1949 college football rankings

none August 2023 December 2025 1949 Notre Dame One human poll comprised the 1949 college 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. 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 November 2025 The final AP Poll was released on November 28, at the end of the 1949 regular season, 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 8 9 (Final) Oct 3 Oct 10 Oct 17 Oct 24 Oct 31 Nov 7 Nov 14 Nov 21 Nov 28 Michigan (2–0) (34) Notre Dame (2–0) (15) Oklahoma (2–0) (17) Tulane (2–0) (4) Minnesota (2–0) (2) North Carolina (2–0) (3) Army (2–0) (1) USC (2–0) SMU (2–0) California (3–0) Ohio State (2–0) Texas (3–0) Michigan State (2–0) Duke (2–0) (3) Kentucky (3–0) (1) Villanova (3–0) Cornell (2–0) UCLA (3–0) Pittsburgh (2–0) Missouri (0–2) т Northwestern (1–1) т Penn (2–0) т Notre Dame (3–0) (67) u Army (3–0) (58) u Oklahoma (3–0) (28) Tulane (3–0) (1) Minnesota (3–0) (6) North Carolina (3–0) (3) Michigan (2–1) d Kentucky (4–0) (8) u California (4–0) u SMU (2–0) (1) d Ohio State (2–0–1) USC (2–0–1) d UCLA (4–0) u Cornell (3–0) u Pittsburgh (3–0) u Texas (3–1) d Villanova (4–0) d Navy (2–1) npr Michigan State (2–1) d Baylor (3–0) npr Duke Missouri Northwestern Penn Notre Dame (4–0) (146) Army (4–0) (10) Minnesota (4–0) (8) u Oklahoma (4–0) (6) d California (5–0) u North Carolina (4–0) (6) Kentucky (5–0) (3) u Cornell (4–0) u Rice (3–1) npr Texas (4–1) u Baylor (4–0) u Michigan (2–2) d Northwestern (2–2) npr Penn (3–0) npr Michigan State (3–1) u Pittsburgh (4–0) d SMU (2–1) d Missouri (2–2) npr USC (2–1–1) d Tulane (3–1) d Navy Ohio State UCLA Villanova Notre Dame (4–0) (120) Army (5–0) (12) Oklahoma (5–0) (10) u California (6–0) u Rice (4–1) u Michigan (3–2) u Minnesota (4–1) d Cornell (5–0) Penn (4–0) u Baylor (5–0) u SMU (3–1) u Michigan State (4–1) (1) u North Carolina (4–1) d Kentucky (5–1) d USC (3–1–1) u Missouri (3–2) u LSU (3–2) npr Ohio State (3–1–1) npr Texas (4–2) d UCLA (5–1) npr Northwestern Pittsburgh Tulane Notre Dame (5–0) (133) Army (6–0) (10) Oklahoma (6–0) (11) California (7–0) (4) Michigan (4–2) u Baylor (6–0) u Cornell (6–0) (1) u Rice (5–1) d SMU (4–1) u Michigan State (5–1) (2) u Ohio State (4–1–1) u USC (4–1–1) u Kentucky (6–1) u Tennessee (4–1–1) npr Iowa (4–2) npr Duke (5–1) npr LSU (4–2) Boston University (5–0) npr Virginia (6–0) npr Fordham (4–0) т Penn (4–1) т background-color:#FFFFE6 d Minnesota Missouri North Carolina Texas UCLA Notre Dame (6–0) (137) Army (7–0) (13) Oklahoma (7–0) (9) California (8–0) (3) Michigan (5–2) Cornell (7–0) (1) u Rice (6–1) u Michigan State (5–2) u Minnesota (5–2) npr Virginia (7–0) u Ohio State (5–1–1) SMU (4–1–1) d Texas (5–3) npr Kentucky (7–1) d Boston (6–0) u LSU (5–2) u Stanford (5–2–1) npr Wake Forest (4–4) npr