1951 college football season
Encyclopedia
The 1951 college football season finished with seven unbeaten major college teams, of which five were unbeaten and untied. Ultimately, the Tennessee Volunteers
were voted the best team by the Associated Press, followed by the Michigan State Spartans, with the Vols having a plurality of first place votes (139 to 104). Tennessee lost in the Sugar Bowl to the equally undefeated and untied #3 Maryland Terrapins
, but the postseason games didn't count, so the Terps did not have a share of the national title.
During the 20th century, the NCAA
had no playoff for the college football
teams that would later be described as "Division I-A". The NCAA did recognize a national champion based upon the final results of "wire service" (AP and UPI) polls. The extent of that recognition came in the form of acknowledgment in the annual NCAA Football Guide of the "unofficial" national champions. The AP poll in 1951 consisted of the votes of as many as 307 sportswriters .
Though not all writers voted in every poll, each would give their opinion of the ten best teams. Under a point system of 10 points for first place, 9 for second, etc., the "overall" ranking was determined. Although the rankings were based on the collective opinion of the representative sportswriters, the teams that remained "unbeaten and untied" were generally ranked higher than those that had not. A defeat, even against a strong opponent, tended to cause a team to drop in the rankings, and a team with two or more defeats was unlikely to remain in the Top 20. Generally, the top teams played on New Year's Day in the four major postseason bowl games: the Rose Bowl (near Los Angeles at Pasadena), the Sugar Bowl (New Orleans
), the Orange Bowl (Miami
), and the Cotton Bowl (Dallas
).
and Michigan State were ranked first and second, with Tennessee having 60 of the 115 first place votes. MSU had opened its season on the 22nd with a 6-0 win over Oregon State. They were followed by #3 Ohio State
, defending champion #4 Oklahoma
, and #5 California
(which had won its opener against Santa Clara, 34-0). As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games.
On September 29 #1 Tennessee
beat Mississippi State 14-0. #2 Michigan State won at Michigan, 25-0, to take the top spot from the Vols. #3 Ohio State
beat visiting SMU 7-0 in a win not deemed good enough to stay in the top five. #4 Oklahoma
beat William & Mary 49-7. #5 California
won in Philadelphia against Penn, 35-0, and rose to second in the next poll. The game was broadcast in New York in a test for color television Notre Dame, which had beaten Indiana 48-6, rose to fifth. The poll: 1.Michigan State 2.California 3.Tennessee 4.Oklahoma 5.Notre Dame
beat Minnesota, 55-14. #3 Tennessee
beat Duke 26-0. #4 Oklahoma
lost at #10 Texas A&M, 14-7 and fell out of the top bracket, and the Aggies took their place. #5 Notre Dame had beaten Mercy College of Detroit, 40-6, the night before. The poll: 1.Michigan State 2.California 3.Tennessee 4.Texas A&M 5.Notre Dame
October 13 #1 Michigan State had trouble in defeating Marquette 20-14. #2 California
beat Washington State 42-35 and took over the top spot from the Spartans in the next poll. #3 Tennessee
beat the University of Chattanooga (now UT-Chattanooga) 42-13. #4 Texas A&M
beat Trinity College 53-14 and fell from the top five. #5 Notre Dame lost to visiting SMU, 27-20. Taking the places of the Aggies and the Irish were #6 Texas (which had beaten Oklahoma in Dallas, 9-7) and #8 Georgia Tech (which had beaten LSU 25-7. The poll: 1.California 2.Tennessee 3.Michigan State 4.Texas 5.Georgia Tech
October 20 In Los Angeles, #1 California
