🏈 The 1936 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
1936 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path, Minnesota7-1
- Sep 26atWashingtonW14-7
- Oct 10vsNebraskaW7-0
- Oct 17vsMichiganW26-0
- Oct 24vs#5PurdueW33-0
- Oct 31at#3NorthwesternL0-6
- Nov 7vsIowaW52-0
- Nov 14vsTexasW47-19
- Nov 21atWisconsinW24-0
The 1936 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
- Cotton BowlJan 1#16TCU16#20Marquette6
- Orange BowlJan 1#14Duquesne13
- Rose BowlJan 1#3Pittsburgh21#5Washington0
- Sugar BowlJan 1#6Santa Clara21#2LSU14
The 1936 poll race
Rank by poll week, 1 at the top, or Elo by week. A poll line breaks where a team was unranked.
How this is measured
Tap or drag on the chart to read a team's rank in any week.
AP rank, team by week
| Team | Oct19 | 26 | Nov2 | 9 | 16 | 23 | Nov30final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| LSU | 13 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Pittsburgh | 9 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Alabama | 14 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Washington | 8 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Santa Clara | 19 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 6 | |
| Northwestern | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Notre Dame | 7 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 8 | ||
| Nebraska | 15 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 13 | 10 | 9 |
| Pennsylvania | 20 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 10 | |
| Duke | 2 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 11 | 11 |
| Yale | 10 | 12 | 16 | 12 | |||
| Dartmouth | 18 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 13 | ||
| Duquesne | 11 | 20 | 12 | 14 | |||
| Fordham | 16 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 15 |
| TCU | 18 | 18 | 16 | ||||
| Tennessee | 18 | 19 | 17 | 17 | |||
| Arkansas | 18 | ||||||
| Navy | 18 | ||||||
| Marquette | 20 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 20 |
| Tulane | 18 | 9 | 10 | 19 | |||
| Washington State | 17 | 14 | 15 | 20 | |||
| Texas A&M | 14 | 15 | 14 | ||||
| Holy Cross | 17 | 13 | 17 | 17 | |||
| Ohio State | 18 | ||||||
| Temple | 19 | 20 | |||||
| USC | 6 | 7 | 11 | 15 | |||
| SMU | 19 | 15 | 12 | 19 | |||
| Auburn | 16 | 20 | |||||
| Army | 3 | 6 | |||||
| Purdue | 5 | 17 | |||||
| Princeton | 17 | ||||||
| St. Mary's | 12 | 20 |
Tap a rank to read it and highlight that team on the chart above.
1936 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
1936 final pollsAP, Elo
Final AP poll, Nov 30.
Elo top 25
rating, z
The 1936 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1936 honoursHeisman: Larry Kelley
Heisman Trophy voting
Major awards
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
- Gaynell Tinsley★ unanimousLSU
Show all 5 positions
- Steve ReidNorthwestern
- Max StarcevichWashington
- Ed Widseth★ unanimousMinnesota
- Averell DaniellPittsburgh
- Gaynell Tinsley★ unanimousLSU
- Steve ReidNorthwestern
- Max StarcevichWashington
- Ed Widseth★ unanimousMinnesota
- Averell DaniellPittsburgh
The best games of 1936
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 193610 games
Upsets of 1936
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Upsets of 193610 upsets
1936 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1936 standings by conference10 groups
Big Six
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nebraska★ conference champion | 5-0 | 7-2 | #9 |
| 2 | Missouri | 3-1-1 | 6-2-1 | |
| 3 | Kansas State | 2-1-2 | 4-3-2 | |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 1-2-2 | 3-3-3 | |
| 5 | Iowa State | 1-3-1 | 3-3-2 | |
| 6 | Kansas | 0-5 | 1-6-1 |
Big Ten
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwestern★ conference champion | 6-0 | 7-1 | #7 |
| 2 | Minnesota | 4-1 | 7-1 | #1 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 4-1 | 5-3 | |
| 4 | Indiana | 3-1-1 | 5-2-1 | |
| 5 | Purdue | 3-1-1 | 5-2-1 | |
| 6 | Illinois | 2-2-1 | 4-3-1 | |
| 7 | Chicago | 1-4 | 2-5-1 | |
| 8 | Iowa | 0-4-1 | 3-4-1 | |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 0-4 | 2-6 | |
| 10 | Michigan | 0-5 | 1-7 |
Border
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona★ conference champion | 3-0-1 | 5-2-3 | |
| 2 | Texas Western | 2-1-1 | 5-3-1 | |
| 3 | New Mexico State | 3-2 | 6-4-1 | |
| 4 | Northern Arizona | 2-2-1 | 3-4-1 | |
| 5 | Arizona State | 2-4 | 4-5 | |
| 6 | New Mexico | 1-4 | 2-7 | |
| 7 | Texas Tech | 0-0-1 | 5-4-1 |
Missouri Valley
