1947 college football season

Last updated

The 1947 college football season finished with Notre Dame, Michigan, and Penn State all unbeaten and untied, but the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame were the first place choice for 107 of the 142 voters in the final AP Poll in early December, and repeated as national champions. [3] Michigan was selected for the top spot by six contemporary math systems. [4]

Contents

Second-ranked Michigan met #8 USC in the Rose Bowl and won 49–0, while fourth-ranked Penn State was tied 13–13 by #3 SMU in the Cotton Bowl; Notre Dame didn't participate in the postseason for over four decades (until the 1969 season). An unofficial post-bowl AP poll was conducted with Michigan and Notre Dame as the only options, and Michigan won by a vote of 226 to 119. [5]

During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for the college football teams that would later be described as "Division I-A". The NCAA did recognize a national champion based upon the final results of the Associated Press poll of sportswriters (the United Press Coaches Poll started in 1950). The extent of that recognition came in the form of acknowledgment in the annual NCAA Football Guide of the "unofficial" national champions. [6]

Conference and program changes

Conference changes

Membership changes

School1946 Conference1947 Conference
Butler Bulldogs Indiana Intercollegiate Conference MAC
Cincinnati Bearcats Independent MAC
Connecticut Huskies New England Yankee
Maine Black Bears New England Yankee
Massachusetts Redmen Independent Yankee
New Hampshire Wildcats New England Yankee
Ohio Bobcats Independent MAC
Rhode Island State Rams New England Yankee
Vermont Catamounts Independent Yankee
Western Reserve Red Cats Independent MAC

September

The Associated Press did not poll the writers until after the games of October 4. Among the five teams that had been ranked highest in 1946 (Notre Dame, Army, Georgia, UCLA and Illinois), Georgia opened on September 20 with a 34–7 win over Southern Mississippi and UCLA hosted Iowa the following Friday and won 22–7. The next day, September 27, Army beat Villanova 13–0, Illinois beat Pittsburgh 14–0, and Georgia beat Tennessee 27–0.

October

On October 4 Notre Dame won at Pittsburgh 40–6. Army shut out visiting Colorado 47–0. Georgia beat Tulane in New Orleans, 20–0. UCLA lost at Northwestern 27–26. Illinois won at Iowa 35–12. When the first poll came out that Monday, Notre Dame was the favorite of a bare majority (52 of 103) of the voters, followed by No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Georgia Tech and No. 5 Army. Illinois was ranked 6th, Penn 7th, California 8th, Georgia 9th, and Vanderbilt 10th.

On October 11 No. 1 Notre Dame won at Purdue, 22–7. No. 2 Michigan beat Pittsburgh, 69–0. In Dallas, No. 3 Texas beat No. 15 Oklahoma 34–14. No. 4 Georgia Tech beat VMI, 20–0, for its third shutout in three starts. No. 5 Army and No. 6 Illinois met at Yankee Stadium in New York, and played to a 0–0 tie. In the next poll, Michigan and Notre Dame switched places at No. 1 and No. 2, while Texas stayed at No. 3. California, which won at Wisconsin 48–7, rose from eighth to fourth, with Georgia Tech falling to No. 5.

October 18 No. 1 Michigan won at Northwestern, 49–21. No. 2 Notre Dame shut out visiting Nebraska, 31–0. No. 3 Texas met Arkansas at a neutral location in Memphis, Tennessee, and won 21–6. No. 4 California beat Washington State, 21–6. No. 5 Georgia Tech defeated Auburn 27–7 to stay unbeaten, but was voted out of the Top Five. No. 6 Illinois, which beat No. 13 Minnesota 40–13, rose to fifth.

October 25 No. 1 Michigan stayed unbeaten, with a 13–6 win over Minnesota, as did No. 2 Notre Dame, which defeated Iowa, 21–0. No. 3 Texas beat Rice, 12–0. No. 4 California lost to No. 10 USC, 39–14. No. 5 Illinois lost at Purdue, 14–7. No. 8 Penn beat Navy, 21–0. The Irish rose to No. 1 in the next poll, with a 78–69 lead in votes over No. 2 Michigan. They were followed by No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Penn, and No. 5 USC.

November

November 1 No. 1 Notre Dame and Navy met in Cleveland, with the Fighting Irish registering their third straight shutout, 27–0. No. 2 Michigan won at No. 11 Illinois, 14–7. In Dallas, No. 3 Texas (6–0–0) faced unbeaten (5–0–0) No. 8 Southern Methodist University, and the SMU Mustangs won 14–13. No. 4 Pennsylvania won at Princeton, 26–7, to stay unbeaten. In Seattle, No. 5 USC beat Washington 19–0. SMU and Texas exchanged places at No. 3 and No. 8, with the other top teams remaining the same.

November 8 No. 1 Notre Dame hosted No. 9 Army and won 27–7. No. 2 Michigan beat Indiana 35–0. No. 3 SMU won at Texas A&M, 13–0. No. 4 Pennsylvania beat No. 10 Virginia, 19–7, and moved up to No. 3 with SMU down to fourth. No. 5 USC beat Stanford, 14–0.

