1939 college football season

1939 college football season
Wallace Wade Stadium during the 1939 Duke-UNC game
First AP No. 1 of season	Pittsburgh [1]
Number of bowls	5
Champion(s)	Texas A&M (AP) USC (Dickinson)
Heisman	Nile Kinnick (halfback, Iowa)
←  1938  · football seasons ·  1940  →

The 1939 college football season concluded with the Aggies of The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (Texas A&M) 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.

The Volunteers of the University of Tennessee were 10–0 and unscored upon in the regular season. For the second straight year, they finished second in the AP Poll (the final poll in this era came out before postseason bowl games). In the 1940 Rose Bowl, the Volunteers faced the University of Southern California, who scored two touchdowns to defeat them, 14–0. One of that year’s seven contemporary math system selectors, ^[2] Frank Dickinson, named 8–0–2 USC as his No. 1 choice. In 2004, USC decided to recognize this selection to claim a share of the 1939 title. ^{[3] [4]}

The 1939 Cornell Big Red finished 8–0 and was selected by one (Litkenhous System) of the six other contemporary math systems as its No. 1 team. The remaining five chose Texas A&M. ^[2]

The first AP Poll of the season was taken after four weeks of play, starting with October 16. 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.

Conference and program changes

Conferences

• One new conference began football play in 1939:
  • California Collegiate Athletic Association – an active NCAA Division II conference that ended sponsorship of football in 1981

Programs

School	1938 Conference	1939 Conference
DePaul Blue Demons	Independent	Dropped Program
Grinnell Pioneers	Independent	Missouri Valley

September

September 30 Defending champion TCU lost at UCLA, 6–2, on September 29, and finished 3–7–0. Tennessee won at N.C. State, 13–0. Duke beat Davidson 26–6. Oklahoma and SMU played to a 7–7 tie. Notre Dame beat Purdue 3–0. Tulane edged Clemson 7–6. Fordham defeated Waynesburg 34–7 in the first-ever televised football game.

October

October 7 Tennessee beat Sewanee 40–0. Duke defeated Colgate 37–0. Notre Dame beat Georgia Tech 17–14. Tulane beat Auburn 12–0. Oklahoma won at Northwestern, 23–0.

October 14 Pittsburgh beat Duke 14–13. Tennessee won at Chattanooga, 28–0. Notre Dame edged SMU, 20–19. Tulane beat Fordham 7–0. Oklahoma beat Texas 24–12. The first AP Poll of the year listed Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Tulane, and Tennessee as the top five.

October 21 No. 1 Pittsburgh lost to cross-town rival Duquesne, 21–13. In Cleveland, No. 2 Notre Dame defeated Navy, 14–7. No. 3 Oklahoma beat Kansas 27–7, but still fell to sixth in the next AP Poll. No. 4 Tulane and visiting No. 14 North Carolina played to a 14–14 tie. No. 5 Tennessee continued shutting out its opponents, beating No. 8 Alabama 21–0. No. 6 Michigan visited the Windy City and handed the University of Chicago an 85–0 defeat. No. 9 Texas A&M reached 5–0–0 with a 20–6 win over TCU. No. 10 Ohio State won at Minnesota, 23–20. The AP selected Tennessee, Notre Dame, Michigan, Texas A&M, and Ohio State as its top five.

October 28 No. 1 Tennessee defeated Mercer, 17–0. In Pittsburgh, No. 2 Notre Dame edged Carnegie Tech, 7–6. No. 3 Michigan beat Yale 27–7. No. 4 Ohio State lost to No. 7 Cornell, 23–14. No. 5 Texas A&M beat Baylor 20–0. Nebraska defeated Kansas State in the second televised football game 25–9. In the next AP Poll, Tennessee remained at No. 1, while Michigan and Cornell moved ahead of Notre Dame (the Irish were 5-0-0, but each win was by a touchdown or less) and Texas A&M stayed at No. 5.

November

November 4 No. 1 Tennessee won at No. 18 LSU, 20–0. No. 2 Michigan lost at unranked Illinois, 16–7. No. 3 Cornell beat Columbia 13–7. At Yankee Stadium, No. 4 Notre Dame beat Army 14–0. No. 5 Texas A&M won at Arkansas 27–0. No. 7 USC beat No. 11 Oregon State 19–7 in Portland. The next AP Poll was No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 USC, and No. 5 Cornell.

