1955 college football season
Encyclopedia
The 1955 college football season saw the Oklahoma Sooners
win the national championship after going 10-0-0. Although the final poll was taken before the postseason bowl games, Oklahoma played against the nation's other unbeaten and untied (10-0-0) team, the Maryland Terrapins
, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, and won 20-6.
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 1955 consisted of the votes of as many as 391 sportswriters . Though not all writers voted in every poll, each would give their opinion of the twenty best teams. Under a point system of 20 points for first place, 19 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
).
, runners-up in the final 1954 poll, received 33 first place votes, while Oklahoma
had 32. Michigan
had 34 votes, but the third most points overall. Other teams nominated for the top spot were defending champ Ohio State, Maryland
, Notre Dame, Navy, Miami, Georgia Tech, Iowa, USC, Duke, West Virginia, and Purdue.. As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games. The preseason Top Five was 1.UCLA 2.Oklahoma 3.Michigan 4.Ohio State 5.Maryland.
On Friday, September 16, #1 UCLA
opened in Los Angeles with a 21-0 win over visiting Texas A&M. September 17, Oklahoma, Michigan and Ohio State were idle, but #5 Maryland
edged Missouri on the road, 13-12. #10 Georgia Tech, which had beaten #9 Miami 14-6 in Atlanta, rose to 2nd place in the next poll: 1.UCLA 2.Georgia Tech 3.Oklahoma 4.Michigan 5.Maryland.
On September 24, #1 UCLA
and #5 Maryland
met at College Park, before a record crowd. UCLA's Doug Peters plunged into the end zone in the first half, but fumbled the ball before crossing the goal line. In the second half, the home team Terrapins had the ball 17 yards from goal, on fourth down. Rather than kicking a field goal, Ed Vereb ran for the winning touchdown, giving Maryland a 7-0 win.
#2 Georgia Tech won at #15 Florida, 14-7. #3 Oklahoma
won at North Carolina 13-6. #4 Michigan
beat Missouri 42-7. Maryland took over the top spot, while UCLA fell to 7th. #11 Notre Dame, which had beaten SMU 17-0, moved into the Top 5: 1.Maryland 2.Michigan 3.Georgia Tech 4.Notre Dame 5.Oklahoma.
#1 Maryland
won 20-6 at #20 Baylor in Texas.
#2 Michigan
beat Michigan State 14-7 before a crowd of 97,239 at home in Ann Arbor. MSU had tied the score 7-7 after an errant punt by Michigan gave them the ball 39 yards from goal. Minutes later, Earl Morrall
's punt was blocked to give Michigan the ball on the MSU 21, from which the winning score was made. #3 Georgia Tech beat SMU 20-7 in Atlanta.
#4 Notre Dame defeated Indiana 19-0.
#5 Oklahoma
beat #12 Pittsburgh 26-14, marking its 21st consecutive win, and new record. The poll: 1.Maryland 2.Michigan 3.Oklahoma 4.Georgia Tech 5.Notre Dame
October 8
#1 Maryland
beat Wake Forest 28-7, and #2 Michigan
defeated visiting #6 Army, 26-2. Both stayed unbeaten, but Michigan took the top spot in the next poll. #3 Oklahoma
defeated Texas 20-0 in Dallas.
#4 Georgia Tech won 7-0 at LSU.
#5 Notre Dame won 14-0 at #15 Miami, with both touchdowns coming on fourth down passes from Paul Hornung
, before an Orange Bowl record crowd of 75,685 . In a game that would decide the Pac 8 title, UCLA beat Oregon State 38-0. The poll: 1.Michigan 2.Maryland 3.Oklahoma 4.Notre Dame 5.Georgia Tech
October 15 #1 Michigan
defeated Northwestern, 14-2. #2 Maryland
won at North Carolina, 25-7. #3 Oklahoma
beat Kansas 44-6. However, #5 Georgia Tech lost to visiting #17 Auburn 14-12, and #4 Notre Dame lost 21-7 when it hosted #13 Michigan State. They dropped from the top five and were replaced by #8 Navy (which had won 34-14 at Penn State) and #11 Duke (which had won at #14 Ohio State, 20-14). The poll: 1.Michigan 2.Maryland 3.Oklahoma 4.Navy 5.Duke
October 22 In Minneapolis #1 Michigan
faced a 1-3-0 Minnesota team, and was stunned when the Gophers racked up two touchdowns in the first quarter. Michigan's Terry Barr blocked the extra point attempt on the second touchdown, but the nation's #1 team was losing 13-0. Still down 13-7 at the half, the Wolverines fought back. Jim Van Pelt passed to Tom Maentz for a touchdown, and Van Pelt added the extra point to save Michigan, 14-13 . Minnesota would go on to a 3-6-0 finish. Meanwhile #2 Maryland
won more convincingly at Syracuse, 34-13, to regain the top spot. #3 Oklahoma
beat #14 Colorado, 56-21. #4 Navy
won at Penn, 33-0. #5 Duke lost to Pitt, 26-7, and was replaced in the top five by #6 Michigan State, which beat Illinois 21-7.