November 15 No. 1 Notre Dame had more points scored against it than at any other time in the season, but won at unranked Northwestern, 26–19. Meanwhile, No. 2 Michigan faced No. 9 Wisconsin in Madison and won 40–6, raising it back up to first place in the next poll. No. 3 Pennsylvania and No. 13 Army played to a 7–7 tie in Philadelphia. No. 4 SMU stayed unbeaten with a 14–6 win over Arkansas. No. 5 USC was idle. The next poll featured No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 3 SMU, No. 4 USC, and Penn State (which had just beaten Navy 20-7) at No. 5.

November 22 No. 1 Michigan closed its season at 9–0–0 with a 21–0 win over Ohio State, and accepted an invitation to meet No. 4 USC (which beat No. 18 UCLA 6–0) in the Rose Bowl. Meanwhile, No. 3 SMU won 10–0 at Baylor, and No. 5 Penn State won at Pitt, 29–0. Both unbeaten, they accepted invitations to the Cotton Bowl Classic. No. 2 Notre Dame thrashed Tulane, 59–6 and yet again switched places with Michigan in the rankings. The Irish were restored to the top spot by the AP voters, with 97 first place votes to Michigan's 81.

November 29 No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 2 Michigan, No. 4 USC, and No. 5 Penn State were idle. No. 3 SMU was tied in a game at TCU, 19–19, and fell to fourth with USC moving up to No. 3.

December 6 No. 1 Notre Dame (8–0–0) and No. 3 USC (7–0–1) met in Los Angeles, with the Irish cementing their hold on the No. 1 ranking, 38–7. No. 2 Michigan, No. 4 SMU and No. 5 Penn State had completed their regular seasons, with bowls to come. The final AP poll featured No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 SMU, No. 4 Penn State, and No. 5 Texas as the top teams.

Conference standings

Major conference standings

For this article, major conferences defined as those including at least one state flagship public university and the Ivy League.

1947 Big Nine Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Michigan $ 6 0 010 0 0
Wisconsin 3 2 15 3 1
Minnesota 3 3 06 3 0
Illinois 3 3 05 3 1
Purdue 3 3 05 4 0
Indiana 2 3 15 3 1
Iowa 2 3 13 5 1
Northwestern 2 4 03 6 0
Ohio State 1 4 12 6 1
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1947 Big Six Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 12 Kansas + 4 0 18 1 2
No. 16 Oklahoma + 4 0 17 2 1
Missouri 3 2 06 4 0
Nebraska 2 3 02 7 0
Iowa State 1 4 03 6 0
Kansas State 0 5 00 10 0
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
1947 Border Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Texas Tech $ 4 0 06 5 0
Hardin–Simmons 5 1 08 3 0
West Texas State 5 2 07 4 0
Arizona 3 2 05 4 1
Texas Mines 3 3 15 3 1
Arizona State 3 4 04 7 0
New Mexico 1 5 14 5 1
New Mexico A&M 1 4 03 6 0
Arizona State–Flagstaff 0 4 01 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Ivy Group football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 7 Penn 4 0 07 0 1
Princeton 4 2 05 3 0
Yale 3 2 06 3 0
No. 20 Columbia 2 2 07 2 0
Harvard 1 3 04 5 0
Brown 1 3 04 4 1
Dartmouth 3 4 04 4 1
Cornell 1 4 04 5 0
Rankings from AP Poll
1947 Mid-American Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Cincinnati $ 3 1 07 3 0
Western Reserve 2 1 04 5 0
Butler 1 3 05 3 1
Ohio 1 3 03 5 1
Miami (OH) * 2 0 09 0 1
Western Michigan * 0 1 05 4 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – Miami and Western Michigan were not eligible to compete for the MAC championship because they did not schedule a full slate of games against MAC opponents.
1947 Middle Three Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Rutgers $ 2 0 08 1 0
Lafayette 1 1 06 3 0
Lehigh 0 2 05 4 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Mountain States Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Utah $ 6 0 08 1 1
Denver 3 2 15 4 1
Utah State 3 3 06 5 0
Colorado 3 3 04 5 0
Colorado A&M 2 3 15 4 1
Wyoming 2 4 04 5 0
BYU 1 5 03 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 North Central Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
South Dakota + 4 0 07 2 0
Iowa State Teachers + 4 0 05 3 1
South Dakota State 3 1 04 5 0
North Dakota 2 2 04 4 0
Augustana (SD) 2 3 03 5 0
Morningside 0 4 04 4 0
North Dakota State 0 5 01 7 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1947 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 8 USC $ 6 0 07 2 1
No. 15 California 5 1 09 1 0
Oregon 5 1 07 3 0
UCLA 4 2 05 4 0
Montana 2 1 07 4 0
Oregon State 3 4 05 5 0
Washington 2 5 03 6 0
Washington State 2 5 03 7 0
Idaho 1 4 04 4 0
Stanford 0 7 00 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1947 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 13 Ole Miss $ 6 1 09 2 0
No. 10 Georgia Tech 4 1 010 1 0
No. 6 Alabama 5 2 08 3 0
Mississippi State 2 2 07 3 0
Georgia 3 3 07 4 1
Vanderbilt 3 3 06 4 0
Tulane 2 3 22 5 2
LSU 2 3 15 3 1
Kentucky 2 3 08 3 0
Tennessee 2 3 05 5 0
Auburn 1 5 02 7 0
Florida 0 3 14 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1947 Southern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 14 William & Mary $ 7 1 09 2 0
No. 9 North Carolina 4 1 08 2 0
South Carolina 4 1 16 2 1
No. 19 Duke 3 1 14 3 2
Washington and Lee 3 2 05 5 0
Maryland 3 2 17 2 2
No. 17 NC State 3 2 15 3 1
VPI 4 3 04 5 0
Davidson 3 3 16 3 1
Wake Forest 3 4 06 4 0
VMI 2 3 13 5 1
Clemson 1 3 04 5 0
The Citadel 1 4 03 5 0
Furman 1 4 02 7 0
Richmond 1 5 03 7 0
George Washington 0 4 01 7 1
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1947 Southwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3 SMU $ 5 0 19 0 2
No. 5 Texas 5 1 010 1 0
No. 18 Rice 4 2 06 3 1
TCU 2 3 14 5 2
Arkansas 1 4 16 4 1
Texas A&M 1 4 13 6 1
Baylor 1 5 05 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1947 Yankee Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
New Hampshire $ 4 0 08 1 0
Maine 2 1 06 1 0
Connecticut 1 2 02 4 0
Rhode Island State 1 3 03 4 0
Massachusetts 0 1 13 4 1
Vermont 0 1 13 4 1
  • $ Conference champion