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tulsa★ conference champion | 3-0 | 5-2-2 | |
| 2 | Creighton★ conference champion | 3-0 | 4-4 | |
| 3 | Drake | 3-2 | 6-4 | |
| 4 | Washington University | 1-1 | 3-7 | |
| 5 | Oklahoma A&M | 1-2 | 1-9 | |
| 6 | Washburn | 1-4 | 2-6-1 | |
| 7 | Grinnell | 0-3 | 2-7 |
Pacific Coast
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington★ conference champion | 7-0-1 | 7-2-1 | #5 |
| 2 | Washington State | 6-2-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 3 | USC | 3-2-2 | 4-2-3 | |
| 4 | California | 4-3 | 6-5 | |
| 5 | UCLA | 4-3-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 6 | Stanford | 2-3-2 | 2-5-2 | |
| 7 | Oregon State | 3-5 | 4-6 | |
| 8 | Montana | 1-3 | 6-3 | |
| 9 | Oregon | 1-6-1 | 2-6-1 | |
| 10 | Idaho | 0-4 | 3-7 |
Rocky Mountain
12 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah State★ conference champion | 6-0-1 | 7-0-1 | |
| 2 | Denver | 6-1-1 | 7-1-1 | |
| 3 | Utah | 5-2 | 6-3 | |
| 4 | Colorado | 4-2 | 4-3 | |
| 5 | Colorado State College | 4-3 | 5-4 | |
| 6 | BYU | 4-4 | 4-5 | |
| 7 | Colorado A&M | 3-4-1 | 4-4-1 | |
| 8 | Colorado College | 3-4 | 3-4-1 | |
| 9 | Wyoming | 2-4-1 | 2-5-1 | |
| 10 | Montana State | 1-4 | 3-5 | |
| 11 | Western State | 1-5 | 1-6 | |
| 12 | Colorado Mines | 0-6 | 2-6 |
Southeastern
13 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU★ conference champion | 6-0 | 9-1-1 | #2 |
| 2 | Alabama | 5-0-1 | 8-0-1 | #4 |
| 3 | Auburn | 4-1-1 | 7-2-2 | |
| 4 | Tennessee | 3-1-2 | 6-2-2 | #17 |
| 5 | Mississippi State | 3-2 | 7-3-1 | |
| 6 | Georgia | 3-3 | 5-4-1 | |
| 7 | Georgia Tech | 3-3-1 | 5-5-1 | |
| 8 | Tulane | 2-3-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 9 | Vanderbilt | 1-3-1 | 3-5-1 | |
| 10 | Kentucky | 1-3 | 6-4 | |
| 11 | Florida | 1-5 | 4-6 | |
| 12 | Mississippi | 0-3-1 | 5-5-2 | |
| 13 | Sewanee | 0-5 | 0-6-1 |
Southern
16 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke★ conference champion | 7-0 | 9-1 | #11 |
| 2 | North Carolina | 6-1 | 8-2 | |
| 3 | Furman | 4-1 | 7-2 | |
| 4 | VMI | 5-2 | 6-4 | |
| 5 | Maryland | 4-2 | 6-5 | |
| 6 | Washington & Lee | 3-2 | 4-5 | |
| 7 | Davidson | 4-3 | 5-4 | |
| 8 | Clemson | 3-3 | 5-5 | |
| 9 | Virginia Tech | 4-5 | 5-5 | |
| 10 | Wake Forest | 2-3 | 5-4 | |
| 11 | North Carolina State | 2-4 | 3-7 | |
| 12 | South Carolina | 2-5 | 5-7 | |
| 13 | Richmond | 1-3 | 4-4-2 | |
| 14 | Virginia | 1-5 | 2-7 | |
| 15 | Citadel | 0-4 | 4-6 | |
| 16 | William & Mary | 0-5 | 1-8 |
Southwest
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas★ conference champion | 5-1 | 7-3 | #18 |
| 2 | TCU | 4-1-1 | 9-2-2 | #16 |
| 3 | Texas A&M | 3-2-1 | 8-3-1 | |
| 4 | Baylor | 3-2-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 5 | SMU | 2-3-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 6 | Rice | 1-5 | 5-7 | |
| 7 | Texas | 1-5 | 2-6-1 |
Independent
43 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara | - | 8-1 | #6 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | - | 7-1 | #10 |
| 3 | Yale | - | 7-1 | #12 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh | - | 8-1-1 | #3 |
| 5 | Dartmouth | - | 7-1-1 | #13 |
| 6 | George Washington | - | 7-1-1 | |
| 7 | Duquesne | - | 8-2 | #14 |
| 8 | Marquette | - | 7-2 | #20 |
| 9 | Michigan State | - | 6-1-2 | |
| 10 | Fordham | - | 5-1-2 | #15 |
| 11 | Holy Cross | - | 7-2-1 | |
| 12 | Villanova | - | 7-2-1 | |
| 13 | Georgetown | - | 6-2-1 | |
| 14 | Notre Dame | - | 6-2-1 | #8 |
| 15 | Detroit | - | 7-3 | |
| 16 | Miami (FL) | - | 6-2-2 | |
| 17 | Army | - | 6-3 | |
| 18 | Colgate | - | 6-3 | |
| 19 | Loyola Marymount | - | 6-3 | |
| 20 | Navy | - | 6-3 | #18 |
| 21 | St. Mary's | - | 6-3-1 | |
| 22 | Temple | - | 6-3-2 | |
| 23 | Columbia | - | 5-3 | |
| 24 | Gonzaga | - | 5-3 | |
| 25 | Princeton | - | 4-2-2 | |
| 26 | NYU | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 27 | Manhattan | - | 6-4 | |
| 28 | West Virginia | - | 6-4 | |
| 29 | Centenary | - | 6-4-2 | |
| 30 | Saint Louis | - | 5-4-1 | |
| 31 | Bucknell | - | 4-4-1 | |
| 32 | San Francisco | - | 4-4-2 | |
| 33 | Erskine | - | 4-5 | |
| 34 | Harvard | - | 3-4-1 | |
| 35 | Loyola (LA) | - | 4-6 | |
| 36 | Cornell | - | 3-5 | |
| 37 | Penn State | - | 3-5 | |
| 38 | Mercer | - | 3-6-1 | |
| 39 | Presbyterian | - | 3-6 | |
| 40 | Brown | - | 3-7 | |
| 41 | Carnegie Tech | - | 2-6 | |
| 42 | Wofford | - | 1-7-1 | |
| 43 | Syracuse | - | 1-7 |
1936 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1936 bowls6 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.