🏈 The 1940 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
1940 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path, Minnesota8-0
- Sep 28vsWashingtonW19-14
- Oct 5vsNebraskaW13-7
- Oct 19at#15Ohio StateW13-7
- Oct 26vsIowaW34-6
- Nov 2at#8NorthwesternW13-12
- Nov 9vs#3MichiganW7-6
- Nov 16vsPurdueW33-6
- Nov 23atWisconsinW22-13
The 1940 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
- Cotton BowlJan 1#6Texas A&M13#12Fordham12
- Orange BowlJan 1#13Georgetown7
- Rose BowlJan 1#2Stanford21#7Nebraska13
- Sugar BowlJan 1#5Boston College19#4Tennessee13
The 1940 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 | Oct14 | 21 | 28 | Nov4 | 11 | 18 | 25 | Dec2final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 7 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Stanford | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Michigan | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 3 |
| Tennessee | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| Boston College | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Texas A&M | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Nebraska | 18 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 7 | |
| Northwestern | 4 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 8 |
| Mississippi State | 20 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 9 | ||
| Washington | 16 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 10 |
| Santa Clara | 20 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 15 | 11 | ||
| Fordham | 11 | 11 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 12 | |
| Georgetown | 15 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 13 | |
| Pennsylvania | 9 | 8 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 14 | |
| Cornell | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 15 |
| SMU | 19 | 15 | 14 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 16 | |
| Hardin-Simmons | 20 | 17 | ||||||
| Duke | 18 | 12 | 12 | 20 | 18 | |||
| Lafayette | 18 | 18 | 19 | |||||
| Alabama | 14 | 17 | 17 | |||||
| Texas Tech | 20 | 18 | ||||||
| Mississippi | 13 | 14 | 17 | 11 | ||||
| Notre Dame | 6 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 14 | ||
| Penn State | 18 | 16 | 20 | 20 | ||||
| Oregon State | 18 | 19 | ||||||
| Clemson | 12 | 13 | 10 | |||||
| Navy | 14 | |||||||
| Detroit | 17 | |||||||
| Texas | 14 | 12 | ||||||
| USC | 17 | 17 | ||||||
| Columbia | 20 | |||||||
| Ohio State | 15 | |||||||
| Washington State | 19 | |||||||
| Iowa | 20 |
Tap a rank to read it and highlight that team on the chart above.
1940 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
1940 final pollsAP, Elo
Final AP poll, Dec 2.
Show all 19 teams
Elo top 25
rating, z
The 1940 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1940 honoursHeisman: Tom Harmon
Heisman Trophy voting
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
- Rudy MuchaWashington
- Gene GoodreaultBoston College
- Dave RankinPurdue
Show all 5 positions
- Nick DrahosCornell
- Urban OdsonMinnesota
- Alf BaumanNorthwestern
- Rudy MuchaWashington
- Gene GoodreaultBoston College
- Dave RankinPurdue
- Nick DrahosCornell
- Urban OdsonMinnesota
- Alf BaumanNorthwestern
The best games of 1940
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 194010 games
Upsets of 1940
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Upsets of 194010 upsets
1940 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1940 standings by conference10 groups
Big Nine
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota★ conference champion | 6-0 | 8-0 | #1 |
| 2 | Michigan | 3-1 | 7-1 | #3 |
| 3 | Northwestern | 4-2 | 6-2 | #8 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 3-3 | 4-4 | |
| 5 | Wisconsin | 3-3 | 4-4 | |
| 6 | Iowa | 2-3 | 4-4 | |
| 7 | Indiana | 2-3 | 3-5 | |
| 8 | Purdue | 1-4 | 2-6 | |
| 9 | Illinois | 0-5 | 1-7 |
Big Six
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nebraska★ conference champion | 5-0 | 8-2 | #7 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 4-1 | 6-3 | |
| 3 | Missouri | 3-2 | 6-3 | |
| 4 | Iowa State | 2-3 | 4-5 | |
| 5 | Kansas State | 1-4 | 2-7 | |
| 6 | Kansas | 0-5 | 2-7 |
Border
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State★ conference champion | 3-0-1 | 7-2-2 | |