Independents

1947 Eastern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 4 Penn State   9 0 1
Muhlenberg   9 1 0
Buffalo   8 1 0
No. 11 Army   5 2 2
Villanova   6 3 1
Boston University   5 3 0
Hofstra   5 3 0
Tufts   5 3 0
Franklin & Marshall   4 3 1
Boston College   5 4 0
Holy Cross   4 4 2
Springfield   4 4 0
Syracuse   3 6 0
CCNY   2 5 1
NYU   2 5 1
Colgate   1 5 2
Temple   2 6 0
Bucknell   2 7 0
Duquesne   2 8 0
Fordham   1 6 1
Merchant Marine   2 9 0
Pittsburgh   1 8 0
Carnegie Tech   0 6 0
Drexel   0 8 0
Rankings from AP Poll
1947 Midwestern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Notre Dame   9 0 0
Youngstown   8 2 0
Michigan State   7 2 0
Ball State   5 1 2
Ohio Wesleyan   6 2 1
Wayne   5 2 0
Dayton   6 3 0
Washington University   5 3 0
Detroit   6 4 0
Bowling Green   5 5 0
Xavier   4 4 1
Marquette   4 5 0
Central Michigan   2 5 1
Valparaiso   2 5 1
Michigan State Normal   1 6 0
Rankings from AP Poll
1947 Southern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Princess Anne   8 0 0
Grambling   11 2 0
Sewanee   6 1 1
Memphis State   6 2 1
Texas State   9 3 0
Mississippi Southern   7 3 0
Oklahoma City   7 3 0
Virginia   7 3 0
West Virginia   6 4 0
East Tennessee State   5 4 0
Catholic University   3 3 0
Delaware   4 4 0
Georgetown   3 4 1
Chattanooga   4 6 0
Tennessee Tech   4 7 0
Miami (FL)   2 7 0
Navy   1 7 1
CCUNC   1 3 0
Florida State   0 5 0
1947 Western college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Pepperdine   9 0 0
Hawaii   8 5 0
Nevada   7 2 0
San Francisco   7 3 0
Cal Poly San Dimas   4 4 1
Santa Clara   4 4 0
La Verne   3 4 0
Idaho State   3 5 1
Loyola (CA)   3 7 0
Saint Mary's   3 7 0
Portland   1 7 0

Minor conferences

ConferenceChampion(s)Record
California Collegiate Athletic Association Pacific (CA) 5–0
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Shaw 6–0
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Kansas State Teachers 4–0–1
College Conference of Illinois North Central (IL) 5–1
Dakota-Iowa Athletic Conference Buena Vista
Westmar
3–1–1
Far Western Conference Northern Branch College of Agriculture
Southern Oregon College
3–1
Indiana Intercollegiate Conference Butler 4–0–1
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Upper Iowa 5–0
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Ottawa (KS) 6–0
Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference Louisiana Tech 5–0
Lone Star Conference North Texas State Teachers 6–0
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Kalamazoo
Hillsdale
3–0–2
Mid-American Conference Cincinnati 3–1
Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference Lawrence 5–1
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Macalester
Saint Thomas (MN)
4–0
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association Missouri School of Mines 4–1
Nebraska College Conference Chadron State
Nebraska Wesleyan
5–1–1
New Mexico Intercollegiate Conference Sul Ross 5–0
North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Iowa State Teachers (Northern Iowa)
South Dakota
4–0
North Dakota College Athletic Conference Valley City State 6–1
Ohio Athletic Conference Denison 5–0
Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference Southeastern State College (OK) 5–0
Pacific Northwest Conference Willamette 6–0
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Lock Haven State Teachers
Mansfield State Teachers
5–1–1
4–1–1
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Montana State College 1–0
South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Northern State Teachers (SD) 2–0
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Redlands 4–0
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Florida A&M College 5–0
Southwestern Athletic Conference Southern 7–0
State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota Bemidji State Teachers
Moorhead State Teachers
Winona State Teachers
3–1
Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference Hardin–Simmons
McMurry (TX)
4–1
Washington Intercollegiate Conference Eastern Washington College
Pacific Lutheran
4–1
Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference North: River Falls State Teachers
South: Milwaukee State Teachers
4–0
4–0