The poll: 1.Maryland 2.Oklahoma 3.Michigan 4.Navy 5.Michigan State
October 29 Back at the top, #1 Maryland
beat South Carolina 27-0, while #2 Oklahoma
won at Kansas State, 40-7. #3 Michigan
beat Iowa 33-21. #4 Navy
lost at #9 Notre Dame, 21-7. #5 Michigan State won at Wisconsin, 27-0. UCLA returned to the Top Five from #6
after a 47-0 win over California.
The poll: 1.Maryland 2.Oklahoma 3.Michigan 4.Michigan State 5.UCLA
beat LSU 13-0 and #2 Oklahoma
won at Missouri, 20-0.
#3 Michigan
lost at Illinois 25-6, while #4 Michigan State won at Purdue, 27-0. #1 UCLA
won at Pacific, 34-0. #6 Notre Dame, which had won at Penn 46-14, returned to the top 5.
The poll: 1.Oklahoma 2.Maryland 3.Michigan State 4.UCLA 5.Notre Dame
November 12 Back at #1, Oklahoma
beat Iowa State 52-0. #2 Maryland
won at Clemson, 24-12. #3 Michigan State beat Minnesota 42-14. #4 UCLA
was trailing Washington 17-16 in the closing seconds of a game, but Jim Decker kicked a field goal for a 19-17 victory . #5 Notre Dame won at North Carolina, 27-7. The poll: 1.Oklahoma 2.Maryland 3.Michigan State 4.Notre Dame 5.UCLA
November 19 Although #1 Oklahoma
was 8-0-0 and host Nebraska was 5-4-0, both had 5-0-0 records in Big 7 conference play when they met at Lincoln. The Sooners rolled, 41-0, to get the Orange Bowl bid. #2 Maryland
closed its season with a 19-0 win over George Washington University and accepted the invitation to meet Oklahoma, but what would have been a #1 vs. #2 meeting changed when the Terrapins were rated third by the AP voters. #3 Michigan State, which had a 5-1 record in Big Ten play, beat Marquette 33-0 in a non-conference game; Michigan's 17-0 loss to Ohio State gave it a 5-2 mark. Ohio State had the better record in the Big Ten, 6-0 overall, but had gone to the Rose Bowl the year before, so MSU got the bid, where it would face #5 UCLA
, which beat USC 17-7. #4 Notre Dame beat Iowa 17-14. Though Maryland, like Oklahoma, was unbeaten, the voters put once-beaten Michigan State in the second spot instead. The poll: 1.Oklahoma 2.Michigan State 3.Maryland 4.UCLA 5.Notre Dame. On November 26, #5 Notre Dame lost in Los Angeles to USC, 42-20, and dropped to 6th in the final AP poll, where it would be replaced by Ohio State. The other Top Five teams had finished their seasons.
stadium hosted the New Year's Day game of the same name, and a December game for historically black colleges, the Orange Blossom Classic
. Grambling State (9-0-0) and Florida A & M University (8-0-1) met to determine the best Negro college football team in the nation, with Grambling winning 28-21.
Miami University (Ohio)
finished 9-0-0, as did Southeast Missouri State University
. Heidelberg College
, Hillsdale College
, College of Emporia
, Maryland State College and Whitworth College. Northern State Teachers College
* of South Dakota went 9-0-0, and then lost to Kearney Teachers College in the "Botony Bowl", 34-13, played in Shenandoah, Iowa, on Thanksgiving Day.
Colleges that went 8-0-0 were Alfred University
, Drexel University
, Albany State College, Centre College
, Coe College
, Parsons College
, Juniata College
, Muskingum College
, Shepherd College, and Stevens Point College. (7). Trinity College (Connecticut)
went 7-0-0.
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...
win the national championship after going 10-0-0. Although the final poll was taken before the postseason bowl games, Oklahoma played against the nation's other unbeaten and untied (10-0-0) team, the 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...
, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, and won 20-6.
