1935 college football rankings

none August 2023 December 2025 1935 Minnesotaper Boand System, Litkenhous Ratings, Poling System, Toledo Cup, Billingsley Report, College Football Researchers Association, Helms Athletic Foundation, National Championship Foundation; co champion (alongside Princeton and SMU); SMUper Dickinson System, Houlgate System, Berryman QPRS, Sagarin Ratings Elo chess method, and Sagarin Ratings Predictor method; co champion (alongside Minnesota and Princeton); Princetonper Dunkel System; co-champion (alongside Minnesota and SMU); TCUper Williamson System. The NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records book lists the Williamson System as having selected TCU and LSU as co-champions for 1935. However, the system's post-bowl final rankings published in January 1936 show TCU first, SMU second, and LSU third. The accompanying column written by Paul B. Williamson states, "There was no undisputable national champion in 1935".Williamson Paul B. January 16, 1936 Frogs Rated First In Final Grid Standings; S.M.U. Mustangs Placed Second By Williamson https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115690941/1935-williamson-system-final-football/ Fort Worth Star–Telegram Fort Worth, Texas January 2, 2023 No Undisputable National Champions Picked; Sugar Bowl Game One of Best January 3, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230103040413/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115690941/1935-williamson-system-final-football/ live The 1935 college football rankings included (1) a United Press (UP) poll of sports writers, (2) a poll of sports editors conducted by the committee responsible for awarding the Toledo Cup to the nation's top college football team, and the (3) Boand, (4) Dickinson, and (5) Houlgate Systems. The Minnesota Golden Gophers (8–0), led by head coach Bernie Bierman, were selected as national champions in the UP poll, the Toledo Cup voting, and the Boand System. The SMU Mustangs (12–0 prior to losing the 1936 Rose Bowl), led by consensus All-Americans Bob Wilson and J. C. Wetsel, were selected as national champions by Dickinson and Houlgate. Champions (by ranking) Major rankings (both contemporary and retroactive) have varied in who they identify as the season champion(s). Schools identified as 1935 season champions by at least one such ranking include: Minnesota, Princeton, SMU, and TCU as season champions:Football Bowl Subdivision Records http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2017/FBS.pdf NCAA 112 2017 July 29, 2025 Berryman QPRS: SMU Billingsley Report: Minnesota Boand System: Minnesota College Football Researchers Association: Minnesota Dickinson System: SMU Dunkel System: Princeton Helms Athletic Foundation: Minnesota Houlgate System: SMU Litkenhous Ratings: Minnesota National Championship Foundation: Minnesota Poling System: Minnesota Sagarin Ratings Elo chess method: SMU Sagarin Ratings Predictor method: SMU Toledo Cup: MinnesotaPutnam Herbert S. December 23, 1935 Athletic H-A-S-H https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109195840/1935-toledo-cup/ Fremont Tribune Fremont, Nebraska September 8, 2022 Williamson System: TCU Note: Boand System, Dickinson System, Dunkel System, Houlgate System, Litkenhous Ratings, Poling System, Toledo Cup, and Williamson System were given contemporarily. All other methods were given retroactively. Associated Press rankings Weekly top ten rankings were published by the Associated Press news service throughout the season. The rankings were made solely by Associated Press sports editor Alan Gould. Gould's final rankings on December 3, 1935, declared a three-way tie for first between SMU, Princeton, and Minnesota.Gould Alan Associated Press December 3, 1935 Associated Press Rates Grid Teams — Mustangs, Tigers, Gophers Are Ranked as Equal All Unbeaten https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-duncan-eagle-associated-press-rates/124840783/ The Duncan Eagle New York Duncan, Oklahoma May 16, 2023 Gould's stated desire for content to fill space between games by encouraging controversy and "hoopla" led Gould to poll the nation's sportswriters in subsequent years; thus the AP Poll would officially begin in 1936.Nissenson Herschel 2001 Sports Publishing LLC Tales from College Football's Sidelines 93 https://archive.org/details/talesfromcollege00hers/page/92/mode/2up January 8, 2026 Rank Team1SMUPrinceton Minnesota4LSUTCU6Stanford7Ohio State8North Carolina9California10Fordham United Press poll At the end of the regular season, the United Press (UP) polled 141 sports writers from all sections of the country. Each writer was asked to rank the top ten teams, and the UP then assigned points with ten points being awarded to a first-place vote, nine points for a second-place vote, etc.Minnesota Is Voted Mythical National Grid Championship Buffalo Evening News United Press George Kirksey December 12, 1935 40 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-news-minnesota-is-voted-myth/124792025/ Newspapers.comMinnesota Voted No. 1 Football Eleven The Anniston Star George Kirksey December 12, 1935 16 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-anniston-star-minnesota-voted-no-1/124791188/ Newspapers.com The leaders in the poll were: Rank Team Points 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 1 Minnesota 1,366 98 34 1000000002 SMU1,246 30 68 