1961 college football season
Encyclopedia
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 1961 consisted of the votes of 45 sportswriters, each of whom 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 10. 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, Louisiana
), the Orange Bowl (Miami, Florida
), and the Cotton Bowl (Dallas, Texas
).
was the #1, and its Big Ten rival Ohio State #2. SEC teams Alabama and Louisiana State (LSU)
were third and fifth, and Texas
was fourth. Rounding out the Top Ten were 6.Michigan State 7.Penn State 8.Kansas 9.Mississippi and 10.Syracuse..
As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games. The Big Ten schools would not kick off until September 30. On September 23, #3 Alabama won 32-6 at Georgia and #4 Texas
won at California 28-3. In Houston, #5 LSU
fell to Rice 16-3. #10 Syracuse, which had beaten Oregon State 19-8 in Portland, rose to fifth. In the poll that followed, Iowa remained #1, followed by 2.Mississippi 3.Ohio State 4.Alabama and 5.Syracuse. Texas dropped to sixth place.
September 30 the California Golden Bears played a top-ranked team for the second straight week, losing at #1 Iowa 28-7. #2 Mississippi
won 20-6 at Kentucky. Texas Christian University (TCU) tied #3 Ohio State 7-7 at Columbus. In a game at Mobile,
#4 Alabama beat Tulane 9-0. #5 Syracuse
defeated visiting West Virginia 29-14, but fell out of the poll.
#6 Texas
, which beat Texas Tech at home, 42-14, returned to the Top Five, along with previously unranked #3 Georgia Tech, which shut out Rice 24-0.
In the poll that followed, Iowa remained #1, followed by 2.Mississippi 3.Georgia Tech 4.Alabama and 5.Texas
#1 Iowa won 35-34 at USC
#2 Mississippi
won 33-0 against Florida State
#3 Georgia Tech lost to LSU 10-0
#4 Alabama won 35-6 at Vanderbilt
#5 Texas
routed Washington State 41-8
#6 Michigan State
#7 Syracuse lost 22-21 to Maryland
#8 Ohio State beat UCLA 13-3
In the poll that followed, Mississippi took over first place from Iowa, which dropped to second. These were followed by 3.Alabama and 4.Texas and 5.Michigan State (had beaten Stanford 31-3)
October 14 #1 Mississippi
met the Houston Cougars
at Memphis and won 47-7. #2 Iowa beat Indiana 27-8 at home. #3 Alabama beat North Carolina State 26-7 at Birmingham, and
#4 Texas
played its annual game against Oklahoma at Dallas, winning 28-7. #5 Michigan State won at Michigan, shutting out the Wolverines 28-0. On the next poll, Michigan State took the #1 spot from Ole Miss by a margin of only two points (431 to 429), though the Rebels had more first place votes than the Spartans (21 vs. 16). They were followed by 3.Texas 4.Iowa and 5.Alabama.
On October 21, #1 Michigan State got by Notre Dame 17-7 at home, and #2 Mississippi
shut out Tulane in a game at Jackson, 41-0. #3 Texas
won at Arkansas, 33-7, #4 Iowa hosted Wisconsin, winning 47-15, and #5 Alabama defeated Tennessee at Birmingham, 34-3. The top three (Michigan State, Ole Miss and Texas) were unchanged, while Alabama and Iowa traded places at 4th and 5th.
October 28 In a week of shutouts, #1 Michigan State beat Indiana 35-0, and #2 Mississippi
had an even bigger blowout, 47-0, against Vanderbilt. #3 Texas
beat the visiting Rice Owls, 34-7, while #4 Alabama won at Houston
over the Cougars, 17-0. #5 Iowa was on the wrong side of scoreless, losing 9-0 at Purdue. The top 4 stayed the same, while #6 Ohio State, which had won at Wisconsin 30-21, took fifth place from Iowa, whom they would play the following Saturday.
lost to #6 LSU
10-7 at Baton Rouge. The #3 Texas Longhorns
beat the SMU Mustangs at Dallas, 27-0. #4 Alabama shut out Mississippi State 24-0. At Columbus, #5 Ohio State beat
#9 Iowa 29-13. Texas, Alabama and Ohio State moved up from 3, 4 and 5 to 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and giant-killers LSU and Minnesota were 4th and 5th. Michigan State and Ole Miss fell to 6 and 7.
