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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

1955 College Football Final Rankings

If Tennessee at least cast some doubt on who should be the national champion in 1956, the same cannot be said about 1955. In our analysis, Oklahoma was the clear champion in the middle of their three consecutive undefeated seasons.

1. Oklahoma Sooners (11-0) - 1.0
2. Michigan State Spartans (9-1) - 2.8
3. Maryland Terrapins (10-1) - 3.2
(tie) UCLA Bruins (9-2) - 3.2
5. TCU Horned Frogs (9-2) - 5.0
6. Ole Miss Rebels (10-1) - 5.9
7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-1-1) - 7.4
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-2) - 8.5
9. West Virginia Mountaineers (8-2) - 9.6
10. Pittsburgh Panthers (7-4) - 10.0
11. Navy Midshipmen (6-2-1) - 12.9
12. Duke Blue Devils (7-2-1) - 13.7
13. Texas A&M Aggies (7-2-1) - 13.9
14. USC Trojans (6-4) - 14.6
15. Miami Hurricanes (6-3) - 14.8
16. Arizona State Sun Devils (8-2-1) - 16.1
(tie) Vanderbilt Commodores (8-3) - 16.1
18. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-2) - 17.7
19. Michigan Wolverines (7-2) - 19.0
20. Army Black Knights (6-3) - 19.2
21. Stanford Cardinal (6-3-1) - 20.8
22. Auburn Tigers (8-2-1) - 21.2
23. Syracuse Orange (5-3) - 22.5
24. Denver Pioneers (8-2) - 23.5
25. Tennessee Volunteers (6-3-1) - 26.5
26. Boston College Eagles (5-2-1) - 27.2
27. Wyoming Cowboys (8-3) - 28.5
28. UTEP Miners (6-2-2) - 28.7
29. Kentucky Wildcats (6-3-1) - 29.0
30. Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-3-1) - 29.7
31. Arkansas Razorbacks (5-4-1) - 30.3
32. Yale Bulldogs (7-2) - 31.5
33. Colgate Raiders (6-3) - 33.3
34. Oregon Ducks (6-4) - 34.9
35. Texas Longhorns (5-5) - 35.3
36. Wichita State Shockers (7-2-1) - 36.9
37. LSU Tigers (3-5-2) - 37.6
38. Colorado State Rams (8-2) - 37.7
39. Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-4) - 38.6
40. Utah Utes (6-3) - 39.5
41. Tulane Green Wave (5-4-1) - 42.1
42. Baylor Bears (5-5) - 42.7
43. Clemson Tigers (7-3) - 43.9
44. Florida Gators (4-6) - 44.5
45. Washington Huskies (5-4-1) - 44.7
46. Houston Cougars (6-4) - 46.5
47. Princeton Tigers (7-2) - 47.0
48. Oregon State Beavers (6-3) - 47.3
49. Colorado Buffaloes (6-4) - 47.8
50. SMU Mustangs (4-6) - 48.6
51. Pacific Tigers (5-4) - 51.5
52. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-4) - 52.2
53. Arizona Wildcats (5-4-1) - 52.6
54. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-5-1) - 53.7
55. Purdue Boilermakers (5-3-1) - 54.4
56. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-3-1) - 54.8
57. Georgia Bulldogs (4-6) - 57.7
58. San Jose State Spartans (5-3-1) - 58.2
59. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-4-1) - 58.3
60. Wisconsin Badgers (4-5) - 58.7
61. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (4-4-1) - 59.8
62. George Washington Colonials (5-4) - 60.5
63. Virginia Tech Hokies (6-3-1) - 62.0
64. Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-5) - 65.3
(tie) Utah State Aggies (4-6) - 65.3
66. Richmond Spiders (4-3-2) - 65.5
67. Hardin-Simmons Cowboys (5-5) - 67.1
68. Harvard Crimson (3-4-1) - 69.5
(tie) Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-6) - 69.5
70. Holy Cross Crusaders (6-4) - 70.5
71. NC State Wolfpack (4-5-1) - 70.6
72. Detroit Mercy Titans (5-3-1) - 71.4
73. Rice Owls (2-7-1) - 72.1
74. Cornell Big Red (5-4) - 72.3
75. North Texas Mean Green (5-4-1) - 74.5
76. Florida State Seminoles (5-5) - 75.7
77. Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-8) - 78.0
78. Davidson Wildcats (5-4) - 78.9
79. North Carolina Tar Heels (3-7) - 79.6
80. Boston University Terriers (2-6) - 80.3
81. Dartmouth Big Green (3-6) - 81.0
82. California Golden Bears (2-7-1) - 81.3
83. Kansas State Wildcats (4-6) - 83.4
84. Indiana Hoosiers (3-6) - 83.6
85. Drake Bulldogs (4-4) - 84.9
86. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (2-7-1) - 86.5
87. Marquette Golden Eagles (2-6-1) - 86.6
88. William & Mary Tribe (1-7-1) - 87.7
89. Missouri Tigers (1-9) - 89.9
90. Kansas Jayhawks (3-6-1) - 90.0
91. Idaho Vandals (2-7) - 91.3
92. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-6) - 91.4
93. Villanova Wildcats (1-9) - 92.7
94. Washington State Cougars (1-7-2) - 94.9
95. FCS School (28-56-1) - 95.3
96. Brown Bears (2-7) - 95.5
97. Citadel Bulldogs (5-4) - 95.9
98. Iowa State Cyclones (1-7-1) - 96.8
99. Cincinnati Bearcats (1-6-2) - 98.7
100. Virginia Cavaliers (1-9) - 99.7
101. Montana Grizzlies (3-7) - 101.4
102. New Mexico State Aggies (3-7) - 102.1
103. Columbia Lions (1-8) - 102.9
104. New Mexico Lobos (2-8) - 104.9
(tie) Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-5) - 104.9
106. VMI Keydets (1-9) - 105.4
107. Northwestern Wildcats (0-8-1) - 106.9
108. BYU Cougars (1-9) - 107.2
109. Furman Paladins (1-9) - 108.8
110. Pennsylvania Relays (0-9) - 110.0
111. Alabama Crimson Tide (0-10) - 111.0

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