| 1955 NCAA football rankings | |
|---|---|
| Season | 1955 |
| Bowl season | 1955–56 bowl games |
| Preseason No. 1 | |
| End of season champions | Oklahoma |
Two human polls comprised the 1955 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.
| 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 November 28, at the end of the 1955 regular season, weeks before the major bowls. The AP would not release a post-bowl season final poll regularly until 1968.
| Preseason Aug [1] | Week 1 Sep 19 [2] | Week 2 Sep 26 [3] | Week 3 Oct 3 [4] | Week 4 Oct 10 [5] | Week 5 Oct 17 [6] | Week 6 Oct 24 [7] | Week 7 Oct 31 [8] | Week 8 Nov 7 [9] | Week 9 Nov 14 [10] | Week 10 Nov 21 [11] | Week 11 (Final) Nov 28 [12] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | UCLA (33) | UCLA (1–0) (34) | Maryland (2–0) (45) | Maryland (3–0) (88) | Michigan (3–0) (80) | Michigan (4–0) (76) | Maryland (6–0) (62) | Maryland (7–0) (74) | Oklahoma (7–0) (115) | Oklahoma (8–0) (103) | Oklahoma (9–0) (114) | Oklahoma (10–0) (218) | 1. |
| 2. | Oklahoma (32) | Georgia Tech (1–0) (3) | Michigan (1–0) (48) | Michigan (2–0) (27) | Maryland (4–0) (45) | Maryland (5–0) (33) | Oklahoma (5–0) (53) | Oklahoma (6–0) (54) | Maryland (8–0) (89) | Maryland (9–0) (46) | Michigan State (8–1) (39) | Michigan State (8–1) (88) | 2. |
| 3. | Michigan (34) | Oklahoma (0–0) (10) | Georgia Tech (2–0) (11) | Oklahoma (2–0) (13) | Oklahoma (3–0) (21) | Oklahoma (4–0) (29) | Michigan (5–0) (39) | Michigan (6–0) (63) | Michigan State (6–1) (44) | Michigan State (7–1) (37) | Maryland (10–0) (35) | Maryland (10–0) (55) | 3. |
| 4. | Ohio State (9) | Michigan (0–0) (6) | Notre Dame (1–0) (3) | Georgia Tech (3–0) (9) | Notre Dame (3–0) (7) | Navy (4–0) (7) | Navy (5–0) (4) | Michigan State (5–1) (7) | UCLA (7–1) (9) | Notre Dame (7–1) (2) | UCLA (9–1) (6) | UCLA (9–1) (9) | 4. |
| 5. | Maryland (8) | Maryland (1–0) (1) | Oklahoma (1–0) (12) | Notre Dame (2–0) (4) | Georgia Tech (4–0) (3) | Duke (4–0) (15) | Michigan State (4–1) (4) | UCLA (6–1) (3) | Notre Dame (6–1) (2) | UCLA (8–1) (6) | Notre Dame (8–1) (3) | Ohio State (7–2) (4) | 5. |
| 6. | Notre Dame (2) | Ohio State (0–0) | Army (1–0) (1) | Army (2–0) (8) | Wisconsin (3–0) (11) | Michigan State (3–1) (4) | UCLA (5–1) (2) | Notre Dame (5–1) (1) | West Virginia (7–0) (18) | Michigan (7–1) (1) | Ohio State (7–2) (5) | TCU (9–1) (9) | 6. |
| 7. | Army | Pittsburgh (1–0) | UCLA (1–1) | UCLA (2–1) | TCU (4–0) (4) | UCLA (4–1) (3) | West Virginia (6–0) (13) | West Virginia (6–0) (16) | Michigan (6–1) | TCU (7–1) (2) | TCU (8–1) (3) | Georgia Tech (8–1–1) | 7. |
| 8. | Navy (1) | Ole Miss (1–0) | Ohio State (1–0) (1) | TCU (3–0) (5) | Navy (3–0) | West Virginia (4–0) (9) | Auburn (4–0–1) (8) | Georgia Tech (6–1) | TCU (6–1) (3) | Texas A&M (7–1–1) | Texas A&M (7–1–1) | Auburn (8–1–1) (6) | 8. |
| 9. | Miami (FL) (5) | Navy (0–0) т | USC (2–0) (3) | Wisconsin (2–0) (11) | UCLA (3–1) (1) | Auburn (3–0–1) (5) | Notre Dame (4–1) | Navy (5–1) | Texas A&M (6–1–1) | Ohio State (6–2) (1) | Georgia Tech (7–1–1) | Notre Dame (8–2) | 9. |
| 10. | Georgia Tech (1) | USC (1–0) (1) т | TCU (2–0) (3) | USC (3–0) (3) | West Virginia (3–0) (11) | USC (4–1) (1) | USC (5–1) | TCU (6–1) (2) | Ohio State (5–2) (1) | Georgia Tech (7–1–1) | Auburn (7–1–1) | Ole Miss (9–1) (1) | 10. |
| 11. | Rice | Notre Dame (0–0) | Rice (1–0) | West Virginia (2–0) (13) | Duke (3–0) (4) | Notre Dame (3–1) | Texas A&M (5–1) | Ohio State (4–2) | Georgia Tech (6–1–1) | Navy (6–1–1) | Navy (6–1–1) | Pittsburgh (7–3) (1) | 11. |
| 12. | Iowa (4) | Texas Tech (1–0) | Pittsburgh (2–0) (1) | Navy (2–0) | Washington (4–0) (4) | Texas A&M (4–1) | Georgia Tech (5–1) | Texas A&M (5–1–1) | Auburn (5–1–1) (2) | Auburn (6–1–1) (4) | Michigan (7–2) | Michigan (7–2) | 12. |
| 13. | USC (2) | Rice (0–0) | West Virginia (1–0) (3) | Duke (2–0) (3) | Michigan State (2–1) | Georgia Tech (4–1) | Holy Cross (4–1) (1) | Miami (OH) (6–0) | Navy (5–1–1) | West Virginia (7–1) (1) | Pittsburgh (7–3) (1) | USC (6–4) | 13. |
