This is a project I’ve been working on for a while. When you look up the historical College Football National Champions, it’s very confusing. We know that College Football has only had a playoff since 2014, and that it has lagged far behind all other major sports in determining a true, unquestioned champion.

If you thought the BCS era was bad, you ought to look even further back into the past because as flawed a system was the BCS was, it was still 10x better than the systems that preceded it. Split, or at the very least disputed, National Championships were a regular occurrence, and many years it was unclear just who had actually earned the real crown.

Though college football has been around in some form since 1869, it was not until 1936 that the sport had anything even resembling a process for determining a National Champion. 1936 was the first year where the AP Poll of nationwide sportswriters was released on a weekly basis. The issue is that the final poll was released at the end of the regular season, and it did not take into account the bowl game results until the 1970s.

So what we have is a lot of years where a National Champion was crowned after the regular season, but then they would lose their bowl game, and that’s not reflected in the poll results at all. As a result, there’s a lot of “fake” National Championships out there being claimed by schools that don’t deserve them.

My aim here is to go through every season from the start of the poll era all the way up to the start of the BCS in 1998 and determine who was the rightful National Champion for each year. Then we will tally all the results up and see how the National Title counts change.

This will be Part 1 of the series, covering from 1936 up through the 1959 season. The second part will go from 1960-1997.

The way I will structure it is simple: I’ll first list off the official National Champions from the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, as well as any other relevant selectors. I’ll then list off the resumes of each team, as well as any others I feel warrant consideration, and then render a verdict on who was the rightful National Champion that season.

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1930s

• 1936
  • National Champions: Minnesota (AP), Pitt (Boand, Houlgate)
  • Minnesota profile: Record 7-1. Ranked opponents: vs. #5 Purdue (33-0 win), at #3 Northwestern (6-0 loss). Bowl game: none.
  • Pitt profile: Record 8-1-1. Ranked opponents: vs. #7 Notre Dame (26-0 win), at #5 Fordham (0-0 tie), at #6 Nebraska (19-6 win), Rose Bowl vs. #5 Washington (21-0 win). Other notable game: vs. unranked Duquesne (7-0 loss). Duquesne would eventually finish 8-2 and win the Orange Bowl over Mississippi State. 
  • Making a bowl game was a big deal back then as there were only 6 bowl games back in 1936 (interestingly, one of them was the Bacardi Bowl played in Havana, Cuba–Auburn and Villanova tied 7-7). 
  • Pitt may have had a tie on their resume unlike Minnesota, but they also played an extra game. I can’t hold it against Minnesota for not playing a bowl game as it was out of their control–a Big Ten conference rule would prohibit its teams from playing in bowl games until 1946–but the fact that Pitt played 4 ranked teams (plus Duquesne who would finish ranked 14th) compared to Minnesota’s two ranked opponents means I have to give the strength of schedule and strength of record nod to Pitt. I just think Pitt was more battle-tested.
  • Verdict: PITT (1st National Championship of Poll Era)
• 1937
  • National Champion: Pitt (AP, unanimous)
  • Pitt profile: Record 9-0-1. Ranked opponents: vs. #16 Wisconsin (21-0 win), at #12 Notre Dame (21-6 win), vs. #11 Nebraska (13-7 win), at #18 Duke (10-0 win). Other notable game: at Fordham (0-0 tie). Fordham eventually finished 7-0-1 with a final ranking of #3 in the AP Poll.
  • Cal profile: Record 10-0-1. Ranked opponents: vs. #11 USC (20-6 win), at #13 Stanford (13-0 win), Rose Bowl vs. #4 Alabama (13-0 win). Other notable game: vs. unranked Washington (0-0 tie).
  • Pitt was the only declared National Champion of the 1937 season, however I think Cal should also be taken into consideration. Cal played in the Rose Bowl while Pitt, who had played in the Rose Bowl the previous season, actually turned down an invitation, for reasons that can be found on the Wikipedia page. They declined all bowl invites by way of a team vote, due to the fact that “the team was still festering hard feelings about the way they were treated on their previous Bowl trip.”
  • Cal was initially ranked #1 when the first AP poll was released on October 23rd, however they fell down to #2 after playing Washington to a 0-0 tie. Pitt, who was #3, beat #12 Notre Dame that same weekend and jumped up to #1, where they remained for the final 3 weeks of the season to secure the National Title.
  • So Pitt played and defeated more ranked teams than Cal did, plus they tied Fordham. Cal, however, had the Rose Bowl win over #4 Alabama. I assume Pitt would’ve grudgingly accepted the Rose Bowl invitation, however, had the National Championship been awarded after bowl season. In other words, I think they only declined the bowl invitation because they already had the National Championship in the bag, as it was awarded in late November. But if they had to play in the Rose Bowl Game to get the National Championship, I’m sure they would’ve. 