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 1955 consisted of the votes of as many as 391 sportswriters . Though not all writers voted in every poll, each would give their opinion of the twenty best teams. Under a point system of 20 points for first place, 19 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 12, 1955, the UCLA BruinsUCLA 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...
, runners-up in the final 1954 poll, received 33 first place votes, while 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...
had 32. Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
had 34 votes, but the third most points overall. Other teams nominated for the top spot were defending champ Ohio State, 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...
, Notre Dame, Navy, Miami, Georgia Tech, Iowa, USC, Duke, West Virginia, and Purdue.. As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games. The preseason Top Five was 1.UCLA 2.Oklahoma 3.Michigan 4.Ohio State 5.Maryland.
On Friday, September 16, #1 UCLA
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...
opened in Los Angeles with a 21-0 win over visiting Texas A&M. September 17, Oklahoma, Michigan and Ohio State were idle, but #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...
edged Missouri on the road, 13-12. #10 Georgia Tech, which had beaten #9 Miami 14-6 in Atlanta, rose to 2nd place in the next poll: 1.UCLA 2.Georgia Tech 3.Oklahoma 4.Michigan 5.Maryland.
On September 24, #1 UCLA
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...
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...
met at College Park, before a record crowd. UCLA's Doug Peters plunged into the end zone in the first half, but fumbled the ball before crossing the goal line. In the second half, the home team Terrapins had the ball 17 yards from goal, on fourth down. Rather than kicking a field goal, Ed Vereb ran for the winning touchdown, giving Maryland a 7-0 win.
#2 Georgia Tech won at #15 Florida, 14-7. #3 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...
won at North Carolina 13-6. #4 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
beat Missouri 42-7. Maryland took over the top spot, while UCLA fell to 7th. #11 Notre Dame, which had beaten SMU 17-0, moved into the Top 5: 1.Maryland 2.Michigan 3.Georgia Tech 4.Notre Dame 5.Oklahoma.
October
October 1,#1 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...
won 20-6 at #20 Baylor in Texas.
#2 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
beat Michigan State 14-7 before a crowd of 97,239 at home in Ann Arbor. MSU had tied the score 7-7 after an errant punt by Michigan gave them the ball 39 yards from goal. Minutes later, Earl Morrall
Earl Morrall
Earl Edwin Morrall is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Morrall, who also occasionally punted, played 21 seasons in the National Football League as both a starter and reserve. In the latter capacity, he became known as the greatest backup quarterback in NFL...
's punt was blocked to give Michigan the ball on the MSU 21, from which the winning score was made. #3 Georgia Tech beat SMU 20-7 in Atlanta.
#4 Notre Dame defeated Indiana 19-0.
#5 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 #12 Pittsburgh 26-14, marking its 21st consecutive win, and new record. The poll: 1.Maryland 2.Michigan 3.Oklahoma 4.Georgia Tech 5.Notre Dame
October 8
#1 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 Wake Forest 28-7, and #2 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
defeated visiting #6 Army, 26-2. Both stayed unbeaten, but Michigan took the top spot in the next poll. #3 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...
defeated Texas 20-0 in Dallas.
#4 Georgia Tech won 7-0 at LSU.
#5 Notre Dame won 14-0 at #15 Miami, with both touchdowns coming on fourth down passes from Paul Hornung
Paul Hornung
Paul Vernon Hornung is a retired Hall of Fame professional football player who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1957-66...
, before an Orange Bowl record crowd of 75,685 . In a game that would decide the Pac 8 title, UCLA beat Oregon State 38-0. The poll: 1.Michigan 2.Maryland 3.Oklahoma 4.Notre Dame 5.Georgia Tech
October 15 #1 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
defeated Northwestern, 14-2. #2 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...
won at North Carolina, 25-7. #3 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 Kansas 44-6. However, #5 Georgia Tech lost to visiting #17 Auburn 14-12, and #4 Notre Dame lost 21-7 when it hosted #13 Michigan State. They dropped from the top five and were replaced by #8 Navy (which had won 34-14 at Penn State) and #11 Duke (which had won at #14 Ohio State, 20-14). The poll: 1.Michigan 2.Maryland 3.Oklahoma 4.Navy 5.Duke
October 22 In Minneapolis #1 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
faced a 1-3-0 Minnesota team, and was stunned when the Gophers racked up two touchdowns in the first quarter. Michigan's Terry Barr blocked the extra point attempt on the second touchdown, but the nation's #1 team was losing 13-0. Still down 13-7 at the half, the Wolverines fought back. Jim Van Pelt passed to Tom Maentz for a touchdown, and Van Pelt added the extra point to save Michigan, 14-13 . Minnesota would go on to a 3-6-0 finish. Meanwhile #2 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...
won more convincingly at Syracuse, 34-13, to regain the top spot. #3 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 #14 Colorado, 56-21. #4 Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
won at Penn, 33-0. #5 Duke lost to Pitt, 26-7, and was replaced in the top five by #6 Michigan State, which beat Illinois 21-7.
