| 1940 NCAA football rankings | |
|---|---|
| Season | 1940 |
| Bowl season | 1940–41 bowl games |
| End of season champions | Minnesota |
One human poll comprised the 1940 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. The Coaches' Poll began operation in 1950; in addition, the AP Poll did not begin conducting preseason polls until that same year.
| Increase in ranking | ||
| Decrease in ranking | ||
| Not ranked previous week | ||
| National champion | ||
(#–#) | Win–loss record | |
(Italics) | Number of first place votes | |
т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
The final AP Poll was released on December 2, at the end of the 1940 regular season, weeks before the major bowls. The AP would not release a post-bowl season final poll regularly until 1968.
| Week 1 Oct 14 [1] | Week 2 Oct 21 [2] | Week 3 Oct 28 [3] | Week 4 Nov 4 [4] | Week 5 Nov 11 [5] | Week 6 Nov 18 [6] | Week 7 Nov 25 [7] | Week 8 (Final) Dec 2 [8] A | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cornell (2–0) (90) | Cornell (3–0) (83) | Cornell (4–0) (81.5) | Cornell (5–0) (119) | Minnesota (6–0) (55.33) | Minnesota (7–0) (68) | Minnesota (8–0) (88) | Minnesota (8–0) (65) | 1. |
| 2. | Texas A&M (3–0) (25) | Notre Dame (3–0) (30) | Notre Dame (4–0) (40.5) | Minnesota (5–0) (18) | Cornell (6–0) (45.33) | Texas A&M (8–0) (59) | Texas A&M (8–0) (41) | Stanford (9–0) (44) | 2. |
| 3. | Michigan (3–0) (26) | Michigan (4–0) (18) | Michigan (5–0) (16) | Michigan (5–0) (11) | Texas A&M (7–0) (31.33) | Stanford (8–0) (24) | Stanford (8–0) (15) | Michigan (7–1) (5) | 3. |
| 4. | Northwestern (2–0) (1) | Texas A&M (4–0) (15) | Minnesota (4–0) (13) | Texas A&M (6–0) (14) | Stanford (7–0) (12) | Boston College (8–0) (12) | Boston College (9–0) (15) | Tennessee (10–0) (10) | 4. |
| 5. | Tennessee (3–0) (7) | Tennessee (4–0) (6) | Texas A&M (5–0) (9) | Tennessee (6–0) (11) | Tennessee (7–0) (2) | Cornell (6–1) (6) | Michigan (7–1) (3) | Boston College (10–0) (7) | 5. |
| 6. | Notre Dame (2–0) (5) | Minnesota (3–0) (8) | Stanford (5–0) | Stanford (6–0) (3) | Michigan (5–1) | Tennessee (8–0) (3) | Tennessee (9–0) (8) | Texas A&M (8–1) (1) | 6. |
| 7. | Minnesota (2–0) (2) | Northwestern (3–0) | Tennessee (5–0) | Notre Dame (5–0) | Notre Dame (6–0) | Michigan (6–1) | Northwestern (6–2) | Nebraska (8–1) | 7. |
| 8. | Boston College (3–0) | Penn (3–0) | Northwestern (4–0) (1) | Boston College (6–0) (2) | Boston College (7–0) | Nebraska (6–1) | Nebraska (7–1) | Northwestern (6–2) | 8. |
| 9. | Penn (2–0) | Stanford (4–0) | Boston College (5–0) (2) | Georgetown (6–0) | Georgetown (7–0) | Georgetown (7–1) | Georgetown (8–1) | Mississippi State (8–0–1) (1) | 9. |
| 10. | Stanford (3–0) | Boston College (4–0) | Clemson (5–0) (2) т | Northwestern (4–1) | Northwestern (5–1) | Northwestern (5–2) | Penn (6–1–1) | Washington (7–2) | 10. |
| 11. | Fordham (2–0) | Fordham (3–0) | Georgetown (5–0) (2) т | Washington (4–1) | Nebraska (5–1) | Ole Miss (8–1) | Mississippi State (8–0–1) | Santa Clara (6–1–1) | 11. |
| 12. | Clemson (4–0) | Texas (4–0) | Nebraska (3–1) | Duke (4–1) т | Duke (5–1) (2) | Penn (5–1–1) | Washington (6–2) | Fordham (7–1) | 12. |
| 13. | Ole Miss (4–0) | Clemson (4–0) (1) | Washington (4–1) | Nebraska (4–1) т | Fordham (5–1) | Washington (5–2) | Cornell (6–2) | Georgetown (8–1) | 13. |
| 14. | Texas (3–0) | Ole Miss (5–0) (1) | Navy (5–0) | SMU (4–0–1) | Alabama (5–1) | Notre Dame (6–1) | Fordham (6–1) | Penn (6–1–1) | 14. |
| 15. | Ohio State (2–1) | Georgetown (4–0) | Penn (3–1) т | Penn (4–1) | Mississippi State (6–0–1) | Fordham (5–1) | Santa Clara (5–1–1) | Cornell (6–2) | 15. |
| 16. | Washington (2–1) | Washington (3–1) | SMU (3–0–1) т | Penn State (5–0) | Santa Clara (3–1–1) | Mississippi State (7–0–1) | SMU (6–1–1) | SMU (7–1–1) | 16. |