  • The Helms and Dunkel polling outfits named Cal the retroactive 1937 National Champions on account of their Rose Bowl win over Alabama, but while I definitely think this should be considered when evaluating Cal on the merits, I also don’t think it should be held against Pitt. Pitt was playing by the rules of the era. Bowl games were unnecessary in the National Title hunt. Obviously that’s changed now but we shouldn’t apply our rules to 1937.
  • This is a tough decision, however, because I feel both Cal and Pitt are deserving Champions. I am leaning towards giving the National Title to Cal, however, because they only fell from #1 in the polls because they tied Washington, but Pitt, who took over #1, also had a tie on their resume from earlier in the season, before the rankings were even released. In other words, it was a timing thing. However, it’s possible that Pitt was only ranked #3 when the initial rankings were released on October 23 because Pitt had tied Fordham the week prior. I think Pitt would have gotten the benefit of the doubt as the reigning National Champions.
  • But we could also consider the strength of ties: Pitt tied Fordham, Cal tied Washington. Washington finished 7-2-2, Fordham finished 7-0-1 and ranked #3. Fordham was probably the better team, so it’s a “more impressive” tie for Pitt, I think.
  • Pitt had 4 ranked wins to Cal’s 3, and Pitt’s tie was more impressive (or forgivable). From my modern perspective, I want to give the title to Cal because they played a bowl game, but again, I can’t hold that against Pitt since they were already named National Champions before their bowl game, so they had nothing left to prove by the rules of the era.
  • Verdict: PITT (2)
• 1938
  • National Champions: TCU (AP), Notre Dame (Dickinson)
  • TCU profile: Record 11-0. Bowl game: Sugar Bowl vs. #6 Carnegie Tech (15-7 win).
  • Notre Dame profile: Record 8-1. Loss: at #8 USC in final regular season game, 13-0. Ranked opponents: #13 Carnegie Tech (7-0 win), #12 Minnesota (19-0 win), at #16 Northwestern (9-7 win). Bowl game: none. 
  • While Notre Dame played the tougher schedule featuring three ranked opponents to TCU’s one, and Notre Dame had also beaten Carnegie Tech, the one ranked opponent TCU faced in 1938, the fact that TCU went undefeated while Notre Dame had a loss and TCU didn’t makes this a pretty clear choice. Also, Notre Dame doesn’t even claim this National Title.
  • Verdict: TCU (1)
• 1939
  • National Champions: Texas A&M (AP), USC (Dickinson)
  • Texas A&M profile: Record 11-0. Ranked opponents: #13 SMU (6-2 win), Sugar Bowl vs. #5 Tulane (14-13 win).
  • USC profile: Record 8-0-2. Ranked opponents: at #11 Oregon State (19-7 win), at #7 Notre Dame (20-12 win), at #9 UCLA (0-0 tie), Rose Bowl vs. #2 Tennessee (14-0 win). Other notable game: vs. unranked Oregon (7-7 tie) in the first week of the season, Oregon would finish with a 3-4-1 record.
  • USC definitely played the tougher schedule and had more impressive wins, but they had two ties whereas A&M went undefeated. 
  • Verdict: TEXAS A&M (1)

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1940s

• 1940
  • National Champions: Minnesota (AP), Stanford (Poling, Wililamson), Tennessee (Dunkel)
  • Minnesota profile: Record 8-0. Ranked opponents: at #15 Ohio State (13-7 win), at #8 Northwestern (13-12 win), #3 Michigan (7-6 win). Bowl game: none.
  • Stanford profile: Record 10-0. Ranked opponents: at #19 Washington State (26-14 win), #17 USC (21-7 win), #11 Washington (20-10 win), #19 Oregon State (28-14 win), Rose Bowl vs. #7 Nebraska (21-13 win).
  • Tennessee Profile: Record 10-1. Ranked opponents: Sugar Bowl vs. #5 Boston College (19-13 loss).
  • In my view Stanford is probably the most deserving team. They were undefeated and had the most wins over ranked teams. We cannot fault Minnesota for not playing a bowl game as it was out of their control, and they probably have the most impressive win of the bunch in beating #3 Michigan, but even then, Stanford played more ranked teams.
  • Tennessee is out of contention not because they lost their bowl game, but because their bowl game against BC was the only game all season in which they faced a ranked opponent. The only other team in the SEC that finished the season ranked was Mississippi State, and Tennessee didn’t even play them.
  • Mississippi State has a stronger claim on the National Title than Tennessee, yet in the final poll Mississippi State was ranked 7th. Mississippi State went 10-0-1 with wins over three ranked teams (#11 Ole Miss, #17 Alabama, #13 Georgetown in the Orange Bowl). However, Mississippi State’s tie (score: 7-7) was to a 6-4-1 Auburn squad.
  • Verdict: STANFORD (1)
• 1941
  • National Champion: Minnesota (AP, consensus)
  • Minnesota profile: Record 8-0. Ranked opponents: at #3 Michigan (7-0 win), #9 Northwestern (8-7 win). Bowl game: none.
