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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 1942 college football season was the 74th 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 season was the first after the entry of the United States into World War II.
The Fordham Rams football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Fordham University, located in the borough of The Bronx in New York City. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Patriot League. Fordham's first football team was fielded 141 years ago in 1882; the team plays its home games on campus at 7,000-seat Coffey Field.
The 1939 Oklahoma Sooners football team was an American football team that represented the University of Oklahoma as a member of the Big Six Conference during the 1939 college football season. In their third year under head coach Tom Stidham, the Sooners compiled a 6–2–1 record, finished in third place in the Big Six Conference, and outscored their opponents by a total of 186 to 62.
The 1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1939 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 46th overall and 7th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Frank Thomas, in his ninth year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of five wins, three losses and one tie.
The 1941 Fordham Rams football team was an American football team that represented Fordham University as an independent during the 1941 college football season. Rams offense scored 182 points while the defense allowed 67 points. Fordham was invited to play in the Rose Bowl, but declined the invitation because it had previously accepted a berth in the 1942 Sugar Bowl. They were ranked sixth in the final AP poll, released in early December.
The 1941 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Nebraska in the Big Six Conference during the 1941 college football season. In its fifth season under head coach Biff Jones, the team compiled a 4–5 record, tied for second place in the Big Six, and outscored opponents by a total of 93 to 81.
The 1942 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the 1942 college football season. The team's head football coach was Ward Haylett, in his first year at the helm of the Wildcats. The Wildcats played their home games in Memorial Stadium. The Wildcats finished the season with a 3–8 record with a 2–3 record in conference play. They finished in fourth place in the Big Six Conference. The Wildcats scored 79 points and gave up 334 points.
The North Carolina Pre-Flight Cloudbusters represented the U.S. Navy pre-flight school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the college football seasons of 1942, 1943 and 1944 during World War II. The North Carolina Pre-Flight School was established on February 1, 1942, by the Secretary of the Navy and opened that April. The football team was later organized and competed against other military teams in addition to major college teams of the period. During their three years in existence, the Cloudbusters compiled an overall record of sixteen wins, eight losses and three ties (16–8–3).
The 1936 Fordham Rams football team represented Fordham University during the 1936 college football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Jim Crowley, the Rams' offense scored 128 over eight games, while the defense allowed no more than seven points in any game, and shut out three teams, including second-ranked Pittsburgh.
The 1937 Fordham Rams football team represented Fordham University during the 1937 college football season. Once again, the Rams' offense dominated with over 100 points scored in the first two games. The defense held every opponent to seven points or less per game, and recorded five shutouts, including top-ranked Pittsburgh and No. 19 ranked North Carolina. The Rams' went undefeated with a 7–0–1 record and were third in the final AP rankings, only giving up 16 points all season.
The 1940 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) in the 1940 college football season. The Hurricanes played their nine home games at Burdine Stadium in Miami, Florida. The team was led by fourth-year head coach Jack Harding and finished with a 3–7 record, unranked in the AP poll.
The 1939 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San Jose State College during the 1939 college football season.
The 1939 Duquesne Dukes football team represented Duquesne University in the 1939 college football season. The Dukes were led by first-year head coach Aldo Donelli. For the second time in four years, the Dukes upset cross-town rivals Pittsburgh, this time as the Panthers were the number one team in the US. The Dukes finished undefeated, with a record of 8–0–1, and ranked 10th in the AP Poll. They were ranked at No. 32 in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1939.
The 1950 Fordham Rams football team represented Fordham University as an independent during the 1950 college football season. The Rams went 8–1 and scored 174 points while their defense allowed 123 points. Despite an 8-1 record, Fordham finished the season unranked and were left out of any postseason play, although they did get strong consideration from the Gator Bowl. Ultimately, a poor strength of schedule—Fordham's opponents combined for a dismal 28–53–4 mark–in what was a weak year for the entire Eastern region and a belief that Fordham would not travel well—Fordham only averaged about 10,000 fans per home game—kept them home during bowl season. Still, their .889 win percentage is tied for second best in school history.
The 1941 Harvard Crimson football team was an American football team that represented Harvard University in the Ivy League during the 1941 college football season. In its seventh season under head coach Dick Harlow, the team compiled a 5–2–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 70 to 43. The team was ranked No. 17 in the AP Poll released on November 10, 1941, and No. 19 in the poll released on November 24, 1941. The team was unranked in the final AP Poll but was ranked at No. 32 in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score System for 1941.
The 1939 NYU Violets football team represented New York University in the 1939 college football season. In Mal Stevens's 6th season at NYU, the Violets compiled a 5–4 record, and managed to secure a place on the AP poll for the first and only time in program history for three weeks. They also defeated No. 15 Carnegie Tech 6–0 for their 2nd and final win over a ranked college football program, the other victory coming against #8 Fordham in 1936.
The 1939 Dartmouth Indians football team represented Dartmouth College in the 1939 college football season. The Indians were led by sixth-year head coach Earl Blaik and played their home games at Memorial Field in Hanover, New Hampshire. They finished with a record of 5–3–1 and outscored opponents by a total of 154 to 73. After amassing a 5–0–1 record to start the season and shutting out four of those opponents, Dartmouth ascended to 14th in the AP Poll, but lost their last three contests against, No. 4 Cornell, Princeton, and a Stanford team that finished 1–7–1—their only win coming against Dartmouth. Northwester finish the year unranked in the AP poll and were ranked No. 29 in the final Litkenhous Ratings.
The 1951 Boston University Terriers football team was an American football team that represented Boston University as an independent during the 1951 college football season. In its fifth season under head coach Aldo Donelli, the team compiled a 6–4 record and outscored their opponents by a total of 299 to 157. Although they finished with four losses, defeated only one opponent that was ranked at the time of the game, and defeated no opponents that finished with a winning percentage above .600 other than 7–3 William & Mary, the Terriers still managed to secure a spot on the final AP Poll, just shy of the top 15. This was largely due to two first place votes that were granted to the team, becoming only the second team to receive first place votes in the final poll with a winning percentage of .600 or worse, the first being 5–4–1 Holy Cross in 1942. The 1951 Boston team is considered by James Vautravers, a college football historian who analyzes past AP polls, to be the worst AP rated team of all time.
References
- ↑ Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 16, 1942). "Litkenhous Rates Georgia No. 1, Ohio State No. 2". Twin City Sentinel. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Tennessee Vols manhandle Fordham Rams, 40–14". The Knoxville Journal. October 4, 1942. Retrieved August 9, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Fordham University All-Time Football Records". luckyshow.org.
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