🏈 The 1939 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
1939 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The 1939 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
- Cotton BowlJan 1#12Clemson6#11Boston College3
- Orange BowlJan 1#16Georgia Tech21#6Missouri7
- Rose BowlJan 1#3USC14#2Tennessee0
- Sugar BowlJan 1#1Texas A&M14#5Tulane13
The 1939 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 | Oct16 | 23 | 30 | Nov6 | 13 | 20 | 27 | Dec4 | Dec11final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M | 9 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tennessee | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| USC | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Cornell | 12 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Tulane | 4 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Missouri | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | ||||
| UCLA | 19 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 7 | ||
| Duke | 13 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 |
| Iowa | 15 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | ||||
| Duquesne | 11 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 10 | |
| Boston College | 14 | 11 | |||||||
| Clemson | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 12 | ||||
| Notre Dame | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 13 |
| Santa Clara | 16 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 14 | |||
| Ohio State | 10 | 4 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 15 |
| Georgia Tech | 19 | 13 | 16 | ||||||
| Fordham | 18 | 17 | |||||||
| Nebraska | 16 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 17 | 18 | |||
| Oklahoma | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 19 | ||
| Michigan | 6 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 20 | |||
| San Jose State | 19 | 18 | |||||||
| Georgetown | 16 | 17 | 20 | ||||||
| Holy Cross | 18 | 11 | 10 | ||||||
| North Carolina | 14 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 16 | ||
| Princeton | 19 | ||||||||
| SMU | 18 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 17 | ||||
| Oregon State | 15 | 11 | 19 | ||||||
| Dartmouth | 14 | 20 | |||||||
| Minnesota | 20 | ||||||||
| NYU | 19 | 17 | 17 | ||||||
| Kentucky | 15 | 18 | |||||||
| Mississippi | 17 | 14 | 19 | ||||||
| Alabama | 8 | 20 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| LSU | 18 | ||||||||
| Pennsylvania | 16 | ||||||||
| Pittsburgh | 1 | 18 | |||||||
| Oregon | 11 | ||||||||
| Carnegie Tech | 15 | ||||||||
| Baylor | 19 | ||||||||
| St. Mary's | 20 |
Tap a rank to read it and highlight that team on the chart above.
1939 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
1939 final pollsAP, Elo
Final AP poll, Dec 11.
Show all 20 teams
Elo top 25
rating, z
The 1939 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1939 honoursHeisman: Nile Kinnick
Heisman Trophy voting
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
- John SchiechlSanta Clara
- Ken KavanaughLSU
- Esco SarkkinenOhio State
The best games of 1939
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 193910 games
Upsets of 1939
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Upsets of 193910 upsets
1939 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1939 standings by conference10 groups
Big Six
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Missouri★ conference champion | 5-0 | 8-2 | #6 |
| 2 | Nebraska | 4-1 | 7-1-1 | #18 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 3-2 | 6-2-1 | #19 |
| 4 | Kansas State | 1-4 | 4-5 | |
| 5 | Kansas | 1-4 | 2-6 | |
| 6 | Iowa State | 1-4 | 2-7 |
Big Ten
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State★ conference champion | 5-1 | 6-2 | #15 |
| 2 | Iowa | 4-1-1 | 6-1-1 | #9 |
| 3 | Michigan | 3-2 | 6-2 | #20 |
| 4 | Purdue | 2-1-2 | 3-3-2 | |
| 5 | Northwestern | 3-2-1 | 3-4-1 | |
| 6 | Illinois | 3-3 | 3-4-1 | |
| 7 | Minnesota | 2-3-1 | 3-4-1 | |
| 8 | Indiana | 2-3 | 2-4-2 | |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 0-5-1 | 1-6-1 | |
| 10 | Chicago | 0-3 | 2-6 |
Border
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State★ conference champion | 4-0 | 8-2-1 | |
| 2 | New Mexico | 4-2 | 8-2 | |
| 3 | Texas Tech | 2-1 | 5-5-1 | |
| 4 | Texas Western | 3-2 | 5-4 | |
| 5 | Arizona | 1-2 | 6-4 | |
| 6 | New Mexico State | 1-4 | 3-6 | |
| 7 | Northern Arizona | 0-4 | 1-6-1 |