  • I have already ruled against Minnesota twice so far, but not this year. The only other team that has a reasonable case for the National Title is Duke.
  • Duke went 9-1 and their lone loss was in the Rose Bowl to Oregon State, score of 20-16. I am not penalizing Duke for losing a bowl game because Minnesota didn’t even play one. I am penalizing Duke for playing no ranked opponents until that Rose Bowl game they lost.
  • Notre Dame also has somewhat of a claim. They went 8-0-1 with ranked wins over #6 Navy and at #8 Northwestern. But they tied #14 Army 0-0.
  • Verdict: MINNESOTA (1)
• 1942
  • National Champion: Ohio State (AP), Georgia (Billingsley, Houlgate, others)
  • Ohio State profile: Record 9-1. Ranked opponents: at #6 Wisconsin (17-7 loss), vs. #13 Illinois (44-20), #4 Michigan (21-7). Bowl game: none.
    • On the Wikipedia page for 1942 Ohio State, it says that “Half of the Buckeye players contracted an intestinal disorder after drinking from an unsanitary drinking fountain on the train to Madison.” So I guess that partly excuses the loss.
  • Georgia profile: Record 11-1. Ranked opponents: #3 Alabama (21-10 win), #2 Georgia Tech (34-0 win), Rose Bowl vs. #13 UCLA (9-0 win). Loss: 27-13 vs. Auburn.
  • Both teams played 3 ranked opponents, however Georgia beat all three of theirs. But the fact that Ohio State was missing half its team for the game at #6 Wisconsin needs to be taken into consideration, along with the fact that Ohio State’s loss to #6 Wisconsin is more forgivable than Georgia’s loss to unranked Auburn.
  • Georgia probably had a more impressive resume, with 6 shutout wins to Ohio State’s 2. Still, I think the fact that Georgia had a less forgivable loss to an inferior team gives Ohio State the edge here.
  • However, in terms of combined opponent record, Georgia’s opponents had an aggregate win percentage of 55.6%, while Ohio State’s opponents were a combined 48.5%. Plus, Georgia’s average score margin was 25ppg compared to 22.3 for Ohio State.
    Verdict: GEORGIA (1)
• 1943
  • National Champion: Notre Dame (AP)
  • Notre Dame profile: Record 9-1. Ranked opponents: at #2 Michigan (35-12 win), #3 Navy at a neutral field in Cleveland (33-6 win), #3 Army at Yankee Stadium (26-0 win), at #8 Northwestern (25-6 win), #2 Iowa Pre-Flight (14-13 win). Loss: at Great Lakes Navy, 19-14. Bowl game: none.
  • Notre Dame’s loss to Great Lakes Navy was in the final game of the season, but even that loss wasn’t enough to cause pollsters to give the National Title to another team.
  • The only other team it could’ve been was Purdue, who went 9-0 that year, however Purdue had zero wins over ranked teams. Notre Dame’s strength of schedule and record were so overwhelming they were the clear choice for the National Championship.
  • This was the year where World War II really started to have a major effect on the college football landscape. Schools lost tons of players to the draft (the military draft, not the NFL draft), and a lot of programs outright didn’t field teams during the war. For example, in the SEC, only 5 schools fielded teams in 1943: Georgia Tech, LSU, Tulane, Georgia and Vanderbilt.
  • Players drafted to the military would end up playing at military service programs that sprung up around the country, and they played football while there–I counted 59 service academy programs in total on the Wikipedia page for the 1943 season. 
  • Many of the service academy football teams, because they featured tons of real college football players, were quite good. For instance, the Iowa Pre-Flight Academy team went 9-1 and very nearly won the National Championship, with their only loss being the 14-13 game at #1 Notre Dame. Part of the reason they were so good was because they had Missouri’s head coach Don Faurot, who was in the Navy and reassigned to coach the Iowa Pre-Flight team.
  • Army and Navy were also both top-5 programs in the country during the war, and in a minute we’ll learn all about Army’s college football dynasty during World War II.
  • Verdict: NOTRE DAME (1)
• 1944
  • National Champion: Army (AP)
  • Army profile: Record 9-0. Ranked opponents: #5 Notre Dame (59-0 win), #2 Navy (23-7 win). Bowl game: none. Four shutout wins, no opponent scored more than 7 points on Army’s defense.
  • Army was an absolute powerhouse of a team in 1944, but there were a few other strong contenders, such as Ohio State, Randolph Field and Bainbridge NTS, all of whom finished undefeated.
  • Ohio State profile: Record 9-0. Finished #2 in the final AP poll. Ranked opponents: at #19 Wisconsin (20-7 win), #6 Great Lakes Navy (26-6 win), #6 Michigan (18-14 win). Bowl game: none. Had Heisman Trophy winner Les Horvath.