| 2 | Arizona | 3-1 | 7-2 | |
| 3 | Texas Western | 3-1-1 | 4-4-1 | |
| 4 | New Mexico | 4-2 | 5-4 | |
| 5 | New Mexico State | 1-4 | 3-6 | |
| 6 | Texas Tech | 0-1 | 9-1-1 | |
| 7 | Northern Arizona | 0-5 | 2-6 |
Missouri Valley
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tulsa★ conference champion | 4-0 | 7-3 | |
| 2 | Oklahoma A&M | 4-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 3 | Creighton | 2-2 | 6-2-2 | |
| 4 | Drake | 2-2 | 4-5 | |
| 5 | Saint Louis | 2-3 | 3-6-1 | |
| 6 | Washington University | 1-3 | 3-6 | |
| 7 | Washburn | 0-4 | 4-6 |
Mountain States
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah★ conference champion | 5-1 | 7-2 | |
| 2 | Denver | 4-1-1 | 6-2-1 | |
| 3 | Colorado | 4-1-1 | 5-3-1 | |
| 4 | BYU | 2-3-1 | 2-4-2 | |
| 5 | Colorado A&M | 1-3-2 | 3-4-2 | |
| 6 | Utah State | 2-4 | 2-5-1 | |
| 7 | Wyoming | 0-5-1 | 1-7-1 |
Pacific Coast
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford★ conference champion | 7-0 | 10-0 | #2 |
| 2 | Washington | 7-1 | 7-2 | #10 |
| 3 | Oregon State | 4-3-1 | 5-3-1 | |
| 4 | Washington State | 3-4-2 | 4-4-2 | |
| 5 | Oregon | 3-4-1 | 4-4-1 | |
| 6 | USC | 2-3-2 | 3-4-2 | |
| 7 | California | 3-4 | 4-6 | |
| 8 | Montana | 1-2 | 4-4-1 | |
| 9 | UCLA | 1-6 | 1-9 | |
| 10 | Idaho | 0-4 | 1-7-1 |
Southeastern
12 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee★ conference champion | 5-0 | 10-1 | #4 |
| 2 | Mississippi State | 4-0-1 | 10-0-1 | #9 |
| 3 | Mississippi | 3-1 | 9-2 | |
| 4 | Alabama | 4-2 | 7-2 | |
| 5 | Auburn | 3-2-1 | 6-4-1 | |
| 6 | LSU | 3-3 | 6-4 | |
| 7 | Georgia | 2-3-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 8 | Kentucky | 1-2-2 | 5-3-2 | |
| 9 | Florida | 2-3 | 5-5 | |
| 10 | Tulane | 1-3 | 5-5 | |
| 11 | Georgia Tech | 1-5 | 3-7 | |
| 12 | Vanderbilt | 0-5-1 | 3-6-1 |
Southern
15 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson★ conference champion | 4-0 | 6-2-1 | |
| 2 | Duke | 4-1 | 7-2 | #18 |
| 3 | Wake Forest | 4-2 | 7-3 | |
| 4 | William & Mary | 2-1-1 | 6-2-1 | |
| 5 | Richmond | 3-2 | 6-3 | |
| 6 | North Carolina | 3-2 | 6-4 | |
| 7 | VMI | 3-2-1 | 7-2-1 | |
| 8 | Furman | 4-3 | 5-4 | |
| 9 | Washington & Lee | 1-1-1 | 2-7-1 | |
| 10 | Virginia Tech | 2-3 | 5-5 | |
| 11 | North Carolina State | 3-5 | 3-6 | |
| 12 | South Carolina | 1-3 | 3-6 | |
| 13 | Maryland | 0-1-1 | 2-6-1 | |
| 14 | Davidson | 1-5 | 5-5 | |
| 15 | Citadel | 0-4 | 4-5 |
Southwest
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M★ conference champion | 5-1 | 9-1 | #6 |
| 2 | SMU★ conference champion | 5-1 | 8-1-1 | #16 |
| 3 | Texas | 4-2 | 8-2 | |
| 4 | Rice | 4-2 | 7-3 | |
| 5 | TCU | 2-4 | 3-7 | |
| 6 | Arkansas | 1-5 | 4-6 | |
| 7 | Baylor | 0-6 | 4-6 |
Independent
41 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston College | - | 11-0 | #5 |
| 2 | Hardin-Simmons | - | 9-0 | #17 |
| 3 | Duquesne | - | 7-1 | |
| 4 | Penn State | - | 6-1-1 | #20 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | - | 6-1-1 | #14 |
| 6 | Santa Clara | - | 6-1-1 | #11 |
| 7 | Georgetown | - | 8-2 | #13 |
| 8 | Detroit | - | 7-2 | |
| 9 | Fordham | - | 7-2 | #12 |
| 10 | Notre Dame | - | 7-2 | |
| 11 | Cornell | - | 6-2 | #15 |
| 12 | Navy | - | 6-2-1 | |
| 13 | Princeton | - | 5-2-1 | |
| 14 | Columbia | - | 5-2-2 | |
| 15 | Brown | - | 6-3-1 | |
| 16 | Colgate | - | 5-3 | |
| 17 | St. Mary's | - | 5-3 | |
| 18 | George Washington | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 19 | Harvard | - | 3-2-3 | |
| 20 | Dartmouth | - | 5-4 | |
| 21 | Gonzaga | - | 5-4-1 | |
| 22 | Temple | - | 4-4-1 | |
| 23 | West Virginia | - | 4-4-1 | |
| 24 | Holy Cross | - | 4-5-1 | |
| 25 | Hampden-Sydney | - | 4-5 | |
| 26 | Villanova | - | 4-5 | |
| 27 | Virginia | - | 4-5 | |
| 28 | Michigan State | - | 3-4-1 | |
| 29 | Pittsburgh | - | 3-4-1 | |
| 30 | Syracuse | - | 3-4-1 | |
| 31 | Carnegie Tech | - | 3-5 | |
| 32 | Sewanee | - | 3-5 | |
| 33 | Manhattan | - | 3-6 | |
| 34 | Centenary | - | 3-7 | |
| 35 | Loyola Marymount | - | 3-7 | |
| 36 | Miami (FL) | - | 3-7 | |
| 37 | Marquette | - | 2-6-1 | |
| 38 | NYU | - | 2-7 | |
| 39 | San Francisco | - | 1-6-1 | |
| 40 | Army | - | 1-7-1 | |
| 41 | Yale | - | 1-7 |
1940 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1940 bowls5 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.