Minor conference standings

1947 Badger State Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Mission House + 3 1 06 2 0
Northwestern (WI) + 3 1 05 3 0
Milton 2 2 02 6 0
Wisconsin Tech 1 3 0 ?  ?  ?
Wisconsin–Extension 1 3 02 5 0
  • + Conference co-champions
  • Northwestern forfeited to Wisconsin Tech.
1947 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Pacific (CA) $ 5 0 010 1 0
San Jose State 3 2 09 3 0
Fresno State 2 1 23 6 2
San Diego State 2 2 17 3 1
Santa Barbara 1 3 14 3 1
Cal Poly 0 5 01 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Emporia State $ 4 0 17 1 1
Washburn 4 1 07 1 0
Southwestern (KS) 2 2 16 2 1
Fort Hays State 2 2 15 3 1
Pittsburg State 1 3 12 7 1
St. Benedict's 0 5 01 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 College Conference of Illinois football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
North Central (IL) $ 5 1 07 2 0
Wheaton (IL) 4 1 07 1 1
Augustana (IL) 3 1 14 2 2
Carthage 3 2 05 2 1
Lake Forest 2 2 13 4 1
Millikin 2 2 13 4 1
Illinois Wesleyan 2 2 13 5 1
Elmhurst 0 5 01 8 0
Illinois College 0 5 00 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Shaw $ 6 0 010 0 0
No. 7 Virginia State 7 1 09 1 0
No. 4 Hampton 5 1 17 2 1
No. 11 Howard 6 2 16 2 1
No. 9 Morgan State 5 2 15 2 1
No. 14 West Virginia State 4 1 16 3 1
No. 19 Lincoln (PA) 3 3 15 4 1
Delaware State 4 3 04 4 0
Virginia Union 3 5 04 5 0
Winston-Salem State 3 3 06 3 0
North Carolina A&T 1 5 11 5 1
North Carolina College 2 6 02 7 0
Bluefield State 1 5 03 6 0
Saint Paul's (VA) 0 5 10 5 1
Johnson C. Smith 0 2 11 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from the Pittsburgh Courier using the Dickinson Ratings System. [7]
1947 Dakota-Iowa Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Western Union + 3 1 13 2 2
Buena Vista + 3 1 13 5 1
Huron 3 2 04 3 0
Dakota Wesleyan 2 2 13 4 1
Yankton 1 2 21 4 2
Sioux Falls 0 4 12 5 1
  • + Conference co-champions
1947 Far Western Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Southern Oregon + 3 1 07 3 0
Cal Aggies + 3 1 04 5 0
Humboldt State 2 2 05 4 0
Chico State 1 3 04 5 0
San Francisco State 1 3 02 5 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1947 Hoosier Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Indiana Central $ 6 1 07 1 0
Hanover 5 1 07 1 0
Franklin (IN) 5 1 06 2 0
Manchester (IN) 2 3 12 5 1
Earlham 2 3 03 5 0
Canterbury 1 4 01 6 1
Anderson (IN) 0 4 11 5 2
Rose Poly 0 4 00 7 1
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Southern Illinois $ 3 0 17 2 1
Northern Illinois State 2 1 14 3 3
Illinois State Normal 1 1 24 3 2
Eastern Illinois 2 2 02 6 0
Western Illinois 0 4 04 4 1
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Iowa Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Upper Iowa $ 5 0 06 1 0
Loras * 2 0 09 0 0
Western Union * 1 0 03 2 2
Central (IA) 5 0 17 1 1
Dubuque 4 1 05 2 0
Simpson 2 1 23 4 2
Iowa Wesleyan 3 2 15 3 1
Wartburg 3 2 14 3 1
Parsons 2 4 02 6 0
St. Ambrose * 0 1 05 3 0
Luther 0 5 11 7 1
Buena Vista 0 5 03 5 1
William Penn 0 6 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – ineligible for conference title
1947 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Ottawa $ 6 0 06 2 1
Baker 4 1 15 3 1
Bethany (KS) 4 2 04 5 0
Kansas Wesleyan 3 2 14 4 1
Bethel (KS) 1 4 12 5 1
College of Emporia 1 4 12 6 1
McPherson 0 6 01 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Louisiana Tech $ 5 0 05 4 0
Southwestern Louisiana 4 1 06 2 0
Northwestern State 3 2 04 5 0
Southeastern Louisiana 2 3 03 5 1
Centenary 1 4 01 9 1
Louisiana College 0 4 01 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Lone Star Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
North Texas State $ 6 0 010 2 0
East Texas State 4 2 08 2 0
Southwest Texas State 4 2 05 4 0
Trinity (TX) 3 2 15 3 2
Stephen F. Austin 2 3 13 6 1
Sam Houston State 1 5 03 6 0
Houston 0 6 03 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Hillsdale + 3 0 27 0 2
Kalamazoo + 3 0 24 1 3
Hope 3 1 15 2 1
Alma 2 2 15 3 1
Adrian 1 4 03 5 0
Albion 0 5 00 8 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1947 Midwest Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Tennessee A&I $ 3 0 010 0 0
No. 12 Louisville Municipal 2 0 16 1 1
No. 2 Wilberforce State 3 1 011 1 0
No. 22 Kentucky State 3 3 04 6 0
No. 13 Lincoln (MO) 1 3 13 4 1
Wilberforce 0 2 00 6 1