  • Randolph Field profile: Record 11-0. Finished #3 in final AP poll, 8 shutout wins. Ranked opponents: #14 March Field (20-7 win), Treasury Bond Bowl vs. #20 Second Air Force (13-6 win).
  • Bainbridge NTS profile: Record 10-0. Ranked opponents: #8 North Carolina Pre-Flight (49-20 win). Bowl game: none.
  • Army gets the nod here. They had a dominant resume, and while you could maybe make an argument for Ohio State having played a tougher schedule, it’s got to be Army. Come on.
  • Verdict: ARMY (1)
• 1945
  • National Champion: Army (AP), Oklahoma A&M (AFCA)
  • Army profile: Record 9-0. Ranked opponents: #9 Michigan (28-7 win), #19 Duke (48-13 win), #2 Notre Dame (48-0 win), at #6 Penn (61-0 win), #2 Navy (32-13 win). Bowl game: none.
  • Oklahoma A&M profile: This is actually Oklahoma State University–they changed the name in 1957. Record 9-0. Ranked opponents: #19 Tulsa (12-6 win), #7 St. Mary’s (33-13 win). Bowl game: Sugar Bowl vs. St. Mary’s.
  • Although Army’s dominance in 1945 was undeniable, and they clearly outclass Oklahoma A&M, one other team bears mentioning here, and it’s Alabama, who finished second in the polls.
  • Alabama profile: Record 10-0. Ranked opponents: Rose Bowl vs. #11 USC (34-14 win). This was Bama’s only ranked opponent all year.
  • The clear answer is Army, for a repeat. 5 shutout wins, outscored opponents 412-46. Unanimous choice among 116 AP poll voters.
  • Verdict: ARMY (2)
• 1946
  • National Champion: Notre Dame (AP), Army (various)
  • Notre Dame profile: Record 8-0-1. Ranked opponents: at #17 Iowa (41-6 win), vs. #1 Army at Yankee Stadium (0-0 tie), #16 USC (26-6 win). Bowl game: none.
  • Army profile: Record 9-0-1. Ranked opponents: at #2 Michigan (20-13 win), #11 Columbia (48-14 win), #13 Duke (19-0 win), #2 Notre Dame (0-0 tie), at #5 Penn (34-7 win). Bowl game: none. Had the 1946 Heisman winner Glenn Davis, along with 1945 Heisman winner Doc Blanchard.
  • Army was ranked #1 the whole season until being jumped by Notre Dame in the final poll. Probably this was because Army’s last game was a close 21-18 win over a 1-8 Navy squad, whereas Notre Dame was dominant against a ranked USC team that weekend.
  • Still, I think the National Champion should probably be Army because they had wins over 4 ranked teams compared to just 2 for Notre Dame. Though the teams played to a 0-0 tie during the “Game of the Century” (which I used for the header image) on November 9th in the Bronx, it’s really impossible to draw any conclusions from that because if you say it proves Notre Dame, who came into the game ranked #2, was as good as Army, then who do you put at #1? 
  • Army had the more impressive resume, plus they also beat an Oklahoma team (21-7) that was unranked at the time but finished ranked #14 with an 8-3 record. However, an interesting article I read made the case for Notre Dame, saying that despite the tie, Notre Dame looked to be the better team, out-gaining Army 225-190 yards and holding Army scoreless despite turning the ball over 7 times to Army’s 4. It also pointed out that Notre Dame mounted the only serious, sustained offensive drive in the game, despite the fact that it didn’t yield any points. Teams didn’t really kick field goals back then, at least these two teams didn’t. Notre Dame’s kicker didn’t even dress for the game.
  • Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention Georgia, who went undefeated in 1946. Georgia was 11-0, led by head coach Wally Butts (I just wanted to mention that name). Ranked opponents: #19 Kentucky (35-13 win), at #15 Alabama (14-0 win), #7 Georgia Tech (35-7 win), and #9 North Carolina in the Sugar Bowl (20-10 win). Georgia was unbeaten, but didn’t really play that top-tier competition the way Army and Notre Dame did, so I really think the debate here is between Army and Notre Dame, although I’m tempted to just say Georgia is the best choice here as a cop-out on the Army/ND question.
  • I lean towards Army here because they went into the Game of the Century on a 25 game win streak, and had beaten up on Notre Dame the previous two seasons, but you can’t really take past seasons into account. Notre Dame also had a bunch of players that came back from the war for the 1946 season. I’ll still say Army because of their tougher schedule, though.
  • Verdict: ARMY (3)
• 1947
  • National Champion: Notre Dame (AP), Michigan (various)
  • Notre Dame profile: Record 9-0. Ranked opponents: #9 Army (27-7 win), at #3 USC (38-7 win). Bowl game: none.
  • Michigan profile: at #11 Illinois (14-7 win), Rose Bowl vs. #8 USC (49-0 win).
