🏈 The 1951 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
1951 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path, Tennessee10-1
- Sep 29vsMississippi StateW14-0
- Oct 6vs#16DukeW26-0
- Oct 13vsUT-ChattanoogaW42-13
- Oct 20atAlabamaW27-13
- Oct 27vsTennessee TechW68-0
- Nov 3atNorth CarolinaW27-0
- Nov 10vsWashington & LeeW60-14
- Nov 17atMississippiW46-21
- Nov 24at#9KentuckyW28-0
- Dec 1vsVanderbiltW35-27
- Jan 1vs#3MarylandL13-28Sugar Bowl
The 1951 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
The 1951 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 | Sep10 | Oct1 | 8 | 15 | 22 | 29 | Nov5 | 12 | 19 | 26 | Dec3final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Michigan State | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Maryland | 16 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Illinois | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| Georgia Tech | 11 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | |
| Princeton | 18 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Stanford | 19 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 7 | ||
| Wisconsin | 15 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | |||
| Baylor | 13 | 19 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 4 | 11 | 19 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | |
| TCU | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | |||||||
| California | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 12 | 12 |
| Virginia | 15 | 13 | 13 | ||||||||
| San Francisco | 20 | 20 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | ||||
| Kentucky | 6 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 15 | ||
| Boston University | 16 | ||||||||||
| UCLA | 18 | 15 | 17 | ||||||||
| Washington State | 18 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | ||||
| Holy Cross | 15 | 16 | 19 | 19 | |||||||
| Clemson | 18 | 16 | 19 | ||||||||
| Texas | 11 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 16 | |
| USC | 14 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 20 | |||
| Rice | 19 | 18 | |||||||||
| Bucknell | 20 | ||||||||||
| Cincinnati | 20 | ||||||||||
| Notre Dame | 14 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 13 | 11 | |||||
| Pacific | 20 | 16 | 19 | ||||||||
| Ohio State | 3 | 7 | 9 | 17 | 20 | ||||||
| Arkansas | 19 | 20 | |||||||||
| Michigan | 17 | 15 | |||||||||
| Texas A&M | 6 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 18 | |||||
| Miami (FL) | 19 | ||||||||||
| Cornell | 20 | 17 | 14 | 12 | |||||||
| Northwestern | 18 | 13 | |||||||||
| Villanova | 12 | ||||||||||
| SMU | 15 | ||||||||||
| Washington | 8 | 12 | 20 | ||||||||
| Oregon State | 15 | 18 | |||||||||
| Georgia | 13 | ||||||||||
| Duke | 16 | ||||||||||
| Kansas | 20 | ||||||||||
| Alabama | 9 | ||||||||||
| Nebraska | 12 | ||||||||||
| Pennsylvania | 19 |
Tap a rank to read it and highlight that team on the chart above.
Movers
AP rank on Sep 10 against the final AP rank. NR is not ranked.
Risers
- Georgia TechNR → #5
- StanfordNR → #7
- TCUNR → #11
- Maryland#16 → #3
- VirginiaNR → #13
Fallers
- Ohio State#3 → NR
- Texas A&M#6 → NR
- Washington#8 → NR
- Alabama#9 → NR
- Texas#11 → NR
