🏈 The 1946 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
1946 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path, Notre Dame8-0-1
- Sep 28atIllinoisW26-6
- Oct 5vsPittsburghW33-0
- Oct 12vsPurdueW49-6
- Oct 26at#17IowaW41-6
- Nov 2vsNavyW28-0
- Nov 9vs#1ArmyT0-0
- Nov 16vsNorthwesternW27-0
- Nov 23atTulaneW41-0
- Nov 30vs#16USCW26-6
The 1946 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
The 1946 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 | Oct7 | 14 | 21 | 28 | Nov4 | 11 | 18 | 25 | Dec2final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Army | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Georgia | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| UCLA | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Illinois | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 5 | ||
| Michigan | 4 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| Tennessee | 8 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
| LSU | 13 | 12 | 19 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 | ||
| North Carolina | 15 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 9 | |
| Rice | 16 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 10 | |
| Georgia Tech | 15 | 16 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 11 | ||
| Yale | 15 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 12 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | 7 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
| Oklahoma | 13 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 14 | ||
| Texas | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 17 | 20 | 15 |
| Arkansas | 18 | 14 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 16 | |||
| Tulsa | 20 | 19 | 17 | ||||||
| North Carolina State | 19 | 12 | 20 | 18 | |||||
| Delaware | 16 | 15 | 19 | ||||||
| Indiana | 18 | 20 | 20 | ||||||
| USC | 14 | 12 | 10 | 16 | |||||
| Boston College | 17 | ||||||||
| Mississippi State | 19 | ||||||||
| Muhlenberg | 19 | ||||||||
| Ohio State | 14 | 12 | 13 | ||||||
| Iowa | 17 | 16 | |||||||
| Holy Cross | 19 | ||||||||
| Duke | 17 | 13 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Wake Forest | 12 | 13 | |||||||
| Wisconsin | 20 | 18 | 15 | ||||||
| Northwestern | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 17 | ||||
| Alabama | 6 | 7 | 11 | 15 | |||||
| Harvard | 20 | 17 | |||||||
| William & Mary | 19 | 18 | |||||||
| Oregon | 19 | ||||||||
| Columbia | 11 | 11 | |||||||
| St. Mary's | 16 | ||||||||
| Stanford | 17 | ||||||||
| Kentucky | 19 |
Tap a rank to read it and highlight that team on the chart above.
1946 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
1946 final pollsAP, Elo
Final AP poll, Dec 2.
Show all 20 teams
Elo top 25
rating, z
The 1946 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1946 honoursHeisman: Glenn Davis
Heisman Trophy voting
Major awards
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
- Paul DukeGeorgia Tech
- Doc Blanchard★ unanimousArmy
- Glenn Davis★ unanimousArmy
- Charley Trippi★ unanimousGeorgia
- John Lujack★ unanimousNotre Dame
Show all 5 positions
- George ConnorNotre Dame
- Warren AmlingOhio State
- Dick HuffmanTennessee
- Paul DukeGeorgia Tech
- Doc Blanchard★ unanimousArmy
- Glenn Davis★ unanimousArmy
- Charley Trippi★ unanimousGeorgia
- John Lujack★ unanimousNotre Dame
- George ConnorNotre Dame
- Warren AmlingOhio State
- Dick HuffmanTennessee
The best games of 1946
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 194610 games
Upsets of 1946
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Upsets of 194610 upsets
1946 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1946 standings by conference10 groups
Big Nine
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois★ conference champion | 6-1 | 8-2 | #5 |
| 2 | Michigan | 5-1-1 | 6-2-1 | #6 |
| 3 | Indiana | 4-2 | 6-3 | #20 |
| 4 | Iowa | 3-3 | 5-4 | |
| 5 | Minnesota | 3-4 | 5-4 | |
| 6 | Ohio State | 2-3-1 | 4-3-2 | |
| 7 | Northwestern | 2-3-1 | 4-4-1 | |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 2-5 | 4-5 | |
| 9 | Purdue | 0-5-1 | 2-6-1 |
Big Six
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas★ conference champion | 4-1 | 7-2-1 | |
| 2 | Oklahoma★ conference champion | 4-1 | 8-3 | #14 |
| 3 | Missouri | 3-2 | 5-4-1 | |
| 4 | Nebraska | 3-2 | 3-6 | |
| 5 | Iowa State | 1-4 | 2-6-1 | |
| 6 | Kansas State | 0-5 | 0-9 |
Border