30120000203Princeton1,008122052 14161426024TCU7900212363226204265Ohio State764010162224142816826Stanford7202261636401410687LSU6290582018241816848Notre Dame4590161212818262489California2920002082028282810Pittsburgh1380000324122214 The following teams were ranked below the top 10: 11. Fordham 12. North Carolina 13. Duke 14. Holy Cross 15. Auburn 16. Northwestern 17. Alabama 18. (tie) Army, Iowa, UCLA 21. (tie) Nebraska, Ohio 23. (tie) Marquette, Washington, Saint Mary's 26. (tie) Temple, Dartmouth, NYU Toledo Cup The Toledo Cup was presented to the college football national champion. Overseen by a committee including westbrook Pegler, Avery Brundage, Gustavus Kirby, Lynn St. John, Wilbur C. Smith, Stewart Edward White, and Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the Toledo Cup award was based on input from a judge's committee of 250 sports editors of leading newspapers. A preliminary vote was taken in December 1935 with the following results: 1. Minnesota - 840 points 2. Princeton - 379 points 3. SMU - 347 points 4. TCU - 71 points 5. Ohio State - 52 points 6. LSU - 24 points 7. Notre Dame - 23 points 8. Stanford - 22 points 9. California - 9 points 10. Pittsburgh - 2 points 11. (tie) Dartmouth, Alabama, Northwestern, and Saint Mary's - 1 point each Minnesota, Princeton and Mustangs Lead for the Toledo Cup St. Louis Post-Dispatch December 22, 1935 3D https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-minnesota-princ/124794651/ Newspapers.com The final vote of the committee was taken in January 1936 with the following results: 1. Minnesota - 168 votes 2. SMU - 46 votes 3. Princeton - 22 votes Trophy To Minnesota: Wins Toledo Cup Again, Symbolical of Gridiron Championship The Emporia Daily Gazette January 17, 1936 10 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-emporia-gazette-trophy-to-minnesota/124793770/ Newspapers.com It was Minnesota's second consecutive year winning the Toledo Cup.Toledo Cup Goes To Gophers The Minneapolis Tribune January 18, 1936 18 https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune-toledo-cup/124793995/ Newspapers.com Boand System The Boand System was a mathematical rating system, also known as the "Azzi Ratem" system, developed by W. F. Boand. The Boand ratings released in early December 1935 were as follows: 25em 1. Minnesota - 170 points 2. SMU - 165 points 3. Princeton - 160 points 4. Ohio State - 159 points 5. LSU - 157 points 6. Notre Dame - 152 points 7. California - 151 points 8. TCU - 149 points 9. Pittsburgh - 147 points 10. Stanford - 144 points 11. Nebraska - 143 points 12. Auburn - 142 points Gophers Rated Tops By Boand, Cards Are 10th The Arizona Daily Star December 6, 1935 10 https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-daily-star-gophers-rated-tops-by/124824402/ Newspapers.com Dickinson System The Dickinson System was a mathematical rating system devised by University of Illinois economics professor Frank G. Dickinson. In his 1935 rankings, Dickinson weighted each team's performance based on the strength of the conferences, reported as follows: Big Ten (+3.78), SWC (+3.31), East (0.00), Pacific Coast (-0.11), SEC (-0.12), Big Six (-1.95) and Southern (-6.15) "Dickinson System Rates Mustangs Champions of U.S.." Alton (Ill.) Evening Telegraph Dec. 10, 1935, p10 The final Dickinson System rankings for 1935 were released in December 1935, prior to SMU's loss to Stanford in the Rose Bowl. Dickinson ranked the top 11 teams as follows: So. Methodist Rated No. 1 by Dickinson The Chicago Daily Tribune December 10, 1935 21 https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-so-methodist-rated-no/124790872/ Newspapers.com 25em 1. SMU (12-0) - 28.01 points 2. Minnesota (8-0) - 27.35 points 3. Princeton (9-0) - 26.00 points 4. LSU (9-1-1) - 24.03 points 5. (tie) Stanford (7-1) - 23.11 points 5. (tie) California (9-1) - 23.11 points 7. Ohio State (7-1) - 22.21 points 8. TCU (10-1) - 22.01 points 9. Notre Dame (7-1-1) - 21.66 points 10. UCLA (8-2) - 21.25 points 11. Fordham (6-1-2) - 20.89 points Northwestern, North Carolina, and Dartmouth followed. Houlgate In early December 1935, Deke Houlgate released his Houlgate System rankings as follows: 25em 1. SMU 2. Princeton 3. LSU 4. California 5. Minnesota 6. TCU 7. Notre Dame 8. Tie: Holy Cross (9–0–1), Ohio State, Stanford 11. Pittsburgh 12. Tie: Fordham (6–1–2), Rice (8–3) 14. Tie: Duke, UCLA 16. North Carolina 17. Alabama 18. Auburn 19. Marquette (7–1) 20. Michigan State (6–2) 21. NYU (7–1) 22. Nebraska (6–2–1) 23. Tie: Catholic University (8–1), Furman (8–1) 25. Villanova (7–2) 26. Saint Mary's (5–2–2) 27. Tie: Army (6–2–1), Mississippi State (8–3) 29. Tie: Bucknell (6–3), Temple (7–3) 31. Tie: Oregon (6–3), Syracuse (6–1–1) 33. Vanderbilt (7–3–1) 34. Maryland (7–2–2) 35. Ole Miss (9–3) 36. Iowa (4–2–2) 37. Dartmouth (8–2) 38. Baylor (8–3) 39. Tie: Detroit (6–3), Yale (6–3) 41. Northwestern (4–3–1) 42. Clemson (6–3) 43. Georgia (6–4) 44. Tie: Colgate (7–3), Washington 46. Tie: NC State (6–4), Tulane (6–4) 48. Duquesne (6–3) 49. Boston College (6–3) 50. Tie: Indiana (4–3–1), Michigan (4–4), Navy (5–4), Penn State (4–4), Western Maryland Scoopin' Em Up The Greenville NEws December 10, 1935 9 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-greenville-news-scoopin-em-up/124822301/ Newspapers.com Notes See also 1935 College Football All-America Team References * Category:College football rankings