and USC, both unbeaten at 4-0-0, faced off, and the Golden Bears lost the game, along with the top spot in the poll, 21-14. Earlier, in Birmingham, #2 Tennessee
defeated Alabama 27-13. #3 Michigan State won at Penn State, 32-21. #4 Texas
lost at Arkansas, 16-14. #5 Georgia Tech defeated Auburn 27-7. Appearing in the top five were #8 Illinois (which had a 27-20 win over Washington) and #7 Maryland (which had beaten North Carolina 14-7). The poll: 1.Tennessee 2.Michigan State 3.Georgia Tech 4.Illinois 5.Maryland
October 27 #1 Tennessee
beat Tennessee Tech 68-0. #3 Michigan State beat visiting Pitt, 53-26. #3 Georgia Tech won narrowly at Vanderbilt, 8-7. #4 Illinois won at Indiana, 21-0. Unbeaten (4-0-0) and #5 Maryland
visited once-beaten (4-1-0) LSU, and won convincingly, 27-0. With all five teams staying unbeaten, the poll changed slightly: 1.Tennessee 2.Michigan State 3.Illinois 4.Maryland 5.Georgia Tech
won at North Carolina, 27-0 for its fourth shutout. In six games, the Vols had outscored their opponents, 207-14. #2 Michigan State was idle and dropped to fifth in the next poll. #3 Illinois beat Michigan 7-0. #4 Maryland
shut out Missouri 35-0. #5 Georgia Tech was tied by Duke, 14-14. #6 Princeton, which rose to 5-0-0 after a 12-0 win over Brown, gave an Ivy League addition to the Top Five. Michigan State came back to the five after a 53-26 win over Pitt. The poll: 1.Tennessee 2.Illinois 3.Maryland 4.Princeton 5.Michigan State.
November 10 #1 Tennessee
beat Washington & Lee, 60-14. #2 Illinois beat Iowa 40-13. In Baltimore, #3 Maryland
beat Navy, 40-21. #4 Princeton
won at Harvard, 54-13, and left the top five. #5 Michigan State (6-0-0) hosted Notre Dame (5-1-0) and shut out the Irish, 35-0, and returned to #1 spot in the poll. In Los Angeles, two unbeaten and untied (7-0-0) powers faced off, as #7 Stanford and USC met. The Stanford Indians (they would later be called the Cardinal) beat the Trojans 27-20. The poll: 1.Michigan State 2.Tennessee 3.Illinois 4.Stanford 5.Maryland
November 17 #1 Michigan State won at Indiana, 30-26. #2 Tennessee
won at Mississippi, 46-21. #3 Illinois got a blemish on its record with a 0-0 tie at Ohio State. #4 Stanford
beat Oregon State 35-14. #5 Maryland
overwhelmed N.C. State 53-0. Princeton, which had shut out Yale 27-0, came back to the top five. The poll: 1.Tennessee 2.Michigan State
3.Stanford 4.Maryland 5.Princeton
November 24
#1 Tennessee
beat Kentucky 28-0. #2 Michigan State beat Colorado 45-7 to finish its season at 9-0-0. #3 Stanford
suffered its first defeat, falling to California, 20-7. #4 Maryland
stayed unbeaten, over West Virginia 54-7. #5 Princeton
closed its season with a 13-0 win over Dartmouth. Illinois, which won at Northwestern 3-0, returned to the top five. The penultimate poll: 1.Tennessee 2.Michigan State 3.Maryland 4.Illinois 5.Princeton. On December 1 #1 Tennessee
closed its season unbeaten with a 35-27 win over Vanderbilt.
The University of San Francisco
Dons closed their season—and their football program—with a perfect record of 9 wins, 0 losses and 0 ties. After their November 24 game against Loyola Marymount University
, a 20-2 win, USF stopped playing football.
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
were voted the best team by the Associated Press, followed by the Michigan State Spartans, with the Vols having a plurality of first place votes (139 to 104). Tennessee lost in the Sugar Bowl to the equally undefeated and untied #3 Maryland Terrapins
Maryland Terrapins football
The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, but the postseason games didn't count, so the Terps did not have a share of the national title.