November 11 #1 Texas
beat Baylor, 33-7. #2 Alabama crushed the visiting Richmond Spiders (which would be I-AA later) 66-0 at home. #3 Ohio State won 16-7 at Indiana, #4 LSU
won 30-0 at North Carolina, and #5 Minnesota handed formerly first place Iowa its second straight loss, at home, 16-9. #6 Michigan State, too, lost its second straight, falling 7-6 at Purdue. The Top Five remained unchanged.
November 18 Texas Christian University had earlier tied Ohio State 6-6 in Columbus, and bested that with a win over #1 Texas
in Austin, 6-0. After the 6-0 loss, legendary Texas coach Darrell Royal uttered his immortal description of TCU:
"They're like a bunch of cockroaches," Royal said. "It's not what they eat and tote off, it's what they fall into and mess up that hurts."
#2 Alabama beat Georgia Tech in Birmingham, 10-0. #3 Ohio State defeated visiting Oregon, 22-12, and #4 LSU
hosted Mississippi State and won 14-6
#5 Minnesota defeated #7 Purdue, 10-7, at home. Alabama (9-0-0) rose to #1, with Ohio State (7-0-1) at #2. Minnesota rose to #3, LSU stayed at #4 and Texas (8-1-0) fell from #1 to #5.
Post-Thanksgiving (November 25) #1 Alabama was idle. #2 Ohio State won at Michigan, 50-20. #3 Minnesota narrowly lost to Wisconsin 23-21. #4 LSU
crushed visiting Tulane, 62-0, and #5 Texas
25-0 over Texas A & M. Ole Miss, which was idle, returned to the Top Five.
December 2, #1 Alabama won its annual Birmingham game against the Auburn Tigers, 34-0, to close the season with a 10-0-0 record. #5 Mississippi
closed its season at 9-1-0 with a 37-7 win against Mississippi State. The AP's final poll was a Top 20 ranking. With 26 of the 48 first place votes the Alabama Crimson Tide was awarded the AP Trophy, ahead of Ohio State (with 20 votes). The point total was even closer, with 16 points separated the Tide from the Buckeyes (452 to 436).
The final poll was: 1.Alabama 2. Ohio State 3. Texas 4.LSU 5.Mississippi 6.Minnesota 7.Colorado 8.Michigan State 9.Arkansas 10.Utah State 11.Missouri 12.Purdue 13.Georgia Tech 14.Syracuse 15.Rutgers 16.UCLA. Arizona, Penn State and Rice were tied for 17th place, followed by 20.Duke. Unbeaten and tied only once, Ohio State University qualified for the Rose Bowl. In a move that stunned the sports world, however, the University's faculty council voted 28-25 on November 28 not to accept the invitation, declaring that the school's emphasis on sports over academics was excessive. The wire service commented that "A team of 57 Ohio State University faculty members handed the second ranked Buckeyes their only defeat of the season." . The University of Minnesota took the Buckeyes' place at Pasadena.
Other bowls:
Gorillas, of Pittsburg, Kansas, followed by Baldwin-Wallace (8-0), Mississippi Southern (7-2), Southeastern Louisiana (9-1) and Fresno State (9-0)
. Pittsburg State, which at that time was an NAIA team (it is now NCAA Division II) was also ranked #1 in the final AP poll, followed by Baldwin-Wallace, Fresno State, Florida A&M and Whittier . The Gorillas competed in the NAIA playoffs to reach the Camellia Bowl
championship game, where they defeated Linfield College
of Oregon, 12-7.