| 17. | USC (1–0–2) | USC (2–0–2) | Detroit (5–0) | Fordham (4–1) | Ole Miss (7–1) т | Alabama (6–1) | Alabama (7–1) | Hardin-Simmons (8–0) | 17. |
| 18. | Oregon State (2–0–1) | Nebraska (2–1) | Duke (3–1) т | Lafayette (6–0) | Washington (4–2) т | SMU (5–1–1) | Lafayette (9–0) т | Duke (7–2) | 18. |
| 19. | Washington State (2–0–1) | SMU (3–0–1) | Penn State (4–0) т | Mississippi State (5–0–1) т | Oregon State (5–1–1) | Santa Clara (4–1–1) | Texas Tech (8–0–1) т | Lafayette (9–0) | 19. |
| 20. | Iowa (2–0) | Columbia (3–0) |
| Santa Clara (3–1–1) т |
|
|
| 20. | |
| Week 1 Oct 14 [9] | Week 2 Oct 21 [10] | Week 3 Oct 28 [11] | Week 4 Nov 4 [12] | Week 5 Nov 11 [13] | Week 6 Nov 18 [14] | Week 7 Nov 25 [15] | Week 8 (Final) Dec 2 [16] A | ||
Dropped:
| Dropped:
| Dropped:
| Dropped:
| Dropped:
| Dropped:
| Dropped:
|
The final Boand System rankings (also known as "Azzi Ratem") were released after the bowl games in early January 1941. Boand's final rankings were as follows: [17]
1. Minnesota (86.4)
2. Stanford (83.1)
3. Boston College (83.0)
4. Michigan (81.8)
5. Texas A&M (80.3)
6. Tennessee (80.2)
7. Mississippi State (79.6)
8. SMU (76.9)
9. Northwestern (76.9)
10. Penn (76.2)
11. Texas (76.1)
12. Nebraska (76.0)
The final Dickinson System rankings released in December 1940 were as follows: [18]
1. Minnesota (29.55)
2. Michigan (26.16)
3. Stanford (25.84)
4. Tennessee (25.76)
5. Texas A&M (25.74)
6. Penn (24.78)
7. Mississippi State (24.28)
8. SMU (23.82)
9. Texas (23.33)
10. Nebraska (23.12)
11. Northwestern (22.51)
12. Boston College (22.14)
The final Dunkel System rankings released in December 1940 were as follows: [19]
1. Tennessee
2. Minnesota
3. Michigan
4. Boston College
5. Stanford
6. Washington
7. Mississippi State
8. Northwestern
9. Texas A&M
10. Georgetown
11. SMU
12. Texas
13. LSU
14. Penn
15. Santa Clara
16. Cornell
17. Duke
18. Fordham
19. Nebraska
20. Oregon
The final Litkenhous Ratings released in December 1940 provided numerical rankings to 697 college football programs. The top 100 ranked teams were: [20]
1. Minnesota
2. Tennessee
3. Michigan
4. Northwestern
5. Penn
6. Stanford
7. Cornell
8. Boston College
9. Texas A&M
10. Washington
11. Duke
12. Georgetown
13. Texas
14. Santa Clara
15. Nebraska
16. Mississippi State
17. Fordham
18. Ohio State
19. SMU
20. Notre Dame
21. Rice
22. Michigan State
23. Ole Miss
24. Alabama
25. Iowa
26. Indiana
27. Wisconsin
28. Tulane
29. Purdue
30. Pittsburgh
31. Auburn
32. Oregon
33. LSU
34. Marshall
35. Temple
36. Oregon State
37. Missouri
38. Detroit
39. Baylor
40. California
41. USC
42. TCU
43. Colgate
44. Kentucky
45. Oklahoma
46. Navy
47. North Carolina
48. Duquesne
49. Saint Mary's
50. Tulsa
51. Harvard
52. Penn State
53. Georgia
54. Clemson
55. Hardin–Simmons
56. Villanova
57. Wake Forest
58. Princeton
59. Georgia Tech
60. UCLA
61. Columbia
62. Illinois
63. Vanderbilt
64. Florida
65. Syracuse
66. Utah
67. Arkansas
68. Colorado
69. Lafayette
70. Texas Tech
71. Washington State
72. Dartmouth
73. Manhattan
74. San Jose State
75. Holy Cross
76. Arizona
77. Denver
78. Chattanooga
79. Mississippi College
80. Oklahoma A&M
81. Furman
82. Marquette
83. NC State
84. San Diego Marines
85. VMI
86. North Texas State Teachers
87. William & Mary
88. Boston University
89. San Francisco
90. Dayton
91. Creighton
92. Southwest Missouri State
93. George Washington
94. Gonzaga
95. West Virginia
96. Rollins
97. Virginia
98. VPI
99. Eastern Kentucky
100. Rutgers
The final Williamson System rankings for 1940 were as follows: [21]
1. Stanford
2. Boston College
3. Minnesota
4. Michigan
5. Mississippi State
6. Tennessee
7. Texas A&M
8. Santa Clara
9. Fordham
10. Nebraska
11. SMU
12. Washington
13. Penn
14. Northwestern
15. Georgetown
16. Alabama
17. Ole Miss
18. Duke
19. Duquesne
20. Saint Mary's (CA)
21. Cornell
22. Rice
23. Notre Dame
24. Texas
25. Navy