Missouri Valley
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington University★ conference champion | 4-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 2 | Oklahoma A&M | 3-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 3 | Tulsa | 2-1-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 4 | Drake | 2-3 | 5-5 | |
| 5 | Saint Louis | 1-2-1 | 5-3-2 | |
| 6 | Creighton | 2-4 | 4-5 | |
| 7 | Washburn | 1-3 | 6-4 |
Mountain States
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado★ conference champion | 5-1 | 5-3 | |
| 2 | Utah | 4-1-1 | 6-1-2 | |
| 3 | Denver | 3-2-1 | 5-3-1 | |
| 4 | BYU | 2-2-2 | 5-2-2 | |
| 5 | Utah State | 2-3-1 | 3-4-1 | |
| 6 | Colorado A&M | 2-4 | 2-7 | |
| 7 | Wyoming | 0-5-1 | 0-7-1 |
Pacific Coast
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USC★ conference champion | 5-0-2 | 8-0-2 | #3 |
| 2 | Oregon State | 6-1-1 | 9-1-1 | |
| 3 | UCLA | 5-0-3 | 6-0-4 | #7 |
| 4 | Washington | 4-4 | 4-5 | |
| 5 | Oregon | 3-3-1 | 3-4-1 | |
| 6 | Washington State | 3-5 | 4-5 | |
| 7 | Montana | 1-2 | 3-6 | |
| 8 | California | 2-5 | 3-7 | |
| 9 | Stanford | 0-6-1 | 1-7-1 | |
| 10 | Idaho | 0-3 | 2-6 |
Southeastern
13 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee★ conference champion | 6-0 | 10-1 | #2 |
| 2 | Tulane★ conference champion | 5-0 | 8-1-1 | #5 |
| 3 | Georgia Tech★ conference champion | 6-0 | 8-2 | #16 |
| 4 | Mississippi State | 3-2 | 8-2 | |
| 5 | Mississippi | 2-2 | 7-2 | |
| 6 | Kentucky | 2-2-1 | 6-2-1 | |
| 7 | Auburn | 3-3-1 | 5-5-1 | |
| 8 | Alabama | 2-3-1 | 5-3-1 | |
| 9 | Georgia | 1-3 | 5-6 | |
| 10 | LSU | 1-5 | 4-5 | |
| 11 | Vanderbilt | 1-6 | 2-7-1 | |
| 12 | Florida | 0-3-1 | 5-5-1 | |
| 13 | Sewanee | 0-3 | 3-5 |
Southern
15 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson | 4-0 | 9-1 | #12 |
| 2 | Duke★ conference champion | 5-0 | 8-1 | #8 |
| 3 | North Carolina | 5-1 | 8-1-1 | |
| 4 | William & Mary | 2-0-1 | 6-2-1 | |
| 5 | Richmond | 3-1-1 | 7-1-2 | |
| 6 | VMI | 3-1-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 7 | Wake Forest | 3-3 | 7-3 | |
| 8 | Furman | 3-3 | 5-4 | |
| 9 | Washington & Lee | 1-2 | 3-4-1 | |
| 10 | North Carolina State | 2-4 | 2-8 | |
| 11 | Virginia Tech | 1-4-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 12 | South Carolina | 1-3 | 3-6-1 | |
| 13 | Davidson | 1-7 | 2-7 | |
| 14 | Citadel | 0-4 | 3-8 | |
| 15 | Maryland | 0-1 | 2-7 |
Southwest
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M★ conference champion | 6-0 | 11-0 | #1 |
| 2 | Baylor | 4-2 | 7-3 | |
| 3 | SMU | 4-2 | 6-3-1 | |
| 4 | Texas | 3-3 | 5-4 | |
| 5 | Arkansas | 2-3-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 6 | TCU | 1-5 | 3-7 | |
| 7 | Rice | 0-5-1 | 1-9-1 |
Independent
42 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornell | - | 8-0 | #4 |
| 2 | Duquesne | - | 8-0-1 | #10 |
| 3 | Georgetown | - | 7-0-1 | |
| 4 | Princeton | - | 7-1 | |
| 5 | Hardin-Simmons | - | 7-1-1 | |
| 6 | Boston College | - | 9-2 | #11 |
| 7 | Holy Cross | - | 7-2 | |
| 8 | Notre Dame | - | 7-2 | #13 |
| 9 | Fordham | - | 6-2 | #17 |
| 10 | Gonzaga | - | 6-2 | |
| 11 | Penn State | - | 5-1-2 | |
| 12 | Villanova | - | 6-2 | |
| 13 | Santa Clara | - | 5-1-3 | #14 |
| 14 | George Washington | - | 5-3 | |
| 15 | Brown | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 16 | Dartmouth | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 17 | Detroit | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 18 | NYU | - | 5-4 | |
| 19 | Pittsburgh | - | 5-4 | |
| 20 | Virginia | - | 5-4 | |
| 21 | San Francisco | - | 4-3-3 | |
| 22 | Harvard | - | 4-4 | |
| 23 | Manhattan | - | 4-4 | |
| 24 | Marquette | - | 4-4 | |
| 25 | Miami (FL) | - | 5-5 | |
| 26 | Michigan State | - | 4-4-1 | |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | - | 4-4 | |
| 28 | Syracuse | - | 3-3-2 | |
| 29 | Army | - | 3-4-2 | |
| 30 | Hampden-Sydney | - | 4-5 | |
| 31 | St. Mary's | - | 3-4-1 | |
| 32 | Yale | - | 3-4-1 | |
| 33 | Navy | - | 3-5-1 | |
| 34 | Rhodes | - | 3-5-1 | |
| 35 | Bucknell | - | 3-5 | |
| 36 | Carnegie Tech | - | 3-5 | |
| 37 | Columbia | - | 2-4-2 | |
| 38 | Colgate | - | 2-5-1 | |
| 39 | Loyola Marymount | - | 2-6-1 | |
| 40 | West Virginia | - | 2-6-1 | |
| 41 | Temple | - | 2-7 | |
| 42 | Centenary | - | 2-9-1 |
1939 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1939 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.