1942 college football season

Last updated

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.

Contents

The teams ranked highest in the final AP Poll in December 1942 were:

  1. The Ohio State Buckeyes won the Big Ten championship and compiled an overall record of 9–1 record with the team's one loss coming against No. 3 Wisconsin. The Buckeyes ranked second nationally in scoring offense (33.7 points per game) and fourth in total offense (397.5 yards per game). They were ranked No. 1 in the final AP Poll but did not appear in a bowl game. Gene Fekete led the Big Ten with 910 rushing yards. Ohio State was selected as the national champion by the Associated Press (AP).
  2. The Georgia Bulldogs won the SEC championship and had an overall record of 11–1, including a victory over UCLA in the 1943 Rose Bowl. The Bulldogs ranked first nationally with 429.5 yards of total offense per game and were voted second in the final AP Poll in December 1942, prior to the Rose Bowl. A majority of selectors (including Billingsley and Houlgate) later named the Bulldogs as the national champion. [2]
  3. The Wisconsin Badgers finished second in the Big Ten with an overall record of 8–1–1 record, including a 17–7 victory over eventual AP national champion Ohio State. They were ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll. The Helms Athletic Foundation selected Wisconsin as 1942 national champions following the bowl games. [3]
  4. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane won the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) championship with a 10–1 record and was ranked No. 4 in the final AP Poll. They ranked first nationally in scoring offense (39.5 points per game) and passing offense (233.9 yards per game). Glenn Dobbs ranked fourth nationally with 1,427 yards of total offense.
  5. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets finished second in the SEC and compiled a 9–2 record, including a loss to Texas in the 1943 Cotton Bowl Classic. They were ranked No. 5 in the final AP Poll.

Frank Sinkwich of Georgia won the Heisman Trophy and led the nation with 2,187 yards of total offense (including 1,392 passing yards), making him the first major-college player to tally more than 2,000 yards in a season. Paul Governali of Columbia won the Maxwell Award. The year's other statistical leaders included Rudy Mobley of Hardin-Simmons with 1,281 rushing yards, Ray Evans of Kansas with 1,117 passing yards, Harding Miller of SMU with 531 receiving yards, and Bob Steuber of Missouri with 121 points scored.

With large numbers of college and professional football players serving in the armed forces, "service teams" competed against the college teams. The top-ranked service teams were Great Lakes Navy (No. 1), Iowa Pre-Flight (No. 2), and Georgia Pre-Flight (No. 3).

Conference and program changes

Conference changes

The Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which had been active since 1928, played its final season in 1942. The Northern Teachers Athletic Conference, an active NCAA Division II conference now known as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, changed its name to the State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota.

Membership changes

School1941 Conference1942 Conference
American Eagles Mason-Dixon Dropped Program
Centenary Gentlemen SIAA Dropped program
Gonzaga (WA) Bulldogs IndependentDropped Program
Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels IndependentDropped program
Providence Friars IndependentDropped program
Transylvania Pioneers SIAA Dropped program

September

On September 19, in Louisville, Georgia defeated Kentucky, 7–6. The following Friday, Georgia defeated the Jacksonville Naval Air Station, 14–0, in Macon. The soldiers at the Flight School at the University of Iowa, organized as the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks, overwhelmed Kansas, 61–0.

Most schools got their seasons underway on September 26. Defending champion Minnesota beat Pittsburgh, 50–7. Duke beat Davidson 21–0. Notre Dame and Wisconsin played to a 7–7 tie in Madison. Illinois beat South Dakota 46–0. In Montgomery, Alabama beat South Louisiana Institute (later University of Louisiana at Lafayette), 54–0. Texas beat the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, 18–7. Michigan beat the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, 9–0. Before its smallest crowd since 1933 (22,555) Ohio State defeated a service team, the Fort Knox Armoraiders, 59–0. [4] Iowa Pre-Flight won again, at Northwestern, 20–12.

October

October 3

Minnesota's winning streak ended when the defending national champs lost their first game in almost four years, to the Seahawks of Iowa Pre-Flight (who just happened to be coached that season by "former" Minnesota head coach Bernie Bierman who had taken leave from Minnesota to serve as an officer in the military during World War II), 7–6. Ohio State beat Indiana 32–21. Michigan beat Michigan State 20–0. Illinois defeated Butler 67–0. Texas beat LSU 27–14. Notre Dame lost to Georgia Tech 13–6. Georgia defeated Furman 40–7. Alabama beat Mississippi State 21–6. Duke lost at Wake Forest, 20–7.