November 11 No. 1 Tennessee shut out The Citadel, 34–0. No. 2 Texas A&M defeated No. 13 SMU 6–2. No. 3 Notre Dame, after several close calls in previous games, finally lost at unranked Iowa, 7–6. No. 4 USC beat Stanford 20–12. No. 5 Cornell narrowly beat Colgate 14–12. No. 6 Oklahoma won at Kansas State 13–10. Tennessee and Texas A&M remained first and second in the next poll, followed by USC, Cornell, and Oklahoma.

November 18 No. 1 Tennessee extended its shutout streak, beating Vanderbilt 13–0. Having outscored its opposition, 186–0, Tennessee had a record of 8–0–0, but fell to second in the poll that followed. Their replacement in the top spot was No. 2 Texas A&M, which won at Rice 19–0. No. 3 USC was idle. No. 4 Cornell won at No. 20 Dartmouth, 35–6, to stay unbeaten, and they swapped spots with USC in the next poll. No. 5 Oklahoma lost at No. 12 Missouri, 7–6. No. 6 Tulane beat Columbia 25–0 to move into fifth place.

In the next poll, Texas A&M—which had gotten none of the first place votes the week before—was first, with 38 votes. Tennessee, which had had 66 of the 85 No. 1 votes the week before, had 33 on the new round of ballots, and finished second. There were 20 for Cornell, and 11 for USC.

November 25 No. 1 Texas A&M and No. 2 Tennessee were idle. In Philadelphia, No. 3 Cornell closed its season with a 26–0 win over Penn, to finish unbeaten and untied at 8–0–0. No. 4 USC won at No. 7 Notre Dame, 20–12. No. 5 Tulane beat Sewanee 52–0. In the next round of voting, Texas A&M and USC tied for first place, with 939 points apiece. Cornell led all teams with 34 first-place votes (A&M received 27 and USC 25), but their 909 overall points put them in third place. Tennessee fell to No. 4 and Tulane remained at No. 5.

On Thanksgiving Day , which fell on November 30 in 1939, No. 1 Texas A&M beat Texas 20–0 to complete a 10–0–0 season, and No. 4 Tennessee won at Kentucky, 19–0. Two days later, December 2, No. 1 USC beat Washington 9–7. No. 5 Tulane beat LSU 33–20. Texas A&M now stood alone in first place, followed by No. 2 Tennessee, No. 3 USC, No. 4 Cornell, and No. 5 Tulane.

December 9 No. 1 Texas A&M had finished its season and accepted a bid to the Sugar Bowl. No. 2 Tennessee beat Auburn 7–0. No. 3 USC and No. 9 UCLA played to a 0–0 tie. No. 4 Cornell and No. 5 Tulane had both completed their seasons, and the top five remained unchanged.