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hardin-Simmons★ conference champion | 6-0 | 11-0 | |
| 2 | Texas Tech | 3-1 | 8-3 | |
| 3 | New Mexico | 4-2-1 | 5-5-2 | |
| 4 | Arizona | 2-2-1 | 4-4-2 | |
| 5 | West Texas State | 3-4 | 5-5 | |
| 6 | Northern Arizona | 1-2-1 | 5-2-2 | |
| 7 | Texas Western | 2-4 | 3-6 | |
| 8 | Arizona State | 1-4-1 | 2-7-2 | |
| 9 | New Mexico State | 1-4 | 5-5 |
Missouri Valley
5 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tulsa★ conference champion | 3-0 | 9-1 | #17 |
| 2 | Wichita | 2-1 | 5-5 | |
| 3 | Saint Louis | 1-1 | 4-6 | |
| 4 | Oklahoma A&M | 1-1 | 3-7-1 | |
| 5 | Drake | 0-4 | 2-6-1 |
Mountain States
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah State★ conference champion | 4-1-1 | 7-2-1 | |
| 2 | Denver★ conference champion | 4-1-1 | 5-5-1 | |
| 3 | Utah | 4-2 | 8-3 | |
| 4 | BYU | 3-2-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 5 | Colorado | 3-2-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 6 | Colorado A&M | 1-5 | 2-7 | |
| 7 | Wyoming | 0-6 | 1-8-1 |
Pacific Coast
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA★ conference champion | 7-0 | 10-1 | #4 |
| 2 | Oregon State | 6-1-1 | 7-1-1 | |
| 3 | USC | 5-2 | 6-4 | |
| 4 | Washington | 5-3 | 5-4 | |
| 5 | Stanford | 3-3-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 6 | Oregon | 3-4-1 | 4-4-1 | |
| 7 | Montana | 1-3 | 4-4 | |
| 8 | Washington State | 1-5-1 | 1-6-1 | |
| 9 | California | 1-6 | 2-7 | |
| 10 | Idaho | 0-5 | 1-8 |
Southeastern
12 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia★ conference champion | 5-0 | 11-0 | #3 |
| 2 | Tennessee★ conference champion | 5-0 | 9-2 | #7 |
| 3 | LSU | 5-1 | 9-1-1 | #8 |
| 4 | Georgia Tech | 4-2 | 9-2 | #11 |
| 5 | Mississippi State | 3-2 | 8-2 | |
| 6 | Alabama | 4-3 | 7-4 | |
| 7 | Vanderbilt | 3-4 | 5-4 | |
| 8 | Kentucky | 2-3 | 7-3 | |
| 9 | Tulane | 2-4 | 3-7 | |
| 10 | Auburn | 1-5 | 4-6 | |
| 11 | Mississippi | 1-6 | 2-7 | |
| 12 | Florida | 0-5 | 0-9 |
Southern
16 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina★ conference champion | 4-0-1 | 8-2-1 | #9 |
| 2 | William & Mary | 7-1 | 8-2 | |
| 3 | North Carolina State | 6-1 | 8-3 | #18 |
| 4 | South Carolina | 4-2 | 5-3 | |
| 5 | Duke | 3-2 | 4-5 | |
| 6 | Richmond | 3-2-2 | 6-2-2 | |
| 7 | George Washington | 1-1 | 4-3 | |
| 8 | VMI | 3-3-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 9 | Virginia Tech | 3-3-2 | 3-4-3 | |
| 10 | Wake Forest | 2-3 | 6-3 | |
| 11 | Clemson | 2-3 | 4-5 | |
| 12 | Maryland | 2-5 | 3-6 | |
| 13 | Washington & Lee | 1-4 | 2-6 | |
| 14 | Furman | 1-4 | 2-8 | |
| 15 | Davidson | 1-5 | 4-5 | |
| 16 | Citadel | 1-5 | 3-5 |
Southwest
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rice★ conference champion | 5-1 | 9-2 | #10 |
| 2 | Arkansas★ conference champion | 5-1 | 6-3-2 | #16 |
| 3 | Texas | 4-2 | 8-2 | #15 |
| 4 | Texas A&M | 3-3 | 4-6 | |
| 5 | SMU | 2-4 | 4-5-1 | |
| 6 | TCU | 2-4 | 2-7-1 | |
| 7 | Baylor | 0-6 | 1-8 |
Independent
39 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Army | - | 9-0-1 | #2 |
| 2 | Notre Dame | - | 8-0-1 | #1 |
| 3 | Yale | - | 7-1-1 | #12 |
| 4 | Miami (FL) | - | 8-2 | |
| 5 | Harvard | - | 7-2 | |
| 6 | Nevada | - | 7-2 | |
| 7 | Rutgers | - | 7-2 | |
| 8 | Penn State | - | 6-2 | |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | - | 6-2 | #13 |
| 10 | Boston College | - | 6-3 | |
| 11 | Columbia | - | 6-3 | |
| 12 | St. Mary's | - | 6-3 | |
| 13 | Georgetown | - | 5-3 | |
| 14 | NYU | - | 5-3 | |
| 15 | Cornell | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 16 | Detroit | - | 6-4 | |
| 17 | Montana State | - | 5-3-2 | |
| 18 | Villanova | - | 6-4 | |
| 19 | Holy Cross | - | 5-4 | |
| 20 | Colgate | - | 4-4 | |
| 21 | Michigan State | - | 5-5 | |
| 22 | UT-Chattanooga | - | 5-5 | |
| 23 | Virginia | - | 4-4-1 | |
| 24 | West Virginia | - | 5-5 | |
| 25 | Marquette | - | 4-5 | |
| 26 | Syracuse | - | 4-5 | |
| 27 | Brown | - | 3-5-1 | |
| 28 | Pittsburgh | - | 3-5-1 | |
| 29 | Princeton | - | 3-5 | |
| 30 | Temple | - | 2-4-2 | |
| 31 | Merchant Marine | - | 4-7 | |
| 32 | Bucknell | - | 3-6 | |
| 33 | Dartmouth | - | 3-6 | |
| 34 | San Francisco | - | 3-6 | |
| 35 | Santa Clara | - | 2-5-1 | |
| 36 | Portland | - | 2-7-1 | |
| 37 | Lafayette | - | 2-7 | |
| 38 | Navy | - | 1-8 | |
| 39 | Fordham | - | 0-7 |
1946 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1946 bowls10 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.