  • Big Ten teams were now permitted to play in bowl games as of the 1946 season. The conference had signed an agreement, which would stand for over 50 years, locking the Big Ten champion into playing the Pac-10 champion in the Rose Bowl at the end of the year.
    • (Actually, the Big Ten was called the Big Nine at the time, as in 1939, University of Chicago dropped its football program, and Michigan State was would not join until 1953, thanks to decades of behind-the-scenes stonewalling and sabotage by Michigan. Plus former Michigan coach Fielding Yost is also the reason Notre Dame was rejected for admission to the Big Ten back in the 1920s).
  • Michigan will ultimately get the nod here over Notre Dame. They both played and beat two ranked teams, but they had a common opponent in USC, and Michigan was more dominant. Even though Notre Dame was pretty dominant, Michigan was more dominant against that same USC team. Had it not been for the Rose Bowl, however, the nod would’ve gone to Notre Dame. 
  • Additionally, the Wikipedia page for the 1947 CFB season said that there was an unofficial poll of AP voters following the Rose Bowl and Michigan won the vote over Notre Dame convincingly by a margin of 226-119. See, even back in 1947, they knew how ridiculous the system was, but unfortunately it wouldn’t be officially changed until 1968.
  • Verdict: MICHIGAN (1)
• 1948
  • National Champion: Michigan (AP)
  • Michigan profile: Record 9-0. Ranked opponents: at #15 Purdue (40-0 win), #3 Northwestern (28-0 win), at #13 Minnesota (27-14 win), at #18 Ohio State (13-3 win). Bowl game: none.
  • Despite the fact that the Big Ten (Big Nine) had finally started allowing its teams to play in bowl games, Michigan was unable to go to the Rose Bowl because of another stupid rule which prohibited teams from making more than 1 bowl game appearance over a three year period.
  • Still, though, the only potential challenge to Michigan’s legitimacy here would be Notre Dame, but they finished 9-0-1, tying USC in the last game of the season.
  • Cal also finished the regular season undefeated at 10-0, but lost 20-14 to Northwestern in the Rose Bowl. Michigan had already beaten that Northwestern team soundly, 28-0.
  • Verdict: MICHIGAN (2)
• 1949
  • National Champion: Notre Dame (AP) 
  • Notre Dame profile: Record 10-0. Ranked opponents: #4 Tulane (46-7 win), at #10 Michigan State (34-21 win), #17 USC (32-0 win). Bowl game: none.
  • Oklahoma profile: Record 11-0. Ranked opponents: #12 Texas (20-14 win), #19 Santa Clara (28-21 win), Sugar Bowl vs. #9 LSU (35-0 win). 
  • Cal was also a contender here having gone 10-0 in the regular season, but they also lost in the Rose Bowl to Ohio State 17-14.
  • Notre Dame’s best win was over a Tulane squad that was 4th ranked at the time, but that Tulane team would also be crushed 21-0 by LSU, the same LSU team that Oklahoma in turn dominated in the Sugar Bowl. USC, whom Notre Dame beat, would finish unranked with a 5-3-1 overall record. Michigan State finished 6-3. Notre Dame didn’t really play any particularly strong opponents. The thing is, though, neither did Oklahoma. Their strength of record doesn’t really knock your socks off.
  • Notre Dame played one final game at the end of the season in early December against a so-so SMU squad, winning 27-20 and needing a goal line stand to do it. This game was played after the final polls had already been submitted. Plus Oklahoma’s bowl win over LSU was as well. I think it should be Oklahoma, personally, but Notre Dame certainly has a decent case.
  • Verdict: OKLAHOMA (1)

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1950s

• 1950
  • National Champion: Oklahoma (AP, Coaches)
  • Oklahoma profile: Record 10-1. Ranked opponents: #4 Texas (14-13 win), #16 Nebraska (49-35 win), Sugar Bowl vs. #7 Kentucky (13-7 loss). 
  • As was custom at the time, the National Championship was decided at the end of the regular season, not after bowl season, so Oklahoma’s Sugar Bowl loss to Kentucky didn’t factor in.
  • This is where things get a bit complicated, though, because there were no other unbeaten or untied teams that season. But let’s have a look at the teams that finished ranked highly and see if one stands out.
  • Army profile: Army went 8-1 but they’re out because they lost their last regular season game 14-2 to a bad Navy squad.
  • Texas profile: Obviously Oklahoma had beaten Texas 14-13 earlier in the season, but Texas had actually rebounded nicely after that game. They’d beat then-#1 ranked SMU 23-20 in Austin, and get invited to the Cotton Bowl, however they would lose that game to #4 Tennessee.
  • Tennessee profile: Tennessee started off with a week 2 loss to Mississippi State (7-0) but would go on to finish 11-1. They beat an Alabama team that was unranked at the time but would finish 9-2 and ranked 16th (14-9 score). They also beat then-#3 Kentucky 7-0, and Kentucky was the team that beat Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. Tennessee would play against Texas in the Cotton Bowl, beating the then-#3 ranked team 20-14. 