October 10

Minnesota lost at Illinois, 20–13. Ohio State beat visiting USC, 28–12. Michigan lost to Iowa Pre-Flight, 26–14. Georgia beat Ole Miss, 48–13, at Memphis. In Mobile, Alabama defeated the Pensacola NAS, 27–0. Texas lost at Tulane, 18–7. In the poll that followed, the Top Five consisted of three teams from the Big Nine (No. 1 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan, and No. 5 Illinois) and two from the SEC (No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama).

October 17

No. 1 Ohio State beat Purdue 26–0. No. 2 Georgia beat Tulane 40–0. No. 3 Michigan defeated Northwestern 34–16. In Birmingham, No. 4 Alabama beat No. 15 Tennessee, 8–0. No. 5 Illinois won at No. 19 Iowa, 12–7. Losing also that day was Iowa Pre-Flight, which sustained its first loss at Notre Dame, 28–0.

In the next poll, the Top Five shuffled slightly, with Alabama and Michigan trading places: Ohio State (No. 1), Georgia (No. 2), Alabama (No. 3), Michigan (No. 4), Illinois (No. 5).

October 24

No. 1 Ohio State won at Northwestern 20–6. No. 2 Georgia won at Cincinnati 35–13. No. 3 Alabama won at Kentucky, 14–0. No. 4 Michigan lost at No. 13 Minnesota, 16–14. No. 5 Illinois lost to No. 8 Notre Dame, 21–14. No. 6 Georgia Tech won at Navy, 21–0.

In the poll that followed, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech replaced Michigan and Illinois: Ohio State (No. 1), Georgia (No. 2), Alabama (No. 3), Notre Dame (No. 4), Georgia Tech (No. 5).

October 31

No. 1 Ohio State lost at No. 6 Wisconsin, 17–7. In Atlanta, No. 2 Georgia beat No. 3 Alabama, 21–10. No. 4 Notre Dame beat Navy in Cleveland, 9–0. No. 5 Georgia Tech won at Duke, 26–7. No. 7 Boston College beat Georgetown, 47–0. The Georgia Bulldogs took over first place in the poll that followed, and Wisconsin and Boston College moved in while Ohio State and Alabama fell out: 1. Georgia 2. Wisconsin 3. Georgia Tech 4. Notre Dame 5. Boston College.

November

November 7

In Jacksonville, No. 1 Georgia beat Florida, 75–0. No. 2 Wisconsin lost at unranked Iowa, 6–0. No. 3 Georgia Tech beat Kentucky 47–7. No. 4 Notre Dame beat Army 13–0 at Yankee Stadium. No. 5 Boston College beat Temple, 28–0. No. 8 Alabama beat South Carolina 29–0 and moved into the Top Five as Wisconsin dropped out. The nation's top two teams were Georgia and Georgia Tech: Georgia (No. 1), Georgia Tech (No. 2), Boston College (No. 3), Notre Dame (No. 4), Alabama (No. 5).

November 14

No. 1 Georgia won at Chattanooga, 40–0. In Atlanta, No. 2 Georgia Tech beat No. 5 Alabama 7–0. No. 3 Boston College beat Fordham at home, 56–6. No. 4 Notre Dame lost to No. 6 Michigan, 32–20, while in Cleveland, No. 10 Ohio State beat No. 13 Illinois 44–20. The poll: Georgia (No. 1), Georgia Tech (No. 2), Boston College (No. 3), Michigan (No. 4), Ohio State (No. 5).

November 21

In Columbus, Georgia, No. 1 Georgia lost to unranked Auburn, 27–13. No. 2 Georgia Tech beat Florida 20–7. No. 3 Boston College defeated Boston University, 37–0. No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Ohio State met in Columbus, with OSU winning 21–7, capturing the Big Nine championship. No. 7 Wisconsin beat No. 10 Minnesota 21–6 to finish its season at 8–1–1. In the next poll, the Boston College Eagles were No. 1: Boston College (No. 1), Georgia Tech (No. 2), Ohio State (No. 3), Wisconsin (No. 4), Georgia (No. 5).

