1932 college football season

Last updated

The 1932 college football season saw the Michigan Wolverines win the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy as national champion under the math-based Dickinson System. Because the "Big Nine" conference didn't permit its teams to play in the postseason, however, the Wolverines were not able to accept a bid to the Rose Bowl. [1] As such, the Pasadena game matched the No. 2 and No. 3 teams, USC and Pittsburgh, with the USC Trojans winning the east–west matchup 35–0. The other four contemporary math system selectors (the Boand, Dunkel, Houlgate, and Williamson Systems) all selected USC as national champion. [2] This was also the last season NFL would use college football rules.

Contents

Conference and program changes

Conference changes

Membership changes

School1931 Conference1932 Conference
Butler Bulldogs Independent Missouri Valley
Texas Tech Red Raiders Independent Border

September

On September 17, Texas Christian University (TCU) opened its season with a 14–2 win over visiting North Texas.

September 24 USC beat Utah 35–0, Tennessee won 13–0 at UT-Chattanooga, and Pittsburgh beat visiting Ohio Northern College 47–0. TCU and LSU played to a 3–3 tie in Baton Rouge.

October

October 1 Michigan beat Michigan State 26–0, Purdue beat Kansas State 29–13, Ohio State beat Ohio Wesleyan 34–7, Wisconsin beat Marquette 7–2. USC beat Washington State 20–0. Pittsburgh won at West Virginia, 40–0. Army beat Furman 13–0. Tennessee beat Ole Miss 33–0 and TCU defeated Daniel Baker College 55–0.

October 8 Michigan beat Northwestern 15–6, Wisconsin beat Iowa 34–0, Purdue won at Minnesota 7–0, and Ohio State and Indiana played to a 7–7 tie. USC beat Oregon State 10–0. Pittsburgh beat Duquesne 33–0. Army beat Carleton College 57–0. Notre Dame opened with a 73–0 win over Haskell College. Tennessee beat North Carolina 20–7 and TCU beat Arkansas 34–12.

October 15 In Birmingham, Tennessee and Alabama, both 3–0–0, met, with the visitors winning 7–3. Michigan won at Ohio State 14–0, while Purdue beat visiting Wisconsin 7–6, and Pittsburgh won at Army 18–13. TCU won at Texas A&M 17–0, USC defeated Loyola Marymount 6–0 and Notre Dame beat Drake 62–0.

October 22 USC (4–0–0) and Stanford (5–0–0) met at Palo Alto, with USC winning 13–0. At Pittsburgh, Ohio State and Pitt played to a 0–0 tie. Michigan beat Illinois 32–0, Purdue tied at Northwestern 7–7, and Wisconsin shut out Iowa's Coe College 39–0. Notre Dame beat Carnegie Tech 42–0. Army won at Yale 20–0. Tennessee beat Maryville College 60–0 and TCU beat Austin College 68–0

October 29 Pittsburgh (4–0–1) hosted Notre Dame (3–0–0) and won 12–0. Ohio State and Wisconsin played to a 7–7 tie giving OSU a record of 1–1–3. Michigan defeated Princeton 14–7 and Purdue beat NYU 34–9 at Yankee Stadium. Army beat William & Mary 33–0. Tennessee beat visiting Duke, 16–13, and TCU defeated Baylor 27–0.

November

November 5 Notre Dame won at Kansas University, 24–6. Michigan won at Indiana 7–0, Ohio State won at Northwestern 20–6, Wisconsin beat Illinois 20–12 and Purdue won at Chicago 37–0. Pittsburgh won at Penn, 19–12. USC beat California 27–7. Army won at Harvard 46–0 Tennessee beat Mississippi State 31–0 and TCU won at Hardin-Simmonds 27–0.

November 11 On Armistice Day, TCU (8–0–1) hosted Texas (6–1–0) and won 14–0.

November 12 In Nashville, Tennessee (7–0–0) and Vanderbilt (6–0–1), played to a scoreless tie. Michigan beat Chicago 12–0, Purdue won at Iowa 18–0, and Wisconsin beat Minnesota 20–13. Ohio State beat Penn 19–0. USC beat Oregon 33–0. Army beat North Dakota State 52–0. At Lincoln, Neb., Pittsburgh and Nebraska played to a 0–0 tie. At Chicago, Notre Dame beat Northwestern 21–0

November 19 Michigan closed its season with a 3–0 win at Minnesota, Ohio State closed at Illinois with the same 3–0 score. Wisconsin won at Chicago 18–7, and Purdue beat Indiana 25–7. Notre Dame defeated Navy in a game at Cleveland, 12–0. Pittsburgh beat Carnegie Tech, 6–0. In Houston, TCU beat Rice 16–6. Army narrowly beat visiting West Virginia Wesleyan 7–0. At Providence, Colgate (8–0–0) and Brown University (7–0–0) faced each other for the season-ender for both teams. Colgate had held its first 8 opponents scoreless, and the nation waited to see if that streak would be ended by Colgate's toughest opponent of the year. Colgate's Red Raiders won 21–0 to close the season with a 264–0 edge on its opposition.

