🏈 The 1932 college football season
The champion and its path, the poll race week by week, the honours, the best games and every conference table.
Jump to any season1869–2026
1932 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path, USC10-0
- Sep 24vsUtahW35-0
- Oct 1vsWashington StateW20-0
- Oct 8vsOregon StateW10-0
- Oct 15vsLoyola MarymountW6-0
- Oct 22atStanfordW13-0
- Nov 5vsCaliforniaW27-7
- Nov 12vsOregonW33-0
- Nov 24atWashingtonW9-6
- Dec 10vsNotre DameW13-0
- Jan 2vsPittsburghW35-0Rose Bowl
The 1932 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
- Rose BowlJan 2USC35
The 1932 Elo race
Elo by week, higher is better. There was no AP poll this year, so the ratings tell the story.
How this is measured
- Regular season ends
- Bowl season
Tap or drag on the chart to read a team's Elo in any week.
1932 Elo at season end
There is no AP poll before 1936, so the ratings stand in: the ten highest-rated major teams when the season ended.
1932 Elo at season endElo
Elo top 24
rating, z
The 1932 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1932 honours
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
- Pete GraceyVanderbilt
- Jimmy HitchcockAuburn
- Harry Newman★ unanimousMichigan
- Warren Heller★ unanimousPittsburgh
- Don ZimmermanTulane
- Joe SkladanyPittsburgh
- Paul Moss★ unanimousPurdue
Show all 5 positions
- Joe Kurth★ unanimousNotre Dame
- Ernie Smith★ unanimousUSC
- Pete GraceyVanderbilt
- Jimmy HitchcockAuburn
- Harry Newman★ unanimousMichigan
- Warren Heller★ unanimousPittsburgh
- Don ZimmermanTulane
- Joe SkladanyPittsburgh
- Paul Moss★ unanimousPurdue
- Joe Kurth★ unanimousNotre Dame
- Ernie Smith★ unanimousUSC
The best games of 1932
The ten best games of the season by Game Score. Switch to the Elo score for a second opinion.
How this is measured
The best games of 193210 games
Upsets of 1932
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Upsets of 193210 upsets
1932 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1932 standings by conference9 groups
Big Six
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nebraska★ conference champion | 5-0 | 7-1-1 | |
| 2 | Kansas | 3-2 | 5-3 | |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 3-2 | 4-4-1 | |
| 4 | Kansas State | 2-3 | 4-4 | |
| 5 | Missouri | 1-3-1 | 1-7-1 | |
| 6 | Iowa State | 0-4-1 | 3-4-1 |
Big Ten
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan★ conference champion | 6-0 | 8-0 | |
| 2 | Purdue★ conference champion | 5-0-1 | 7-0-1 | |
| 3 | Wisconsin | 4-1-1 | 6-1-1 | |
| 4 | Ohio State | 2-1-2 | 4-1-3 | |
| 5 | Northwestern | 2-3-1 | 3-4-1 | |
| 6 | Minnesota | 2-3 | 5-3 | |
| 7 | Illinois | 2-4 | 5-4 | |
| 8 | Indiana | 1-4-1 | 3-4-1 | |
| 9 | Chicago | 1-4 | 3-4-1 | |
| 10 | Iowa | 0-5 | 1-7 |
Border
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas Tech | 2-0 | 10-2 | |
| 2 | Arizona | 3-2 | 4-5 | |
| 3 | Northern Arizona | 2-2-1 | 3-2-2 | |
| 4 | Arizona State | 2-2-1 | 4-3-1 | |
| 5 | New Mexico State | 1-2-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 6 | New Mexico | 1-3-1 | 1-6-1 |
Missouri Valley
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma A&M★ conference champion | 3-0 | 9-1-2 | |
| 2 | Creighton | 3-1 | 5-2-1 | |
| 3 | Butler | 0-0-1 | 2-4-1 | |
| 4 | Washington University | 1-2 | 4-4 | |
| 5 | Drake | 1-3-1 | 2-6-1 | |
| 6 | Grinnell | 1-3 | 3-4-1 |
Pacific Coast
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USC★ conference champion | 6-0 | 10-0 | |
| 2 | Washington State | 5-1-1 | 7-1-1 | |
| 3 | UCLA | 4-2 | 6-4 | |
| 4 | Washington | 3-2-2 | 6-2-2 | |
| 5 | California | 2-2-1 | 7-3-2 | |
| 6 | Oregon | 2-2-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 7 | Stanford | 1-3-1 | 6-4-1 | |
| 8 | Oregon State | 1-4 | 4-6 | |
| 9 | Idaho | 1-4 | 3-5 | |
| 10 | Montana | 0-5 | 2-7 |
Rocky Mountain
12 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah★ conference champion | 6-0 | 6-1-1 | |
| 2 | BYU | 5-1 | 8-1 | |
| 3 | Denver | 4-1-1 | 4-3-1 | |
| 4 | Colorado College | 5-2 | 5-2 | |
| 5 | Colorado A&M | 4-3-1 | 4-3-1 | |
| 6 | Colorado State College | 2-2-1 | 4-2-1 | |