During the 20th century, the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
had no playoff for the college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
teams that would later be described as "Division I-A". The NCAA did recognize a national champion based upon the final results of "wire service" (AP and UPI) polls. The extent of that recognition came in the form of acknowledgment in the annual NCAA Football Guide of the "unofficial" national champions. The AP poll in 1951 consisted of the votes of as many as 307 sportswriters .
Though not all writers voted in every poll, each would give their opinion of the ten best teams. Under a point system of 10 points for first place, 9 for second, etc., the "overall" ranking was determined. Although the rankings were based on the collective opinion of the representative sportswriters, the teams that remained "unbeaten and untied" were generally ranked higher than those that had not. A defeat, even against a strong opponent, tended to cause a team to drop in the rankings, and a team with two or more defeats was unlikely to remain in the Top 20. Generally, the top teams played on New Year's Day in the four major postseason bowl games: the Rose Bowl (near Los Angeles at Pasadena), the Sugar Bowl (New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
), the Orange Bowl (Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
), and the Cotton Bowl (Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
).
September
In the preseason poll released on September 24, 1951, TennesseeTennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
and Michigan State were ranked first and second, with Tennessee having 60 of the 115 first place votes. MSU had opened its season on the 22nd with a 6-0 win over Oregon State. They were followed by #3 Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
, defending champion #4 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, and #5 California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
(which had won its opener against Santa Clara, 34-0). As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games.
On September 29 #1 Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
beat Mississippi State 14-0. #2 Michigan State won at Michigan, 25-0, to take the top spot from the Vols. #3 Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
beat visiting SMU 7-0 in a win not deemed good enough to stay in the top five. #4 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
beat William & Mary 49-7. #5 California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
won in Philadelphia against Penn, 35-0, and rose to second in the next poll. The game was broadcast in New York in a test for color television Notre Dame, which had beaten Indiana 48-6, rose to fifth. The poll: 1.Michigan State 2.California 3.Tennessee 4.Oklahoma 5.Notre Dame
October
October 6 #1 Michigan State won at Ohio State, 24-20. #2 CaliforniaCalifornia Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
beat Minnesota, 55-14. #3 Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
beat Duke 26-0. #4 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
lost at #10 Texas A&M, 14-7 and fell out of the top bracket, and the Aggies took their place. #5 Notre Dame had beaten Mercy College of Detroit, 40-6, the night before. The poll: 1.Michigan State 2.California 3.Tennessee 4.Texas A&M 5.Notre Dame
October 13 #1 Michigan State had trouble in defeating Marquette 20-14. #2 California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
beat Washington State 42-35 and took over the top spot from the Spartans in the next poll. #3 Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
beat the University of Chattanooga (now UT-Chattanooga) 42-13. #4 Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies football
The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
beat Trinity College 53-14 and fell from the top five. #5 Notre Dame lost to visiting SMU, 27-20. Taking the places of the Aggies and the Irish were #6 Texas (which had beaten Oklahoma in Dallas, 9-7) and #8 Georgia Tech (which had beaten LSU 25-7. The poll: 1.California 2.Tennessee 3.Michigan State 4.Texas 5.Georgia Tech
October 20 In Los Angeles, #1 California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
and USC, both unbeaten at 4-0-0, faced off, and the Golden Bears lost the game, along with the top spot in the poll, 21-14. Earlier, in Birmingham, #2 Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
defeated Alabama 27-13. #3 Michigan State won at Penn State, 32-21. #4 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
lost at Arkansas, 16-14. #5 Georgia Tech defeated Auburn 27-7. Appearing in the top five were #8 Illinois (which had a 27-20 win over Washington) and #7 Maryland (which had beaten North Carolina 14-7). The poll: 1.Tennessee 2.Michigan State 3.Georgia Tech 4.Illinois 5.Maryland
October 27 #1 Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
beat Tennessee Tech 68-0. #3 Michigan State beat visiting Pitt, 53-26. #3 Georgia Tech won narrowly at Vanderbilt, 8-7. #4 Illinois won at Indiana, 21-0. Unbeaten (4-0-0) and #5 Maryland
Maryland Terrapins football
The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
visited once-beaten (4-1-0) LSU, and won convincingly, 27-0. With all five teams staying unbeaten, the poll changed slightly: 1.Tennessee 2.Michigan State 3.Illinois 4.Maryland 5.Georgia Tech
November
November 3 #1 TennesseeTennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
won at North Carolina, 27-0 for its fourth shutout. In six games, the Vols had outscored their opponents, 207-14. #2 Michigan State was idle and dropped to fifth in the next poll. #3 Illinois beat Michigan 7-0. #4 Maryland
Maryland Terrapins football
The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
shut out Missouri 35-0. #5 Georgia Tech was tied by Duke, 14-14. #6 Princeton, which rose to 5-0-0 after a 12-0 win over Brown, gave an Ivy League addition to the Top Five. Michigan State came back to the five after a 53-26 win over Pitt. The poll: 1.Tennessee 2.Illinois 3.Maryland 4.Princeton 5.Michigan State.