November 24 On Thanksgiving Day, USC won at Washington 9–6; that win, along with California's 3–0 loss to Washington State, gave USC the Pacific Coast crown and a trip to the Rose Bowl.

November 26 At Yankee Stadium, Notre Dame beat Army 21–0. Pittsburgh beat visiting Stanford 7–0 to close its season unbeaten (8–0–2). Tennessee beat Kentucky 26–0. TCU closed its season at Dallas, with an 8–0 win over SMU. In eleven games, TCU had registered seven shutouts, and finished unbeaten (10–0–1).

December

December 3 In the Army–Navy Game at Philadelphia, Army won 20–0. In Jacksonville, Tennessee beat Florida to close its season unbeaten (9–0–1).

December 6 Jack F. Rissman, sponsor of the original Dickinson System trophy, announced that the Dickinson title and Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy would go to USC with a season-ending win over Notre Dame. [3] Rissman would be attending the game in Los Angeles. [3]

December 10 In Los Angeles, USC (9–0–0) hosted Notre Dame (7–1–0) and won 13–0. That night, going against Rissman's proclamation, Professor Dickinson named 8–0 Michigan as national champions with 9–0 USC No. 2 and 8–0–2 Pittsburgh No. 3. [4]

December 15 Rissman, displeased by Dickinson's choice of Michigan, announced a new Rissman national championship trophy. [5] For 1932, the trophy would go to the winner of the Rose Bowl on January 2. [5]

1933 Rose Bowl

USC had beaten Pitt in the 1933 Rose Bowl, 47–14, and the rematch three years later resulted in a larger defeat. Before a crowd of 84,000 the previously unbeaten Pitt Panthers reached the "red zone" only twice. In the second quarter, a long run gave the Panthers first down on the USC 24 yard line, but Warren Heller's pass fell in the end zone, and under the rules of the day, the result was a turnover (and a touchback, with USC given first down on the 20). Pitt got another chance soon after on a blocked punt, but was stopped on downs. With the help of holes opened up by Trojan halfback, USC scored five touchdowns (including three in the final quarter) and won 35–0. With New Year's Day falling on a Sunday, the Rose Bowl took place on Monday, January 2, 1933 [6]

Conference standings

For this article, major conferences defined as those including multiple state flagship public universities.

Major conference standings

1932 Big Six Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Nebraska $ 5 0 07 1 1
Kansas 3 2 05 3 0
Oklahoma 3 2 04 4 1
Kansas State 2 3 04 4 0
Missouri 1 3 11 7 1
Iowa State 0 4 13 4 1
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Big Ten Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Michigan + 6 0 08 0 0
No. 4 Purdue + 5 0 17 0 1
No. 11 Wisconsin 4 1 16 1 1
No. 6 Ohio State 2 1 24 1 3
Northwestern 2 3 13 4 1
Minnesota 2 3 05 3 0
Illinois 2 4 05 4 0
Indiana 1 4 13 4 1
Chicago 1 4 03 4 1
Iowa 0 5 01 7 0
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from Dickinson System
1932 Border Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Texas Tech $ 2 0 010 2 0
Arizona 3 2 04 5 0
Arizona State 2 2 14 3 1
Arizona State–Flagstaff 2 2 13 2 2
New Mexico A&M 1 2 14 5 1
New Mexico 1 3 11 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
  • Reference [7]
1932 New England Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Maine $ 2 0 15 1 1
New Hampshire 1 0 13 4 1
Rhode Island State 0 1 12 5 1
Connecticut 0 2 10 6 2
  • $ Conference champion
1932 North Central Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
North Dakota Agricultural $ 4 0 07 2 0
North Dakota 2 1 07 1 0
South Dakota 1 1 14 5 1
South Dakota State 1 2 12 5 1
Morningside 0 4 02 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 USC $ 6 0 010 0 0
Washington State 5 1 17 1 1
UCLA 4 2 06 4 0
Washington 3 2 26 2 2
Oregon 2 2 16 3 1
California 2 2 17 3 2
Stanford 1 3 16 4 1
Oregon State 1 4 04 6 0
Idaho 1 4 03 5 0
Montana 0 5 02 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from Dickinson System
1932 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Utah $ 6 0 06 1 1
BYU 5 1 08 1 0
Colorado College 5 2 05 2 0
Denver 4 1 14 3 1
Colorado Agricultural 4 3 14 3 1
Colorado Teachers 2 2 14 2 1
Utah State 3 3 04 4 0
Colorado 2 4 02 4 0
Wyoming 1 4 12 6 1
Colorado Mines 1 5 01 7 0
Montana State 0 3 03 3 1
Western State (CO) 0 5 01 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Southern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 9 Tennessee + 7 0 19 0 1
Auburn + 6 0 19 0 1
LSU + 4 0 06 3 1
VPI 6 1 08 1 0
Vanderbilt 4 1 26 1 2
NC State 3 1 16 1 2
Alabama 5 2 08 2 0
Tulane 5 2 16 2 1
Duke 5 3 07 3 0
Georgia Tech 4 4 14 5 1
Kentucky 4 5 04 5 0
Virginia 2 3 05 4 0
Ole Miss 2 3 05 6 0
Georgia 2 4 22 5 2
Maryland 2 4 05 6 0
North Carolina 2 5 13 5 2
South Carolina 1 2 15 4 2
VMI 1 4 02 8 0
Washington and Lee 1 4 01 9 0
Florida 1 6 03 6 0
Clemson 0 4 03 5 1
Mississippi State 0 4 03 5 0
Sewanee 0 6 02 7 1
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from Dickinson System
1932 Southwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 10 TCU $ 6 0 010 0 1
Texas 5 1 08 2 0
Rice 3 3 07 3 0
Texas A&M 1 2 24 4 2
Baylor 1 4 13 5 1
SMU 1 4 13 7 2
Arkansas 1 4 01 6 2
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from Dickinson System