November 28

No. 1 Boston College lost to unranked Holy Cross, 55–12. No. 2 Georgia Tech visited No. 5 Georgia, and lost 34–0. No. 3 Ohio State defeated the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks, 41–12, finishing 9–1–0 and capturing the No. 1 ranking in the final AP poll, ahead of No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 4 Tulsa, and No. 5 Georgia Tech.

Conference standings

For this article, major conferences defined as those including multiple state flagship public universities or a team ranked in the AP Poll.

Major conference standings

1942 Big Six Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Missouri $ 4 0 18 3 1
Oklahoma 3 1 13 5 2
Nebraska 3 2 03 7 0
Kansas State 2 3 03 8 0
Iowa State 1 4 03 6 0
Kansas 1 4 02 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Big Ten Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Ohio State $ 5 1 09 1 0
No. 3 Wisconsin 4 1 08 1 1
No. 9 Michigan 3 2 07 3 0
Illinois 3 2 06 4 0
Iowa 3 3 06 4 0
No. 19 Minnesota 3 3 05 4 0
Indiana 2 2 07 3 0
Purdue 1 4 01 8 0
Northwestern 0 6 01 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1942 Border Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Hardin–Simmons + 4 0 19 1 1
Texas Tech + 3 0 14 5 1
West Texas State 5 2 07 2 0
Arizona 4 2 06 4 0
Texas Mines 4 3 05 4 0
New Mexico 3 4 04 5 2
Arizona State 2 5 02 8 0
Arizona State–Flagstaff 1 4 01 5 0
New Mexico A&M 0 6 01 8 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1942 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 4 Tulsa $ 5 0 010 1 0
Oklahoma A&M 4 1 06 3 1
Washington University 2 3 05 5 0
Saint Louis 2 3 04 5 0
Creighton 1 4 05 4 0
Drake 1 4 03 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1942 Mountain States Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Colorado + 5 1 07 2 0
Utah + 5 1 06 3 0
Denver 3 2 16 3 1
Utah State 2 3 16 3 1
Colorado A&M 2 3 04 3 0
BYU 1 4 02 5 0
Wyoming 1 5 03 5 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1942 New England Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
New Hampshire + 3 0 06 0 0
Connecticut + 2 0 06 2 0
Northeastern 0 1 00 5 1
Rhode Island State 0 2 03 3 0
Maine 0 2 02 4 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1942 North Central Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Iowa State Teachers + 5 0 08 1 0
Augustana (SD) + 4 0 08 0 0
South Dakota 4 2 05 3 0
South Dakota State 3 3 04 4 0
North Dakota 2 3 03 3 0
North Dakota Agricultural 2 3 02 5 1
Morningside 1 6 02 6 0
Omaha 0 4 01 5 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1942 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 13 UCLA $ 6 1 07 4 0
Washington State 5 1 16 2 2
No. 12 Stanford 5 2 06 4 0
USC 4 2 15 5 1
Oregon State 4 4 04 5 1
Washington 3 3 24 3 3
California 3 4 05 5 0
Oregon 2 5 02 6 0
Idaho 1 5 03 7 0
Montana 0 6 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1942 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 2 Georgia $ 6 1 011 1 0
No. 5 Georgia Tech 4 1 09 2 0
No. 7 Tennessee 4 1 09 1 1
No. 18 Mississippi State 5 2 08 2 0
No. 10 Alabama 4 2 08 3 0
LSU 3 2 07 3 0
No. 16 Auburn 3 3 06 4 1
Vanderbilt 2 4 06 4 0
Florida 1 3 03 7 0
Tulane 1 4 04 5 0
Kentucky 0 5 03 6 1
Ole Miss 0 5 02 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1942 Southern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 14 William & Mary $ 4 0 09 1 1
VPI 5 1 07 2 1
Wake Forest 6 1 16 2 1
North Carolina 3 1 15 2 2
Duke 3 1 15 4 1
NC State 3 1 24 4 2
Furman 3 3 03 6 0
The Citadel 2 2 05 2 0
Clemson 2 3 13 6 1
Davidson 2 4 12 6 1
VMI 2 4 13 5 1
George Washington 2 4 03 6 0
Maryland 1 2 07 2 0
South Carolina 1 4 01 7 1
Richmond 1 5 03 6 1
Washington and Lee 0 4 01 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1942 Southwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 11 Texas $ 5 1 09 2 0
Rice 4 1 17 2 1
TCU 4 2 07 3 0
Baylor 3 2 16 4 1
Texas A&M 2 3 14 5 1
SMU 1 4 13 6 2
Arkansas 0 6 03 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Independents