Conference standings

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

Major conference standings

1939 Big Six Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 6 Missouri $ 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 No. 18 Nebraska 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 1 No. 19 Oklahoma 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 1 Kansas 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Iowa State 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Kansas State 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	1939 Big Ten Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 15 Ohio State $ 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 No. 9 Iowa 4 – 1 – 1 6 – 1 – 1 No. 20 Michigan 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Purdue 2 – 1 – 2 3 – 3 – 2 Northwestern 3 – 2 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 Illinois 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 4 – 1 Minnesota 2 – 3 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 Indiana 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 4 – 2 Wisconsin 0 – 5 – 1 1 – 6 – 1 Chicago 0 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	1939 Border Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Arizona State $ 4 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 1 New Mexico 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Texas Tech 2 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 1 Texas Mines 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Arizona 1 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 New Mexico A&M 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Arizona State–Flagstaff 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 6 – 1 $ – Conference champion
1939 Mountain States Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Colorado $ 5 – 1 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Utah 4 – 1 – 1 6 – 1 – 2 Denver 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 BYU 2 – 2 – 2 5 – 2 – 2 Utah State 2 – 3 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 Colorado A&M 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Wyoming 0 – 5 – 1 0 – 7 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1939 New England Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Maine $ 3 – 0 – 0 5 – 2 – 0 Connecticut 1 – 1 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 New Hampshire 1 – 1 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Rhode Island State 1 – 2 – 0 3 – 4 – 1 Northeastern 0 – 2 – 0 0 – 6 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1939 North Central Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T South Dakota State + 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 North Dakota + 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 South Dakota + 4 – 1 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Iowa State Teachers 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 3 – 1 Omaha 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Morningside 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 North Dakota Agricultural 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 6 – 1 + – Conference co-champions
1939 Pacific Coast Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 3 USC $ 5 – 0 – 2 8 – 0 – 2 No. 7 UCLA 5 – 0 – 3 6 – 0 – 4 Oregon State 6 – 1 – 1 9 – 1 – 1 Washington 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 1 Oregon 3 – 3 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 Washington State 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Montana 1 – 2 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 California 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Stanford 0 – 6 – 1 1 – 7 – 1 Idaho 0 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	1939 Southeastern Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Tennessee + 6 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 No. 16 Georgia Tech + 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 No. 5 Tulane + 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 1 Mississippi State 3 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Ole Miss 2 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Kentucky 2 – 2 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Auburn 3 – 3 – 1 5 – 5 – 1 Alabama 2 – 3 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Georgia 1 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 LSU 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Vanderbilt 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 1 Florida 0 – 3 – 1 5 – 5 – 1 Sewanee 0 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll	1939 Southern Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 8 Duke $ 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 No. 12 Clemson 4 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 William & Mary 2 – 0 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 North Carolina 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 1 VMI 3 – 1 – 1 6 – 3 – 1 Richmond 3 – 1 – 1 7 – 1 – 2 Furman 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Wake Forest 3 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 NC State 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Washington and Lee 1 – 2 – 0 3 – 4 – 1 South Carolina 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 1 VPI 1 – 4 – 1 4 – 5 – 1 Davidson 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Maryland 0 – 1 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 The Citadel 0 – 4 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll
1939 Southwest Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 1 Texas A&M $ 6 – 0 – 0 11 – 0 – 0 Baylor 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 SMU 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 1 Texas 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Arkansas 2 – 3 – 1 4 – 5 – 1 TCU 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Rice 0 – 5 – 1 1 – 9 – 1 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Independents

1939 Eastern college football independents records v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 4 Cornell   –   8 – 0 – 0 No. 10 Duquesne   –   8 – 0 – 1 Swarthmore   –   6 – 0 – 1 Scranton   –   7 – 0 – 2 Princeton   –   7 – 1 – 0 La Salle   –   6 – 1 – 1 Penn State   –   5 – 1 – 2 No. 11 Boston College   –   9 – 2 – 0 No. 17 Fordham   –   6 – 2 – 0 Villanova   –   6 – 2 – 0 Boston University   –   5 – 3 – 0 Brown   –   5 – 3 – 1 Dartmouth   –   5 – 3 – 1 Hofstra   –   4 – 3 – 0 NYU   –   5 – 4 – 0 Pittsburgh   –   5 – 4 – 0 Harvard   –   4 – 4 – 0 Manhattan   –   4 – 4 – 0 Penn   –   4 – 4 – 0 Syracuse   –   3 – 3 – 2 Vermont   –   3 – 3 – 2 Tufts   –   3 – 4 – 1 Yale   –   3 – 4 – 1 Army   –   3 – 4 – 2 Bucknell   –   3 – 5 – 0 Carnegie Tech   –   3 – 5 – 0 Providence   –   3 – 5 – 0 Columbia   –   2 – 4 – 2 Massachusetts State   –   2 – 5 – 2 Colgate   –   2 – 5 – 1 Temple   –   2 – 7 – 0 CCNY   –   1 – 7 – 0 Buffalo   –   0 – 7 – 0 Rankings from AP Poll	1939 Midwestern college football independents records v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Central Michigan   –   8 – 1 – 0 No. 13 Notre Dame   –   7 – 2 – 0 Ohio   –   6 – 3 – 0 Detroit   –   5 – 3 – 1 Akron   –   5 – 4 – 0 Cincinnati   –   4 – 3 – 2 Ohio Wesleyan   –   5 – 4 – 1 Marquette   –   4 – 4 – 0 Michigan State   –   4 – 4 – 1 Dayton   –   4 – 4 – 1 Michigan State Normal   –   3 – 3 – 1 Wayne   –   4 – 5 – 0 Xavier   –   3 – 5 – 1 Western State Teachers (MI)   –   2 – 6 – 1 Miami (OH)   –   1 – 7 – 1 Rankings from AP Poll	1939 Southern college football independents records v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Georgetown   –   7 – 0 – 1 Catholic University   –   8 – 1 – 1 Hardin–Simmons   –   7 – 1 – 1 George Washington   –   5 – 3 – 0 Virginia   –   5 – 4 – 0 Georgia Teachers   –   5 – 5 – 0 Oklahoma City   –   4 – 4 – 2 Roanoke   –   4 – 4 – 0 Delaware State   –   2 – 2 – 0 William & Mary Norfolk   –   4 – 5 – 0 Oglethorpe   –   3 – 4 – 1 Navy   –   3 – 5 – 1 West Virginia   –   2 – 6 – 1 Western Maryland   –   1 – 6 – 0 Delaware   –   1 – 7 – 0 East Carolina   –   0 – 8 – 0
1939 Western college football independents records v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T San Diego Marines   –   11 – 0 – 0 No. T–14 Santa Clara   –   5 – 1 – 3 Gonzaga   –   6 – 2 – 0 Humboldt State   –   5 – 2 – 0 Idaho Southern Branch   –   5 – 2 – 0 Cal Poly   –   4 – 4 – 1 San Francisco   –   4 – 3 – 3 La Verne   –   3 – 3 – 0 Saint Mary's   –   3 – 4 – 1 Hawaii   –   3 – 6 – 0 Loyola (CA)   –   2 – 6 – 1 San Francisco State   –   2 – 4 – 2 Portland   –   1 – 5 – 1 Rankings from AP Poll