  • Cal profile: Cal started out 9-0 but then tied Stanford 7-7 in the last game of the year. They also went on to lose 14-6 to an unranked Michigan squad in the Rose Bowl. Cal’s out.
  • Princeton profile: Princeton went 9-0 but played basically an all-Ivy League schedule, with their only ranked opponent being #10 Cornell (27-0 Princeton victory). They didn’t play a bowl game, either, so we don’t really have a data point on them against a strong non-Ivy League team. How can you declare a team the “National” Champions when they basically only played Ivy league teams, plus Navy?
  • Kentucky profile: Bear Bryant’s Kentucky Wildcats finished 10-1 with that Sugar Bowl win over Oklahoma. Their only loss was to Tennessee. They also beat #17 Florida 40-6, although that Florida team would finish 5-5.
  • I think it’s really between Tennessee and Kentucky. Kentucky gets credit over Oklahoma for beating them and finishing with the same record, but Tennessee beat Kentucky and also had just one loss on the season. Tennessee also had a win over Texas, and Texas wound up being Oklahoma’s signature win of the season. I think Tennessee was the most-deserving team.
  • Verdict: TENNESSEE (1)
• 1951
  • National Champion: Tennessee (AP, Coaches)
  • Tennessee profile: Record 10-1. Ranked opponents: #16 Duke (26-0 win), at #9 Kentucky (28-0 win), Sugar Bowl vs. #3 Maryland (28-13 loss).
  • This year it would be Tennessee claiming the regular season National Championship but losing in their bowl game. Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to determine the rightful National Champion because that Maryland team that beat Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl finished undefeated. However, we should also mention Michigan State as well.
  • Maryland profile: Record 10-0. Ranked opponents: Sugar Bowl vs. #1 Tennessee (28-13 win).
  • Michigan State profile: Record 9-0. Ranked opponents: at #7 Ohio State (24-20 win), #11 Notre Dame (35-0 win). Bowl game: none.
  • This was before Michigan State joined the Big Nine and made it the Big Ten. I think Michigan State has a case, but not as strong a case as Maryland, because Maryland beat Tennessee by 15 points.
  • Verdict: MARYLAND (1)
• 1952
  • National Champion: Michigan State (AP, Coaches), Georgia Tech (INS)
  • Michigan State profile: Record 9-0. Ranked opponents: #17 Penn State (34-7 win), at #8 Purdue (14-7 win), #6 Notre Dame (21-3 win). Bowl game: none.
  • Georgia Tech profile: Record 12-0. Ranked opponents: at #6 Duke (28-7 win), #12 Alabama (7-3 win), Sugar Bowl vs. #7 Ole Miss (24-7 win).
  • Both teams were undefeated, and Michigan State wouldn’t join the Big Ten until the following season so they didn’t play in a bowl game. You can only play the teams on your schedule, so I want to try to evaluate these teams fairly, but it’s just so difficult to weigh Michigan State’s 9-game schedule the same as Georgia Tech’s 12 game schedule. 
  • Three extra games is three extra chances to lose, and it’s not like Tech played some cupcake of a schedule. They beat the same number of ranked teams that Michigan State did–three apiece. In fact, the teams Georgia Tech beat were ranked higher, on average.
  • Verdict: GEORGIA TECH (1)
• 1953
  • National Champion: Maryland (AP, Coaches)
  • Maryland profile: Record 10-1. Ranked opponents: #11 Ole Miss (38-0 win), #11 Alabama (21-0 win), Orange Bowl vs. #4 Oklahoma (7-0 loss).
  • Another classic case of the unanimous National Champion losing their bowl game. The obvious move here is to take a look at Oklahoma.
  • Oklahoma profile: Record 9-1-1. Ranked opponents: #1 Notre Dame (28-21 loss), #15 Texas (19-14 win), Orange Bowl vs. #1 Maryland (7-0 win). Other notable game: at unranked Pitt (7-7 tie). 
  • Pitt would finish just 3-5-1 that year, and this game took place immediately after the Notre Dame game for Oklahoma, so it was an obvious letdown game on the road. But what about Notre Dame?
  • Notre Dame profile: Record 9-0-1. Ranked opponents: at #6 Oklahoma (28-21 win), #15 Pitt (23-14 win), #4 Georgia Tech (27-14 win), #20 Navy (38-7 win), #20 Iowa (14-14 tie), at #20 USC (48-14 win). Bowl game: none.
  • Right now, my choice is Notre Dame. But are there any other contenders? Yes, we’ve also got Michigan State, newly added to the Big Ten.
  • Michigan State profile: Record 9-1. Ranked opponents: Rose Bowl vs. #5 UCLA (28-20 win). Had a 6-0 loss at 2-7 Purdue in week 5, but also went on the road in week 1 and beat the Iowa team that had tied Notre Dame, by a score of 21-7.