Independents

1932 Eastern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Colgate   9 0 0
Brown   7 1 0
Columbia   7 1 1
Pittsburgh   8 1 2
No. 8 Army   8 2 0
Drexel   5 1 1
Massachusetts State   7 2 0
Villanova   7 2 0
Duquesne   7 2 1
Fordham   6 2 0
Penn   6 2 0
Temple   5 1 2
Tufts   5 1 2
Cornell   5 2 1
Franklin & Marshall   4 2 1
Boston College   4 2 2
La Salle   4 2 2
Harvard   5 3 0
NYU   5 3 0
Washington & Jefferson   5 3 1
Manhattan   6 3 2
Carnegie Tech   4 3 2
Bucknell   4 4 1
Syracuse   4 4 1
Princeton   2 2 3
Yale   2 2 3
Boston University   2 3 2
Vermont   2 4 1
CCNY   2 5 0
Penn State   2 5 0
Rankings from Dickinson System
1932 Midwestern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Western State Teachers (MI)   6 0 1
Michigan State   7 1 0
Western Reserve   7 1 0
Detroit   8 2 0
Michigan Tech   4 1 0
No. 7 Notre Dame   7 2 0
DePaul   5 1 2
Michigan State Normal   5 2 0
Saint Louis   5 2 0
Marquette   4 3 1
Bowling Green   3 3 1
Central State (MI)   3 4 1
Haskell   2 5 1
Detroit City   1 6 0
1932 Southern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Jefferson   8 0 0
Catholic University   6 1 1
South Georgia Teachers   6 2 0
Western Maryland   5 1 2
George Washington   6 2 1
Texas Mines   7 3 0
William & Mary Norfolk   6 3 1
Troy State   5 3 2
Delaware   5 4 0
Wake Forest   3 3 2
West Virginia   5 5 0
Middle Tennessee State Teachers   4 6 0
Delaware State   2 5 0
Georgetown   2 6 1
Navy   2 6 1
Oglethorpe   1 6 0
East Carolina   0 5 0
1932 Western college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Columbia (OR)   6 0 1
Saint Mary's   6 2 1
Santa Clara   6 3 0
Gonzaga   5 3 0
Hawaii   2 1 1
Cal Poly   4 4 0
Loyola (CA)   4 4 0
San Francisco   2 6 0
Humboldt State   1 4 0
San Francisco State   1 7 0

Minor conferences

ConferenceChampion(s)Record
Big Four Conference Tulsa 3–0
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Morgan College 3–0–2
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Wichita 5–1
Far Western Conference Nevada
San Jose State Teachers
2–0–1
3–0–2
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Luther 4–1
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Ottawa 4–0
Lone Star Conference North Texas State Teachers 5–0
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Hillsdale 4–0
Michigan-Ontario Collegiate Conference Adrian
St. Mary's
2-0-1
2-0-1
Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference Carleton
Monmouth (IL)
Ripon
2–0–1
2–0–1
1–0–1
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Saint John's (MN) 4–0–1
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association Northeast Missouri State Teachers 4–0–0
Nebraska College Athletic Conference Hastings
Nebraska Wesleyan
4–0–1
Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association Unknown
North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Dakota Agricultural 4–0–0
North Dakota College Athletic Conference State Normal and Industrial (ND) 4–0–1
4–0
Northern Teachers Athletic Conference Duluth State Teachers
Mankato State Teachers
Moorhead State Teachers
St. Cloud State Teachers
2–1
Ohio Athletic Conference Case Tech 6–0–0
Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference Central State Teachers
Southwestern State Teachers (OK)
4–1–0
4–1
Pacific Northwest Conference College of Puget Sound 5–0
South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Augustana (SD)
Black Hills Teachers
5–0
3–0–1
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Whittier 5–1
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tuskegee 4–0
Southwestern Athletic Conference Wiley (TX) 5–0
Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference Howard Payne 5–0
Tri-Normal League Unknown
Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference Whitewater State Teachers 4–0