1951 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
1951 final pollsAP, Coaches, Elo
AP and Coaches
Dec 3 final| AP | Team | C | Rec |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TennesseeAPC | 1 | 10-0 |
| 2 | 2 | 9-0 | |
| 3 | 4 | 9-0 | |
| 4 | 3 | 8-0-1 | |
| 5 | 5 | 10-0-1 | |
| 6 | 6 | 9-0 | |
| 7 | 7 | 9-1 | |
| 8 | 8 | 7-1-1 | |
| 9 | 9 | 8-1-1 | |
| 10 | 11 | 8-2 | |
| 11 | 10 | 6-4 | |
| 12 | 12 | 8-2 | |
| 13 | 8-1 | ||
| 14 | 14 | 9-0 | |
| 15 | 17 | 7-4 | |
| 16 | 6-4 | ||
| 17 | 17 | 5-3-1 | |
| 18 | 14 | 7-3 | |
| 19 | 7-2 | ||
| 19 | 17 | 8-2 | |
| Coaches only | |||
| 13 | |||
| 14 | |||
| 20 | |||
Elo top 25
rating, z
APAP championCCoaches champion
The 1951 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1951 honoursHeisman: Dick Kazmaier
Heisman Trophy voting
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
- Dick HightowerSMU
- Bob CareyMichigan State
- Bill McColl★ unanimousStanford
Show all 5 positions
- Les RichterCalifornia
- Bob Ward★ unanimousMaryland
- Don Coleman★ unanimousMichigan State
- Jim Weatherall★ unanimousOklahoma
- Dick HightowerSMU
- Bob CareyMichigan State
- Bill McColl★ unanimousStanford
- Les RichterCalifornia
- Bob Ward★ unanimousMaryland
- Don Coleman★ unanimousMichigan State
- Jim Weatherall★ unanimousOklahoma
The best games of 1951
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 195110 games
Upsets of 1951
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Upsets of 195110 upsets
1951 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1951 standings by conference10 groups
Big Nine
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois★ conference champion | 5-0-1 | 9-0-1 | #4 |
| 2 | Purdue | 4-1 | 5-4 | |
| 3 | Wisconsin | 5-1-1 | 7-1-1 | #8 |
| 4 | Michigan | 4-2 | 4-5 | |
| 5 | Ohio State | 2-2-2 | 4-3-2 | |
| 6 | Northwestern | 2-4 | 5-4 | |
| 7 | Minnesota | 1-4-1 | 2-6-1 | |
| 8 | Indiana | 1-5 | 2-7 | |
| 9 | Iowa | 0-5-1 | 2-5-2 |
Big Seven
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma★ conference champion | 6-0 | 8-2 | #10 |
| 2 | Colorado | 5-1 | 7-3 | |
| 3 | Kansas | 4-2 | 8-2 | |
| 4 | Iowa State | 2-4 | 4-4-1 | |
| 5 | Kansas State | 1-4-1 | 1-7-1 | |
| 6 | Nebraska | 1-4-1 | 1-8-1 | |
| 7 | Missouri | 1-5 | 2-8 |
Border
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas Tech★ conference champion | 4-0 | 7-4 | |
| 2 | Arizona State | 4-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 3 | Hardin-Simmons | 4-1 | 6-6 | |
| 4 | Arizona | 3-3 | 6-5 | |
| 5 | Texas Western | 2-4 | 3-7 | |
| 6 | New Mexico State | 1-4 | 1-9 | |
| 7 | West Texas State | 1-5 | 2-7 | |
| 8 | Northern Arizona | 0-1 | 1-7 |
Missouri Valley
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tulsa★ conference champion | 4-0 | 9-2 | |
| 2 | Drake | 3-1 | 7-2 | |
| 3 | Oklahoma A&M | 3-2 | 3-7 | |
| 4 | Houston | 2-2 | 6-5 | |
| 5 | Detroit | 2-4 | 4-7 | |
| 6 | Wichita | 2-4 | 2-7 | |
| 7 | Bradley | 0-3 | 4-5 |
Pacific Coast
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford★ conference champion | 6-1 | 9-2 | #7 |
| 2 | UCLA | 4-1-1 | 5-3-1 | #17 |
| 3 | California | 5-2 | 8-2 | #12 |
| 4 | USC | 4-2 | 7-3 | |
| 5 | Washington State | 4-3 | 7-3 | #18 |
| 6 | Oregon State | 3-5 | 4-6 | |
| 7 | Washington | 1-5-1 | 3-6-1 | |
