🏈 The 1944 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
1944 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path, Army9-0
- Sep 30vsNorth CarolinaW46-0
- Oct 7vsBrownW59-7
- Oct 14vsPittsburghW69-7
- Oct 21vsCoast GuardW76-0
- Oct 28vsDukeW27-7
- Nov 4vsVillanovaW83-0
- Nov 11vs#5Notre DameW59-0
- Nov 18atPennsylvaniaW62-7
- Dec 2vs#2NavyW23-7
The 1944 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
The 1944 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 | Oct9 | 16 | 23 | 30 | Nov6 | 13 | 20 | 27 | Dec4final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ohio State | 8 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Randolph Field | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Navy | 6 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Bainbridge NTS | 18 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Iowa Pre-Flight | 11 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| USC | 15 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 7 | ||
| Michigan | 12 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | |
| Notre Dame | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 18 | 9 | 9 |
| March Field | 14 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 10 | |
| Duke | 20 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | ||||
| Tennessee | 15 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 12 |
| Georgia Tech | 10 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 13 | |
| Norman NAS | 15 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 13 | ||||
| Illinois | 14 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 15 | ||||
| El Toro Marines | 17 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 16 | ||||
| Great Lakes Navy | 5 | 6 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 17 |
| Fort Pierce | 18 | ||||||||
| St. Mary's Pre-Flight | 18 | ||||||||
| Second Air Force (Colorado) | 15 | 19 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 20 | |||
| Oklahoma A&M | 19 | 15 | |||||||
| Alabama | 19 | 13 | 16 | ||||||
| Camp Peary | 14 | 17 | |||||||
| Yale | 20 | 18 | |||||||
| North Carolina Pre-Flight | 2 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 16 | 18 | 20 | ||
| Purdue | 7 | 11 | 10 | 14 | |||||
| Mississippi State | 19 | 18 | 19 | 16 | |||||
| Wake Forest | 17 | 18 | 17 | 12 | |||||
| Indiana | 19 | 20 | 17 | 15 | |||||
| Pennsylvania | 9 | 7 | 7 | ||||||
| Tulsa | 13 | 13 | 7 | ||||||
| Morris Field | 19 | ||||||||
| California | 12 | ||||||||
| Wisconsin | 19 |
Tap a rank to read it and highlight that team on the chart above.
1944 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
1944 final pollsAP, Elo
Final AP poll, Dec 4.
Show all 20 teams
Elo top 25
rating, z
The 1944 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1944 honoursHeisman: Les Horvath
Heisman Trophy voting
Major awards
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
- John TavenerIndiana
- Doc BlanchardArmy
- Glenn DavisArmy
- Bob JenkinsNavy
- Les Horvath★ unanimousOhio State
- Phil TinsleyGeorgia Tech
- Jack DuggerOhio State
Show all 5 positions
- Ben ChaseNavy
- Bill HackettOhio State
- John TavenerIndiana
- Doc BlanchardArmy
- Glenn DavisArmy
- Bob JenkinsNavy
- Les Horvath★ unanimousOhio State
- Phil TinsleyGeorgia Tech
- Jack DuggerOhio State
- Ben ChaseNavy
- Bill HackettOhio State
The best games of 1944
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 194410 games
Upsets of 1944
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Upsets of 194410 upsets
1944 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1944 standings by conference10 groups
Big Nine
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State★ conference champion | 6-0 | 9-0 | #2 |
| 2 | Michigan | 5-2 | 8-2 | #8 |
| 3 | Purdue | 4-2 | 5-5 | |
| 4 | Minnesota | 3-2-1 | 5-3-1 | |
| 5 | Indiana | 4-3 | 7-3 | |
| 6 | Illinois | 3-3 | 5-4-1 | #15 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 2-4 | 3-6 | |