1942 Eastern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Williams   7 1 0
No. 19 Penn State   6 1 1
No. 8 Boston College   8 2 0
Buffalo   6 2 0
Bucknell   6 2 1
Colgate   6 2 1
Army   6 3 0
Syracuse   6 3 0
Duquesne   6 3 1
Yale   5 3 0
Fordham   5 3 1
Penn   5 3 1
No. T–19 Holy Cross   5 4 1
Dartmouth   5 4 0
Brown   4 4 0
Villanova   4 4 0
Vermont   4 3 0
Carnegie Tech   3 3 0
Boston University   4 5 0
Cornell   3 5 1
Princeton   3 5 1
Temple   2 5 3
Columbia   3 6 0
Pittsburgh   3 6 0
Tufts   2 5 1
Franklin & Marshall   1 4 2
Massachusetts State   2 5 0
Harvard   2 6 1
Drexel   2 6 0
Manhattan   2 6 0
CCNY   1 7 1
Rankings from AP Poll
1942 Midwestern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Central Michigan   6 0 0
Western Michigan   5 1 0
Cincinnati   8 2 0
Dayton   8 2 0
Marquette   7 2 0
No. 6 Notre Dame   7 2 2
Bowling Green   6 2 1
Ohio   5 3 0
Detroit   5 4 0
Wichita   5 4 0
Michigan State   4 3 2
Michigan State Normal   3 3 1
Ohio Wesleyan   4 4 0
Xavier   4 5 0
Carthage   3 4 0
Miami (OH)   3 6 0
Wayne   1 6 1
Akron   0 7 2
Rankings from AP Poll
1942 Southern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Louisiana Normal (Grambling)   9 0 0
Delaware   8 0 0
Mississippi Southern   4 0 0
Sewanee   1 0 0
Miami (FL)   7 2 0
Delaware State   3 1 1
Middle Tennessee State Teachers   4 2 1
Chattanooga   7 4 0
Georgetown   5 3 1
Navy   5 4 0
West Virginia   5 4 0
Western Maryland   4 4 1
Tennessee Tech   3 4 2
Virginia   2 6 1
Roanoke   1 5 1
1942 Western college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 17 Santa Clara   7 2 0
Portland   5 2 0
Idaho Southern Branch   4 2 0
Saint Mary's   6 3 1
San Francisco   6 4 0
Loyola (CA)   5 4 1
Nevada   4 3 1
Cal Poly   4 3 0
San Francisco State   0 6 0
Rankings from AP Poll
1942 military service football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 11 Second Air Force   11 0 1
No. 9 Manhattan Beach Coast Guard   6 0 1
No. 17 March Field   11 2 0
No. 3 Georgia Pre-Flight   7 1 1
No. 4 North Carolina Pre-Flight   8 2 1
No. 6 Jacksonville NAS   9 3 0
No. 1 Great Lakes Navy   8 3 1
No. 2 Iowa Pre-Flight   7 3 1
No. 15 Fort Riley   6 3 0
No. 14 Fort Monmouth   5 2 2
No. 5 Saint Mary's Pre-Flight   6 3 1
No. T–20 Fort Douglas   5 3 0
No. 10 Corpus Christi NAS   4 3 1
No. 16 Camp Davis   4 3 2
Albuquerque AAB   5 4 0
No. 13 Lakehurst NAS   4 4 1
Santa Ana AAB   4 4 0
Will Rogers AB   4 4 0
No. 7 Camp Grant   4 5 0
No. 8 Pensacola NAS   3 5 1
No. T–18 Fort Totten   3 5 1
Camp Pickett   1 6 0
No. 12 Fort Knox   2 6 0
Alameda Coast Guard   1 7 1
No. T–18 Spence Field   0 4 0
No. T–20 Daniel Field   0 6 0
Rankings from AP Service Poll