Minor conferences

Conference	Champion(s)	Record
Alamo Conference	Texas A&I West Texas State Teachers	1–0–1
California Collegiate Athletic Association	San Jose State	3–0
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association	Virginia State College	7–0–1
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Wichita	4–0–1
Far Western Conference	Nevada	3–0
Indiana Intercollegiate Conference	Butler	4–0
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Central (IA) Upper Iowa	5–2
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference	Ottawa (KS)	5–0–1
Lone Star Conference	North Texas State Teachers	4–0
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association	Albion	6–0
Michigan-Ontario Collegiate Conference	DeSales (OH)	4–0
Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference	Knox Ripon	3–1–1
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Saint Thomas (MN)	4–0–1
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association	Northwest Missouri State Teachers	5–0
Nebraska College Athletic Conference	Hastings	3–0–1
Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association	Nebraska State Normal	3–0
North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	North Dakota South Dakota South Dakota State College	4–1
North Dakota College Athletic Conference	North Dakota Science	6–0
Northern Teachers Athletic Conference	Winona State Teachers	4–0
Ohio Athletic Conference	Muskingum	6–0
Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference	Central State Teachers (OK)	5–1
Pacific Northwest Conference	Pacific (OR)	3–0–2
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference	Slippery Rock State Teachers	5–0
South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference	Northern State Teachers	3–1–1
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Whittier	3–0–1
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Alabama State College	5–1–2
Southwestern Athletic Conference	Langston	5–0–1
Texas Conference	Abilene Christian St. Edward's (TX)	5–1
Washington Intercollegiate Conference	Eastern Washington College Pacific Lutheran	2–0–1
Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference	North: La Crosse Teachers South: Milwaukee State Teachers	3–1 4–0