| 8 | Oregon | 1-6 | 2-8 | |
| 9 | Idaho | 0-3 | 2-7 |
Skyline
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah★ conference champion | 4-1 | 7-4 | |
| 2 | Wyoming | 5-1-1 | 7-2-1 | |
| 3 | Denver | 4-3 | 6-4 | |
| 4 | Colorado A&M | 3-3-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 5 | BYU | 2-3-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 6 | Utah State | 2-4-1 | 3-5-1 | |
| 7 | New Mexico | 2-4 | 4-7 | |
| 8 | Montana | 1-4 | 2-7 |
Southeastern
12 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia Tech★ conference champion | 7-0 | 11-0-1 | #5 |
| 2 | Tennessee★ conference champion | 5-0 | 10-1 | #1 |
| 3 | LSU | 4-2-1 | 7-3-1 | |
| 4 | Mississippi | 4-2-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 5 | Kentucky | 3-3 | 8-4 | #15 |
| 6 | Auburn | 3-4 | 5-5 | |
| 7 | Vanderbilt | 3-5 | 6-5 | |
| 8 | Alabama | 3-5 | 5-6 | |
| 9 | Florida | 2-4 | 5-5 | |
| 10 | Georgia | 2-4 | 5-5 | |
| 11 | Mississippi State | 2-5 | 4-5 | |
| 12 | Tulane | 1-5 | 4-6 |
Southern
17 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland★ conference champion | 5-0 | 10-0 | #3 |
| 2 | VMI★ conference champion | 5-0 | 7-3 | |
| 3 | William & Mary | 5-1 | 7-3 | |
| 4 | Washington & Lee | 5-1 | 6-4 | |
| 5 | Clemson | 3-1 | 7-3 | #20 |
| 6 | Duke | 4-2 | 5-4-1 | |
| 7 | Wake Forest | 5-3 | 6-4 | |
| 8 | South Carolina | 5-3 | 5-4 | |
| 9 | George Washington | 2-3-1 | 2-6-1 | |
| 10 | West Virginia | 2-3 | 5-5 | |
| 11 | North Carolina | 2-3 | 2-8 | |
| 12 | Citadel | 1-3 | 4-6 | |
| 13 | Furman | 1-4-1 | 3-6-1 | |
| 14 | North Carolina State | 2-6 | 3-7 | |
| 15 | Richmond | 2-6 | 3-8 | |
| 16 | Davidson | 1-5 | 1-8 | |
| 17 | Virginia Tech | 1-7 | 2-8 |
Southwest
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TCU★ conference champion | 5-1 | 6-5 | #11 |
| 2 | Baylor | 4-1-1 | 8-2-1 | #9 |
| 3 | Texas | 3-3 | 7-3 | |
| 4 | Rice | 3-3 | 5-5 | |
| 5 | Texas A&M | 1-3-2 | 5-3-2 | |
| 6 | Arkansas | 2-4 | 5-5 | |
| 7 | SMU | 1-4-1 | 3-6-1 |
Independent
32 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan State | - | 9-0 | #2 |
| 2 | Princeton | - | 9-0 | #6 |
| 3 | San Francisco | - | 9-0 | #14 |
| 4 | Virginia | - | 8-1 | #13 |
| 5 | Holy Cross | - | 8-2 | #19 |
| 6 | Notre Dame | - | 7-2-1 | |
| 7 | Miami (FL) | - | 8-3 | |
| 8 | Cornell | - | 6-3 | |
| 9 | Columbia | - | 5-3 | |
| 10 | Villanova | - | 5-3 | |
| 11 | Boston University | - | 6-4 | #16 |
| 12 | Temple | - | 6-4 | |
| 13 | Fordham | - | 5-4 | |
| 14 | Penn State | - | 5-4 | |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | - | 5-4 | |
| 16 | Syracuse | - | 5-4 | |
| 17 | Pacific | - | 6-5 | |
| 18 | Rutgers | - | 4-4 | |
| 19 | Colgate | - | 4-5 | |
| 20 | Dartmouth | - | 4-5 | |
| 21 | Marquette | - | 4-6-1 | |
| 22 | Harvard | - | 3-5-1 | |
| 23 | Santa Clara | - | 3-5-1 | |
| 24 | Boston College | - | 3-6 | |
| 25 | Loyola Marymount | - | 3-6 | |
| 26 | Yale | - | 2-5-2 | |
| 27 | Pittsburgh | - | 3-7 | |
| 28 | Navy | - | 2-6-1 | |
| 29 | San Jose State | - | 2-7-1 | |
| 30 | Army | - | 2-7 | |
| 31 | Brown | - | 2-7 | |
| 32 | NYU | - | 1-7 |
1951 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1951 bowls7 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.