Minor conference standings

1932 Big Four Conference (Oklahoma) football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Tulsa $ 3 0 07 1 1
Oklahoma Baptist 2 1 05 4 0
Oklahoma City 1 2 05 5 1
Phillips 0 3 03 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Big Four Conference (Wisconsin) football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Ripon $ 2 0 13 2 2
Carroll (WI) 2 1 04 2 0
Lawrence 1 2 03 4 1
Beloit 0 2 13 2 2
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Buckeye Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Miami (OH) $ 5 0 07 1 0
Ohio 3 1 07 2 0
Cincinnati 2 2 07 2 0
Ohio Wesleyan 2 2 05 4 0
Wittenberg 1 4 03 6 0
Denison 0 4 02 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Wichita $ 5 1 07 2 0
Pittsburg State 4 1 16 1 2
Washburn 4 1 16 3 1
College of Emporia 2 3 12 5 1
Fort Hays State 2 4 04 5 0
Southwestern (KS) 1 3 23 4 2
Emporia Teachers 0 5 12 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Morgan $ 6 0 17 0 1
Virginia State 6 1 17 1 1
Virginia Union 6 1 17 1 1
Hampton 5 2 15 2 1
Bluefield State 3 2 04 4 1
North Carolina College 3 5 03 5 0
Saint Paul's (VA) 3 5 03 5 0
Howard 2 4 03 4 0
North Carolina A&T 1 5 02 5 0
Lincoln (PA) 0 2 00 4 1
Shaw 0 4 00 4 2
Johnson C. Smith 0 4 01 4 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Dixie Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Mercer $ 3 0 06 2 0
Birmingham–Southern 5 1 05 3 0
Centre 2 1 06 3 0
Mississippi College 2 1 03 4 1
Southwestern (TN) 2 2 04 6 0
Millsaps 2 3 04 5 0
Chattanooga 2 3 03 6 0
Howard (AL) 2 4 03 7 0
Spring Hill 0 5 00 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Far Western Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
San Jose State + 3 0 27 0 2
Nevada + 2 0 13 3 2
Chico State 2 1 03 5 0
Pacific (CA) 2 2 04 4 0
Cal Aggies 1 4 01 8 1
Fresno State 0 3 13 5 2
  • + Conference co-champions
1932 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Illinois Wesleyan + 6 0 06 2 0
McKendree + 5 0 09 1 0
Augustana (IL) 5 0 16 0 2
Illinois State Normal 6 2 07 2 0
Bradley 3 1 13 3 2
Western Illinois 4 2 14 2 1
St. Viator 2 1 03 4 1
Shurtleff 5 3 06 3 0
Millikin 3 2 05 2 1
Illinois College 3 3 03 4 0
Northern Illinois State 2 2 14 2 1
Monmouth (IL) 2 2 14 3 2
Lake Forest 2 2 04 3 1
North Central 2 4 04 5 0
Eureka 1 3 11 4 1
Wheaton (IL) 1 3 04 3 0
Southern Illinois 1 4 12 5 3
Carthage 0 4 31 4 4
Knox (IL) 0 4 00 8 0
Elmhurst 0 5 00 6 0
Eastern Illinois 0 6 01 7 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1932 Indiana Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Manchester + 4 0 06 1 0
Valparaiso + 3 0 07 0 0
Wabash 4 0 24 2 2
DePauw 3 1 13 4 1
Butler 2 1 02 4 1
Franklin (IN) 4 2 14 3 1
Hanover 3 2 14 3 1
Rose Poly 3 3 05 3 0
Ball State 4 4 04 4 0
Evansville 2 2 12 4 1
Indiana State 3 4 03 5 0
Central Normal 1 6 01 7 0
Earlham 0 5 01 5 0
Oakland City 0 6 01 6 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1932 Iowa Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Luther $ 4 1 06 2 0
Simpson (IA) 4 1 15 4 1
Central (IA) 5 2 06 2 0
Iowa State Teachers 3 1 15 3 1
Upper Iowa 4 1 04 2 0
Iowa Wesleyan 3 2 05 2 1
St. Ambrose 5 1 15 1 2
Morningside 1 1 02 6 0
Columbia (IA) 1 3 11 5 1
Dubuque 0 3 01 5 0
Parsons 1 3 21 4 2
Western Union 0 1 02 4 0
Buena Vista 1 4 01 7 0
Penn (IA) 0 8 00 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • Conference standings were based on Stanley-Dean ranking.
1932 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Ottawa $ 4 0 07 1 0
Kansas Wesleyan 3 1 05 3 0
Baker 2 2 04 4 1
Bethany (KS) 1 3 01 6 0
McPherson 0 4 03 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Lone Star Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
North Texas State $ 5 0 08 1 1
Southwest Texas State 3 1 05 3 0
Trinity (TX) 2 1 15 2 1
East Texas State 2 2 13 4 1
Sam Houston State 1 4 02 6 1
Stephen F. Austin 0 5 02 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Hillsdale $ 4 0 07 1 0
Albion 2 1 14 2 1
Hope 1 1 24 2 2
Kalamazoo 1 2 14 3 1
Alma 0 4 01 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Middle Three Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Rutgers $ 2 0 06 3 1