Minor conference standings

1939 Alabama Intercollegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Troy State $ 3 – 0 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Snead 2 – 0 – 1 2 – 3 – 2 Marion 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Livingston State 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 St. Bernard 0 – 3 – 0 2 – 4 – 0 Jacksonville State 0 – 3 – 1 0 – 8 – 2 $ – Conference champion	1939 Alamo Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Texas A&I + 2 – 0 – 1 6 – 1 – 3 West Texas State + 2 – 0 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 St. Mary's (TX) 1 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 2 Sul Ross 0 – 3 – 0 0 – 7 – 1 + – Conference co-champions	1939 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T San Jose State $ 3 – 0 – 0 13 – 0 – 0 Fresno State 1 – 1 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Santa Barbara State 1 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 1 San Diego State 0 – 2 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1939 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Wichita $ 4 – 0 – 1 5 – 3 – 2 Emporia State 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 St. Benedict's 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Pittsburg State 2 – 1 – 2 3 – 4 – 2 Fort Hays State 1 – 3 – 1 2 – 5 – 2 Southwestern (KS) 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1939 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Virginia State $ 7 – 0 – 1 7 – 1 – 1 Bluefield State 4 – 1 – 3 4 – 1 – 4 Johnson C. Smith 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Lincoln (PA) 4 – 1 – 1 6 – 1 – 1 North Carolina A&T 3 – 2 – 2 4 – 2 – 3 North Carolina College 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Hampton 3 – 3 – 1 3 – 3 – 1 Morgan State 2 – 3 – 2 3 – 3 – 2 Virginia Union 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Shaw 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Saint Paul's (VA) 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Howard 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 6 – 0 St. Augustine's 0 – 3 – 0 1 – 3 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1939 Dixie Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Southwestern (TN) $ 2 – 0 – 0 3 – 5 – 1 Loyola (LA) 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Mississippi College 3 – 1 – 1 6 – 1 – 1 Chattanooga 2 – 1 – 1 5 – 2 – 1 Millsaps 2 – 1 – 1 4 – 3 – 2 Birmingham–Southern 2 – 3 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Howard (AL) 2 – 3 – 1 3 – 6 – 1 Mercer 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Spring Hill 0 – 4 – 1 1 – 7 – 1 $ – Conference champion
1939 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Gettysburg $ 3 – 0 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Muhlenberg 2 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Franklin & Marshall 1 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Drexel 0 – 1 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Ursinus 0 – 3 – 1 2 – 5 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1939 Far Western Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Fresno State 2 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 1 Nevada $ 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Pacific (CA) 2 – 2 – 0 6 – 6 – 1 Chico State 1 – 2 – 0 2 – 4 – 2 Cal Aggies 0 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 $ – Conference champion Fresno State was ineligible for the conference championship because they only played two league games.	1939 Illinois College Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Illinois Wesleyan $ 2 – 0 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Knox (IL) 2 – 0 – 1 6 – 1 – 1 Monmouth (IL) 1 – 0 – 1 6 – 2 – 2 Illinois College 1 – 0 – 1 6 – 1 – 1 Wheaton (IL) 1 – 0 – 1 2 – 4 – 2 Bradley 2 – 1 – 0 6 – 1 – 2 Lake Forest 2 – 2 – 0 5 – 2 – 0 Augustana (IL) 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 North Central 0 – 3 – 0 2 – 4 – 1 Millikin 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1939 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Western Illinois $ 3 – 0 – 1 5 – 1 – 1 Illinois State Normal 3 – 0 – 2 4 – 2 – 3 Northern Illinois State 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 2 – 1 Carthage 2 – 1 – 0 2 – 6 – 1 Eastern Illinois 2 – 2 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Elmhurst 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 6 – 1 Eureka 0 – 2 – 0 0 – 7 – 0 Southern Illinois 0 – 4 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1939 Indiana Intercollegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Butler $ 4 – 0 – 0 7 – 0 – 1 Ball State 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Manchester 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Rose Poly 3 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Earlham 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 2 – 0 Saint Joseph's (IN) 2 – 1 – 0 4 – 3 – 0 DePauw 3 – 2 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Hanover 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Wabash 2 – 3 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Central Normal 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 4 – 0 Valparaiso 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Franklin (IN) 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Evansville 0 – 4 – 1 1 – 6 – 1 Indiana State 0 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1939 Iowa Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Central (IA) + 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Upper Iowa + 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 2 – 0 St. Ambrose 2 – 0 – 0 6 – 1 – 1 Dubuque 4 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Iowa Wesleyan 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Parsons 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Loras 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Western Union 2 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 1 Penn (IA) 2 – 2 – 2 3 – 3 – 2 Luther 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Simpson (IA) 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Buena Vista 0 – 4 – 1 1 – 5 – 1 Wartburg 0 – 4 – 1 0 – 5 – 1 + – Conference co-champions
