1954 college football rankings

1954 college football rankings
Season1954
Bowl season1954–55 bowl games
Preseason No. 1
Notre Dame
End of season championsOhio State (AP)
UCLA (Coaches)
college football rankings
← 1953
1955 →

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.

Legend

  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

AP Poll

The final AP Poll was released on November 29, at the end of the 1954 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 20[2]		Week 2
Sep 27[3]		Week 3
Oct 4[4]		Week 4
Oct 11[5]		Week 5
Oct 18[6]		Week 6
Oct 25[7]		Week 7
Nov 1[8]		Week 8
Nov 8[9]		Week 9
Nov 15[10]		Week 10
Nov 22[11]		Week 11 (Final)
Nov 29[12]
1.Notre Dame (52)Oklahoma (1–0) (56)Notre Dame (1–0) (94)Oklahoma (2–0) (77)Oklahoma (3–0) (118)Oklahoma (4–0) (115)Ohio State (5–0) (64)UCLA (7–0) (72)UCLA (8–0) (117)Ohio State (8–0) (87)Ohio State (9–0) (115)Ohio State (9–0) (204)1.
2.Oklahoma (74)Notre Dame (0–0) (11)Oklahoma (2–0) (24)UCLA (3–0) (20)Wisconsin (4–0) (21)Wisconsin (4–0) (42)Oklahoma (5–0) (74)Ohio State (6–0) (69)Ohio State (7–0) (80)UCLA (8–0) (92)UCLA (9–0) (85)UCLA (9–0) (133)2.
3.Maryland (13)Maryland (0–0) (9)Iowa (1–0) (11)Wisconsin (2–0) (17)UCLA (4–0) (10)UCLA (5–0) (23)UCLA (6–0) (45)Oklahoma (6–0) (42)Oklahoma (7–0) (44)Oklahoma (8–0) (28)Oklahoma (9–0) (31)Oklahoma (10–0) (35)3.
4.Texas (10)Texas (1–0) (3)UCLA (2–0) (3)Iowa (2–0) (15)Ohio State (3–0) (14)Ohio State (4–0) (8)Arkansas (5–0) (16)Arkansas (6–0) (16)Arkansas (7–0) (43)Notre Dame (6–1) (2)Notre Dame (7–1) (4)Notre Dame (8–1) (9)4.
5.Illinois (2)Georgia Tech (1–0) (2)Wisconsin (1–0) (7)Purdue (2–0) (22)Purdue (2–0–1) (3)Ole Miss (5–0) (9)Army (4–1) (1)Notre Dame (4–1) (4)Notre Dame (5–1) (3)Army (7–1)Army (7–1)Navy (7–2) (4)5.
6.Michigan State (7)Illinois (0–0)Maryland (1–0) (3)Duke (2–0) (3)Duke (2–0–1) (7)Notre Dame (3–1)Notre Dame (3–1) (1)Miami (FL) (6–0) (14)Army (6–1) (4)Ole Miss (8–1) (7)Navy (6–2) (2)Ole Miss (9–1) (6)6.
7.Georgia Tech (5)Michigan State (0–0)Duke (1–0) (7)Ole Miss (3–0) (12)Ole Miss (4–0) (11)Arkansas (4–0) (4)West Virginia (4–0) (6)Army (5–1) (1)Ole Miss (7–1) (5)Navy (6–2) тOle Miss (8–1) (6)Army (7–2)7.
8.UCLA (1)UCLA (1–0) (2)Ole Miss (2–0) (3)Notre Dame (1–1)Notre Dame (2–1) (2)Minnesota (4–0)Wisconsin (4–1)Purdue (4–1–1)USC (7–1)USC (8–1) тWisconsin (7–2)Maryland (7–2–1) (4)8.
9.Wisconsin (1)Ole Miss (1–0) (1)USC (2–0)USC (3–0)Navy (3–0) (1) тArmy (3–1)Purdue (3–1–1)Ole Miss (6–1) (2)Iowa (5–2)Arkansas (7–1) (5)Baylor (7–2)Wisconsin (7–2)9.
10.Ole Miss (2)Baylor (1–0) тPenn State (1–0)Ohio State (2–0) (1)Penn State (3–0) (3) тWest Virginia (3–0) (9)Miami (FL) (5–0) (6)USC (6–1)Navy (5–2)Minnesota (7–1)Maryland (6–2–1)Arkansas (8–2) (4)10.