Philander Smith 0 3 01 9 1
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from the Pittsburgh Courier using the Dickinson Ratings System. [8]
1947 Midwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Lawrence $ 5 1 07 1 0
Cornell (IA) 4 2 16 2 1
Monmouth (IL) 3 2 05 2 1
Carleton 2 2 13 3 2
Knox 3 3 04 4 0
Beloit 3 3 04 5 0
Grinnell 3 3 03 5 0
Ripon 2 3 02 5 1
Coe 0 6 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Macalester + 4 0 05 0 1
St. Thomas (MN) + 4 0 04 3 0
Gustavus Adolphus 4 1 07 1 1
St. Olaf 3 2 05 3 0
Saint John's (MN) 3 2 03 2 0
Hamline 2 3 03 5 0
Concordia (MN) 1 4 03 4 0
Saint Mary's (MN) 0 4 01 6 0
Augsburg 0 5 00 7 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1947 Minnesota Teachers College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Bemidji State + 3 1 04 3 0
Winona State + 3 1 04 3 1
Moorhead State 2 2 06 2 0
St. Cloud State 2 2 04 3 0
Duluth State 1 3 03 4 0
Mankato State 1 3 01 6 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1947 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Missouri Valley $ 4 0 012 0 0
Central (MO) 2 2 05 4 0
Culver–Stockton 2 2 04 4 0
William Jewell 2 2 03 6 1
Tarkio 0 4 03 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Missouri Mines $ 4 1 04 3 0
SW Missouri State 3 1 17 2 1
NW Missouri State 2 1 25 2 2
Kirksville State 2 3 05 3 1
SE Missouri State 1 3 12 6 1
Central Missouri State 1 4 02 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Tulsa $ 3 0 05 5 0
Wichita 2 1 07 4 0
Saint Louis 1 1 04 6 0
Drake 1 3 01 7 1
Oklahoma A&M 0 2 03 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Montana Collegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Montana Normal $ 2 0 13 1 2
Eastern Montana 1 1 13 1 1
Carroll (MT) 1 2 02 4 0
Montana Mines 1 2 01 3 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Nebraska College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Chadron State + 5 1 17 1 1
Nebraska Wesleyan + 5 1 17 1 1
Hastings 5 2 16 2 1
Doane 4 2 16 2 1
Kearney State 4 3 16 3 1
Peru State 3 3 23 4 2
Midland 1 4 22 5 2
Wayne State (NE) 0 4 30 4 3
York (NE) 0 7 02 7 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1947 New Mexico Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Sul Ross $ 5 0 07 3 0
Adams State 5 1 06 3 0
New Mexico Military 4 2 06 4 0
Eastern New Mexico 3 3 05 4 0
Panhandle A&M 2 4 03 6 0
New Mexico Teachers 1 5 02 6 0
New Mexico Highlands 0 5 02 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 North Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Valley City State $ 6 1 06 1 0
Minot State 4 1 06 1 0
Ellendale 4 1 05 1 0
Wahpeton Science 3 2 03 4 0
Bottineau 1 2 14 2 1
Jamestown 1 3 11 5 1
Dickinson State 0 4 10 6 2
Mayville State 0 5 10 6 1
  • $ Conference champion
1947 North State Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Catawba $ 6 0 011 1 0
Appalachian State 6 1 09 1 0
Lenoir Rhyne 4 3 15 4 1
High Point 3 3 15 4 2
Guilford 2 3 04 6 0
Western Carolina 2 3 03 5 1
Elon 2 5 04 6 0
East Carolina 1 3 03 6 0
Atlantic Christian 0 5 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Northwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Willamette $ 6 0 07 2 0
Pacific (OR) 5 2 06 3 0
College of Idaho 4 2 07 2 0
Puget Sound 3 2 04 5 0
Linfield 3 3 15 4 1
Whitman 1 5 11 6 1
British Columbia 1 6 01 7 0
Lewis & Clark 0 3 22 3 3
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Denison $ 6 0 09 0 0
Findlay 4 0 09 1 0
Heidelberg 6 1 07 1 0
John Carroll 5 1 06 3 0
Toledo 3 1 09 2 0
Kent State 3 1 04 4 0
Baldwin–Wallace 4 2 05 4 0
Ohio Wesleyan 4 2 06 2 1
Wittenberg 4 4 04 5 0
Muskingum 3 3 05 3 0
Kenyon 1 1 03 4 0
Wooster 4 5 04 5 0
Mount Union 3 4 05 4 0
Ohio Northern 2 4 02 5 1
Oberlin 1 2 03 4 1
Wilmington (OH) 1 2 02 6 0
Akron 2 5 02 6 0
Ashland 1 3 03 5 0
Marietta 1 3 02 5 0
Otterbein 1 4 02 6 1
Capital 1 6 02 6 1
Case 0 5 01 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
SE Oklahoma State $ 5 0 07 1 1
Central State (OK) 3 1 17 1 1
Northeastern State 3 2 05 5 0
SW Oklahoma State 2 2 14 3 1
East Central 0 4 14 5 1
NW Oklahoma State 0 4 10 7 1
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
West Chester 3 0 010 1 0
Slippery Rock 3 0 04 2 1
Mansfield $ 4 1 15 2 1
Bloomsburg 5 2 06 2 0
Shippensburg 5 2 15 2 1
Lock Haven 4 2 17 2 1
Indiana (PA) 2 2 23 3 2
California (PA) 1 2 06 1 0