1939 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Ottawa $ 5 – 0 – 1 6 – 1 – 1 Bethany (KS) 3 – 2 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Baker 2 – 2 – 2 3 – 4 – 2 Kansas Wesleyan 2 – 2 – 2 2 – 3 – 4 College of Emporia 2 – 3 – 1 2 – 5 – 2 McPherson 1 – 3 – 2 4 – 3 – 2 Bethel (KS) 1 – 4 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1939 Lone Star Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T North Texas State $ 4 – 0 – 0 6 – 1 – 0 Sam Houston State 2 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 2 East Texas State 2 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Stephen F. Austin 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 4 – 2 Southwest Texas State 0 – 3 – 1 3 – 5 – 2 $ – Conference champion	1939 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Albion $ 6 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Hillsdale 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 1 – 0 Hope 3 – 2 – 1 4 – 2 – 2 Kalamazoo 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Alma 2 – 3 – 1 2 – 5 – 1 Adrian 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Olivet 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1939 Michigan-Ontario Collegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T DeSales (OH) $ 4 – 0 – 0 6 – 0 – 0 Lawrence Tech 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Ferris Institute 2 – 2 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Assumption (ON) 2 – 2 – 0  ? –  ? –  ? St. Mary's (MI) 0 – 4 – 0 0 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1939 Middle Three Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Rutgers $ 2 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 1 Lafayette 1 – 1 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Lehigh 0 – 2 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1939 Midwest Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Knox + 3 – 1 – 1 6 – 1 – 1 Ripon + 3 – 1 – 1 3 – 1 – 2 Cornell (IA) 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Monmouth (IL) 2 – 2 – 2 6 – 2 – 2 Carleton 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 3 – 0 Beloit 2 – 3 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Coe 2 – 3 – 1 2 – 5 – 2 Grinnell 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 1 Lawrence 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 5 – 0 + – Conference co-champions
1939 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T St. Thomas (MN) $ 4 – 0 – 1 6 – 1 – 1 Saint Mary's (MN) 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 2 – 0 Macalester 2 – 1 – 3 4 – 1 – 3 Gustavus Adolphus 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Saint John's (MN) 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 2 – 0 St. Olaf 1 – 3 – 1 2 – 4 – 1 Concordia (MN) 0 – 3 – 2 2 – 4 – 2 Hamline 0 – 5 – 1 1 – 5 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1939 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Missouri Valley + 3 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Culver–Stockton + 3 – 1 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 William Jewell 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Central (MO) 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 5 – 1 Tarkio 1 – 3 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1939 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Maryville (MO) $ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0 Springfield (MO) 3 – 1 – 1 7 – 1 – 1 Missouri Mines 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Warrensburg 1 – 2 – 2 3 – 3 – 3 Cape Girardeau 1 – 3 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Kirksville 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1939 Missouri Valley Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Washington University $ 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 1 Oklahoma A&M 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 1 Tulsa 2 – 1 – 1 4 – 5 – 1 Drake 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Saint Louis 1 – 2 – 1 5 – 3 – 2 Creighton 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Washburn 1 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1939 Nebraska College Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Hastings * 3 – 0 – 1 6 – 3 – 1 Midland 2 – 0 – 2 4 – 1 – 4 Doane 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Nebraska Wesleyan 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 York (NE) 0 – 3 – 1 2 – 4 – 3 * The conference title was declared vacant after the season because Hastings used an ineligible player.	1939 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Peru State $ 3 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 1 Chadron State 2 – 1 – 0 4 – 3 – 1 Wayne State (NE) 1 – 2 – 0 3 – 5 – 1 Kearney State 0 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1939 North State Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Appalachian State + 3 – 0 – 1 7 – 1 – 2 Lenoir Rhyne + 4 – 0 – 2 6 – 1 – 3 Elon 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Catawba 2 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 2 High Point 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Western Carolina 0 – 4 – 1 1 – 6 – 1 Guilford 0 – 4 – 1 1 – 7 – 1 + – Conference co-champions	1939 Northern Teachers College Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Winona State $ 4 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Duluth State 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 1 – 1 Moorhead State 3 – 1 – 0 4 – 3 – 1 Bemidji State 1 – 3 – 1 3 – 3 – 1 Mankato State 0 – 2 – 2 0 – 4 – 2 St. Cloud State 0 – 4 – 1 2 – 5 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1939 Northwest Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Pacific (OR) $ 3 – 0 – 2 3 – 2 – 2 Willamette 3 – 1 – 1 3 – 4 – 2 Whitman 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 3 – 0 Linfield 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Puget Sound 1 – 3 – 0 1 – 5 – 1 College of Idaho 0 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 $ – Conference champion