Minor conferences

ConferenceChampion(s)Record
California Collegiate Athletic Association Fresno State Normal 2–0
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Morgan State College 5–1–1
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Pittsburg State 5–0
Far Western Conference Pacific (CA) 2–0
Indiana Intercollegiate Conference Ball State Teachers College 5–0
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Dubuque 8–0
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Baker 6–0
Lone Star Conference East Texas State Teachers 2–0–1
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Alma 4–0
Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference Lawrence 5–0
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Saint Thomas (MN) 5–0
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association Northwest Missouri State Teachers
Southeast Missouri State Teachers
3–1
Nebraska College Athletic Conference Doane 4–0
Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association Nebraska State Teachers (UN–Kearney)2–1
New Mexico Intercollegiate Conference New Mexico State Teachers 1–0
North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Augustana (SD)
Iowa State Teachers (Northern Iowa)
4–0
5–0
North Dakota College Athletic Conference North Dakota Science 5–0
Ohio Athletic Conference Ohio Northern 5–0–1
Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference Central State College (OK) 2–0
Pacific Northwest Conference Willamette 4–0
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Stroudsburg State Teachers 4–0
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Colorado Mines 2–0
South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Augustana (SD) 2–0
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Occidental
Pomona-Pitzer
Whittier
2–1
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Florida A&M College 7–0
Southwestern Athletic Conference Texas College 4–0
State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota Mankato State Teachers
St. Cloud State Teachers
4–0
Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference Howard Payne 4–0
Washington Intercollegiate Conference Central Washington College 4–1–1
Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference North: La Crosse Teachers
South: Platteville State Teachers
4–0
3–0–1