November 10 #1 Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
beat Washington & Lee, 60-14. #2 Illinois beat Iowa 40-13. In Baltimore, #3 Maryland
Maryland Terrapins football
The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
beat Navy, 40-21. #4 Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
won at Harvard, 54-13, and left the top five. #5 Michigan State (6-0-0) hosted Notre Dame (5-1-0) and shut out the Irish, 35-0, and returned to #1 spot in the poll. In Los Angeles, two unbeaten and untied (7-0-0) powers faced off, as #7 Stanford and USC met. The Stanford Indians (they would later be called the Cardinal) beat the Trojans 27-20. The poll: 1.Michigan State 2.Tennessee 3.Illinois 4.Stanford 5.Maryland
November 17 #1 Michigan State won at Indiana, 30-26. #2 Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
won at Mississippi, 46-21. #3 Illinois got a blemish on its record with a 0-0 tie at Ohio State. #4 Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
beat Oregon State 35-14. #5 Maryland
Maryland Terrapins football
The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
overwhelmed N.C. State 53-0. Princeton, which had shut out Yale 27-0, came back to the top five. The poll: 1.Tennessee 2.Michigan State
3.Stanford 4.Maryland 5.Princeton
November 24
#1 Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
beat Kentucky 28-0. #2 Michigan State beat Colorado 45-7 to finish its season at 9-0-0. #3 Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
suffered its first defeat, falling to California, 20-7. #4 Maryland
Maryland Terrapins football
The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
stayed unbeaten, over West Virginia 54-7. #5 Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
closed its season with a 13-0 win over Dartmouth. Illinois, which won at Northwestern 3-0, returned to the top five. The penultimate poll: 1.Tennessee 2.Michigan State 3.Maryland 4.Illinois 5.Princeton. On December 1 #1 Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
closed its season unbeaten with a 35-27 win over Vanderbilt.
The University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
Dons closed their season—and their football program—with a perfect record of 9 wins, 0 losses and 0 ties. After their November 24 game against Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
, a 20-2 win, USF stopped playing football.