26. Oklahoma
27. LSU
28. Syracuse
29. Columbia
30. Auburn
31. Ohio State
32. Colgate
33. Pittsburgh
34. Hardin-Simmons
35. Missouri
36. Wisconsin
37. Penn State
38. Tulane
39. Indiana
40. Arizona State
The 1970 NCAA University Division football season was marked by tragedy, due to two airplane crashes. On October 2, one of the planes carrying the Wichita State football team crashed on the way to a game against Utah State, killing 31 people on board, including 14 players. Then, on November 14, the charter for the Marshall Thundering Herd crashed on the way home from a game against East Carolina, killing all 75 persons.
The 1935 college football season was the last one before the Associated Press 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. A poll of newspaper writers, taken at year's end—by United Press rather than the AP—concluded that Minnesota was the best in the nation.
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.
The 1940 college football season was the 72nd season of intercollegiate football in the United States. Competition included schools from the Big Ten Conference, the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the Big Six Conference, the Southern Conference, the Southwestern Conference, and numerous smaller conferences and independent programs.
The college football rankings for the 1936 college football season included the first AP Poll, the Toledo Cup rankings based on input from a judge's committee of 250 sports editors, and the Litkenhous Ratings. The 1936 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was ranked as the national champion in all three rankings.
One human poll comprised the 1939 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. The Coaches' Poll began operation in 1950; in addition, the AP Poll did not begin conducting preseason polls until that same year.
One human poll comprised the 1941 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. The Coaches' Poll began operation in 1950; in addition, the AP Poll did not begin conducting preseason polls until that same year.
One human poll comprised the 1942 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. The Coaches' Poll began operation in 1950; in addition, the AP Poll did not begin conducting preseason polls until that same year.
One human poll comprised the 1945 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. The Coaches' Poll began operation in 1950; in addition, the AP Poll did not begin conducting preseason polls until that same year.
One human poll comprised the 1946 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. The Coaches' Poll began operation in 1950; in addition, the AP Poll did not begin conducting preseason polls until that same year.
One human poll comprised the 1949 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. The Coaches' Poll began operation in 1950; in addition, the AP Poll did not begin conducting preseason polls until that same year.
Two human polls comprised the 1950 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.
Two human polls comprised the 1951 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.
Two human polls comprised the 1952 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.
Two human polls comprised the 1953 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.
Two human polls comprised the 1954 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.
Two human polls comprised the 1956 NCAA University Division football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.
Two human polls comprised the 1957 NCAA University Division football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.
Two human polls comprised the 1958 NCAA University Division football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.
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.