| 8 | Northwestern | 0-5-1 | 1-7-1 | |
| 9 | Iowa | 0-6 | 1-7 |
Big Six
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma★ conference champion | 4-0-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 2 | Iowa State | 3-1-1 | 6-1-1 | |
| 3 | Missouri | 2-1-2 | 3-5-2 | |
| 4 | Nebraska | 2-3 | 2-6 | |
| 5 | Kansas | 1-4 | 3-6-1 | |
| 6 | Kansas State | 1-4 | 2-5-2 |
Border
3 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas Tech | 2-0 | 4-7 | |
| 2 | West Texas State | 1-1 | 4-3 | |
| 3 | New Mexico | 0-2 | 1-7 |
Missouri Valley
3 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma A&M★ conference champion | 1-0 | 8-1 | |
| 2 | Tulsa | 0-1 | 8-2 | |
| 3 | Drake | - | 7-2 |
Mountain States
4 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado★ conference champion | 2-0 | 6-2 | |
| 2 | Denver | 2-1-1 | 4-3-2 | |
| 3 | Utah | 1-2-1 | 5-2-1 | |
| 4 | Utah State | 0-2 | 3-3 |
Pacific Coast
4 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USC★ conference champion | 3-0-2 | 8-0-2 | #7 |
| 2 | Washington | 1-1 | 5-3 | |
| 3 | UCLA | 1-2-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 4 | California | 1-3-1 | 3-6-1 |
Southeastern
11 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia Tech★ conference champion | 4-0 | 8-3 | #13 |
| 2 | Tennessee | 5-0-1 | 7-1-1 | #12 |
| 3 | Georgia | 4-2 | 7-3 | |
| 4 | Alabama | 3-1-2 | 5-2-2 | |
| 5 | Mississippi State | 3-2 | 6-2 | |
| 6 | LSU | 2-3-1 | 2-5-1 | |
| 7 | Mississippi | 2-3 | 2-6 | |
| 8 | Tulane | 1-2 | 4-3 | |
| 9 | Kentucky | 1-5 | 3-6 | |
| 10 | Florida | 0-3 | 4-3 | |
| 11 | Auburn | 0-4 | 4-4 |
Southern
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke★ conference champion | 4-0 | 6-4 | #11 |
| 2 | Wake Forest | 6-1 | 8-1 | |
| 3 | Clemson | 3-1 | 4-5 | |
| 4 | William & Mary | 2-1-1 | 5-2-1 | |
| 5 | North Carolina State | 3-2 | 7-2 | |
| 6 | Maryland | 1-1 | 1-7-1 | |
| 7 | South Carolina | 1-3 | 3-4-2 | |
| 8 | VMI | 1-5 | 1-8 | |
| 9 | North Carolina | 0-3-1 | 1-7-1 | |
| 10 | Richmond | 0-4 | 2-6 |
Southwest
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TCU★ conference champion | 3-1-1 | 7-3-1 | |
| 2 | Texas | 3-2 | 5-4 | |
| 3 | Arkansas | 2-2-1 | 5-5-1 | |
| 4 | Texas A&M | 2-3 | 7-4 | |
| 5 | SMU | 2-3 | 5-5 | |
| 6 | Rice | 2-3 | 5-6 |
Independent
39 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Army | - | 9-0 | #1 |
| 2 | Norman NAS | - | 6-0 | #13 |
| 3 | Randolph Field | - | 12-0 | #3 |
| 4 | Yale | - | 7-0-1 | |
| 5 | Iowa Pre-Flight | - | 10-1 | #6 |
| 6 | Michigan State | - | 6-1 | |
| 7 | Notre Dame | - | 8-2 | #9 |
| 8 | Great Lakes Navy | - | 9-2-1 | #17 |
| 9 | Virginia | - | 6-1-2 | |
| 10 | Bucknell | - | 7-2-1 | |
| 11 | March Field | - | 7-2-2 | #10 |
| 12 | Second Air Force (Colorado) | - | 10-4-1 | #20 |
| 13 | Coast Guard | - | 6-3 | |
| 14 | Holy Cross | - | 5-2-2 | |
| 15 | Navy | - | 6-3 | #4 |
| 16 | Penn State | - | 6-3 | |
| 17 | Alameda Coast Guard | - | 4-2-2 | |
| 18 | Amarillo Field | - | 5-3 | |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | - | 5-3 | |
| 20 | West Virginia | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 21 | Boston College | - | 4-3 | |
| 22 | Cornell | - | 5-4 | |
| 23 | Lubbock Field | - | 5-4 | |
| 24 | Fort Warren | - | 5-4-1 | |
| 25 | St. Mary's Pre-Flight | - | 4-4 | #19 |
| 26 | Villanova | - | 4-4 | |
| 27 | Idaho State | - | 4-5 | |
| 28 | Pittsburgh | - | 4-5 | |
| 29 | Brown | - | 3-4-1 | |
| 30 | Temple | - | 2-4-2 | |
| 31 | Syracuse | - | 2-4-1 | |
| 32 | Colorado College | - | 3-6 | |
| 33 | Presbyterian | - | 3-6 | |
| 34 | Dartmouth | - | 2-5-1 | |
| 35 | Colgate | - | 2-5 | |
| 36 | NYU | - | 2-5 | |
| 37 | Columbia | - | 2-6 | |
| 38 | Miami (FL) | - | 1-7-1 | |
| 39 | Marquette | - | 1-7 |
1944 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1944 bowls4 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.