1939 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Muskingum $ 7 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Toledo 1 – 0 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Capital 5 – 1 – 0 5 – 2 – 0 Case 3 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Bowling Green 3 – 1 – 1 6 – 1 – 1 Findlay 3 – 1 – 1 4 – 2 – 1 Denison 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Wittenberg 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 John Carroll 2 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Ohio Northern 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Marietta 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 3 – 0 Mount Union 2 – 3 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Wooster 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Baldwin–Wallace 1 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Heidelberg 2 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Ashland 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 4 – 0 Kent State 1 – 3 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 Kenyon 0 – 3 – 0 0 – 6 – 1 Oberlin 0 – 4 – 0 3 – 4 – 1 Otterbein 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1939 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Central State (OK) $ 5 – 1 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Oklahoma Baptist 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 East Central 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 SE Oklahoma State 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 5 – 1 SW Oklahoma State 2 – 3 – 1 2 – 5 – 3 NW Oklahoma State 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Northeastern State 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1939 Pennsylvania State Teachers Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Slippery Rock $ 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 0 – 0 West Chester 3 – 0 – 0 3 – 3 – 3 Clarion 2 – 0 – 1 5 – 1 – 1 Lock Haven 5 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Indiana (PA) 4 – 2 – 2 4 – 2 – 2 Mansfield 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 3 – 0 East Stroudsburg 3 – 2 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Shippensburg 3 – 3 – 1 3 – 3 – 1 Kutztown 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 California (PA) 1 – 3 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Millersville 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 5 – 0 Edinboro 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 6 – 0 Bloomsburg 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1939 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Colorado Mines $ 4 – 0 – 0 8 – 0 – 0 Colorado State–Greeley 3 – 1 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Western State (CO) 1 – 2 – 0 2 – 5 – 1 Montana State 0 – 2 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Colorado College 0 – 3 – 0 2 – 5 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1939 Smoky Mountain Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Carson–Newman $ 4 – 1 – 2 4 – 3 – 2 Milligan 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 East Tennessee State Teachers 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Maryville (TN) 2 – 3 – 1 4 – 5 – 1 Cumberland (TN) 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Tusculum 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 7 – 1 Appalachian State * 2 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 2 King * 3 – 2 – 1 7 – 3 – 1 $ – Conference champion * Appalachian State and King were ruled ineligible for conference competition.	1939 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Augustana (SD) $ 5 – 0 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Northern State 3 – 1 – 1 5 – 1 – 1 Yankton 3 – 1 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Huron 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 South Dakota Mines 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 4 – 0 Dakota Wesleyan 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 5 – 0 Sioux Falls 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Spearfish 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 4 – 0 Southern Normal 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 5 – 0 Eastern Normal 0 – 2 – 0 0 – 4 – 1 $ – Conference champion
