos (2-8) - 114.3
114. Harvard Crimson (1-8) - 115.3
115. Mississippi State Bulldogs (0-8-1) - 115.6
116. Davidson Wildcats (2-8) - 116.2
117. Holy Cross Crusaders (1-9) - 117.6
118. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (1-6-1) - 119.0
119. BYU Cougars (0-11) - 120.0


Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

1950 College Football Final Rankings

In 1950, the Oklahoma Sooners were declared national champions before the bowl season. In those days, there was not an additional poll following the bowl games. However, Oklahoma lost to the Kentucky Wildcats in the Sugar Bowl. In our analysis, Kentucky actually had the best season in 1950 and should have been named national champions.

1. Kentucky Wildcats (11-1) - 1.1
2. Wyoming Cowboys (10-0) - 2.2
3. Tennessee Volunteers (11-1) - 3.2
4. Oklahoma Sooners (10-1) - 4.1
5. Princeton Tigers (9-0) - 5.7
6. Army Black Knights (8-1) - 6.2
7. Texas Longhorns (9-2) - 6.7
8. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-2) - 8.8
9. Clemson Tigers (9-0-1) - 9.0
10. California Golden Bears (9-1-1) - 9.6
11. Michigan State Spartans (8-1) - 11.5
12. Pennsylvania Relays (6-3) - 13.1
(tie) Washington Huskies (8-2) - 13.1
14. Loyola Marymount Lions (8-1) - 16.0
15. Illinois Fighting Illini (7-2) - 16.3
16. Texas A&M Aggies (7-4) - 16.4
17. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (9-1-1) - 19.1
18. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-3) - 19.2
19. Miami Hurricanes (9-1-1) - 19.9
20. Michigan Wolverines (6-3-1) - 20.8
21. Cornell Big Red (7-2) - 21.3
(tie) Tulane Green Wave (6-2-1) - 21.3
23. Washington & Lee Generals (8-3) - 22.5
24. SMU Mustangs (6-4) - 23.7
25. UCLA Bruins (6-3) - 24.2
26. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (10-1) - 25.8
27. San Francisco Dons (7-4) - 25.9
28. Stanford Cardinal (5-3-2) - 27.6
29. Baylor Bears (7-3) - 27.8
30. Virginia Cavaliers (8-2) - 28.6
31. Maryland Terrapins (7-2-1) - 29.9
32. Wisconsin Badgers (6-3) - 30.3
33. LSU Tigers (4-5-2) - 33.9
34. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-1-2) - 36.6
35. Pacific Tigers (7-3-1) - 36.8
36. Duke Blue Devils (7-3) - 38.4
37. Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-2-1) - 38.7
38. Georgia Bulldogs (6-3-3) - 39.1
39. Northwestern Wildcats (6-3) - 39.3
40. Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-5) - 39.6
41. Arizona State Sun Devils (9-2) - 39.9
42. Rice Owls (6-4) - 41.5
(tie) Vanderbilt Commodores (7-4) - 41.5
44. Colorado State Rams (6-3) - 43.0
45. Fordham Rams (8-1) - 44.6
46. San Jose State Spartans (6-3-1) - 44.8
47. Drake Bulldogs (6-2-1) - 46.4
(tie) TCU Horned Frogs (5-5) - 46.4
49. Colorado Buffaloes (5-4-1) - 48.0
50. Kansas Jayhawks (6-4) - 48.4
51. Ole Miss Rebels (5-5) - 50.3
52. Navy Midshipmen (3-6) - 52.5