Lafayette 1 1 03 5 0
Lehigh 0 2 02 6 1
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Midwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Carleton + 2 0 15 2 0
Monmouth (IL) + 2 0 18 0 1
Ripon + 1 0 13 2 2
Cornell (IA) 2 1 13 4 2
Beloit 1 1 13 2 2
Lawrence 1 2 03 4 1
Coe 1 2 12 5 2
Knox 0 4 00 7 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1932 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Oklahoma A&M $ 3 0 09 1 2
Creighton 3 1 05 2 1
Butler 0 0 12 4 1
Washington University 1 2 04 4 0
Drake 1 3 12 6 1
Grinnell 1 3 03 4 1
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Saint John's (MN) $ 4 0 16 0 1
Gustavus Adolphus 3 1 13 1 1
St. Thomas (MN) 3 1 05 2 1
Concordia (MN) 1 1 32 2 3
St. Olaf 2 2 02 5 0
Hamline 2 3 03 3 0
Macalester 1 3 11 4 1
Augsburg 0 5 00 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Mississippi Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Bethel (TN) $ 5 1 07 1 0
Tennessee Poly 2 0 14 0 3
Delta State 3 1 04 5 0
Sunflower Junior 2 1 02 1 0
Jonesboro College 2 2 05 3 0
West Tennessee State Teachers 2 2 04 5 0
Tennessee Junior 1 2 21 4 3
Lambuth 1 6 01 7 0
Freed–Hardeman 0 3 11 3 1
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Missouri Valley $ 4 0 06 1 1
Missouri Mines 1 0 04 3 1
Central (MO) 3 2 05 3 0
Tarkio 1 2 03 5 0
Drury 1 3 01 5 0
William Jewell 1 3 01 6 0
Culver–Stockton 0 1 04 3 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Kirksville $ 4 0 08 0 0
Springfield (MO) 2 1 13 2 2
Maryville (MO) 2 2 04 4 1
Warrensburg 1 2 14 3 1
Cape Girardeau 0 4 02 6 1
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Nebraska College Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Hastings + 4 0 15 2 1
Nebraska Wesleyan + 4 0 14 3 1
Midland 2 3 04 4 0
Cotner 2 3 04 5 0
Doane 1 3 13 4 1
York (NE) 0 4 11 5 1
  • + Conference co-champions
1932 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Peru State $ 3 0 06 2 0
Omaha 2 0 15 2 1
Chadron State 2 2 04 4 0
Wayne State (NE) 0 2 24 4 2
Kearney State 0 3 12 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
1932 North Dakota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Ellendale + 3 0 03 0 0
Minot State + 4 0 15 1 1
Wahpeton 2 1 13 1 1
Dickinson State 2 1 22 2 2
Jamestown 1 1 21 1 2
Mayville State 1 3 01 3 0
Valley City State 1 5 01 5 0
Bottineau 0 3 00 3 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1932 North State Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Catawba $ 4 0 06 2 1
Lenoir–Rhyne * 4 1 05 4 1
Guilford 2 2 03 7 0
High Point 2 3 02 6 0
Appalachian State * 0 3 04 5 1
Elon 0 3 02 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • * — Appalachian State forfeited a win over Lenoir–Rhyne due to an ineligible player.
1932 Northern Teachers College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Mankato State + 2 1 04 1 1
St. Cloud State + 2 1 04 3 0
Duluth State + 2 1 03 3 0
Moorhead State + 2 1 02 5 0
Winona State 1 3 03 3 1
Bemidji State 1 3 02 4 1
  • + Conference co-champions
1932 Northwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Puget Sound $ 4 0 17 1 1
Willamette 4 1 14 4 1
Pacific (OR) 3 2 04 3 2
Whitman 3 2 03 5 0
Linfield 1 3 03 5 0
College of Idaho 0 2 03 3 1
Albany (OR) 0 5 00 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Northwest Ohio League football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Bluffton $ 2 0 13 2 2
Defiance 2 1 03 5 0
Findlay 1 1 13 2 2
Wilmington (OH) 0 3 02 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Case $ 6 0 07 2 0
Heidelberg 6 1 06 1 1
Baldwin–Wallace 5 1 16 1 1
Ohio Northern 3 1 04 2 1
Toledo 3 1 03 4 0
Wooster 4 1 25 1 2
Muskingum 3 1 14 3 1
Otterbein 4 2 24 2 2
Marietta 3 2 13 2 2
John Carroll 3 2 15 4 1
Dayton 1 1 09 2 0
Kenyon 2 2 02 3 1
Akron 1 4 32 4 3
Capital 1 4 21 4 2
Oberlin 1 3 02 6 0
Ashland 1 5 12 5 1
Hiram 1 6 01 6 1
Kent State 0 5 20 5 2
Mount Union 1 6 01 8 0
Xavier 0 1 03 4 1
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Central State (OK) + 4 1 06 3 1
SW Oklahoma State + 4 1 06 3 0
SE Oklahoma State 2 1 15 4 1
East Central 2 2 14 3 2
NW Oklahoma State 1 3 02 7 0