Conference standings
The following is an incomplete list of conference standings:Final AP Poll
The final rankings were released December 3 after the regular season and without consideration of the postseason bowl games:| 1. Tennessee Volunteers Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference .... |
(10-0-0) | SEC |
| 2. Michigan State Spartans Michigan State Spartans football The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level... |
(9-0-0) | Big Ten* |
| 3. Maryland Terrapins Maryland Terrapins football The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference... |
(9-0-0) | Southern |
| 4. Illinois Fighting Illini Illinois Fighting Illini football The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51... |
(8-0-1) | Big Ten |
| 5. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | (10-0-1) | SEC |
| 6. Princeton Tigers Princeton Tigers The Princeton Tigers are the athletic teams of Princeton University. The school sponsors 31 varsity sports. The school has won several NCAA national championships, including one in men's fencing, six in men's lacrosse, three in women's lacrosse, and eight in men's golf... |
(9-0-0) | Ivy |
| 7. Stanford Indians Stanford Cardinal football The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The... |
(9-1-0) | PCC |
| 8. Wisconsin Badgers Wisconsin Badgers football The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football... |
(7-1-1) | Big Ten |
| 9. Baylor Bears Baylor Bears football The Baylor Bears football team represents Baylor University in Division I FBS college football. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. The team plays its home games at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas.-History:... |
(8-1-1) | SWC |
| 10. Oklahoma Sooners Oklahoma Sooners football The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association... |
(8-2-0) | Big 7 |
| 11. TCU Horned Frogs TCU Horned Frogs football The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football... |
(6-4-0) | SWC |
| 12. California Golden Bears California Golden Bears football The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to... |
(8-2-0) | PCC |
| 13. Virginia Cavaliers Virginia Cavaliers football Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference... |
(8-1-0) | Southern |
| 14. San Francisco Dons San Francisco Dons The San Francisco Dons is the nickname of the athletic teams at the University of San Francisco .-History:Athletics at USF dates back to its founding in 1855, when founder Anthony Maraschi, S.J. organized ball games as recreation for the first students... |
(9-0-0) | Indep. |
| 15. Kentucky Wildcats Kentucky Wildcats football The Kentucky Wildcats football team is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.-History:Paul "Bear" Bryant Era... |
(7-4-0) | SEC |
| 16. Boston College Eagles Boston College Eagles football The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division... |
(6-4-0) | Indep. |
| 17. UCLA Bruins UCLA Bruins Football The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll... |
(5-3-1) | PCC |
| 18. Washington State Cougars Washington State Cougars football The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference... |
(7-3-0) | PCC |
| 19. Clemson Tigers Clemson Tigers football The Clemson Tigers football team is an American football team from Clemson University in South Carolina. It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference... |
(7-2-0) | Southern |
| 20. Holy Cross Crusaders Holy Cross University Holy Cross University may refer to:* Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, Italy* Holy Cross College * Other colleges and universities affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross... |
(8-2-0) | Indep. |
Final Coaches Poll
| 1. Tennessee |
| 2. Michigan State |
| 3. Illinois |
| 4. Maryland |
| 5. Georgia Tech |
| 6. Princeton |
| 7. Stanford |
| 8. Wisconsin |
| 9. Baylor |
| 10. Texas Christian |
| 11. Oklahoma |
| 12. California |
| 13. Notre Dame |
| 14. (t) San Francisco |
| 14. (t) Purdue |
| 14. (t) Washington St. |
| 17. (t) Holy Cross |
| 17. (t) UCLA |
| 17. (t) Kentucky |
| 20. Kansas |
Bowl games
| SUGAR BOWL | #3 Maryland Terrapins Maryland Terrapins football The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference... |
24 | #1 Tennessee Volunteers Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference .... |
7 |
| ROSE BOWL | #4 Illinois Fighting Illini Illinois Fighting Illini football The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51... |
40 | #7 Stanford Indians Stanford Cardinal football The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The... |
7 |
| ORANGE BOWL | #5 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 17 | #9 Baylor Bears Baylor Bears football The Baylor Bears football team represents Baylor University in Division I FBS college football. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. The team plays its home games at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas.-History:... |
14 |
| SUN BOWL | Texas Tech Red Raiders Texas Tech Red Raiders The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University . The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders; however, the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raiders" name. The university's athletic program fields teams in 15 varsity sports and 30 club sports... |
25 | Pacific Tigers | 14 |
| COTTON BOWL | #15 Kentucky Wildcats Kentucky Wildcats football The Kentucky Wildcats football team is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.-History:Paul "Bear" Bryant Era... |
20 | #11 TCU Horned Frogs TCU Horned Frogs football The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football... |
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