Minor conference standings

1942 Badger State Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Milton + 3 1 03 2 0
Wisconsin Tech + 3 1 03 2 0
Northwestern (WI) + 3 1 03 3 0
Mission House 1 3 01 5 0
Wisconsin–Extension 0 4 00 4 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1942 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Fresno State $ 2 0 09 1 0
San Jose State 1 1 07 2 0
San Diego State 0 2 00 6 1
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Pittsburg State $ 5 0 07 1 0
St. Benedict's 4 1 06 2 0
Southwestern (KS) 2 2 14 3 2
Emporia State 2 2 13 4 1
Washburn 1 4 01 6 0
Fort Hays State 0 5 01 8 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1942 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Morgan State $ 5 1 16 1 1
Johnson C. Smith 4 1 15 1 1
Bluefield State 2 1 34 1 3
Virginia State 5 2 16 2 1
Hampton 2 1 34 1 3
Lincoln (PA) 1 1 12 3 1
North Carolina College 1 3 01 4 0
Virginia Union 1 4 02 5 0
North Carolina A&T 1 6 02 7 0
West Virginia State 2 2 06 2 0
Howard 0 3 01 4 2
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Far Western Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Pacific (CA) $ 2 0 02 6 1
Chico State 1 1 05 1 0
Cal Aggies 0 2 01 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Illinois College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Millikin $ 5 0 07 0 0
Augustana (IL) 4 1 07 1 0
Knox (IL) 2 1 06 2 0
Illinois Wesleyan 2 1 04 5 0
North Central (IL) 1 1 05 2 0
Bradley 0 1 04 4 0
Illinois College 0 3 03 4 1
Lake Forest 0 3 02 4 1
Monmouth (IL) 0 3 02 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Western Illinois $ 3 0 15 0 2
Northern Illinois State 1 0 23 2 2
Illinois State Normal 2 1 12 5 1
Southern Illinois 1 3 02 4 0
Eastern Illinois 0 3 01 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Indiana Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Ball State + 5 0 06 2 0
Saint Joseph's (IN) + 3 0 07 0 1
Rose Poly 4 1 05 1 0
Wabash 4 1 04 2 1
DePauw 3 1 05 3 0
Valparaiso 3 2 04 4 0
Manchester 2 2 04 4 0
Hanover 2 3 02 5 0
Butler 1 2 02 7 0
Indiana State 1 3 04 3 0
Evansville 1 3 01 4 0
Franklin (IN) 1 5 01 7 0
Central Normal 0 3 00 4 0
Earlham 0 4 01 6 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1942 Iowa Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Dubuque $ 8 0 08 0 0
St. Ambrose 1 0 03 4 1
Upper Iowa 4 1 04 1 0
Simpson (IA) 4 1 04 3 0
Wartburg 3 2 04 2 0
Parsons 2 1 23 3 2
Loras 1 1 05 3 0
Central (IA) 2 3 13 4 1
Buena Vista 1 3 11 4 1
Western Union 0 1 10 4 1
Luther 1 4 02 4 1
Iowa Wesleyan 1 4 01 6 0
Penn (IA) 0 7 10 7 1
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Baker $ 6 0 07 0 0
Ottawa 4 1 15 1 1
Kansas Wesleyan 3 1 25 4 2
Bethany (KS) 3 2 13 3 1
McPherson 1 4 11 4 3
College of Emporia 1 4 11 5 1
Bethel (KS) 0 6 02 6 1
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Lone Star Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
East Texas State $ 2 0 14 3 1
Sam Houston State 2 1 05 3 0
North Texas State 1 2 03 5 0
Southwest Texas State 0 2 13 4 1
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Louisiana Normal $ 3 0 06 2 0
Southwestern Louisiana 2 1 03 4 0
Louisiana Tech 1 2 06 3 0
Southeastern Louisiana 0 3 05 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Alma $ 4 0 07 0 0
Kalamazoo 2 2 04 3 0
Albion 2 2 04 4 0
Hillsdale 1 3 03 5 0
Hope 1 3 01 4 2
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Middle Three Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Lehigh + 1 0 15 2 1
Lafayette + 1 0 13 5 1
Rutgers 0 2 03 4 1
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Midwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Lawrence $ 5 0 06 0 0
Knox 5 1 06 2 0
Grinnell 3 2 03 4 0
Cornell (IA) 3 3 04 3 0
Ripon 3 3 03 5 0
Monmouth (IL) 2 4 02 6 0
Beloit 1 5 01 5 0
Coe 1 5 01 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
St. Thomas (MN) + 5 0 08 0 0
Concordia (MN) + 3 0 16 0 1
Saint John's (MN) 4 1 14 1 1
Hamline 3 2 03 2 0
Gustavus Adolphus 2 2 04 4 0
Macalester 2 3 04 4 0
St. Olaf 2 3 02 4 1
Saint Mary's (MN) 0 5 01 7 0
Augsburg 0 5 00 6 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1942 Minnesota Teachers College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
St. Cloud State + 4 0 06 0 0
Mankato State + 4 0 04 2 0
Bemidji State 2 2 03 4 0
Duluth State 2 2 02 3 1
Winona State 0 4 02 4 1
Moorhead State 0 4 02 5 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1942 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Missouri Valley $ 4 0 09 0 0
William Jewell 2 1 04 3 1
Culver–Stockton 1 1 13 3 1
Central (MO) 0 2 14 3 1
Tarkio 0 3 02 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Cape Girardeau + 3 1 06 2 0
Maryville (MO) + 3 1 04 2 1
Missouri Mines 2 2 03 4 0
Springfield (MO) 2 2 02 7 2
Warrensburg} 0 4 00 7 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1942 Nebraska College Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Doane $ 4 0 05 3 0
Nebraska Wesleyan 3 1 05 3 1
York (NE) 1 3 03 4 0
Midland 1 3 02 5 1
Hastings 1 3 01 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Kearney State $ 2 1 06 2 0
Chadron State 1 1 04 1 1
Peru State 1 1 16 2 1
Wayne State (NE) 0 1 14 1 2
  • $ Conference champion
1942 North State Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Catawba $ 4 0 09 2 0
Appalachian State 2 2 05 2 1
High Point 1 4 01 6 1
Guilford 0 1 00 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Northwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Willamette $ 4 0 04 1 0
Puget Sound 2 1 04 2 0
Whitman 2 2 02 5 0
Linfield 0 1 12 1 1
Pacific (OR) 0 3 20 5 2
College of Idaho 0 1 10 3 1
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Ohio Northern $ 5 0 16 1 1
John Carroll 3 0 13 2 3
Oberlin 4 1 05 3 0
Toledo 1 0 14 4 1
Baldwin–Wallace 2 1 06 2 0
Wooster 4 3 06 3 0
Kent State 1 1 05 3 0
Findlay 2 3 05 4 1
Heidelberg 2 3 04 4 0
Wittenberg 1 2 11 5 1
Kenyon 1 2 05 2 0
Case 1 2 04 4 0
Muskingum 1 4 03 4 2
Capital 1 4 03 4 0
Mount Union 0 5 01 6 0
Ashland 0 1 00 1 0
Otterbein * 2 0 05 1 1
Marietta * 1 0 02 0 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – did not complete for championship
1942 Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
East Stroudsburg $ 4 0 06 0 0
Lock Haven 4 0 16 0 1
Indiana (PA) 4 2 05 3 0
Slippery Rock 2 2 04 2 0
Mansfield 2 2 12 2 1
West Chester 1 2 05 3 1
Clarion 1 2 01 3 0
Edinboro 1 2 01 3 0
Shippensburg 1 4 02 4 0
Kutztown 0 4 01 4 0
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Colorado Mines $ 2 0 03 4 0
Colorado State–Greeley 1 1 04 5 0
Colorado College 0 2 03 4 0
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Southern California Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Whittier + 2 1 05 4 0
Pomona + 2 1 03 3 1
Occidental + 2 1 03 4 0
Redlands 0 3 04 4 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1942 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Texas College $ 4 0 07 1 0
Prairie View 3 1 05 2 0
Langston 1 2 16 2 1
Wiley 1 3 03 4 0
Southern 0 3 14 4 1
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Texas Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Howard Payne $ 4 0 07 2 0
Abilene Christian 3 1 06 2 0
Southwestern (TX) 2 2 06 4 0
McMurry 1 3 02 6 0
Austin 0 4 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1942 Washington Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Central Washington $ 4 1 15 1 2
Saint Martin's 3 1 06 2 0
Eastern Washington 2 2 03 4 0
Pacific Lutheran 1 3 12 5 1
Western Washington 0 3 21 4 2
  • $ Conference champion
1942 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Morris Harvey $ 4 0 06 1 2
West Liberty State 4 1 05 3 0
Glenville State 4 2 04 2 0
Fairmont State 3 4 03 4 0
Potomac State 0 4 01 8 0
Bethany (WV) * 1 2 06 2 0
Marshall * 0 1 08 2 0
West Virginia Tech * 0 2 00 2 4
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – Did not qualify for conference standings
    Ties did not count in conference standings.
1942 Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Northern Division
La Crosse State x 4 0 06 0 1
Stout Institute 2 2 03 2 0
Superior State 2 2 03 2 1
River Falls State 2 2 02 4 0
Eau Claire State 0 4 00 6 0
Southern Division
Milwaukee State x 3 0 13 0 3
Platteville State x 3 0 13 1 1
Whitewater State 2 2 02 4 0
Stevens Point State 1 3 01 4 0
Oshkosh State 0 4 00 5 0
  • x Division champion/co-champions