Northeastern State 0 5 01 7 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1932 Smoky Mountain Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Carson–Newman $ 3 0 05 2 1
King 4 1 05 2 1
Tusculum 3 2 05 2 0
Maryville (TN) 1 2 04 5 0
East Tennessee State Teachers 0 2 03 3 1
Milligan 0 4 00 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Augustana (SD) + 5 0 06 1 0
Spearfish + 3 0 17 0 1
Northern Normal 3 1 05 3 0
Yankton 3 1 24 2 2
Southern Normal 2 1 24 1 2
Dakota Wesleyan 2 3 03 5 0
Sioux Falls 1 3 02 5 0
South Dakota Mines 1 3 01 6 0
Eastern Normal 0 4 01 4 0
Huron 0 4 10 4 1
  • + Conference co-champions
  • Spearfish and South Dakota Mines played twice. The second game was not counted in the conference stnadings.
1932 Southern California Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Whittier $ 5 1 010 1 0
Redlands 5 2 07 2 0
La Verne 5 2 06 2 0
Occidental 4 2 14 4 1
Pomona 2 4 02 4 0
San Diego State 2 4 13 5 1
Caltech 2 5 02 7 0
Santa Barbara State 1 6 01 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Western Kentucky State Teachers $ 6 0 07 1 0
Furman 5 0 08 1 0
Southwestern (TN) 3 0 04 6 0
Rollins 2 0 06 0 1
Loyola (LA) 2 0 06 4 1
Centenary 1 0 08 0 1
Louisiana Normal 4 1 07 1 0
Centre 4 1 06 3 0
Mississippi College 4 1 04 4 0
Presbyterian 3 1 15 2 1
Mercer 5 2 06 2 0
Murray State 3 2 14 2 3
Georgetown (KY) 3 2 04 5 0
Eastern Kentucky 1 1 12 1 2
Mississippi State Teachers 3 3 05 4 0
Louisiana Tech 3 3 04 4 0
The Citadel 2 2 04 5 0
Middle Tennessee State Teachers 2 3 04 6 0
Newberry 1 2 22 3 3
Millsaps 1 3 04 5 0
SW Louisiana 1 3 03 4 0
Transylvania 1 3 13 5 1
Wofford 1 3 13 6 1
Louisiana College 1 4 12 4 1
Chattanooga 1 4 03 6 0
Miami (FL) 0 2 14 3 1
Louisville 0 5 00 9 0
Erskine 0 6 01 9 0
Union (TN) 0 6 10 8 1
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Wiley $ 5 0 09 0 0
Prairie View 2 2 16 3 2
Texas College  ?  ?  ?5 2 1
Bishop  ?  ?  ? ?  ?  ?
Langston  ?  ?  ? ?  ?  ?
Samuel Huston  ?  ?  ? ?  ?  ?
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Texas Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Howard Payne $ 4 0 07 1 0
Southwestern (TX) 3 1 03 3 3
Simmons (TX) 1 2 14 5 1
St. Edward's 1 2 13 5 2
Austin 0 4 00 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Texas A&I $ 3 0 06 2 0
West Texas State 3 0 14 2 2
Sul Ross 3 0 1 ?  ?  ?
McMurry 2 3 02 4 2
Abilene Christian 1 4 02 6 1
Daniel Baker 0 5 02 7 1
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Tri-State Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Waynesburg $ 4 0 08 1 0
Geneva 3 1 07 3 0
Westminster (PA) 2 2 04 6 0
Grove City 2 3 03 5 1
Thiel 1 3 03 6 0
Bethany (WV) 0 3 00 5 2
  • $ Conference champion
1932 Virginia Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Richmond $ 3 0 24 2 2
William & Mary 4 1 08 4 0
Randolph–Macon 2 1 25 1 2
Hampden–Sydney 1 1 24 3 2
Roanoke 2 3 04 5 0
Emory and Henry 0 3 04 4 1
Bridgewater 0 3 00 4 0
  • $ Conference champion
1932 West Virginia Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Fairmont State $ 4 1 05 2 1
Glenville State 3 1 14 2 1
West Liberty State 3 1 07 2 0
West Virginia Wesleyan 2 1 14 4 1
Concord 1 3 14 4 1
[[{{{school}}}|Salem]]1 5 02 5 0
[[{{{school}}}|Morris Harvey]]0 4 00 9 0
Marshall * 3 0 06 2 1
[[{{{school}}}|Davis & Elkins]] * 2 0 06 5 0
[[{{{school}}}|Potomac State]] * 2 0 14 1 1
[[{{{school}}}|New River State]] * 1 1 03 3 1
[[{{{school}}}|Morehead State]] * 0 1 04 2 1
[[{{{school}}}|Shepherd]] * 0 2 04 3 0
Bethany (WV) * 0 2 00 5 2
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – Did not qualify for conference standings
    Ties did not count in conference standings.
1932 Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
[[{{{school}}}|Whitewater State]] $ 4 0 06 1 0
[[{{{school}}}|La Crosse State]]3 0 15 0 2
[[{{{school}}}|River Falls State]]3 1 05 1 0
[[{{{school}}}|Superior State]]3 1 06 2 0
[[{{{school}}}|Milwaukee State]]3 2 05 3 0
[[{{{school}}}|Eau Claire State]]2 2 04 3 0
[[{{{school}}}|Stevens Point State]]2 3 02 5 0
[[{{{school}}}|Oshkosh State]]1 3 12 4 1
[[{{{school}}}|Platteville State]]0 4 02 4 0
[[{{{school}}}|Stout Institute]]0 5 00 6 1
  • $ Conference champion