53. Syracuse Orange (5-5) - 52.8
54. Yale Bulldogs (6-3) - 54.7
55. Marquette Golden Eagles (5-3-1) - 55.3
56. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5-6) - 56.1
57. Missouri Tigers (4-5-1) - 56.4
58. Detroit Mercy Titans (6-3-1) - 57.9
59. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-4-2) - 60.2
60. Florida Gators (5-5) - 62.2
61. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-3-1) - 62.7
62. Colgate Raiders (5-3) - 62.8
63. Arkansas Razorbacks (2-8) - 63.5
(tie) Indiana Hoosiers (3-5-1) - 63.5
65. North Carolina Tar Heels (3-5-2) - 64.9
66. VMI Keydets (6-4) - 67.1
67. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-4-1) - 67.7
68. Washington State Cougars (4-3-2) - 68.9
69. Temple Owls (4-4-1) - 69.1
70. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-4) - 70.0
71. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-5-1) - 70.6
72. Villanova Wildcats (4-5) - 70.9
73. George Washington Colonials (5-4) - 74.5
74. Hardin-Simmons Cowboys (5-5) - 74.8
75. Oregon State Beavers (3-6) - 74.9
76. Columbia Lions (4-5) - 75.5
77. Iowa State Cyclones (3-6-1) - 75.8
78. Holy Cross Crusaders (4-5-1) - 76.5
79. Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-6-1) - 77.0
80. Purdue Boilermakers (2-7) - 79.2
81. Santa Clara Broncos (3-7) - 80.6
82. Dartmouth Big Green (3-5-1) - 82.3
83. Utah Utes (3-4-3) - 82.6
84. Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-8) - 84.2
85. NC State Wolfpack (5-4-1) - 84.5
86. UTEP Miners (7-3) - 85.6
87. Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-7-1) - 87.0
88. Arizona Wildcats (4-6) - 87.5
89. USC Trojans (2-5-2) - 88.7
90. Idaho Vandals (3-5-1) - 88.9
91. Wichita State Shockers (5-4-1) - 89.6
92. Citadel Bulldogs (4-6) - 92.0
93. Georgetown Hoyas (2-7) - 92.4
94. Denver Pioneers (3-8-1) - 94.2
95. Montana Grizzlies (5-5) - 94.8
96. William & Mary Tribe (4-7) - 97.1
97. Pittsburgh Panthers (1-8) - 97.2
98. Houston Cougars (4-6) - 97.3
99. St. Mary's Gaels (2-7-1) - 98.5
100. Davidson Wildcats (3-6) - 100.0
101. West Virginia Mountaineers (2-8) - 102.0
102. Boston University Terriers (3-5) - 102.5
(tie) Duquesne Dukes (2-6-1) - 102.5
104. Furman Paladins (2-8-1) - 103.6
105. Oregon Ducks (1-9) - 104.9
106. Bradley Hilltops (5-5) - 105.3
107. BYU Cougars (4-5-1) - 107.2
108. Kansas State Wildcats (1-9-1) - 109.6
109. Brown Bears (1-8) - 110.7
110. Boston College Eagles (0-9-1) - 110.8
111. New Mexico Lobos (2-8) - 111.3
112. Harvard Crimson (1-7) - 113.2
113. Nevada Wolf Pack (1-9) - 114.4
114. Richmond Spiders (2-8) - 115.1
115. New York University Violets (1-5-1) - 115.5
116. New Mexico State Aggies (2-7) - 116.4
117. Utah State Aggies (2-9) - 117.9
118. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (2-7) - 119.0
119. Auburn Tigers (0-10) - 119.9
120. Virginia Tech Hokies (0-10) - 121.0


Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Most Successful College Football Programs of the 50's (1951-1960)

The San Francisco Dons played their last season of top-division football in 1951. They went a perfect 9-0 and ended up ranked #4 in our rankings for that year. You can't do much better than perfect, and since they didn't play as a top division program for the rest of the decade, they would clearly be the #1 ranked team of the 50's. Except that for our rankings, we have established a rule that in order for a team to be eligible for ranking under a certain decade, they must have competed as a top-division football team for at least three years during that decade. There are few teams that can have that kind of success without continuing to compete - the Dons had to drop football because of financial considerations - but it still seems a bit out-of-order to call a program the most successful program of the decade, when they didn't even have a program for 9 of the 10 years.

So who was the team of the decade for 1951 through 1960? How about the Ole Miss Rebels? The Rebels' did not finish outside the Top 20 at all during the decade. They had six Top Ten finishes and ended up #1 in our rankings for 1959. The Rebels edged out the Oklahoma Sooners, who basically owned college football between 1952 and 1958. never finishing outside the Top Five during those years, but lost the top spot because of a 1960 season in which they finished with only three wins, six losses and a tie and ended up ranked #63 for the year in our rankings. (Some would not even consider 1960 a part of the 50's, in which case Oklahoma would be the team of the decade - having finished #4 in 1950 - but this is how we have chosen to do it consistently for all of our decade rankings.)

Here are the complete rankings:

1. Ole Miss Rebels
2. Oklahoma Sooners
3. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
4. Michigan State Spartans
5. Ohio State Buckeyes
6. UCLA Bruins
7. Navy Midshipmen
8. Auburn Tigers
9. Penn State Nittany Lions
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
11. Tennessee Volunteers
12. Florida Gators
13. Texas Longhorns
14. Syracuse Orange
15. TCU Horned Frogs
16. Wisconsin Badgers
17. Army Black Knights
18. Duke Blue Devils
19. Iowa Hawkeyes
20. Kentucky Wildcats
21. Maryland Terrapins
22. Purdue Boilermakers
23. USC Trojans
24. Arkansas Razorbacks
25. Wyoming Cowboys
26. LSU Tigers
27. Michigan Wolverines
28. Colorado Buffaloes
29. Pittsburgh Panthers
30. Baylor Bears
31. Arizona State Sun Devils
32. Rice Owls
33. Miami Hurricanes
34. Illinois Fighting Illini
35. Clemson Tigers
36. Texas A&M Aggies
37. Princeton Tigers
38. Yale Bulldogs
39. Mississippi State Bulldogs
40. SMU Mustangs
41. West Virginia Mountaineers
42. Houston Cougars
43. Georgia Bulldogs
44. Oregon Ducks
45. Air Force Falcons
46. Minnesota Golden Gophers
47. Holy Cross Crusaders
48. South Carolina Gamecocks
49. Utah Utes
50. Washington Huskies
51. Alabama Crimson Tide
52. Missouri Tigers
53. Stanford Cardinal
54. Texas Tech Red Raiders
55. California Golden Bears
56. Vanderbilt Commodores
57. Boston College Eagles
58. Oklahoma State Cowboys
59. Kansas Jayhawks
60. Northwestern Wildcats
61. Washington State Cougars
62. Dartmouth Big Green
63. Pacific Tigers
64. North Texas Mean Green
65. Oregon State Beavers
66. Florida State Seminoles
67. Pennsylvania Relays
68. Tulsa Golden Hurricane
69. Tulane Green Wave
70. North Carolina Tar Heels
71. UTEP Miners
72. Cincinnati Bearcats
73. Boston University Terriers
74. Denver Pioneers
75. VMI Keydets
76. Virginia Tech Hokies
77. Arizona Wildcats
78. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
79. Cornell Big Red
80. Washington & Lee Generals
81. Colorado State Rams
82. Wichita State Shockers
83. New Mexico Lobos
84. Nebraska Cornhuskers
85. Colgate Raiders
86. Utah State Aggies
87. Fordham Rams
88. Harvard Crimson
89. George Washington Colonials
90. Detroit Mercy Titans
91. Hardin-Simmons Cowboys
92. Iowa State Cyclones
93. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
94. Virginia Cavaliers
95. San Jose State Spartans
96. Villanova Wildcats
97. NC State Wolfpack
98. Indiana Hoosiers
99. Brown Bears
100. Marquette Golden Eagles
101. William & Mary Tribe
102. Kansas State Wildcats
103. New Mexico State Aggies
104. West Texas A&M Buffaloes
105. Idaho Vandals
106. Richmond Spiders
107. Citadel Bulldogs
108. BYU Cougars
109. Furman Paladins
110. Drake Bulldogs
111. Columbia Lions
112. Davidson Wildcats
113. Dayton Flyers
114. Montana Grizzlies

Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

1951 College Football Final Rankings

With seven unbeaten teams in 1951, which one had the best season and was most deserving of the national championship title? The two major polls picked Tennessee (which then proceeded to lose its bowl game to the Maryland Terrapins). Other polls were split between Maryland and the Michigan State Spartans. We include the bowls in our analysis (unlike the major polls of the time), so Maryland seems like the obvious choice.