  • I give the edge to Notre Dame–they played a tougher schedule and were the only team of the bunch that had no losses. The transitive property is just a mess here, so I don’t even want to get into it.
  • Verdict: NOTRE DAME (2)
• 1954
  • National Champion: Ohio State (AP), UCLA (Coaches, FWAA)
  • Ohio State profile: Record 10-0. Ranked opponents: #18 Cal (21-13 win), #13 Iowa (20-14 win), #2 Wisconsin (31-14 win), #20 Pitt (26-0 win), #12 Michigan (21-7 win), Rose Bowl vs. #17 USC (20-7 win). 
  • UCLA profile: Record 9-0. Ranked opponents: #6 Maryland (12-7 win), #7 USC (34-0 win). Bowl game: none.
  • Oklahoma profile: Record 10-0. Ranked opponents: at #12 Cal (27-13 win), #20 TCU (21-16 win), #15 Texas (14-7 win). Bowl game: none.
  • Oklahoma only had wins over 3 ranked teams, however, by the end of the 1954 season, they were 19 games into what would eventually be a record win streak of 57 games. They wouldn’t lose again until 1957. Still, this can’t be taken into account.
  • Unfortunately, because the Rose Bowl had a “no repeat” rule, and UCLA had played in and won the Rose Bowl the year prior, they were unable to play against Ohio State. USC took their place instead as the Pacific Coast Conference runner-up. Oklahoma also fell victim to this rule as well.
  • I think it has to be Ohio State, who went undefeated with wins over 6 ranked teams. In fairness to UCLA, the ranked Cal team Ohio State beat was unranked at the time UCLA played them, but that still only gives UCLA three ranked wins if we include it.
  • Verdict: OHIO STATE (2)
• 1955
  • National Champion: Oklahoma (AP, Coaches, FWAA)
  • Oklahoma profile: Record 11-0. Ranked opponents: #12 Pitt (26-14 win), #14 Colorado (56-21 win), Orange Bowl vs. #3 Maryland (20-6 win). 
  • There’s really no other choice here. Oklahoma was the only undefeated team after the conclusion of bowl season. Maryland was the only other undefeated and untied team going into the bowls, but Oklahoma beat them convincingly. 
  • Michigan State was ranked #2, but they had lost earlier in the season to Michigan. Michigan State was able to stay ranked so high because they compiled an impressive resume featuring a win over then-#4 Notre Dame, and beat #4 UCLA in the Rose Bowl. But Michigan State had a loss, and Oklahoma didn’t.
  • Verdict: OKLAHOMA (2)
• 1956
  • National Champion: Oklahoma (AP, Coaches, FWAA)
  • Oklahoma profile: Record 11-0. Ranked opponents: at #18 Colorado (27-19 win). Bowl game: none.
  • Oklahoma would extend their win streak to 40 games by the end of the 1956 season, however they were unable to play in a bowl game due to the no-repeat rule. With only one win over a ranked team and no bowl game, Oklahoma, despite the 40-game win streak, doesn’t exactly feel like an unambiguous and unquestioned National Champion, so is there any other team out there we can consider? 
  • We might consider Tennessee, who finished second and was 10-1, but they lost their bowl game to Baylor. Texas A&M went 9-0-1 with wins over #4 TCU and #8 Baylor, but had a 14-14 tie against a Houston team that went 7-2-1 playing in a lesser conference.
  • We might also consider the Big Ten Champions, #3 Iowa, who had a loss to #17 Michigan at home, 17-14. Iowa then followed that up with a 7-0 win over #6 Minnesota on the road, and a 6-0 win over #6 Ohio State at home. They beat unranked Notre Dame 48-8, although this was not the typical Notre Dame team, going just 2-8 that year. Iowa beat #10 Oregon State in the Rose Bowl 35-19.
  • Still, Oklahoma, despite the unspectacular resume, was undefeated and untied. I think Iowa and A&M have decent arguments (in that order), but undefeated is undefeated, and it wasn’t Oklahoma’s fault the rules were dumb.
  • My aim here is not to further muddy the waters and make audacious claims with little backing–I can’t just say Iowa or A&M is the rightful champion this year because I think they might have won. There has to be some actual basis for it; it’s got to be a correction of an obvious error caused by the stupidity of the system back then, or it’s got to be a very convincing argument on strength of schedule. I don’t want to wade too far into hypothetical territory.
  • Verdict: OKLAHOMA (3)
• 1957
  • National Champion: Auburn (AP), Ohio State (Coaches, FWAA)
  • Auburn profile: Record 10-0. Ranked opponents: at #8 Tennessee (7-0 win), #19 Florida (13-0 win), #17 Mississippi State (15-7 win). Bowl game: none.
  • Ohio State profile: Record 9-1. Ranked opponents: #5 Iowa (17-13 win), at #19 Michigan (31-14 win). Rose Bowl vs. unranked Oregon (10-7 win).