| 7 | Utah State | 3-3 | 4-4 | |
| 8 | Colorado | 2-4 | 2-4 | |
| 9 | Wyoming | 1-4-1 | 2-6-1 | |
| 10 | Colorado Mines | 1-5 | 1-7 | |
| 11 | Montana State | 0-3 | 3-3-1 | |
| 12 | Western State | 0-5 | 1-5 |
Southern
23 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU★ conference champion | 4-0 | 6-3-1 | |
| 2 | Tennessee★ conference champion | 7-0-1 | 9-0-1 | |
| 3 | Auburn★ conference champion | 6-0-1 | 9-0-1 | |
| 4 | Virginia Tech | 6-1 | 8-1 | |
| 5 | Alabama | 5-2 | 8-2 | |
| 6 | Vanderbilt | 4-1-2 | 6-1-2 | |
| 7 | North Carolina State | 3-1-1 | 6-1-2 | |
| 8 | Tulane | 5-2-1 | 6-2-1 | |
| 9 | Duke | 5-3 | 7-3 | |
| 10 | South Carolina | 2-2-2 | 5-4-2 | |
| 11 | Georgia Tech | 4-4-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 12 | Kentucky | 4-5 | 4-5 | |
| 13 | Virginia | 2-3 | 5-4 | |
| 14 | Mississippi | 2-3 | 5-6 | |
| 15 | Georgia | 2-4-2 | 2-5-2 | |
| 16 | Maryland | 2-4 | 5-6 | |
| 17 | North Carolina | 2-5-1 | 3-5-2 | |
| 18 | VMI | 1-4 | 2-8 | |
| 19 | Washington & Lee | 1-4 | 1-9 | |
| 20 | Florida | 1-6 | 3-6 | |
| 21 | Clemson | 0-4 | 3-5-1 | |
| 22 | Mississippi State | 0-4 | 3-5 | |
| 23 | Sewanee | 0-6 | 2-7-1 |
Southwest
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TCU★ conference champion | 6-0 | 10-0-1 | |
| 2 | Texas | 5-1 | 8-2 | |
| 3 | Rice | 3-3 | 7-3 | |
| 4 | Texas A&M | 1-2-2 | 4-4-2 | |
| 5 | Baylor | 1-4-1 | 3-5-1 | |
| 6 | SMU | 1-4-1 | 3-7-2 | |
| 7 | Arkansas | 1-4 | 1-6-2 |
Independent
40 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colgate | - | 9-0 | |
| 2 | Centenary | - | 8-0-1 | |
| 3 | Brown | - | 7-1 | |
| 4 | Michigan State | - | 7-1 | |
| 5 | Columbia | - | 7-1-1 | |
| 6 | Pittsburgh | - | 8-1-2 | |
| 7 | Army | - | 8-2 | |
| 8 | Detroit | - | 8-2 | |
| 9 | Notre Dame | - | 7-2 | |
| 10 | Villanova | - | 7-2 | |
| 11 | Fordham | - | 6-2 | |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | - | 6-2 | |
| 13 | Temple | - | 5-1-2 | |
| 14 | George Washington | - | 6-2-1 | |
| 15 | St. Mary's | - | 6-2-1 | |
| 16 | Saint Louis | - | 5-2 | |
| 17 | Cornell | - | 5-2-1 | |
| 18 | Santa Clara | - | 6-3 | |
| 19 | William & Mary | - | 8-4 | |
| 20 | Gonzaga | - | 5-3 | |
| 21 | Harvard | - | 5-3 | |
| 22 | NYU | - | 5-3 | |
| 23 | Richmond | - | 4-2-2 | |
| 24 | Washington & Jefferson | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 25 | Marquette | - | 4-3-1 | |
| 26 | Carnegie Tech | - | 4-3-2 | |
| 27 | Bucknell | - | 4-4-1 | |
| 28 | Dartmouth | - | 4-4 | |
| 29 | Davidson | - | 4-4-1 | |
| 30 | Princeton | - | 2-2-3 | |
| 31 | Syracuse | - | 4-4-1 | |
| 32 | Wake Forest | - | 3-3-2 | |
| 33 | West Virginia | - | 5-5 | |
| 34 | Yale | - | 2-2-3 | |
| 35 | Citadel | - | 4-5 | |
| 36 | Lafayette | - | 3-5 | |
| 37 | Penn State | - | 2-5 | |
| 38 | Georgetown | - | 2-6-1 | |
| 39 | Navy | - | 2-6-1 | |
| 40 | San Francisco | - | 2-6 |
1932 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1932 bowls1 bowls
Where these numbers come from
Enough to disbelieve this page on purpose rather than by accident.
Champions, polls, standings, bowls, honours and games are read from the Citizen of Nowhere college football database, built from its own workbook one season at a time. Team colours and crests are the current programs’, so a school is drawn the way it looks today even where it played under another name.
The AP poll begins in 1936, so earlier seasons have no poll race and no final poll, but they do have an Elo race, and their champions are those the selectors named. Before 1992 there was no title game, so those seasons list the major bowls instead; from 1992 the title game is shown with the other major bowls, and from 2014 the playoff bracket. Where the database has no entry for a section, the section is left out rather than shown empty.
Elo ratings, the upsets and the best games come from the site’s college football Elo, which rates every game since 1869 and counts games against lower-level opponents. Each season’s ratings are shown on a scale where the average major team ends the season at 1500; z is the distance from that average in standard deviations.