Edinboro 1 2 01 6 0
Kutztown 1 4 02 6 0
Millersville 0 5 12 5 1
East Stroudsburg 0 3 03 3 0
Clarion 0 4 02 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • West Chester and Slippery Rock were ineligible for the conference title as they did not play the required four conference games.
1947 Pioneer Conference (Illinois) football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Quincy (IL) $ 3 0 04 3 0
Shurtleff 2 1 06 3 0
Eureka 1 2 02 5 0
McKendree 0 3 00 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Montana State $ 1 0 04 5 0
Colorado College 2 1 04 5 0
Colorado State–Greeley 2 1 14 4 1
Colorado Mines 1 2 01 7 0
Western State (CO) 0 2 11 6 1
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Smoky Mountain Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Carson–Newman $ 3 0 08 1 2
Milligan 2 1 05 4 1
Emory and Henry 1 2 02 8 1
Tusculum 0 3 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1947 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
South Dakota Mines $ 3 1 04 2 2
Northern State 2 1 06 3 0
Black Hills 1 1 13 4 2
General Beadle 1 2 02 5 0
Southern State 0 2 10 6 1
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Southern California Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Redlands $ 4 0 06 3 0
Occidental 2 1 14 3 1
Pomona 1 2 13 3 1
Whittier 1 2 12 6 1
Caltech 0 3 11 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3 Florida A&M $ 5 0 09 1 0
No. 10 South Carolina State 5 0 27 1 2
No. 15 Fort Valley State 4 0 17 1 1
No. 3 (small) LeMoyne 2 1 04 1 1
Tuskegee 3 2 16 4 1
No. 21 Clark (GA) 3 2 14 3 1
No. 18 Lane 2 2 06 5 0
Morehouse 3 4 03 5 0
Morris Brown 2 4 13 7 1
Knoxville 1 2 1- - -
Alabama State 2 5 22 6 2
Fisk 1 3 1- - -
No. 7 (small) Alabama A&M 1 4 13 5 1
Xavier (LA) 0 2 1- - -
Benedict 0 3 22 4 3
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from the Pittsburgh Courier using the Dickinson Ratings System. [9]
1947 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 8 Southern $ 7 0 010 2 0
No. 17 Prairie View A&M 5 2 06 6 0
No. 16 Texas College 3 1 15 2 3
Bishop 3 2 23 4 3
No. 20 Wiley 3 3 14 3 2
Langston 2 4 12 7 1
Samuel Huston 1 6 03 9 0
Arkansas AM&N 0 6 12 7 1
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from the Pittsburgh Courier using the Dickinson Ratings System. [10]
1947 Texas Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
McMurry + 4 1 07 3 1
Hardin + 4 1 07 4 0
Abilene Christian 3 2 06 3 0
Howard Payne 2 3 04 6 0
Austin 2 3 02 6 1
Southwestern (TX) 0 5 03 6 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1947 Volunteer State Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Middle Tennessee $ 5 0 09 1 0
Tennessee Tech 1 1 04 7 0
Union (TN) 1 1 05 5 0
Cumberland (TN) 0 2 15 5 1
Austin Peay 0 2 13 6 1
Milligan 0 1 05 4 1
  • $ Conference champion
1947 Washington Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Pacific Lutheran + 4 0 17 0 2
Eastern Washington + 4 0 16 1 1
Western Washington 3 2 05 3 0
Central Washington 2 3 03 4 0
Saint Martin's 1 4 03 6 0
Whitworth 0 5 03 6 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1947 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Potomac State $ 6 0 26 1 2
West Liberty State 3 0 18 0 2
Fairmont State 4 1 04 3 1
West Virginia Tech 4 2 00 5 3
[[{{{school}}}|Davis & Elkins]]4 3 04 4 0
[[{{{school}}}|West Virginia Wesleyan]]3 2 06 2 0
[[{{{school}}}|Morris Harvey]]3 3 04 5 0
[[{{{school}}}|Salem]]2 3 03 5 0
[[{{{school}}}|Glenville State]]2 5 15 3 0
[[{{{school}}}|Concord]]0 5 11 6 1
[[{{{school}}}|Shepherd]]0 6 10 6 1
Marshall * 1 0 09 3 0
[[{{{school}}}|Bethany (WV)]] * 0 2 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – Did not qualify for conference standings
    Ties did not count in conference standings.
1947 Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Northern Division
[[{{{school}}}|River Falls State]] x 4 0 07 1 0
[[{{{school}}}|Superior State]]3 1 06 1 0
[[{{{school}}}|La Crosse State]]2 2 03 4 0
[[{{{school}}}|Stout State]]1 3 01 5 2
[[{{{school}}}|Eau Claire State]]0 4 02 6 0
Southern Division
[[{{{school}}}|Milwaukee State]] x 4 0 06 2 0
[[{{{school}}}|Stevens Point State]]2 2 02 5 0
[[{{{school}}}|Whitewater State]]1 2 12 3 1
[[{{{school}}}|Platteville State]]1 2 11 2 2
[[{{{school}}}|Oshkosh State]]1 3 03 4 0
  • x Division champion/co-champions
0