1. Maryland Terrapins (10-0) - 1.0
2. Tennessee Volunteers (10-1) - 2.1
3. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (11-0-1) - 3.2
4. San Francisco Dons (9-0) - 4.5
5. Michigan State Spartans (9-0) - 6.1
6. Illinois Fighting Illini (9-0-1) - 6.3
7. Princeton Tigers (9-0) - 6.5
8. Oklahoma Sooners (8-2) - 7.1
9. Kentucky Wildcats (8-4) - 9.7
10. Virginia Cavaliers (8-1) - 9.9
11. Baylor Bears (8-2-1) - 10.4
12. California Golden Bears (8-2) - 12.6
13. Wisconsin Badgers (7-1-1) - 12.9
14. Texas Longhorns (7-3) - 14.7
15. Kansas Jayhawks (8-2) - 14.9
16. Holy Cross Crusaders (8-2) - 15.2
17. Stanford Cardinal (9-2) - 17.3
18. UCLA Bruins (5-3-1) - 18.6
19. Ole Miss Rebels (6-3-1) - 19.6
20. Wyoming Cowboys (7-2-1) - 21.1
21. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-2-1) - 22.0
22. Texas A&M Aggies (5-3-2) - 22.5
23. USC Trojans (7-3) - 22.9
24. Florida Gators (5-5) - 24.4
25. Colorado Buffaloes (7-3) - 24.6
26. Miami Hurricanes (8-3) - 25.7
27. Washington & Lee Generals (6-4) - 26.0
28. TCU Horned Frogs (6-5) - 26.8
29. Arkansas Razorbacks (5-5) - 29.2
30. Washington State Cougars (7-3) - 30.2
31. Cornell Big Red (6-3) - 30.7
32. Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-4) - 33.5
33. LSU Tigers (7-3-1) - 34.2
34. SMU Mustangs (3-6-1) - 35.1
35. Rice Owls (5-5) - 36.2
36. Clemson Tigers (7-3) - 37.2
(tie) Northwestern Wildcats (5-4) - 37.2
38. Pennsylvania Relays (5-4) - 37.5
39. Duke Blue Devils (5-4-1) - 39.9
40. Michigan Wolverines (4-5) - 40.8
41. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-4) - 41.7
42. Oregon State Beavers (4-6) - 42.2
43. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-3-2) - 42.5
44. Denver Pioneers (6-4) - 42.7
45. Purdue Boilermakers (5-4) - 43.9
46. William & Mary Tribe (7-3) - 47.2
47. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (9-2) - 48.0
48. South Carolina Gamecocks (5-4) - 50.6
49. Vanderbilt Commodores (6-5) - 50.9
50. Fordham Rams (5-4) - 52.2
51. Utah Utes (7-4) - 52.3
52. Georgia Bulldogs (5-5) - 52.8
53. Tulane Green Wave (4-6) - 52.9
54. Villanova Wildcats (5-3) - 53.8
55. Boston University Terriers (6-4) - 53.9
56. Drake Bulldogs (7-2) - 54.9
57. Syracuse Orange (5-4) - 55.0
58. Pacific Tigers (6-5) - 55.2
59. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-6) - 57.1
60. Colorado State Rams (5-4-1) - 59.4
61. Washington Huskies (3-6-1) - 61.0
62. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-4) - 61.8
63. Navy Midshipmen (2-6-1) - 62.6
64. BYU Cougars (6-3-1) - 63.4
65. Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-5) - 64.7
66. Columbia Lions (5-3) - 65.2
67. VMI Keydets (7-3) - 66.5
68. Auburn Tigers (5-5) - 67.2
69. Pittsburgh Panthers (3-7) - 68.3
70. Arizona State Sun Devils (6-3-1) - 71.2
71. Marquette Golden Eagles (4-6-1) - 71.9
72. Dartmouth Big Green (4-5) - 72.1
73. Houston Cougars (6-5) - 72.2
74. Santa Clara Broncos (3-5-1) - 72.4
75. Indiana Hoosiers (2-7) - 73.0
76. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-5) - 76.8
77. Utah State Aggies (3-5-1) - 77.3
78. Boston College Eagles (3-6) - 78.5
79. North Carolina Tar Heels (2-8) - 78.7
80. Hardin-Simmons Cowboys (6-6) - 79.4
81. Iowa Hawkeyes (2-5-2) - 80.6
82. Iowa State Cyclones (4-4-1) - 81.6
83. Colgate Raiders (4-5) - 83.0
84. Temple Owls (6-4) - 83.6
85. Army Black Knights (2-7) - 85.6
86. Yale Bulldogs (2-5-2) - 86.3
87. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-4) - 87.3
88. Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-6-1) - 87.8
89. Furman Paladins (3-6-1) - 88.0
90. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-7) - 89.0
91. George Washington Colonials (2-6-1) - 92.2
92. Arizona Wildcats (6-5) - 92.3
93. Oregon Ducks (2-8) - 93.0
94. Harvard Crimson (3-5-1) - 95.0
95. Montana Grizzlies (2-7) - 95.1
96. Citadel Bulldogs (4-6) - 95.7
97. New Mexico Lobos (4-7) - 97.5
98. Idaho Vandals (2-7) - 97.7
99. NC State Wolfpack (3-7) - 99.0
100. Loyola Marymount Lions (3-6) - 99.1
101. Bradley Hilltops (4-5) - 101.0
102. Richmond Spiders (3-8) - 102.2
103. Brown Bears (2-7) - 102.3
104. Detroit Mercy Titans (4-7) - 104.0
105. Wichita State Shockers (2-7) - 104.7
106. San Jose State Spartans (2-7-1) - 105.9
107. Missouri Tigers (2-8) - 106.4
108. Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-8-1) - 108.9
109. Virginia Tech Hokies (2-8) - 109.9
110. Kansas State Wildcats (1-7-1) - 111.5
111. UTEP Miners (3-7) - 111.6
112. Davidson Wildcats (1-8) - 113.3
113. New York University Violets (1-7) - 113.8
114. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (2-7) - 114.8
115. New Mexico State Aggies (1-9) - 116.1
116. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (1-7) - 116.9


Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis.

Friday, June 3, 2011

1952 College Football Final Rankings

1952 was another year where two unbeaten teams split the national championship - some polls gave the title to Michigan State, others to Georgia Tech. We think Georgia Tech deserved the championship, hands down.

1. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (12-0) - 1.0
2. Michigan State Spartans (9-0) - 2.1
3. Oklahoma Sooners (8-1-1) - 3.0
4. USC Trojans (10-1) - 4.1
5. UCLA Bruins (8-1) - 5.3
6. Alabama Crimson Tide (10-2) - 6.2
7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-2-1) - 7.3
8. Tennessee Volunteers (8-2-1) - 7.4
9. Texas Longhorns (9-2) - 9.5
10. Duke Blue Devils (8-2) - 10.1
11. Maryland Terrapins (7-2) - 11.6
12. Princeton Tigers (8-1) - 12.7
13. Florida Gators (8-3) - 13.2
14. Ole Miss Rebels (8-1-2) - 13.6
15. Navy Midshipmen (6-2-1) - 14.9
16. California Golden Bears (7-3) - 15.3
17. Houston Cougars (8-2) - 16.9
18. Virginia Cavaliers (8-2) - 17.6
19. Wisconsin Badgers (6-3-1) - 20.2
20. Villanova Wildcats (7-1-1) - 20.7
21. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2-1) - 21.2
22. Colorado Buffaloes (6-2-2) - 23.6
23. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-2-1) - 24.6
24. Kansas Jayhawks (7-3) - 25.0
25. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-3) - 25.4
26. West Virginia Mountaineers (7-2) - 26.3
27. Holy Cross Crusaders (8-2) - 26.6
28. Purdue Boilermakers (4-3-2) - 28.0
29. Pittsburgh Panthers (6-3) - 28.5
30. Washington Huskies (7-3) - 29.5
31. Arizona State Sun Devils (6-3) - 31.1
32. Georgia Bulldogs (7-4) - 31.5
33. Pennsylvania Relays (4-3-2) - 32.2
34. Yale Bulldogs (7-2) - 32.5
35. Army Black Knights (4-4-1) - 34.0
36. Syracuse Orange (7-3) - 36.6
37. Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-4) - 36.8
38. Missouri Tigers (5-5) - 38.0
39. Michigan Wolverines (5-4) - 40.7
40. Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-4-1) - 40.9
41. Colorado State Rams (6-4) - 42.3
42. George Washington Colonials (6-2-1) - 44.2
43. San Jose State Spartans (6-3) - 44.6
44. Kentucky Wildcats (5-4-2) - 45.2
45. TCU Horned Frogs (4-4-2) - 45.7
46. Colgate Raiders (6-3) - 45.8
47. Illinois Fighting Illini (4-5) - 46.0
48. Stanford Cardinal (5-5) - 47.8
49. New Mexico Lobos (7-2) - 49.1
50. Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-3-2) - 49.4
51. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-4-1) - 49.7
52. Tulane Green Wave (5-5) - 50.5
53. Arizona Wildcats (6-4) - 55.0
54. SMU Mustangs (4-5-1) - 55.4
55. Pacific Tigers (7-3-1) - 55.9
56. Utah Utes (6-3-1) - 56.4
57. Vanderbilt Commodores (3-5-2) - 56.5
58. Baylor Bears (4-4-2) - 56.8
59. LSU Tigers (3-7) - 57.1
60. Texas A&M Aggies (3-6-1) - 58.4
61. William & Mary Tribe (4-5) - 58.5
62. South Carolina Gamecocks (5-5) - 60.1
63. Rice Owls (5-5) - 63.0
64. Marquette Golden Eagles (3-5-1) - 65.2
65. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-7) - 65.4
66. Washington State Cougars (4-6) - 65.5
67. Hardin-Simmons Cowboys (5-3-2) - 66.0
68. Wyoming Cowboys (5-4) - 67.6
69. North Carolina Tar Heels (2-6) - 70.7
70. Furman Paladins (6-3-1) - 71.4
71. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-4-1) - 71.5
72. Clemson Tigers (2-6-1) - 72.5
73. Auburn Tigers (2-8) - 74.0
74. Idaho Vandals (4-4-1) - 75.5
75. Northwestern Wildcats (2-6-1) - 77.1
76. Harvard Crimson (5-4) - 77.6
77. Arkansas Razorbacks (2-8) - 78.9
78. Santa Clara Broncos (2-6-1) - 79.1
79. Columbia Lions (2-6-1) - 79.4
80. Miami Hurricanes (4-7) - 80.5
81. Detroit Mercy Titans (3-6) - 80.9
82. Boston College Eagles (4-4-1) - 81.2
83. Cornell Big Red (2-7) - 81.7
84. Dartmouth Big Green (2-7) - 82.6
85. Boston University Terriers (5-4-1) - 83.7
86. Virginia Tech Hokies (5-6) - 85.9
87. Iowa Hawkeyes (2-7) - 86.0
88. Oregon Ducks (2-7-1) - 87.2
89. Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-7-1) - 87.8
90. Iowa State Cyclones (3-6) - 89.7
91. Oregon State Beavers (2-7) - 89.8
92. BYU Cougars (4-6) - 91.3
93. Indiana Hoosiers (2-7) - 91.9
94. Citadel Bulldogs (3-5-1) - 92.5
95. Fordham Rams (2-5-1) - 92.9
96. Washington & Lee Generals (3-7) - 96.9
97. VMI Keydets (3-6-1) - 97.5
98. Brown Bears (2-7) - 98.8
99. NC State Wolfpack (3-7) - 99.0
100. Utah State Aggies (3-7-1) - 99.1
101. UTEP Miners (5-5-1) - 100.7
102. Denver Pioneers (3-7) - 101.7
103. Temple Owls (2-7-1) - 102.5
104. Montana Grizzlies (2-7-1) - 102.6
105. Wichita State Shockers (3-6-1) - 104.3
106. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (3-6) - 107.0
107. Kansas State Wildcats (1-9) - 107.8
108. New York University Violets (2-5-1) - 108.9
109. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (3-4) - 109.7
110. Davidson Wildcats (2-7) - 111.0
111. New Mexico State Aggies (2-6-1) - 111.8
112. Drake Bulldogs (2-7) - 113.4
113. Richmond Spiders (1-9) - 113.6


Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

1953 College Football Final Rankings

In 1953, the major polls - the AP and UPI polls - both awarded the national championship to the Maryland Terrapins before they lost to the #4 Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl. These polls did not have a post-bowl vote, so the question remains whether Maryland still deserved the title or not. Our analysis, which weights bowl games equally to the rest of the games of the season, says yes, they still deserved to be national champions:

1. Maryland Terrapins (10-1) - 1.0
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-0-1) - 2.3
3. Texas Tech Red Raiders (11-1) - 2.7
4. Oklahoma Sooners (9-1-1) - 4.0
5. Rice Owls (9-2) - 5.2
6. Michigan State Spartans (9-1) - 6.2
7. UCLA Bruins (8-2) - 8.3
8. Illinois Fighting Illini (7-1-1) - 8.7
9. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-2-1) - 8.8
10. Wisconsin Badgers (6-2-1) - 9.4
11. Ole Miss Rebels (7-2-1) - 11.5
12. Kentucky Wildcats (7-2-1) - 12.6
13. Duke Blue Devils (7-2-1) - 13.2
14. Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-2-3) - 14.6
(tie) Texas Longhorns (7-3) - 14.6
16. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-3-1) - 15.3
17. West Virginia Mountaineers (8-2) - 18.1
18. Auburn Tigers (7-3-1) - 18.7
19. Army Black Knights (7-1-1) - 19.4
20. Utah Utes (8-2) - 20.1
21. Michigan Wolverines (6-3) - 20.8
22. Baylor Bears (7-3) - 21.2
23. Syracuse Orange (5-3-1) - 25.2
24. Penn State Nittany Lions (6-3) - 25.6
25. Marquette Golden Eagles (6-3-1) - 25.7
26. USC Trojans (6-3-1) - 25.9
27. South Carolina Gamecocks (7-3) - 26.5
28. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-3) - 28.2
29. Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-4-1) - 28.9
30. Stanford Cardinal (6-3-1) - 29.4
31. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-3) - 29.9
32. LSU Tigers (5-3-3) - 33.0
33. Tennessee Volunteers (6-4-1) - 33.7
34. UTEP Miners (8-2) - 33.8
35. SMU Mustangs (5-5) - 34.2
36. Kansas State Wildcats (6-3-1) - 36.4
37. Navy Midshipmen (4-3-2) - 36.6
38. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-3-3) - 38.5
39. California Golden Bears (4-4-2) - 40.1
40. Boston University Terriers (5-3-1) - 40.4
41. Detroit Mercy Titans (6-4) - 42.1
42. Houston Cougars (4-4-1) - 42.2
43. Florida Gators (3-5-2) - 42.4
44. Wyoming Cowboys (5-4-1) - 43.3
45. Texas A&M Aggies (4-5-1) - 44.0
46. Colorado Buffaloes (6-4) - 45.9
47. Utah State Aggies (8-3) - 47.7
48. Missouri Tigers (6-4) - 48.1
49. Furman Paladins (7-2) - 50.0
50. Arkansas Razorbacks (3-7) - 50.7
51. Arizona Wildcats (4-5-1) - 50.9
52. Miami Hurricanes (4-5) - 51.7
53. Fordham Rams (4-5) - 53.0
(tie) Pennsylvania Relays (3-5-1) - 53.0
55. TCU Horned Frogs (3-7) - 55.0
56. Cornell Big Red (4-3-2) - 56.1
57. Colorado State Rams (4-5) - 57.0
58. Boston College Eagles (5-3-1) - 57.1
59. Purdue Boilermakers (2-7) - 58.0
60. New Mexico Lobos (5-3-1) - 60.0
61. Oregon Ducks (4-5-1) - 60.2
62. Harvard Crimson (6-2) - 62.8
63. Washington Huskies (3-6-1) - 63.1
64. Clemson Tigers (3-5-1) - 65.0
(tie) Holy Cross Crusaders (5-5) - 65.0
66. Northwestern Wildcats (3-6) - 65.8
67. Wichita State Shockers (4-4-1) - 66.5
68. Pittsburgh Panthers (3-5-1) - 67.7
69. Pacific Tigers (4-4-2) - 67.8
70. George Washington Colonials (5-4) - 68.7
71. Yale Bulldogs (5-2-2) - 72.0
72. Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-6-1) - 73.1
73. Columbia Lions (4-5) - 75.3
74. Hardin-Simmons Cowboys (6-5) - 75.5
75. North Carolina Tar Heels (4-6) - 76.1
76. Washington State Cougars (4-6) - 76.9
77. Arizona State Sun Devils (4-5-1) - 77.2
78. Colgate Raiders (3-4-2) - 78.8
79. Villanova Wildcats (4-6) - 79.0
80. Richmond Spiders (5-3-1) - 79.1
81. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-6-1) - 79.9
82. Virginia Tech Hokies (5-5) - 80.1
83. Kansas Jayhawks (2-8) - 81.6
84. Indiana Hoosiers (2-7) - 82.2
85. Denver Pioneers (3-5-2) - 84.2
86. Princeton Tigers (5-4) - 85.1
87. Dartmouth Big Green (2-7) - 87.9
88. Vanderbilt Commodores (3-7) - 88.9
89. Georgia Bulldogs (3-8) - 89.1
90. North Texas Mean Green (3-6-1) - 90.8
91. Washington & Lee Generals (4-6) - 91.7
92. San Jose State Spartans (4-4-1) - 92.3
93. William & Mary Tribe (5-4-1) - 93.0
94. Oregon State Beavers (3-6) - 93.1
95. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (3-7) - 93.9
96. VMI Keydets (5-5) - 94.0
97. BYU Cougars (2-7-1) - 95.2
98. Iowa State Cyclones (2-7) - 98.4
99. Brown Bears (3-5-1) - 98.7
100. Montana Grizzlies (3-5) - 98.9
101. Tulane Green Wave (1-8-1) - 100.4
102. Drake Bulldogs (4-4) - 102.4
(tie) Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-6) - 102.4
104. Virginia Cavaliers (1-8) - 104.9
105. Idaho Vandals (1-8) - 106.5
106. NC State Wolfpack (1-9) - 107.5
107. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (1-8-1) - 108.4
108. New Mexico State Aggies (2-7) - 108.7
109. Citadel Bulldogs (2-7) - 108.9
110. Davidson Wildcats (0-9) - 111.0

Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

1954 College Football Final Rankings

In 1954, even though it was the first of three consecutive undefeated, untied seasons for the Oklahoma Sooners, the national championship was split between undefeated and untied UCLA and undefeated and untied Ohio State. The AP writers' poll voted Ohio State #1 and the UPI coaches' poll chose UCLA. But which of the three teams had the best season in our analysis? We agree with the coaches:

1. UCLA Bruins (9-0) - 1.4
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-0) - 2.2
3. Oklahoma Sooners (10-0) - 2.5
4. Navy Midshipmen (8-2) - 4.3
5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-1) - 5.6
6. Maryland Terrapins (7-2-1) - 6.2
7. Miami Hurricanes (8-1) - 8.5
8. Denver Pioneers (9-1) - 9.1
9. Ole Miss Rebels (9-2) - 9.3
10. Wichita State Shockers (9-1) - 9.9
11. Auburn Tigers (8-3) - 10.1
12. Wisconsin Badgers (7-2) - 10.8
13. Army Black Knights (7-2) - 12.5
14. Arkansas Razorbacks (8-3) - 16.1
15. Duke Blue Devils (8-2-1) - 16.3
16. West Virginia Mountaineers (8-1) - 16.5
17. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-3) - 17.7
18. Colorado Buffaloes (7-2-1) - 18.1
19. Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-2-1) - 19.2
20. Purdue Boilermakers (5-3-1) - 20.4
21. Rice Owls (7-3) - 20.9
22. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2) - 21.5
23. SMU Mustangs (6-3-1) - 21.8
24. USC Trojans (8-4) - 24.9
25. Virginia Tech Hokies (8-0-1) - 25.6
26. Baylor Bears (7-4) - 26.2
27. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-4) - 26.7
28. Boston University Terriers (7-2) - 27.7
29. Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-2) - 28.2
30. Michigan Wolverines (6-3) - 30.2
31. TCU Horned Frogs (4-6) - 31.2
32. Cincinnati Bearcats (8-2) - 33.4
33. UTEP Miners (8-3) - 34.3
34. Texas Longhorns (4-5-1) - 34.7
35. Florida Gators (5-5) - 35.7
(tie) South Carolina Gamecocks (6-4) - 35.7
37. Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-4) - 36.3
38. Boston College Eagles (8-1) - 38.2
39. Kentucky Wildcats (7-3) - 38.3
40. Arizona Wildcats (7-3) - 38.6
41. California Golden Bears (5-5) - 39.0
42. Oregon Ducks (6-4) - 41.9
43. Clemson Tigers (5-5) - 43.8
(tie) Pittsburgh Panthers (4-5) - 43.8
45. Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-5) - 43.9
46. Brown Bears (6-2-1) - 44.1
47. Yale Bulldogs (5-3-1) - 47.1
48. Michigan State Spartans (3-6) - 49.0
49. Georgia Bulldogs (6-3-1) - 49.4
50. Wyoming Cowboys (6-4) - 50.0
51. Colgate Raiders (5-2-2) - 51.2
52. Kansas State Wildcats (7-3) - 51.6
53. Missouri Tigers (4-5-1) - 52.7
54. San Jose State Spartans (7-3) - 53.2
55. Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-4-1) - 54.4
56. LSU Tigers (5-6) - 55.9
57. Cornell Big Red (5-4) - 56.0
58. Princeton Tigers (5-3-1) - 60.0
59. Florida State Seminoles (8-4) - 60.5
(tie) Indiana Hoosiers (3-6) - 60.5
61. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-5-2) - 62.6
62. Houston Cougars (5-5) - 63.4
63. Texas A&M Aggies (1-9) - 63.5
64. Syracuse Orange (4-4) - 64.8
65. Northwestern Wildcats (2-7) - 65.4
66. Davidson Wildcats (6-3) - 67.1
(tie) Richmond Spiders (5-4) - 67.1
68. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-7-1) - 67.8
69. Stanford Cardinal (4-6) - 68.7
70. North Carolina Tar Heels (4-5-1) - 69.5
71. Tennessee Volunteers (4-6) - 71.9
72. Pacific Tigers (4-5) - 72.8
73. North Texas Mean Green (4-6) - 72.9
74. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-5) - 74.8
75. Harvard Crimson (4-3-1) - 74.9
76. Virginia Cavaliers (3-6) - 75.6
77. Furman Paladins (5-5) - 75.7
78. Holy Cross Crusaders (3-7) - 79.4
79. Utah Utes (4-7) - 79.5
80. Washington State Cougars (4-6) - 79.8
81. New Mexico Lobos (5-5) - 82.6
82. Illinois Fighting Illini (1-8) - 82.9
83. William & Mary Tribe (4-4-2) - 83.0
84. VMI Keydets (4-6) - 83.2
85. Vanderbilt Commodores (2-7) - 84.8
86. Dartmouth Big Green (3-6) - 85.8
87. Utah State Aggies (4-6) - 86.1
88. Marquette Golden Eagles (3-5-1) - 87.7
89. Hardin-Simmons Cowboys (4-6) - 89.9
(tie) NC State Wolfpack (2-8) - 89.9
91. Iowa State Cyclones (3-6) - 90.5
92. Drake Bulldogs (2-7) - 93.0
93. Tulane Green Wave (1-6-3) - 93.8
94. George Washington Colonials (1-7-1) - 94.9
(tie) Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-6) - 94.9
96. Montana Grizzlies (3-6) - 96.7
97. Idaho Vandals (4-5) - 97.5
98. Colorado State Rams (3-7) - 97.6
99. Detroit Mercy Titans (2-7) - 100.5
100. Washington Huskies (2-8) - 100.9
101. BYU Cougars (1-8) - 101.9
102. Citadel Bulldogs (2-8) - 103.1
103. Fordham Rams (1-7-1) - 104.5
104. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (1-8) - 104.7
105. Oregon State Beavers (1-8) - 106.4
106. Columbia Lions (1-8) - 106.8
107. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (0-11) - 107.3
108. Pennsylvania Relays (0-9) - 109.0
109. Villanova Wildcats (1-9) - 109.8
110. New Mexico State Aggies (0-9) - 111.4
111. Kansas Jayhawks (0-10) - 111.6

Special thanks to James Howell's College Football Scores, which provided the data for our analysis.