National championship

Dickinson System

For 1932, Professor Dickinson announced that "differential points" would be factored in for an "intersectional game", with ratings of 0.00 for East schools, higher points for "Middlewest" (+4.77) and Southwest (+1.36), negatives for the South (-2.59), the Big Six (-2.60) and the Pacific Coast (-2.71). [4]

Michigan and USC were both unbeaten and untied, but as a "Middlewest" team, Michigan had a higher average rating. The higher weight put four Big Ten Conference teams in Dickinson's top 11: Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue, and Wisconsin.

In 1932, the national championship trophy was presented to the winning school by the Four Horsemen of the 1924 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team: Harry Stuhldreher, Jim Crowley, Don Miller, and Elmer Layden. [4]

RankTeamRecordRating
1 Michigan 8–028.47
2 USC 9–026.81
3 Pittsburgh 8–0–226.49
4 Purdue 7–0–126.33
5 Colgate 9–025.00
6 Ohio State 4–1–323.60
7 Notre Dame 7–220.44
8 Army 8–220.00
9 Tennessee 9–0–119.16
10 TCU 9–0–119.12
11 Wisconsin 6–1–118.80

See also

Related Research Articles

The Dickinson System was a mathematical point formula that awarded national championships in college football. Devised by University of Illinois economics professor Frank G. Dickinson, the system ranked national teams from 1924 to 1940. The 1924 ratings were made retroactively by Dickinson during the 1925 college football season, the first in which a number 1 team was designated at the end of the season. The retroactive choice on October 16, 1925, for the 1924 season was Notre Dame.

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In the 1968 NCAA University Division football season, the system of "polls and bowls" changed. The Associated Press returned to its pre-1961 system of ranking the Top 20 rather than the Top 10, and voted on the national champion after the bowl games, rather than before. During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for the major college football teams in the University Division, later known as Division I-A.

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The 1977 NCAA Division I football season was one in which the top five teams finished with 11–1 records. Notre Dame, which beat top-ranked and undefeated Texas in the Cotton Bowl, became the national champion.

The 1926 college football season was the first in which an attempt was made to recognize a national champion after the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1927 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1927 college football season ended with the Illini of the University of Illinois (7–0–1) being recognized as champion under the Dickinson System. At season's end, the Rissler Cup was awarded to the team that finished first in the "Dickinson ratings", which considered strength of schedule, in that a win, loss or tie against a "strong" opponent was worth more than one against a lesser team, and the results were averaged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1928 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1928 football season had both the USC Trojans and the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado claim national championships. USC was recognized as champions under the Dickinson System, but the Rose Bowl was contested between the No. 2 and No. 3 Dickinson-rated teams, California and Georgia Tech. The game was decided by a safety scored after Roy "Wrong Way" Riegels ran 65 yards in the wrong direction. Vance Maree blocked the ensuing punt which gave Georgia Tech a safety deciding the 8–7 win.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1929 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1929 college football season saw a number of unbeaten and untied teams. Purdue, Tulane, Notre Dame, and Pittsburgh all finished the regular season with wins over all their opponents. Notre Dame was recognized as national champion by all three of the contemporary major selectors. Houlgate would later name USC (10–2) on the basis of post-season play. Eight of nine retrospective selectors later also named Notre Dame and USC as No. 1 teams.

The 1930 college football season saw Notre Dame repeat as national champion under the Dickinson System, as well as claim the No. 1 position from each of the other three contemporary major selectors,. The post-season Rose Bowl matchup featured two unbeaten (9–0) teams, Washington State and Alabama, ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Alabama won the Pasadena contest, 24–0.

The 1931 college football season saw the USC Trojans win the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy as national champion under the Dickinson System, as well as the No. 1 position from each of the other three contemporary major selectors. Rockne, who had coached Notre Dame to a championship in 1930, had been killed in a plane crash on March 31, 1931. For the first time, the champion under the Dickinson System also played in a postseason game. The 1932 Rose Bowl, promoted as a national championship game between the best teams of East and West, matched USC and Tulane, No. 1 and No. 2 in the Dickinson ratings. USC won, 21–12, and was awarded the Albert Russel Erskine Trophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1933 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1933 college football season saw the Michigan Wolverines repeat as winners of the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy as national champion under the Dickinson System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1935 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1935 college football season was the last one before the Associated Press (AP) writers' poll was used in selecting the national champion. There were seven contemporary math system selectors that year who are informally recognized by the NCAA as "nationwide in scope". The Dickinson System, run by University of Illinois Professor Frank Dickinson, selected Southern Methodist University (SMU) as best in the nation. The Houlgate System, created by Carroll Everard "Deke" Houlgate Sr., also selected SMU. The contemporary Boand, Litkenhous and Poling math rating systems all selected Minnesota as the No. 1 team in the nation. The Dunkel System selected Princeton as its top team. The Williamson System, by Paul O. Williamson of New Orleans, ranked Texas Christian University first.

