1938 college football rankings

none August 2023 December 2025 1938 TCUper AP poll, Williamson System, Helms Athletic Foundation, National Championship Foundation Tennesseeper Boand System, Dunkel System, Houlgate System, Litkenhous Ratings, Poling System, Berryman QPRS, Billingsley Report, College Football Researchers Association, Sagarin Ratings Elo chess method, and Sagarin Ratings Predictor methodNotre Dameper Dickinson System (not claimed) One human poll and several ranking methods determined the 1938 college football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, did not itself bestow a national championship. Champions (by ranking) The AP Poll and three other major rankings consider TCU as the season's champion. Eight major rankings consider Tennessee the season's champion. The Dickinson System considers Notre Dame the season's champion:Football Bowl Subdivision Records http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2017/FBS.pdf NCAA 112 2017 July 29, 2025 AP poll: TCU Berryman QPRS: Tennessee Billingsley Report: Tennessee Boand System: Tennessee College Football Researchers Association: Tennessee Dickinson System: Notre Dame Dunkel System: Tennessee Helms Athletic Foundation: TCU Houlgate System: Tennessee Litkenhous Ratings: Tennessee National Championship Foundation: TCU Poling System: Tennessee Sagarin Ratings Elo chess method: Tennessee Sagarin Ratings Predictor method: Tennessee Williamson System: TCU Note: AP poll, Boand System, Dickinson System, Dunkel System, Houlgate System, Litkenhous Ratings, Poling System, and Williamson System were given contemporarily. All other methods were given retroactively. AP 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 The scheduled final AP Poll was released on November 29, with Notre Dame No. 1, prior to their season-end game against Southern California.Fullerton Hugh S. Jr. Associated Press November 29, 1938 Irish Still Top Scribes' Ballot https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108100133/1938-irish-still-top-scribes-ballot/ The Indianapolis News New York Indianapolis August 22, 2022 In the final Associated Press football ranking poll of the year, ninety sports writers and editors chose Notre Dame as the nation's No. 1 team with Duke in third place. Texas Christian, which hoped for a Rose bowl bid, came in between them. The poll was extended for one week due to the "select quality of last Saturday's games, three of which had a direct bearing on the ranking". The revised final AP Poll was released on December 6, at the end of the regular season, still weeks before the major bowls. The AP would not release a post-bowl season final poll regularly until 1968. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (Scheduled final) 8 (Extended final) Oct 17 Oct 24 Oct 31 Nov 7 Nov 14 Nov 21 Nov 28 Dec 6Middleton Drew Associated Press December 6, 1938 Texas Christian Places On Pinnacle In Final AP Poll https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108099605/texas-christian-duke-and-tennessee-top/ November 3, 2022 The poll was extended for another week because of the select quality of last Saturday's games, three of which had a direct bearing on the ranking. Pittsburgh (4–0) (83) Minnesota (4–0) (6) California (5–0) (1) Dartmouth (4–0) (1) Notre Dame (3–0) Santa Clara (3–0) TCU (4–0) (3) Tennessee (4–0) Duke (4–0) Syracuse (3–0) Fordham (2–0–1) Michigan (2–1) Carnegie Tech (3–0) Oklahoma (3–0) Alabama (3–1) Vanderbilt (4–0) Baylor (4–0) Northwestern (2–0–1) North Carolina (3–1) Villanova (3–0) Pittsburgh (5–0) (90) Minnesota (4–0) (1) California (6–0) (3) TCU (5–0) (3) u Santa Clara (4–0) (1) u Dartmouth (5–0) d Notre Dame (4–0) (1) d Tennessee (5–0) Fordham (3–0–1) (1) u Oklahoma (4–0) u Duke (5–0) d Northwestern (3–0–1) u Michigan (3–1) d Holy Cross (4–1) npr Villanova (4–0) u Carnegie Tech (3–1) d Cornell (3–1) npr Alabama (4–1) d USC (4–1) npr Ohio State (2–1–1) npr Baylor North Carolina Syracuse Vanderbilt Pittsburgh (6–0) (105) TCU (6–0) (8) u California (7–0) Notre Dame (5–0) u Dartmouth (6–0) u Tennessee (6–0) (1) u Northwestern (4–0–1) u Santa Clara (5–0) d Duke (6–0) u Fordham (3–1–1) d Oklahoma (5–0) d Minnesota (4–1) d Holy Cross (5–1) т tu USC (5–1) т u Alabama (5–1) u Cornell (4–1) т tu Michigan (4–1) т d Iowa State (6–0) npr Carnegie Tech (4–1) т td Texas A&M (3–2–1) т npr Ohio State Villanova TCU (7–0) (48) u Notre Dame (6–0) (41) u Pittsburgh (6–1) (14) d Tennessee (7–0) (6) u Dartmouth (7–0) Carnegie Tech (5–1) u Duke (6–0) u Santa Clara (6–0) (1) USC (6–1) (2) u Oklahoma (6–0) (1) u Holy Cross (6–1) u Minnesota (5–1) Fordham (4–1–1) d California (7–1) d Wisconsin (4–2) npr Alabama (6–1) d Northwestern (4–1–1) d Michigan (5–1) (1) d Villanova (5–0–1) npr Cornell (4–1) d Iowa State Texas A&M Notre Dame (7–0) (60) u TCU (8–0) (19) d Tennessee (8–0) (5) u Duke (7–0) (5) u Pittsburgh (7–1) (2) d Carnegie Tech (6–1) Oklahoma (7–0) (1) u Cornell (5–1) u California (8–1) u Holy Cross (7–1) u Santa Clara (6–1) d Wisconsin (5–2) u USC (6–2) d Dartmouth (7–1) d Villanova (6–0–1) u Northwestern (4–1–2) u Michigan (5–1–1) u Fordham (4–1–2) d Texas Tech (8–0) npr Alabama (6–1–1) d Minnesota Notre Dame (7–0) (48) TCU (9–0) (28) Duke (8–0) (3) u Pittsburgh (8–1) (2) т tu Tennessee (8–0) (3) т d Oklahoma (8–0) u Carnegie Tech (6–1) d Minnesota (6–2) npr California (9–1) Cornell (5–1) d Holy Cross (7–1) d Michigan (6–1–1) u Dartmouth (7–1) u USC (6–2) d Northwestern (4–2–2) u Villanova (7–0–1) d Texas Tech (9–0) u Fordham (5–1–2) Santa Clara (6–1) d Georgetown (8–0) npr Alabama Wisconsin Notre Dame (8–0) (48) TCU (10–0) (23) Duke (9–0) (15) Tennessee (9–0) (4) Oklahoma (9–0) u Carnegie Tech (7–1) u Pittsburgh (8–2) d USC (7–2) u Holy Cross (8–1) u Minnesota (6–2) d Cornell (5–1–1) d California (9–1) d Fordham (6–1–2) u Texas Tech (10–0) u Villanova (8–0–1) u Michigan (6–1–1) d Alabama (7–1–1) npr Tulane (7–2–1) npr Northwestern (4–2–2) d Dartmouth (7–2) d Georgetown Santa Clara TCU (10–0) (55) nc Tennessee (10–0) (16) u Duke (9–0) (11) Oklahoma (10–0) u Notre Dame (8–1) (4) d Carnegie Tech (7–1) USC (8–2) (1) u Pittsburgh (8–2) d Holy Cross (8–1) Minnesota (6–2) Texas Tech (10–0) u Cornell (5–1–1) d Alabama (7–1–1) u California (10–1) d Fordham (6–1–2) d Michigan (6–1–1) Northwestern (4–2–2) u Villanova (8–0–1) d Tulane (7–2–1) d Dartmouth (7–2) Houlgate System FinalDecember 6, 1938 Houlgate Rates Tennessee No. 1 Team https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112502645/houlgate-system-1938-december-6/ Daily News Los Angeles November 7, 2022 December 6 Tennessee (A 35) Notre Dame (B 30) Duke (A 27) Oklahoma (A 25) Texas Christian (A 24) Southern California (C 23) California (B 22) Pittsburgh (C 22) Holy Cross (B 21) Alabama (C 20) Litkenhous Ratings The top teams in the Litkenhous Ratings for 1938 were as follows: 20em 1. Tennessee 2. TCU 3. USC 4. Notre Dame 5. Holy Cross 6. Pittsburgh 7. Cornell 8. Fordham 9. Minnesota 10. Michigan 11. Northwestern 12. California Boand/Azzi Ratem 20em 1. Tennessee 2. Notre Dame 3. TCU 4. USC 5. California 6. Oklahoma 7. Duke 8. Pittsburgh 9. Holy Cross 10. Minnesota 11. Villanova 12. Michigan January 3, 1939 Boand Gives Grid Top to Tennessee Eleven Chicago Tribune Press Service https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-butte-daily-post-1936-azzi-ratem-boa/135968157/ Omaha World-Herald November 30, 2023 1. Tennessee; 2. Notre Dame; 3. Texas Christian; Poling 20em 1. Tennessee 2. TCU 3. USC 4. Notre Dame 5. California 6. Oklahoma 7. Duke 8. Holy Cross 9. Pittsburgh 10. Minnesota 11. Alabama 12. Carnegie Tech Williamson 20em 1-2. Tennessee 1-2. TCU 3. Notre Dame 4. Carnegie Tech 5. Holy Cross 6. Alabama 7. USC 8. Duke 9. Oklahoma 10. Pittsburgh 11. Minnesota 12. Villanova Football Rankers Place U.T. No. 1 Chattanooga Sunday Times January 22, 1939 II-1 https://www.newspapers.com/article/chattanooga-daily-times-football-rankers/124839116/ Newspapers.com See also 1938 College Football All-America Team Notes References * Category:College football rankings