The poll: 1.Maryland 2.Oklahoma 3.Michigan 4.Navy 5.Michigan State
October 29 Back at the top, #1 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 South Carolina 27-0, while #2 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...
won at Kansas State, 40-7. #3 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
beat Iowa 33-21. #4 Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
lost at #9 Notre Dame, 21-7. #5 Michigan State won at Wisconsin, 27-0. UCLA returned to the Top Five from #6
after a 47-0 win over California.
The poll: 1.Maryland 2.Oklahoma 3.Michigan 4.Michigan State 5.UCLA
November
November 5 As both stayed undefeated, #1 MarylandMaryland 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 LSU 13-0 and #2 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...
won at Missouri, 20-0.
#3 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
lost at Illinois 25-6, while #4 Michigan State won at Purdue, 27-0. #1 UCLA
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...
won at Pacific, 34-0. #6 Notre Dame, which had won at Penn 46-14, returned to the top 5.
The poll: 1.Oklahoma 2.Maryland 3.Michigan State 4.UCLA 5.Notre Dame
November 12 Back at #1, 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 Iowa State 52-0. #2 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...
won at Clemson, 24-12. #3 Michigan State beat Minnesota 42-14. #4 UCLA
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...
was trailing Washington 17-16 in the closing seconds of a game, but Jim Decker kicked a field goal for a 19-17 victory . #5 Notre Dame won at North Carolina, 27-7. The poll: 1.Oklahoma 2.Maryland 3.Michigan State 4.Notre Dame 5.UCLA
November 19 Although #1 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...
was 8-0-0 and host Nebraska was 5-4-0, both had 5-0-0 records in Big 7 conference play when they met at Lincoln. The Sooners rolled, 41-0, to get the Orange Bowl bid. #2 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...
closed its season with a 19-0 win over George Washington University and accepted the invitation to meet Oklahoma, but what would have been a #1 vs. #2 meeting changed when the Terrapins were rated third by the AP voters. #3 Michigan State, which had a 5-1 record in Big Ten play, beat Marquette 33-0 in a non-conference game; Michigan's 17-0 loss to Ohio State gave it a 5-2 mark. Ohio State had the better record in the Big Ten, 6-0 overall, but had gone to the Rose Bowl the year before, so MSU got the bid, where it would face #5 UCLA
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...
, which beat USC 17-7. #4 Notre Dame beat Iowa 17-14. Though Maryland, like Oklahoma, was unbeaten, the voters put once-beaten Michigan State in the second spot instead. The poll: 1.Oklahoma 2.Michigan State 3.Maryland 4.UCLA 5.Notre Dame. On November 26, #5 Notre Dame lost in Los Angeles to USC, 42-20, and dropped to 6th in the final AP poll, where it would be replaced by Ohio State. The other Top Five teams had finished their seasons.
Conference standings
The following is an incomplete list of conference standings:Final AP Poll
The final rankings were made on November 28, after the regular season and without consideration of the postseason bowl games:| 1. Oklahoma | (10-0-0) | Big 7 |
| 2. Michigan State | (8-1-0) | Big 10 |
| 3. Maryland | (10-0-0) | ACC |
| 4. UCLA | (9-1-0) | PCC |
| 5. Ohio State | (7-2-0) | Big 10 |
| 6. TCU | (9-1-0) | SWC |
| 7. Georgia Tech | (8-1-1) | SEC |
| 8. Auburn | (8-1-1) | SEC |
| 9. Notre Dame | (8-2-0) | Indep. |
| 10. Mississippi | (9-1-0) | SEC |
| 11. Pittsburgh | (7-3-0) | Indep. |
| 12. Michigan | (7-2-0) | Big 10 |
| 13. USC | (6-4-0) | PCC |
| 14. Miami (Florida) | (6-3-0) | Indep. |
| 15. Miami (Ohio) | (9-0-0) | |
| 16. Stanford | (6-3-1) | PCC |
| 17. Texas A&M | (7-2-1) | SWC |
| 18. Navy | (6-2-1) | Indep. |
| 19. West Virginia | (8-2-0) | Southern |
| 20. Army | (6-3-0) | Indep. |
Final Coaches Poll
| Ranking | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma |
| 2 | Michigan State |
| 3 | Maryland |
| 4 | UCLA |
| 5 | Ohio State |
| 6 | Texas Christian |
| 7 | Georgia Tech |
| 8 | Auburn |
| 9 | Mississippi |
| 10 | Notre Dame |
| 11 | Pittsburgh |
| 12 | USC |
| 13 | Michigan |
| 14 | Texas A&M |
| 15 | Army |
| 16 | Duke |
| 17 | West Virginia |
| 18 | Miami (Fla.) |
| 19 | Iowa |
| 20 (t) | Navy |
| 20 (t) | Stanford |
| 20 (t) | Miami (Ohio) |
Other champions
Prior to the integration of sports teams, Miami Orange BowlMiami Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
stadium hosted the New Year's Day game of the same name, and a December game for historically black colleges, the Orange Blossom Classic
Orange Blossom Classic
The Orange Blossom Classic was an annual postseason college football game held between 1933 and 1978. Each year, it featured Florida A&M and another historically black school in an unofficial de facto championship game., The New York Times, February 3, 2007, retrieved February 7, 2009. It was seen...