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
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
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 1961 consisted of the votes of 45 sportswriters, each of whom 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 10. 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, Louisiana
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, Florida
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, Texas
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...
).
Progress of #1
| Week | #1 Team | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Preseason | IOWA | |
| 1 (Sep 23) | IOWA | Did not play |
| 2 (Sep 30) | IOWA | Iowa 28, California 7 |
| 3 (Oct 7) | IOWA | Iowa 35, USC 34 |
| 4 (Oct 14) | OLE MISS | Ole Miss 47, Houston 7 |
| 5 (Oct 21) | MICHIGAN STATE | MSU 17, Notre Dame 7 |
| 6 (Oct 28) | MICHIGAN STATE | MSU 35, Indiana 0 |
| 7 (Nov 4) | MICHIGAN STATE | Minnesota 13, MSU 0 |
| 8 (Nov 11) | TEXAS | Texas 33, Baylor 7 |
| 9 (Nov 18) | TEXAS | TCU 6, Texas 0 |
| 10 (Nov 25) | ALABAMA | (Idle) |
| 11 (Dec 2) | ALABAMA | Alabama 34, Auburn 0 |
September
In the preseason poll released on September 18, 1961, IowaIowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
was the #1, and its Big Ten rival Ohio State #2. SEC teams Alabama and Louisiana State (LSU)
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
were third and fifth, and 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...
was fourth. Rounding out the Top Ten were 6.Michigan State 7.Penn State 8.Kansas 9.Mississippi and 10.Syracuse..
As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games. The Big Ten schools would not kick off until September 30. On September 23, #3 Alabama won 32-6 at Georgia and #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...
won at California 28-3. In Houston, #5 LSU
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
fell to Rice 16-3. #10 Syracuse, which had beaten Oregon State 19-8 in Portland, rose to fifth. In the poll that followed, Iowa remained #1, followed by 2.Mississippi 3.Ohio State 4.Alabama and 5.Syracuse. Texas dropped to sixth place.
September 30 the California Golden Bears played a top-ranked team for the second straight week, losing at #1 Iowa 28-7. #2 Mississippi
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...
won 20-6 at Kentucky. Texas Christian University (TCU) tied #3 Ohio State 7-7 at Columbus. In a game at Mobile,
#4 Alabama beat Tulane 9-0. #5 Syracuse
Syracuse Orange football
The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
defeated visiting West Virginia 29-14, but fell out of the poll.
#6 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...
, which beat Texas Tech at home, 42-14, returned to the Top Five, along with previously unranked #3 Georgia Tech, which shut out Rice 24-0.
In the poll that followed, Iowa remained #1, followed by 2.Mississippi 3.Georgia Tech 4.Alabama and 5.Texas
October
October 7#1 Iowa won 35-34 at USC
#2 Mississippi
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...
won 33-0 against Florida State
#3 Georgia Tech lost to LSU 10-0
#4 Alabama won 35-6 at Vanderbilt
#5 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...
routed Washington State 41-8
#6 Michigan State
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...
#7 Syracuse lost 22-21 to Maryland
#8 Ohio State beat UCLA 13-3
In the poll that followed, Mississippi took over first place from Iowa, which dropped to second. These were followed by 3.Alabama and 4.Texas and 5.Michigan State (had beaten Stanford 31-3)
October 14 #1 Mississippi
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...
met the Houston Cougars
Houston Cougars football
The Houston Cougars football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents the University of Houston. The team is commonly referred to as "Houston" or "UH" . The UH football program is currently a member of the Conference USA intercollegiate athletic conference, and is coached by...
at Memphis and won 47-7. #2 Iowa beat Indiana 27-8 at home. #3 Alabama beat North Carolina State 26-7 at Birmingham, and
#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...
played its annual game against Oklahoma at Dallas, winning 28-7. #5 Michigan State won at Michigan, shutting out the Wolverines 28-0. On the next poll, Michigan State took the #1 spot from Ole Miss by a margin of only two points (431 to 429), though the Rebels had more first place votes than the Spartans (21 vs. 16). They were followed by 3.Texas 4.Iowa and 5.Alabama.
