The California Golden Bears football program represents the University of California, Berkeley in college football as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. They were previously a member of the Pac-12 Conference. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium and is coached by Justin Wilcox. Since beginning of play in 1886, the team has won five NCAA recognized national titles - 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1937 and 14 conference championships, the last one in 2006. It has also produced what are considered to be two of the oddest and most memorable plays in college football: Roy "Wrong Way" Riegels' fumble recovery at the 1929 Rose Bowl and The Play kickoff return in the 1982 Big Game.
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The program was previously in the Pac-12 Conference. The team is known as the Cardinal, adopted prior to the 1982 season. Stanford was known as the "Cardinal" for its first two decades of athletic competition, then more commonly as the "Cardinals" until 1930. The name was changed to the "Indians" from 1930 to January 1972, and back to the "Cardinals" from 1972 through 1981. A student vote in December 1975 to change the nickname to "Robber Barons" was not approved by administrators.
The 1959 college football season was the 91st season of intercollegiate football in the United States. It concluded with two teams having claim to the major college national championship:
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.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 1940 Stanford Indians football team, nicknamed the "Wow Boys", represented Stanford University as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1940 college football season. First-year head coach Clark Shaughnessy inherited a team that finished with a 1–7–1 record the previous season. He installed his own version of the T formation, a system that had largely fallen into disuse since the 1890s and was viewed as obsolete. The Indians shocked observers when they won all ten of their games including the Rose Bowl, which prompted several selectors to declare them the 1940 national champions. Stanford's dramatic reversal of fortunes prompted football programs across the nation to abandon the single-wing formation in favor of the newly reminted T formation.
The 1926 Stanford Indians football team was an American football team that represented Stanford University in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1926 college football season. In head coach Pop Warner's third season at Stanford, the team compiled a 10–0 record during the regular season, outscored its opponents by a total of 261 to 66, and won the PCC championship. Stanford then faced undefeated Alabama in the 1927 Rose Bowl, which ended in a 7–7 tie.
The 1936 Rose Bowl was the 22nd Rose Bowl game, an American post-season college football game that was played on New Year's Day 1936 in Pasadena, California. It featured the undefeated SMU Mustangs against the Stanford Indians, which had one loss. This was the first Rose Bowl to features two teams that were both located west of the Mississippi River, as the bowl game typically pitted the best teams from the eastern and western United States.
The 1941 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1941 college football season. Second-year head coach Clark Shaughnessy led the team to a 6–3 record. Before the season, Stanford, which the year prior had finished 10–0, was considered a favorite for the national championship, but three conference losses put it out of contention for a return to the Rose Bowl. After the season, Shaughnessy left Stanford to take over as head coach at the University of Maryland.
The 1933 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1933 college football season. Led by first-year head coach Tiny Thornhill, the Indians compiled an overall record of 8–2–1 with a mark of 4–1 in conference play, sharing the PCC title with Oregon. Stanford was invited to the Rose Bowl, where Indians lost to Columbia. The team played home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California.
The 1970 UCLA Bruins football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. In their sixth and final year under head coach Tommy Prothro, the Bruins compiled a 6–5 record and finished in a four-way tie for second place in the Pacific-8 Conference.
The 1934 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1934 college football season. In head coach Tiny Thornhill's second season as head coach, the Indians compiled an overall record of 9–1–1 with a mark of 5–0 in conference play, winning the PCC title. Stanford allowed only 14 points during the regular season and logged seven shutout victories This was the second season that the "Vow Boys" kept their vow and defeated USC. The team represented the conference in the Rose Bowl, losing to Alabama, 29–13.
The 1986 Arizona State Sun Devils football team represented Arizona State University as a member of Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by second-year head coach John Cooper, the Sun Devils compiled an overall record of 10–1–1 with a mark of 5–1–1 in conference play, winning the Pac-10 title.
The 1935 SMU Mustangs football team was an American football team that represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1935 college football season. In their first season under head coach Matty Bell, the Mustangs posted an overall record of 12–1 record with a mark of 6–0 in conference play, winning the SWC title. SMU was invited to the Rose Bowl, where they lost to Stanford. The Mustangs shut out eight of thirteen opponents and outscored all opponents by a total of 288 to 39 on the season.
The 1935 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University (TCU) in the 1935 college football season.
William Keith Topping was an American football end.
The 1935 SMU vs. TCU football game was a regular season college football game between the SMU Mustangs and the TCU Horned Frogs on November 30, 1935, at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. The two teams were undefeated and untied heading into the game. Both Southern Methodist University and Texas Christian University were members of the Southwest Conference, and a win in this game was necessary for either team to secure the conference championship. The game also held national championship implications, as the winner was expected to receive an invitation to compete in the Rose Bowl. As a result, the game is commonly considered the "Game of the Century", a moniker which noted sportswriter Grantland Rice, among others, used to describe the game. The buildup attracted a great deal of national attention, and it was the first football game in Texas to be broadcast nationwide on radio.
The 1935 college football season rankings included (1) a United Press (UP) poll of sports writers, (2) a poll of sports editors conducted by the committee responsible for awarding the Toledo Cup to the nation's top college football team, and the (3) Boand, (4) Dickinson, and (5) Houlgate Systems. The Minnesota Golden Gophers (8–0), led by head coach Bernie Bierman, were selected as national champions in the UP poll, the Toledo Cup voting, and the Boand System. The SMU Mustangs, led by consensus All-Americans Bob Wilson and J. C. Wetsel, were selected as national champions by Dickinson and Houlgate.