| 14. | Wisconsin | Army (0–0) | Iowa (1–0) (1) | Auburn (2–0) | Ohio State (2–1) | Colorado (4–0) | TCU (5–1) | Auburn (4–1–1) | Ole Miss (7–1) | Ole Miss (8–1) | Miami (FL) (5–3) (2) | Miami (FL) (6–3) | 14. |
| 15. | Ole Miss | Miami (FL) (0–1) | Navy (1–0) (1) | Miami (FL) (1–1) | Rice (2–0–1) | Wisconsin (3–1) | Ohio State (3–2) | Ole Miss (6–1) | Miami (OH) (7–0) | Pittsburgh (6–3) (1) | Ole Miss (8–1) | Miami (OH) (9–0) | 15. |
| 16. | SMU | LSU (1–0) | Duke (1–0) | Clemson (3–0) | USC (3–1) | Baylor (4–1) | Pittsburgh (4–2) | USC (5–2) | Illinois (4–3) | Miami (OH) (8–0) | Miami (OH) (8–0) | Stanford (6–3–1) | 16. |
| 17. | Auburn | Arkansas (1–0) (1) | Wisconsin (1–0) | Purdue (2–0) | Auburn (2–0–1) | Boston College (3–0) (1) | Duke (4–1) | Kentucky (4–2–1) | Pittsburgh (5–3) | Tennessee (5–2–1) | Stanford (6–3–1) | Texas A&M (7–2–1) | 17. |
| 18. | Duke (1) | Baylor (1–0) | Penn State (1–0) (1) | Washington (3–0) (1) | Army (2–1) | TCU (4–1) | Miami (OH) (5–0) | Syracuse (3–2) | Duke (4–2–1) т | Stanford (5–3–1) | Duke (6–2–1) | Navy (6–2–1) | 18. |
| 19. | West Virginia (1) | Florida (1–0) т | Washington (2–0) (1) | Kentucky (2–1) | Texas A&M (3–1) | Yale (4–0) | Washington (4–1–1) | Army (4–2) | Mississippi State (6–2) т | Oregon State (6–2) | Vanderbilt (7–2) | West Virginia (8–2) | 19. |
| 20. | Purdue (1) | Purdue (0–0) (1) т | Baylor (2–0) | Stanford (2–1) |
| Holy Cross (4–0) | Ole Miss (5–1) | Mississippi State (6–1) |
| Duke (5–2–1) | Syracuse (5–3) | Army (6–3) | 20. |
| Preseason Aug [13] | Week 1 Sep 19 [14] | Week 2 Sep 26 [15] | Week 3 Oct 3 [16] | Week 4 Oct 10 [17] | Week 5 Oct 17 [18] | Week 6 Oct 24 [19] | Week 7 Oct 31 [20] | Week 8 Nov 7 [21] | Week 9 Nov 14 [22] | Week 10 Nov 21 [23] | Week 11 (Final) Nov 28 [24] | ||
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The final UP Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, on November 28. [25]
Oklahoma received 24 of the 35 first-place votes; Michigan State received seven, and two each to Maryland and UCLA. [25]
| Ranking | Team | Conference | Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma | Big Seven | Won Orange, 20–6 |
| 2 | Michigan State | Big Ten | Won Rose, 17–14 |
| 3 | Maryland | ACC | Lost Orange, 6–20 |
| 4 | UCLA | Pacific Coast | Lost Rose, 14–17 |
| 5 | Ohio State | Big Ten | none |
| 6 | TCU | Southwest | Lost Cotton, 13–14 |
| 7 | Georgia Tech | SEC | Won Sugar, 7–0 |
| 8 | Auburn | SEC | Lost Gator, 13–25 |
| 9 | Ole Miss | SEC | Won Cotton, 14–13 |
| 10 | Notre Dame | Independent | none |
| 11 | Pittsburgh | Independent | Lost Sugar, 0–7 |
| 12 | USC | Pacific Coast | none |
| 13 | Michigan | Big Ten | |
| 14 | Texas A&M | Southwest | |
| 15 | Army | Independent | |
| 16 | Duke | ACC | |
| 17 | West Virginia | Southern | |
| 18 | Miami (FL) | Independent | |
| 19 | Iowa | Big Ten | |
| 20 | Miami (OH) | Mid-American | |
| Navy | Independent | ||
| Stanford | Pacific Coast | ||
| 23 | Kentucky | SEC | |
| Tennessee | SEC |
The top 25 ranked teams in the Litkenhous Ratings were: [26]
1. Oklahoma
2. UCLA
3. TCU
4. Maryland
5. Michigan State
6. Georgia Tech
7. Ohio State
8. Ole Miss
9. USC
10. Notre Dame
11. Michigan
12. Stanford
13. Texas A&M
14. Miami (FL)
15. Vanderbilt
16. Tennessee
17. Army
18. Pittsburgh
19. Duke
20. Navy
21. Iowa
22. West Virginia
23. Auburn
24. LSU
25. Texas
The Pittsburgh Courier , a leading African American newspaper, ranked the top 1955 teams from historically black colleges and universities in an era when college football was largely segregated. The rankings were published on December 10: [27]
The Associated Negro Press also published rankings on December 8: [28]
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 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 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 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 1938 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 1947 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.
One human poll comprised the 1948 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.
Two human polls comprised the 1963 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.