On October 21, #1 Michigan State got by Notre Dame 17-7 at home, and #2 Mississippi
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...
shut out Tulane in a game at Jackson, 41-0. #3 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...
won at Arkansas, 33-7, #4 Iowa hosted Wisconsin, winning 47-15, and #5 Alabama defeated Tennessee at Birmingham, 34-3. The top three (Michigan State, Ole Miss and Texas) were unchanged, while Alabama and Iowa traded places at 4th and 5th.
October 28 In a week of shutouts, #1 Michigan State beat Indiana 35-0, and #2 Mississippi
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...
had an even bigger blowout, 47-0, against Vanderbilt. #3 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...
beat the visiting Rice Owls, 34-7, while #4 Alabama won at Houston
Houston Cougars football
The Houston Cougars football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents the University of Houston. The team is commonly referred to as "Houston" or "UH" . The UH football program is currently a member of the Conference USA intercollegiate athletic conference, and is coached by...
over the Cougars, 17-0. #5 Iowa was on the wrong side of scoreless, losing 9-0 at Purdue. The top 4 stayed the same, while #6 Ohio State, which had won at Wisconsin 30-21, took fifth place from Iowa, whom they would play the following Saturday.
November
November 4 #1 Michigan State fell to unranked Minnesota, 13-0. At the same time, #2 MississippiOle 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...
lost to #6 LSU
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
10-7 at Baton Rouge. The #3 Texas Longhorns
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...
beat the SMU Mustangs at Dallas, 27-0. #4 Alabama shut out Mississippi State 24-0. At Columbus, #5 Ohio State beat
#9 Iowa 29-13. Texas, Alabama and Ohio State moved up from 3, 4 and 5 to 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and giant-killers LSU and Minnesota were 4th and 5th. Michigan State and Ole Miss fell to 6 and 7.
November 11 #1 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...
beat Baylor, 33-7. #2 Alabama crushed the visiting Richmond Spiders (which would be I-AA later) 66-0 at home. #3 Ohio State won 16-7 at Indiana, #4 LSU
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
won 30-0 at North Carolina, and #5 Minnesota handed formerly first place Iowa its second straight loss, at home, 16-9. #6 Michigan State, too, lost its second straight, falling 7-6 at Purdue. The Top Five remained unchanged.
November 18 Texas Christian University had earlier tied Ohio State 6-6 in Columbus, and bested that with a win over #1 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...
in Austin, 6-0. After the 6-0 loss, legendary Texas coach Darrell Royal uttered his immortal description of TCU:
"They're like a bunch of cockroaches," Royal said. "It's not what they eat and tote off, it's what they fall into and mess up that hurts."
#2 Alabama beat Georgia Tech in Birmingham, 10-0. #3 Ohio State defeated visiting Oregon, 22-12, and #4 LSU
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
hosted Mississippi State and won 14-6
#5 Minnesota defeated #7 Purdue, 10-7, at home. Alabama (9-0-0) rose to #1, with Ohio State (7-0-1) at #2. Minnesota rose to #3, LSU stayed at #4 and Texas (8-1-0) fell from #1 to #5.
Post-Thanksgiving (November 25) #1 Alabama was idle. #2 Ohio State won at Michigan, 50-20. #3 Minnesota narrowly lost to Wisconsin 23-21. #4 LSU
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
crushed visiting Tulane, 62-0, and #5 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...
25-0 over Texas A & M. Ole Miss, which was idle, returned to the Top Five.
December 2, #1 Alabama won its annual Birmingham game against the Auburn Tigers, 34-0, to close the season with a 10-0-0 record. #5 Mississippi
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...
closed its season at 9-1-0 with a 37-7 win against Mississippi State. The AP's final poll was a Top 20 ranking. With 26 of the 48 first place votes the Alabama Crimson Tide was awarded the AP Trophy, ahead of Ohio State (with 20 votes). The point total was even closer, with 16 points separated the Tide from the Buckeyes (452 to 436).