  • Auburn kind of had a weak schedule. Those three ranked teams they played wound up being the only teams they played that actually had winning records, plus Houston who went 5-4-1. They finished their schedule with Georgia, Florida State and Alabama, and today that would be an absolute murderer’s row, but back in 1957, none of those teams even had winning records. This was a year before Bear Bryant got to Alabama and turned it around. 
  • What’s interesting is that Auburn was actually on probation in 1957 for being caught illegally paying players, which is why the Coaches Poll selected Ohio State over them. It’s also why Auburn didn’t play a bowl game–they were ineligible.
  • Ohio State, however, also played a pretty sorry schedule. The combined record of Auburn’s opponents was 45-47-7 and they outscored them by 179 points in the aggregate. For Ohio State, it was similar: combined record of 43-47-4, aggregate margin of victory of 175 points. Auburn gets the nod here for going undefeated. 
  • If Ohio State had completely outclassed Auburn in strength of schedule, maybe they’d get the nod, but it’s not convincing enough for me, especially with the “spite votes” for Ohio State in the Coaches Poll.
  • Verdict: AUBURN (1)
• 1958
  • National Champion: LSU (AP, Coaches), Iowa (FWAA)
  • LSU profile: Record 11-0. Ranked opponents: #6 Ole Miss (14-0 win), Sugar Bowl vs. #12 Clemson (7-0 win).
  • Iowa profile: Record 8-1-1. Ranked opponents: #6 TCU (17-0 win), at #4 Wisconsin (20-9 win), #8 Northwestern (26-20 win), #16 Ohio State (38-28 loss), #15 Notre Dame (31-21 win), Rose Bowl vs. #16 Cal (38-12 win). Tie: Air Force (13-13).
  • Outside of Ole Miss and Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, LSU played a weak schedule compared to Iowa’s. Iowa tied Air Force in the second week of the season, and at the time they were unranked, but Air Force would eventually finish 9-0-2 and be ranked #6 in the final AP poll of the season. Iowa’s schedule was way tougher than LSU’s.
  • This is a tough one. Iowa’s ten opponents had a combined record of 56-33-8, and only two of them had losing records (Minnesota and Michigan). Meanwhile, LSU’s 11 opponents had a combined record of 57-53-3. Only four of them actually had winning records. Iowa played against 4 teams that finished the season in the AP top 10, LSU played zero. LSU didn’t play a great team in their bowl game, either.
  • I’m going to give this to Iowa. Their schedule was just so much tougher than LSU’s was that I feel it’s warranted. It might seem like blasphemy now, but the SEC of 1958 was not the SEC that we know today (or even the SEC of 1959, as we’ll see in a minute). Today we would label a team like 1958 LSU fraudulent.
  • Verdict: IOWA (1)
• 1959
  • National Champion: Syracuse (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF)
  • Syracuse profile: Record 11-0. Ranked opponents: at #7 Penn State (20-18 win), at #17 UCLA (36-8 win), Cotton Bowl vs. #4 Texas (23-14 win).
  • Other contenders: Washington, Ole Miss, LSU, Georgia. Syracuse was named the unanimous National Champion, but I’d like to investigate some of the other teams first before wrapping up the 1950s.
  • Washington profile: Record 10-1. Ranked opponents: #7 USC (22-15 loss), at #11 Oregon (13-12 win), Rose Bowl vs. #6 Wisconsin (44-8 win).
    • Combined opponent win%: 48.2%.
  • Ole Miss profile: Record 10-1. Ranked opponents: #10 Arkansas (28-0 win), at #1 LSU (7-3 loss), #9 Tennessee (37-7 win), Sugar Bowl vs. #3 LSU (21-0 win).
    • Combined opponent win%: 51.8%.
  • LSU profile: Record 9-2. Ranked opponents: #9 TCU (10-0 win), #3 Ole Miss (7-3 win), at #13 Tennessee (14-13 loss), Sugar Bowl vs. #2 Ole Miss (21-0 loss).
    • Combined opponent win%: 51.8%.
  • Georgia profile: Record 10-1. Ranked opponents: at #16 South Carolina (30-14 loss), #8 Auburn (14-13 win), Orange Bowl vs. #18 Missouri (14-0 win).
    • Combined opponent win%: 49.1%.
  • I am actually pretty partial to Ole Miss here. Only three teams scored on them all season, and the three teams that did score, Ole Miss held them to just 7 points apiece. They had a loss on the road at #1 LSU, 7-3, but later avenged it convincingly in the Sugar Bowl 21-0.
  • However, of the 5 teams I considered, it was Syracuse that had the highest opponent combined win percentage (53.6%), and the highest average margin of victory (30.9ppg). Plus they were undefeated and untied.
  • Verdict: SYRACUSE (1)

This is where we will leave it today. The next post will cover from 1960 until the start of the BCS era, so through 1997.