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The 1936 college football season was the first in which the Associated Press writers' poll selected a national champion. The first AP poll, taken of 35 writers, was released on October 20, 1936. Each writer listed his choice for the top ten teams, and points were tallied based on 10 for first place, 9 for second, etc., and the AP then ranked the twenty teams with the highest number of points. In the first poll, Minnesota received 32 first place votes, and 3 votes for an additional 25 points, for a total of 345 altogether. Of the seven contemporary math system selectors, two chose Pittsburgh as the top team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1924 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1924 college football season was the year of the Four Horsemen as the Notre Dame team, coached by Knute Rockne, won all of its games, including the Rose Bowl, to be acclaimed as the best team in the nation. Notre Dame and Stanford were both unbeaten at season's end, with the Fighting Irish winning the Rose Bowl contest 27–10. The Penn Quakers were retroactively awarded a national championship by Parke H. Davis.

The 1950 college football season was the 82nd season of intercollegiate football in the United States. It concluded with four teams having a claim to the national championship:

The 1948 college football season finished with SMU halfback Doak Walker as the Heisman Trophy winner and six teams in contention for the national championship:

  1. Bennie Oosterbaan's Michigan compiled a 9–0 record, defeated six ranked opponents, and was the consensus national champion, receiving 192 of 333 first-place votes in the final AP Poll. It was Michigan's second consecutive undefeated season, extending the program's winning streak to 23 games.
  2. Frank Leahy's Notre Dame Fighting Irish compiled a 9–0–1 record and had a 21-game winning streak dating back to the 1946 season before playing a 14–14 tie with USC in the final game of the 1948 season. Notre Dame was ranked No. 2 in the final AP Poll, receiving 97 of 333 first-place votes, with the same record as Michigan due to the final poll being taken prior to their season-ending tie.
  3. Carl Snavely's No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels, led by Heisman Trophy runner-up Charlie Justice, were undefeated in the regular season (9–0–1) but lost to Oklahoma in the 1949 Sugar Bowl.
  4. Pappy Waldorf's No. 4 California Golden Bears, led by Jackie Jensen who finished fourth in the 1948 Heisman Trophy voting, were undefeated in the regular season (10–0), but lost to Northwestern in the 1949 Rose Bowl.
  5. Bud Wilkinson's No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners compiled a 10–1 record, including a victory over No. 3 North Carolina in the 1949 Sugar Bowl.
  6. Earl Blaik's No. 6 Army Cadets finished the season undefeated (8–0–1). They won the first eight games of the season and were ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll before playing Navy to a tie in the annual Army–Navy Game.

The 1947 college football season finished with Notre Dame, Michigan, and Penn State all unbeaten and untied, but the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame were the first place choice for 107 of the 142 voters in the final AP Poll in early December, and repeated as national champions. Michigan was selected for the top spot by six contemporary math systems.

The 1938 college football season ended with the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University (TCU) being named the nation's No. 1 team by 55 of the 77 voters in the final Associated Press writers' poll in early December. Tennessee was also chosen by six contemporary math system selectors as a national champion; both teams won every game. Notre Dame was chosen by the Dickinson System and won the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1939 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1939 college football season concluded with the Aggies of The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas being named as the national champions by the voters in the Associated Press writers' poll. Led by consensus All-American fullback John Kimbrough, the Aggies went undefeated at 11–0 and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 212 to 31, with the defense allowing just 54 first downs and 763 yards all season, or 1.71 yards per play. On New Year's Day, Texas A&M defeated Tulane, 14–13 in the Sugar Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1943 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1943 college football season was the 75th season of intercollegiate football in the United States. Played during World War II, the competition included schools from the Big Ten Conference, the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the Big Six Conference, the Southwestern Conference, and numerous smaller conferences and independent programs.

The 1932 college football season rankings were attempt to rank the best American football teams participating in the 1932 college football season. They included mathematical systems operated by William F. Boand, Frank G. Dickinson, and Dick Dunkel.

References

  1. "Los Angeles Sees Maroon Due for Bid To Meet U.S.C.," Syracuse Herald, Nov. 27, 1932, p9
  2. 2020 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. July 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Gridiron Trophy Donor Here To See Big Game". The Los Angeles Times . International News Service. December 6, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024. Jack Rissman, a Chicago merchant, said that thus far the Trojans are slightly in the lead in the race for the trophy, which is now known as the Knute Rockne Cup, and can clinch the honor only by defeating the Irish Saturday.
  4. 1 2 3 Written at Champaign, Illinois. "Michigan Gets Rockne Trophy as U.S. Champ — USC Rated Second, Pittsburgh Third". The Daily Argus-Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Associated Press. December 11, 1932. p. 9. Although Southern California's Trojans defeated Notre Dame today to finish their regular season undefeated and untied, the University of Michigan tonight was declared winner of the Knute. K. Rockne memorial trophy, symbolic of the national football championship, under the Dickinson rating system.
  5. 1 2 Written at Los Angeles. "Troy, Pitt Play for Cup — Winner Will Get National Title Trophy — Donor of Cup Awarded Michigan 'Peeved,' Offers New One". The Long Beach Sun . Long Beach. United Press. December 15, 1932. Retrieved July 3, 2024. A trophy symbolic of the mythical national football championship will be awarded to the winner of the Southern California–Pittsburgh game at Pasadena by Jack Rissman, wealthy Chicago sportsman who donated the Dickinson rating cup.
  6. "Pitt is Swamped in 35–0 Landslide," Charleston Daily Mail, Jan. 3, 1933, p9
  7. "1932 Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLD. Retrieved November 8, 2018.