The final poll was: 1.Alabama 2. Ohio State 3. Texas 4.LSU 5.Mississippi 6.Minnesota 7.Colorado 8.Michigan State 9.Arkansas 10.Utah State 11.Missouri 12.Purdue 13.Georgia Tech 14.Syracuse 15.Rutgers 16.UCLA. Arizona, Penn State and Rice were tied for 17th place, followed by 20.Duke. Unbeaten and tied only once, Ohio State University qualified for the Rose Bowl. In a move that stunned the sports world, however, the University's faculty council voted 28-25 on November 28 not to accept the invitation, declaring that the school's emphasis on sports over academics was excessive. The wire service commented that "A team of 57 Ohio State University faculty members handed the second ranked Buckeyes their only defeat of the season." . The University of Minnesota took the Buckeyes' place at Pasadena.
Conference standings
The following is an incomplete list of conference standings:Bowl games
| SUGAR BOWL | #1 Alabama Crimson Tide | 10 | #9 Arkansas Razorbacks | 3 |
| COTTON BOWL | #3 Texas Longhorns 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... |
12 | #5 Mississippi Rebels | 7 |
| ORANGE BOWL | #4 LSU Tigers LSU Tigers football The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as... |
25 | #7 Colorado Buffaloes Colorado Buffaloes football The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,... |
7 |
| ROSE BOWL | #6 Minnesota Gophers | 21 | #16 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... |
3 |
Other bowls:
| BOWL | Location | Winner | Loser |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUN | El Paso | Villanova 17 | Wichita State 9 |
| GATOR | Jacksonville | Penn State 30 | Georgia Tech 15 |
| TANGERINE | Orlando | Lamar 21 | Middle Tennessee 14 |
| BLUEBONNET | Houston | Kansas 33 | Rice 7 |
| LIBERTY | Philadelphia | Syracuse 15 | Miami (FL) 14 |
| AVIATION | Dayton | New Mexico 28 | W. Michigan 12 |
| CAMELLIA | Sacramento | Pittsburg St 12 | Linfield 7 |
| GOTHAM | New York | Baylor 24 | Utah State 9 |
| MERCY | Los Angeles | Fresno State 36 | Bowling Green 6 |
Other Champions
Many of the schools that would later be part of NCAA's Division I-AA were ranked by the UPI and the AP in a "small college football" poll. In 1961, the UPI's 35 member Board of Coaches awarded the championship to the 9-0-0 Pittsburg State UniversityPittsburg State University
Pittsburg State University, also called Pitt State or PSU, is a public university with approximately 7,100 students located in Pittsburg, Kansas, United States. A large percentage of the student population consists of residents within the Pittsburg region; the gender proportion is relatively equal...
Gorillas, of Pittsburg, Kansas, followed by Baldwin-Wallace (8-0), Mississippi Southern (7-2), Southeastern Louisiana (9-1) and Fresno State (9-0)
. Pittsburg State, which at that time was an NAIA team (it is now NCAA Division II) was also ranked #1 in the final AP poll, followed by Baldwin-Wallace, Fresno State, Florida A&M and Whittier . The Gorillas competed in the NAIA playoffs to reach the Camellia Bowl
Camellia Bowl
- 1948, Lafayette, Louisiana :The Camellia Bowl was a post-season major college football bowl game played at McNaspy Stadium in Lafayette, Louisiana, on December 30, 1948 between Hardin-Simmons University and the University of Wichita ....
championship game, where they defeated Linfield College
Linfield College
Linfield College is an American private institution of higher learning located in McMinnville, Oregon, United States. As a four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college with a campus in Portland, Oregon, it also has an adult degree program located in eight communities throughout the...
of Oregon, 12-7.