Rankings

Top 10 in final AP poll

1. Ohio State (9–1)
2. Georgia (10–1)
3. Wisconsin (8–1–1)
4. Tulsa (10–0)
5. Georgia Tech (9–1)
6. Notre Dame (7–2–1)
7. Tennessee (8–1–1)
8. Boston College (8–1)
9. Michigan (7–3)
10. Alabama (7–3)

Heisman Trophy voting

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

PlayerSchoolPositionTotal
Frank Sinkwich Georgia HB1,059
Paul Governali Columbia QB218
Clint Castleberry Georgia Tech HB99
Mike Holovak Boston College FB90
Billy Hillenbrand Indiana HB86
Angelo Bertelli Notre Dame QB75
Dick Wildung Minnesota OT71
Gene Fekete Ohio State FB65
Glenn Dobbs Tulsa HB63
Dave Schreiner Wisconsin E60

Bowl games

Bowl gameWinning teamLosing team
Rose Bowl No. 2 Georgia 9No. 13 UCLA 0
Sugar Bowl No. 7 Tennessee 14No. 4 Tulsa 7
Orange Bowl No. 10 Alabama 37No. 8 Boston College 21
Cotton Bowl Classic No. 11 Texas 14No. 5 Georgia Tech 7
Sun Bowl Second Air Force 13 Hardin–Simmons 7

Statistical leaders

Team leaders

Total offense

RankTeamGames playedYards gainedYards per gameFirst downs
1 Georgia 114725429.5186
2 Tulsa 104261426.1165
3 Boston College 93697410.8137
4 Ohio State 103975397.5152
5 Missouri 124272356.0169
6 Hardin-Simmons 93130347.8124
6 Iowa Pre-Flight 103356335.6133
7 Georgia Tech 103304330.4136
9 Indiana 103301330.1154
10 Texas 103205320.5148

[5]

Total defense

RankTeamGames playedYards gainedYards per game1st downs
1 Texas 101173117.363
2Miami91154128.266
3 Boston College 91186131.872
4 William & Mary 111516137.877
5 North Carolina Pre-Flight 101428142.887
6 Tennessee 101435143.575
7 Minnesota 91314146.067
8 Tulsa 101487148.770
9 Holy Cross 101494149.461
10 Great Lakes Navy 121917159.891