11.Iowa (1)Wisconsin (0–0) тBaylor (2–0)Rice (2–0)Minnesota (3–0) (2)Colorado (5–0) (2)Michigan (4–1)Duke (4–1–1)Miami (FL) (6–1)SMU (5–1–1)Miami (FL) (7–1) (2)Miami (FL) (8–1) (7)11.
12.CaliforniaIowa (0–0)Texas (1–1)Penn State (2–0)Arkansas (3–0) (1)Alabama (4–1)Ole Miss (5–1)Iowa (4–2)Cincinnati (8–0)Michigan (6–2)West Virginia (7–1) (3)West Virginia (8–1) (2)12.
13.ArmyRice (0–0)Michigan State (0–1)Maryland (1–1)Iowa (2–1)Purdue (2–1–1)USC (5–1)Cincinnati (7–0)Minnesota (6–1)Maryland (5–2–1)Arkansas (7–2) (2)Auburn (7–3) (1)13.
14.AlabamaTexas Tech (1–0) (1)Ohio State (1–0) (1)Florida (2–1) (1)West Virginia (2–0) (6)Virginia Tech (4–0)Virginia Tech (5–0) (1)Minnesota (5–1)Wisconsin (5–2)West Virginia (6–1)Michigan (6–3)Duke (7–2–1)14.
15.Duke (2)USC (1–0)South Carolina (1–0) (1)Texas (2–1)Rice (2–1)Georgia Tech (4–1)Navy (4–1)Rice (4–2)Virginia Tech (6–0–1)Virginia Tech (6–0–1)Auburn (7–2)Michigan (6–3)15.
16.RiceOregon (1–0)Rice (1–0)West Virginia (1–0) (5)Virginia Tech (3–0)Miami (FL) (4–0)Duke (3–1–1)Wisconsin (4–2)West Virginia (5–1) (2)Miami (FL) (6–1)Virginia Tech (7–0–1)Virginia Tech (8–0–1)16.
17.USCCalifornia (0–1)Texas Tech (2–0)Stanford (3–0)Colorado (4–0) (1)USC (4–1)TCU (4–2)West Virginia (4–1) (1)Maryland (4–2–1)Wisconsin (6–2)USC (8–2)USC (8–3)17.
18.OregonArmy (0–0)California (1–1)Minnesota (2–0)Army (2–1)Florida (3–2)SMU (3–1)Virginia Tech (5–0–1)Baylor (6–2)Auburn (7–1)Kentucky (7–3)Baylor (7–3)18.
19.Texas TechDuke (0–0)Purdue (1–0)Navy (2–0) тGeorgia Tech (3–1)Duke (2–1–1)Rice (3–2)Navy (4–2)SMU (4–1–1)Iowa (5–3)Penn State (7–2)Rice (7–3)19.
20.Ohio State (1)TCU (1–0)Florida (1–1)Virginia Tech (3–0) тTexas Tech (3–0–1)TCU (3–2)Cincinnati (6–0)
Georgia (6–1–1)Baylor (6–2)
  • Duke (6–2–1) т
  • Minnesota (7–2) т
Penn State (7–2)20.
Preseason
Aug[1]		Week 1
Sep 20[2]		Week 2
Sep 27[3]		Week 3
Oct 4[4]		Week 4
Oct 11[5]		Week 5
Oct 18[6]		Week 6
Oct 25[7]		Week 7
Nov 1[8]		Week 8
Nov 8[9]		Week 9
Nov 15[10]		Week 10
Nov 22[11]		Week 11 (Final)
Nov 29[12]
Dropped:
  • Alabama
  • Ohio State
Dropped:
  • Army
  • Georgia Tech
  • Illinois
  • Oregon
  • TCU
Dropped:
  • Baylor
  • California
  • Michigan State
  • South Carolina
  • Texas Tech
Dropped:
  • Florida
  • Maryland
  • Stanford
  • Texas
  • USC
Dropped:
  • Iowa
  • Navy
  • Penn State
  • Rice
  • Texas Tech
Dropped:
  • Alabama
  • Colorado
  • Florida
  • Georgia Tech
  • Minnesota
Dropped:
  • Michigan
  • SMU
  • TCU
Dropped:
  • Duke
  • Nebraska
  • Pittsburgh
  • Purdue
  • Rice
Dropped:
  • Cincinnati
  • Georgia
Dropped:
  • Iowa
  • SMU
Dropped:
  • Kentucky
  • Minnesota