Rankings

Bowl games

Bowl gameWinning teamLosing team
Rose Bowl No. 2 Michigan 49No. 8 USC 0
Sugar Bowl No. 5 Texas 27No. 6 Alabama 7
Orange Bowl No. 10 Georgia Tech 20No. 12 Kansas 14
Cotton Bowl Classic No. 3 SMU 13No. 4 Penn State 13
Sun Bowl Miami (OH) 13 Texas Tech 12
Gator Bowl Georgia 20 Maryland 20
Tangerine Bowl Catawba 7 Marshall 0
Dixie Bowl Arkansas 21No. 14 William & Mary 19
Raisin Bowl Pacific (CA) 26 Wichita 14
Harbor Bowl Hardin–Simmons 53 San Diego State 0
Salad Bowl Nevada 13 North Texas State 6
Delta Bowl No. 13 Ole Miss 13 TCU 9
Great Lakes Bowl Kentucky 24 Villanova 14
Pineapple Bowl Hawaii 33 Redlands 32

Heisman Trophy voting

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

PlayerSchoolPositionTotal
Johnny Lujack Notre Dame QB742
Bob Chappuis Michigan HB555
Doak Walker SMU HB196
Charlie Conerly Ole Miss HB/QB186
Harry Gilmer Alabama HB115
Bobby Layne Texas QB75
Chuck Bednarik Penn C65
Bill Swiacki Columbia E61

Source: [11] [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

The NCAA was without a playoff for the major college football teams in the University Division, later known as Division I-A, during the 20th century. The NCAA recognizes Division I-A national champions based on the final results of polls including the "wire service", FWAA and NFF. The 1964 AP poll continued to rank only ten teams, compiling the votes of 55 sportswriters, each of whom would give their opinion of the ten best. Under a point system of 10 points for first place, 9 for second, etc., the "overall" ranking was determined.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1982 NCAA Division I-A football season</span> American college football season

The 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season was the last for Paul "Bear" Bryant as head coach at Alabama, retiring with 323 victories in 38 seasons.

The 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the University of Miami, led by Bernie Kosar, winning their first national championship over perennial power and top ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

The 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Clemson Tigers, unbeaten and untied, claiming the national championship after a victory over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. This was also the first year of the California Bowl, played in Fresno, California; this game fancied itself as a "junior" version of the Rose Bowl as it pitted the Big West Conference champion vs. the Mid-American Conference champion.

During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for the major college football teams in the University Division, later known as Division I-A. The NCAA did recognize a national champion based upon the final results of "wire service" polls. The "writers' poll" by Associated Press (AP) was the most popular, followed by the "coaches' poll" by United Press International) (UPI). Prior to 1965, both services issued their final polls at the close of the regular season, but before teams competed in bowl games. For the 1965 season, the AP took its final poll after the postseason games, an arrangement made permanent in 1968. The Associated Press presented the "AP Trophy" to the winner.

The 1966 University Division football season was marked by some controversy as the year of "The Tie", a famous 10–10 game between the two top-ranked teams, Michigan State and Notre Dame on November 19. Both teams were crowned national champions by various organizations after the regular season concluded, and neither participated in a bowl game. Alabama finished the regular season undefeated and was third in the AP poll, while Georgia was fourth. Alabama went on to win the Sugar Bowl in dominant fashion. During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for the major college football teams in the University Division, later known as Division I-A.

In the 1968 NCAA University Division football season, the system of "polls and bowls" changed. The Associated Press returned to its pre-1961 system of ranking the Top 20 rather than the Top 10, and voted on the national champion after the bowl games, rather than before. During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for the major college football teams in the University Division, later known as Division I-A.

The 1976 NCAA Division I football season ended with a championship for the Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh. Led by head coach Johnny Majors, the Pitt Panthers brought a college football championship to the home of the defending pro football champions, the Steelers. Pitt also had the Heisman Trophy winner, Tony Dorsett; the Panthers had been ranked ninth in the preseason AP poll.

The 1977 NCAA Division I football season was one in which the top five teams finished with 11–1 records. Notre Dame, which beat top-ranked and undefeated Texas in the Cotton Bowl, became the national champion.

The 1929 college football season saw a number of unbeaten and untied teams. Purdue, Tulane, Notre Dame, and Pittsburgh all finished the regular season with wins over all their opponents. Notre Dame was recognized as national champion by two of three contemporary major selectors, while the third (Houlgate) named USC (10–2). Eight of nine retrospective selectors later also named Notre Dame and USC as No. 1 teams.