. Grambling State (9-0-0) and Florida A & M University (8-0-1) met to determine the best Negro college football team in the nation, with Grambling winning 28-21.
Miami University (Ohio)
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
finished 9-0-0, as did Southeast Missouri State University
Southeast Missouri State University
Southeast Missouri State University, is a public, accredited university located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States, near the banks of the Mississippi River. The institution, having started as a normal school, has a traditional strength in teacher education...
. Heidelberg College
Heidelberg College
Heidelberg University is a private liberal arts college located in the city of Tiffin, Ohio in the U.S. state of Ohio. Founded in 1850, it was known as Heidelberg College until 1889 and from 1926 to 2009.- History :...
, Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States, is a co-educational liberal arts college known for being the first American college to prohibit in its charter all discrimination based on race, religion, or sex; its refusal of government funding; and its monthly publication, Imprimis...
, College of Emporia
College of Emporia
The College of Emporia was established in 1882 in Emporia, Kansas, and was associated with the Presbyterian church. The college officially closed in 1974. The college campus was purchased by The Way International for $694,000 and was operated as the Way College of Emporia from 1975 until 1989...
, Maryland State College and Whitworth College. Northern State Teachers College
Northern State University
Northern State University is a four-year public university located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States. NSU is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and offers 38 majors and 42 minors, as well as six associate, eight pre-professional and nine graduate degrees.-History:Founded on the...
* of South Dakota went 9-0-0, and then lost to Kearney Teachers College in the "Botony Bowl", 34-13, played in Shenandoah, Iowa, on Thanksgiving Day.
Colleges that went 8-0-0 were Alfred University
Alfred University
Alfred University is a small, comprehensive university in the Village of Alfred in Western New York, USA, an hour and a half south of Rochester and two hours southeast of Buffalo. Alfred has an undergraduate population of around 2,000, and approximately 300 graduate students...
, Drexel University
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
, Albany State College, Centre College
Centre College
Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of approximately 16,000 in Boyle County south of Lexington, KY. Centre is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders, with whom it maintains a loose...
, Coe College
Coe College
Coe College is a private, four-year, liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Founded in 1851, the institution is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church . Its current president is James R. Phifer. It is one of the smaller universities to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa...
, Parsons College
Parsons College
Parsons College was a private liberal arts college in Fairfield, Iowa. The school, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, was founded in 1875 and closed in 1973....
, Juniata College
Juniata College
Juniata College is a private liberal arts college located in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. It is named after the Juniata River — one of the principal tributaries of the Susquehanna River. In 1876 it became the first college founded by the Church of the Brethren and has been co-educational since...
, Muskingum College
Muskingum College
Muskingum University is a private four-year comprehensive college with a strong liberal arts tradition located in New Concord, Ohio, approximately sixty miles east of the state capital of Columbus. Founded in 1837, Muskingum University is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church , although since the...
, Shepherd College, and Stevens Point College. (7). Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
went 7-0-0.
Bowl games
| ORANGE BOWL | #1 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... |
20 | #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... |
6 |
| ROSE BOWL | #2 Michigan State Spartans | 17 | #5 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... |
14 |
| COTTON BOWL | #10 Mississippi Rebels Ole Miss Rebels football The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs... |
14 | #6 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... |
13 |
| SUGAR BOWL | #7 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 7 | #11 Pittsburgh Panthers | 0 |