[5]

Rushing offense

RankTeamGamesRushesYards gainedYards per game
1 Hardin-Simmons 95082767307.4
2 Boston College 95382635292.8
3 Ohio State 105712833283.3
4 Missouri 125973230269.2
5 Texas 105322496249.6
6 Iowa Pre-Flight 105152493249.3
7 Auburn 95002223247.0
8 Great Lakes Navy 126192906242.2
9 Penn 95182162240.2
10 Georgia 114912624238.5

[6]

Rushing defense

RankTeamGamesRushesYards gainedYards per game
1 Boston College 929444048.9
2 Texas 1030657557.5
3 William & Mary 1132973466.7
4 Alabama 1032974374.3
5 Tennessee 1034776076.0

Passing offense

RankTeamGamesAtt.Compl.Int.Pct.
Compl.
YardsYds/GameYds/Attempt
1 Tulsa 102451389.5632339233.99.55
2 Georgia 1124512218.4982101191.08.58
3 Columbia 91999621.4821661184.68.35
4 Creighton 91577813.4971393154.88.87
5 Maryland 91709015.5291364151.68.02

Passing defense

RankTeamGamesAtt.Compl.Pct.
Compl.
YardsYds/Game
1 Harvard 98129.35840945.4
1 Texas Mines 810540.38136345.4
3Miami911546.40043748.6
3 Penn State 89332.34438948.6
5 South Carolina 99932.32345350.3

Scoring

RankTeamGamesPointsPts/Game
1 Tulsa 1143439.5
2 Ohio State 1033733.7
3 Georgia 1237631.3
4 Boston College 1028228.2
5 Colorado 925127.9
6 Indiana 1025625.6
7 Missouri 1228824.0
8 Tennessee 1125923.5
9 Oklahoma A&M 1023523.5
10 Vanderbilt 1023223.2

Individual leaders

Total offense

RankPlayerTeamGamesPlaysRush ydsPass ydsTotal YdsAvg gain
per play
1 Frank Sinkwich Georgia11341795139221876.41
2 Paul Governali Columbia9268168144216106.01
3 Bob Steuber Missouri12199109835614547.31
4 Glenn Dobbs Tulsa10179361106614277.97
5 Ray Evans Kansas10311293111714104.53
6 Billy Hillenbrand Indiana1023948087713575.68
7 Bruce Smith Great Lakes Navy1224584948613355.45
8 Otto Graham Northwestern10318235109213274.17
9DuttonPittsburgh930367561012854.24
10 Rudy Mobley Hardin-Simmons91871281012816.85

Rushing

RankPlayerTeamGamesRushesNet YdsAvg Gain
per Play
1 Rudy Mobley Hardin-Simmons918712816.85
2 Bob Steuber Missouri1214910987.37
3Camp WilsonHardin-Simmons91969815.01
4Mike HolowakBoston College91749655.55
5 Gene Fekete Ohio State101859104.92
6 Bruce Smith Great Lakes Navy121448495.90
7 Bob Kennedy Washington State102268133.60
8 Frank Sinkwich Georgia111757954.54
9 Elroy Hirsch Wisconsin101417675.44
10 Roy McKay Texas101327015.31

Passing

RankPlayerTeamGamesAtt.Compl.Int.Pct. Compl.Yds.
1 Ray Evans Kansas102001019.5051117
2 Otto Graham Northwestern101828918.4891092
3 Paul Governali Columbia91658718.5271442
4 Frank Sinkwich Georgia11166847.5061392
5Turnbull GilletteVirginia91448214.569920
6 Angelo Bertelli Notre Dame111627216.4441039
7ClarkTexas Mines91367112.522846
8 Glenn Dobbs Tulsa10107674.6261066
9 Tommy Mont Maryland91276612.5201076
10 Emery Nix±TCU10154669.429672

See also

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References

  1. "October 12, 1942 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. "Badgers Rated Nation's No. 1". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. January 11, 1943. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  4. "Ohio State Triumphs Over Fort Knox Soldiers," The Sunday Times-Signal (Zanesville, O.), Sep. 27, 1942, pII-6
  5. 1 2 Walter R. Okeson, ed. (1943). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1943. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 51.
  6. Walter R. Okeson, ed. (1943). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1943. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 52.