Final Coaches Poll

The final UP Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, on November 29.[13]
UCLA received 21 of the 35 first-place votes; Ohio State received eleven, and one each to Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and Navy.[13]

Ranking Team Conference Bowl
1 UCLA Pacific Coast none
2 Ohio State Big Ten Won Rose, 20–7
3 Oklahoma Big Seven none
4 Notre Dame Independent
5 Navy Independent Won Sugar, 21–0
6 Ole Miss SEC Lost Sugar, 0–21
7 Army Independent none
8 Arkansas Southwest Lost Cotton, 6–14
9 Miami (FL) Independent none
10 Wisconsin Big Ten
11 USC Pacific Coast Lost Rose, 7–20
12 Maryland ACC none
13 Georgia Tech SEC Won Cotton, 14–6
14 Duke ACC Won Orange, 34–7
15 Michigan Big Ten none
Penn State Independent
17 SMU Southwest
18 Denver Skyline
Rice Southwest
20 Minnesota Big Ten

[13][14][15]

  • The NCAA record book lists USC, Maryland, and Georgia Tech in a tie for 11th place,[16] while contemporary sources list them in 11th, 12th, and 13th respectively.
  • Prior to the 1975 season, the Big Ten and Pacific Coast (later AAWU / Pac-8) conferences allowed only one postseason participant each, for the Rose Bowl.

Litkenhous Ratings

The Litkenhous Ratings released in mid-December 1954 provided numerical rankings to over 600 college football programs. The top 50 ranked teams were:[17]

1. UCLA
2. Ohio State
3. Oklahoma
4. Maryland
5. Notre Dame
6. Wisconsin
7. Iowa
8. Ole Miss
9. Purdue
10. Michigan
11. Miami (FL)
12. Navy
13. Arkansas
14. Baylor
15. Minnesota
16. Auburn
17. Army
18. Michigan State
19. Rice
20. USC
21. SMU
22. Colorado
23. Georgia Tech
24. Texas Tech
25. Texas
26. California
27. TCU
28. Indiana
29. Duke
30. Miami (OH)
31. Northwestern
32. Florida
33. Penn State
34. Pittsburgh
35. Nebraska
36. Kentucky
37. West Virginia
38. Southeastern Louisiana
39. Alabama
40. Arizona
41. Mississippi State
42. Wichita
43. Cincinnati
44. Missouri
45. LSU
46. Oregon
47. Illinois
48. Georgia
49. Texas A&M
50. Oklahoma A&M

HBCU rankings

The Pittsburgh Courier, a leading African American newspaper, ranked the top 1954 teams from historically black colleges and universities in an era when college football was largely segregated. The rankings were published on December 11:[18]

The Associated Negro Press also published rankings on December 25:[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ "1954 Preseason AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  2. ^ "September 20, 1954 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  3. ^ "September 27, 1954 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  4. ^ "October 4, 1954 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  5. ^ "October 11, 1954 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  6. ^ "October 18, 1954 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  7. ^ "October 25, 1954 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  8. ^ "November 1, 1954 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  9. ^ "November 8, 1954 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  10. ^ "November 15, 1954 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  11. ^ "November 22, 1954 AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  12. ^ "1954 Final AP Football Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  13. ^ a b c "UCLA stays on top in voting of coaches". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. November 30, 1954. p. 29.
  14. ^ "U.P. Poll of Coaches Ranks UCLA No. 1 Over Buckeyes". The Atlanta Constitution. November 30, 1954. p. 10.
  15. ^ "Coaches' Ballots Pick Bruins No. 1". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 30, 1954. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "2018 NCAA Division I FBS record book" (PDF). NCAA. p. 148.
  17. ^ "Final Litkenhous Ratings". The Journal and Courier. December 14, 1954. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "The National Parade". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 11, 1954. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Luix Virgil Overbea (December 25, 1954). "Pigskin Huddle". Baltimore Afro-American (p. 16).