Pacific (7–0) npr Santa Clara (6–1–1) npr Baylor Duke Fordham Iowa Penn Tennessee USC Notre Dame (7–0) (140) Oklahoma (8–0) (15) u California (9–0) (5) u Army (8–0) (1) d Michigan (6–2) Rice (7–1) u Ohio State (6–1–1) u Minnesota (6–2) u Virginia (7–0) (1) u SMU (5–1–1) u Kentucky (8–1) u Stanford (6–2–1) u LSU (6–2) u Dartmouth (6–1) npr Baylor (7–1) npr Maryland (6–1) npr Cornell (7–1) d Michigan State (5–3) d Santa Clara (7–1–1) т tu Tulane (6–1–1) т npr Boston Pacific Texas Wake Forest Notre Dame (8–0) (113) California (10–0) (24) u Oklahoma (9–0) (11) d Army (8–0) (1) Ohio State (6–1–2) u Michigan (6–2–1) d Rice (8–1) d Minnesota (7–2) Baylor (8–1) u Tulane (7–1–1) u Pacific (9–0) (2) npr Stanford (6–3–1) LSU (7–2) Santa Clara (7–2–1) u Maryland (6–1) u Villanova (8–1) npr USC (5–2–1) npr Tennessee (6–2–1) npr North Carolina (6–3) npr Cornell (7–1) т Kentucky (8–2) т d Dartmouth Michigan State SMU Virginia Notre Dame (9–0) (172) nc Oklahoma (10–0) (18) u California (10–0) d Army (9–0) (12) Rice (9–1) u Ohio State (6–1–2) d Michigan (6–2–1) d Minnesota (7–2) LSU (8–2) u Pacific (10–0) (4) u Kentucky (9–2) u Cornell (8–1) u Villanova (8–1) (2) u Maryland (7–1) u Santa Clara (7–2–1) d North Carolina (7–3) u Tennessee (7–2–1) u Princeton (6–3) npr Michigan State (6–3) npr Baylor (8–2) т Missouri (7–3) т npr Stanford Tulane USC Litkenhous Ratings The final Litkenhous Ratings released in December 1949 ranked the following as the top 100 teams:Irish Eleven Officially Named Litkenhous Champ E. E. Litkenhous December 14, 1949 Wilmington Morning News 32 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-morning-news-irish-eleven-officially/124891231/ Newspapers.com 15em 1. Notre Dame (10–0) 2. California (10–1) 3. Oklahoma (11–0) 4. Minnesota (7–2) 5. Stanford (7–3–1) 6. Army (9–0) 7. Michigan (6–2–1) 8. Ohio State (7–1–2) 9. Michigan State 10. USC (5–3–1) 11. Wisconsin (5–3–1) 12. Rice (10–1) 13. Kentucky (9–3) 14. LSU (8–3) 15. Texas (6–4) 16. UCLA (6–3) 17. SMU (5–4–1) 18. Baylor (8–2) 19. Tulane (7–2–1) 20. Illinois (3–4–2) 21. Maryland (9–1) 22. Purdue (4–5) 23. Missouri (7–4) 24. Northwestern (4–5) 25. Pacific (11–0) 26. Oregon State (7–3) 27. Tennessee (7–2–1) 28. Villanova (8–1) 29. Iowa (4–5) 30. Santa Clara (8–2–1) 31. Duke (6–3) 32. San Francisco (7–3) 33. TCU (6–3–1) 34. Oregon (4–6) 35. Georgia Tech (7–3) 36. Alabama (6–3–1) 37. Pittsburgh (6–3) 38. Arkansas (5–5) 39. North Carolina (7–4) 40. Miami (FL) (6–3) 41. Kansas (5–5) 42. Xavier (10–1) 43. Miami (OH) (5–4) 44. Penn (4–4) 45. Georgia (4–6–1) 46. Vanderbilt (5–5) 47. Boston University (6–2) 48. Washington (3–7) 49. Iowa State (5–3–1) 50. William & Mary (6–4) 51. Virginia (7–2) 52. Dayton (6–3) 53. Cincinnati (7–4) 54. Cornell (8–1) 55. Indiana (1–8) 56. Ole Miss (4–5–1) 57. Navy (3–5–1) 58. Wyoming (9–1) 59. Boston College (4–4–1) 60. Penn State (5–4) 61. Wake Forest (4–6) 62. St. Bonaventure (6–3) 63. Princeton (6–3) 64. San Jose State (9–4) 65. Washington State (3–6) 66. Nebraska (4–5) 67. Nevada (5–5) 68. Oklahoma A&M (4–4–2) 69. Texas A&M (1–8–1) 70. Auburn (2–4–3) 71. Florida (4–5–1) 72. Texas Tech (7–5) 73. Hardin Simmons (6–4–1) 74. Brown (8–1) 75. South Carolina (4–6) 76. Rutgers (6–3) 77. Texas Western (8–2–1) 78. Dartmouth (6–2) 79. McMurry 80. Louisville (8–3) 81. Hardin (10–1) 82. North Texas (8–4) 83. Saint Mary's (3–6–1) 84. Detroit (5–4) 85. Houston (5–4–1) 86. Fordham (5–3) 87. Tulsa (5–5–1) 88. Marquette (4–5) 89. Memphis State (9–1) 90. Loyola [Los Angeles] (6–4) 91. Tyler (10–1) 92. John Carroll (6–3) 93. Kansas State (2–8) 94. West Texas (5–4) 95. Clemson (4–4–2) 96. Syracuse (4–5) 97. Mississippi Southern (0–8–1) 98. Bucknell (6–2) 99. Idaho (3–5) 100. Delaware (8–1) Pittsburgh Courier The Pittsburgh Courier, a leading African American newspaper, ranked the top 1949 teams from historically black colleges and universities using the Dickinson System in an era when college football was largely segregated. The rankings were published on December 10.Southern, West Va. Lose on Final Ballot The Pittsburgh Courier Lucius Jones December 10, 1949 22 https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-pittsburgh-courier-southern-west-va/40078662/ Newspapers.com 1. Morgan State (8–0) 2. Southern (10–0–1), West Virginia State (8–0–1) 4. Tennessee A&M (9–1) 5. Florida A&M (7–2) 6. Maryland State (8–0), 1949 Shaw Bears Shaw (7–2), 1949 North Carolina A&T Aggies North Carolina A&T (7–2) 9. Langston (8–1–1) 10. 1949 Benedict Tigers Benedict (6–1) 11. Grambling (7–3–2) 12. 1949 Fisk Bulldogs Fisk (6–2) 13. Prairie View A&M (7–3), 1949 Hampton Pirates Hampton (5–3) 15. 1949 Alcorn A&M Braves Alcorn A&M (7–1–2) 16. 1949 Alabama A&M Bulldogs Alabama A&M (5–2–2), 1949 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats Bethune–Cookman (5–3), 1949 Kentucky State Thorobreds Kentucky State (6–4), 1949 Wilberforce State Green Wave Wilberforce State (5–4) 20. 1949 Fort Valley State Wildcats Fort Valley State (5–3–1) 21. 1949 Virginia State Trojans Virginia State (4–2–1) 22. 1949 Howard Bison Howard (7–2) 23. 1949 Clark Panthers Clark (4–4) 24. 1949 North Carolina College Eagles North Carolina College (4–4) 25. 1949 Arkansas AM&N Golden Lions Arkansas AM&N (5–4–2), 1949 St. Augustine's Falcons St. Augustine's (6–2) 27. 1949 Morris Brown Wolverines Morris Brown (6–3–1), 1949 Bishop Tigers Bishop (4–3–1), 1949 Morristown Red Knights Morristown (6–3–1) See also 1949 College Football All-America Team References * Category:College football rankings