The 1955 college football season saw the Oklahoma Sooners win the national championship after going 10–0–0. Although the final poll was taken before the postseason bowl games, Oklahoma played against the nation's other unbeaten and untied (10–0–0) team, the Maryland Terrapins, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, and won 20–6.

The 1954 college football season saw three teams finish unbeaten and untied, with Ohio State Buckeyes and the UCLA Bruins sharing the national championship as the No. 1 picks of the AP Poll and the UPI Poll, respectively. Although the winners of the Big Ten and the Pacific conferences normally met in the Rose Bowl, a "no repeat" rule prevented the two champions from meeting. UCLA, which had been in the Rose Bowl earlier in the year, was replaced by conference runner-up USC.

The 1953 college football season was marked by the surprising abandonment of the two-platoon system and unlimited substitution by the NCAA rules committee in January in favor of the historic one-platoon system with its highly restrictive substitution rules. This radical rules shift made the 1953 season "The Year of the Great Adjustment," in the words of sportswriter Tommy Devine of the Detroit Free Press, in which teams scrambled to tighten their rosters and alter their strategies in accord with the more conservative "iron man" game.

The 1952 college football season ended with the unbeaten Michigan State Spartans (9–0) and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (12–0) each claiming a national championship from different polls. Michigan State finished first according to two of the "wire service" polls, which both placed Georgia Tech second. Georgia Tech was first in the International News Service poll. UP and INS merged in 1958 to form UPI.

The 1951 college football season finished with seven unbeaten major college teams, of which five were unbeaten and untied. Ultimately, the Tennessee Volunteers were voted the best team by the Associated Press, followed by the Michigan State Spartans, with the Vols having a plurality of first place votes. Tennessee lost in the Sugar Bowl to the equally undefeated and untied No. 3 Maryland Terrapins, but the postseason games were not taken into account by the major polls. Tennessee, Michigan State, and Illinois all claim national championships for 1951.

The 1949 college football season finished with four teams that were unbeaten and untied-- Notre Dame, Oklahoma, California, and Army had won all their games at season's end. Notre Dame, however, was the overwhelming choice for national champion in the AP Poll, with 172 of 208 first place votes. The Fighting Irish did not participate in the New Year's Day bowl games, which were played on January 2, 1950.

The 1948 college football season finished with SMU halfback Doak Walker as the Heisman Trophy winner and six teams in contention for the national championship:

  1. Bennie Oosterbaan's Michigan compiled a 9–0 record, defeated six ranked opponents, and was the consensus national champion, receiving 192 of 333 first-place votes in the final AP Poll. It was Michigan's second consecutive undefeated season, extending the program's winning streak to 23 games.
  2. Frank Leahy's Notre Dame Fighting Irish compiled a 9–0–1 record and had a 21-game winning streak dating back to the 1946 season before playing a 14–14 tie with USC in the final game of the 1948 season. Notre Dame was ranked No. 2 in the final AP Poll, receiving 97 of 333 first-place votes.
  3. Carl Snavely's No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels, led by Heisman Trophy runner-up Charlie Justice, were undefeated in the regular season (9–0–1) but lost to Oklahoma in the 1949 Sugar Bowl.
  4. Pappy Waldorf's No. 4 California Golden Bears, led by Jackie Jensen who finished fourth in the 1948 Heisman Troophy voting, were undefeated in the regular season (10–0), but lost to Northwestern in the 1949 Rose Bowl.
  5. Bud Wilkinson's No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners compiled a 10–1 record, including a victory over No. 3 North Carolina in the 1949 Sugar Bowl.
  6. Earl Blaik's No. 6 Army Cadets finished the season undefeated (8–0–1). They won the first eight games of the season and were ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll before playing Navy to a tie in the annual Army–Navy Game.

The 1946 college football season was the 78th 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 saw the return of many programs which had suspended play during World War II, and also the enrollment of many veterans returning from the war.

The 1938 college football season ended with the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University (TCU) being named the nation's No. 1 team by 55 of the 77 voters in the final Associated Press writers' poll in early December. Tennessee was also chosen by six contemporary math system selectors as a national champion; both teams won every game. Notre Dame was chosen by the Dickinson System and won the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy.

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.

References

  1. "October 6, 1947 AP Football Poll". CollegePollArchive.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  2. How many national championships does Michigan have? |https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2024/01/08/michigan-football-national-championships-how-many-wolverines-1997/72108704007/
  3. "Notre Dame team again voted best in country". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. December 9, 1947. p. 17.
  4. 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.
  5. "Sports writers choose Michigan almost 2 to 1". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 7, 1948. p. 16.
  6. appollarchive.com/football/ap
  7. "Tennessee No. 1 in Nat'l Grid Ratings". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 6, 1947. p. 14 via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Tennessee No. 1 in Nat'l Grid Ratings". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 6, 1947. p. 14 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Tennessee No. 1 in Nat'l Grid Ratings". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 6, 1947. p. 14 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Tennessee No. 1 in Nat'l Grid Ratings". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 6, 1947. p. 14 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Lujack to receive Heisman Trophy". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. December 2, 1947. p. 28.
  12. "Lujack awarded Heisman Trophy". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 2, 1948. p. 12.