1939 Southern California Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Whittier $ 3 – 0 – 1 8 – 2 – 1 Pomona 2 – 1 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Occidental 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Redlands 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Caltech 0 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1939 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Louisiana Normal $ 7 – 0 – 0 11 – 0 – 0 Tennessee Tech 4 – 0 – 0 6 – 3 – 1 Mississippi College 3 – 0 – 0 6 – 1 – 1 Miami (FL) 2 – 0 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Rollins 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Western Kentucky State Teachers 5 – 1 – 1 7 – 1 – 1 Mississippi State Teachers 4 – 1 – 0 4 – 2 – 3 Murray State 4 – 1 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Newberry 3 – 1 – 1 4 – 1 – 4 Presbyterian 3 – 1 – 2 4 – 3 – 2 Georgetown (KY) 2 – 1 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Eastern Kentucky State Teachers 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Union (TN) 3 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Morehead State 2 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Louisville 1 – 1 – 1 5 – 2 – 1 Union (KY) 1 – 1 – 1 3 – 3 – 1 Oglethorpe 3 – 3 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 Centre 1 – 1 – 1 1 – 5 – 2 Centenary 1 – 1 – 0 2 – 9 – 1 Louisiana Tech 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 West Tennessee State Teachers 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Troy State 2 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 SW Louisiana 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 1 Stetson 2 – 4 – 2 3 – 5 – 2 Louisiana College 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 1 Middle Tennessee State Teachers 1 – 5 – 1 1 – 6 – 1 Erskine 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 Delta State 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 Wofford 0 – 2 – 3 1 – 5 – 3 Tampa 0 – 3 – 1 2 – 7 – 1 Jacksonville State 0 – 3 – 1 0 – 8 – 2 Transylvania 0 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Emory and Henry 0 – 0 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1939 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Langston $ 5 – 0 – 1 7 – 0 – 1 Prairie View 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 2 – 1 Arkansas AM&N 3 – 2 – 1 6 – 3 – 1 Bishop 2 – 2 – 2 3 – 2 – 2 Wiley 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Southern 1 – 4 – 1 4 – 5 – 1 Texas College 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 6 – 1 $ – Conference champion
1939 Texas Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Abilene Christian + 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 1 St. Edward's + 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Trinity (TX) 4 – 1 – 2 6 – 3 – 2 Howard Payne 4 – 2 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 Texas Wesleyan 2 – 2 – 1 4 – 5 – 2 Southwestern (TX) 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Daniel Baker 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 McMurry 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 6 – 0 Austin 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 10 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1939 Washington Intercollegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Pacific Lutheran + 2 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Eastern Washington + 2 – 1 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Central Washington 1 – 2 – 0 5 – 2 – 0 Western Washington 1 – 2 – 0 5 – 2 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1939 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T West Liberty State $ 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Glenville State 6 – 2 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Concord 3 – 1 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Morris Harvey 2 – 2 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 New River State 2 – 3 – 0 0 – 3 – 4 Potomac State 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 5 – 1 West Virginia Wesleyan 1 – 3 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Salem 1 – 5 – 2 1 – 6 – 2 Fairmont State 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Shepherd 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 6 – 0 Marshall * 3 – 0 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 Davis & Elkins * 3 – 0 – 0 5 – 4 – 1 Bethany (WV) * 1 – 1 – 1 3 – 3 – 1 $ – Conference champion * – Did not qualify for conference standings Ties did not count in conference standings.
1939 Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Northern Division La Crosse State x 3 – 1 – 0 3 – 4 – 0 Superior State 2 – 1 – 1 5 – 1 – 2 Eau Claire State 2 – 2 – 0 2 – 5 – 0 Stout Institute 1 – 2 – 1 1 – 5 – 1 River Falls State 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 4 – 0 Southern Division Milwaukee State x 4 – 0 – 0 5 – 1 – 1 Whitewater State 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 1 – 0 Platteville State 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 2 – 0 Stevens Point State 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Oshkosh State 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 5 – 0 x – Division champion/co-champions

Rankings

Main article: 1939 NCAA football rankings

Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player

Player	School	Position	Total
Nile Kinnick	Iowa	HB	651
Tom Harmon	Michigan	HB	405
Paul Christman	Missouri	QB	391
George Cafego	Tennessee	HB	296

Bowl games

Main article: 1939–40 NCAA football bowl games

Cotton Bowl

Bowl game	Winning team		Losing team
Rose Bowl	No. 3 USC	14	No. 2 Tennessee	0
Sugar Bowl	No. 1 Texas A&M	14	No. 5 Tulane	13
Orange Bowl	No. 16 Georgia Tech	21	No. 6 Missouri	7
Cotton Bowl Classic	No. 12 Clemson	6	No. 11 Boston College	3
Sun Bowl	Arizona State	0	Catholic University	0

See also

• 1939 College Football All-America Team

References

1. "October 16, 1939 AP Football Poll". CollegePollArchive.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
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. This Just In: USC Also Is a 1939 Champion, Washington Post, July 28, 2004, Accessed October 16, 2008.
4. USC Now Will Recognize Its 1939 Football Team As A National Champion. Trojan have 10 national champs in the sport, USC Trojans Athletic Department, July 24, 2004, Accessed October 16, 2008.