🏈 The 1953 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
1953 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path, Maryland10-1
- Sep 19atMissouriW20-6
- Sep 26vsWashington & LeeW52-0
- Oct 3atClemsonW20-0
- Oct 10vsGeorgiaW40-13
- Oct 17atNorth CarolinaW26-0
- Oct 23atMiami (FL)W30-0
- Oct 31vsSouth CarolinaW24-6
- Nov 7atGeorge WashingtonW27-6
- Nov 14vs#11MississippiW38-0
- Nov 21vs#11AlabamaW21-0
- Jan 1vs#4OklahomaL0-7Orange Bowl
The 1953 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
- Cotton BowlJan 1#6Rice28#13Alabama6
- Orange BowlJan 1#4Oklahoma7#1Maryland0
- Rose BowlJan 1#3Michigan State28#5UCLA20
- Sugar BowlJan 1#8Georgia Tech42#10West Virginia19
The 1953 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 | Sep13 | 28 | Oct5 | 12 | 19 | 26 | Nov2 | 9 | 16 | 23 | Nov30final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 9 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Notre Dame | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Michigan State | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Oklahoma | 6 | 8 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| UCLA | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Rice | 12 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 6 | ||
| Illinois | 9 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 7 | |||
| Georgia Tech | 3 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 10 | 8 |
| Iowa | 20 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||
| West Virginia | 16 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 19 | 11 | 10 |
| Texas | 11 | 17 | 15 | 19 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 11 | |||
| Texas Tech | 19 | 17 | 14 | 12 | |||||||
| Alabama | 5 | 20 | 11 | 13 | |||||||
| Army | 15 | 18 | 14 | ||||||||
| Wisconsin | 16 | 8 | 12 | 15 | |||||||
| Kentucky | 16 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 16 | ||||
| Auburn | 19 | 15 | 20 | 14 | 16 | 17 | |||||
| Duke | 10 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 18 | |
| Stanford | 20 | 17 | 11 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 19 | ||||
| Michigan | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 17 | 20 | ||||
| South Carolina | 18 | 15 | |||||||||
| Baylor | 20 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 17 | ||
| USC | 8 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 17 | 12 | 9 | 20 | |
| Mississippi | 15 | 18 | 12 | 11 | |||||||
| Minnesota | 14 | 13 | 15 | ||||||||
| Tennessee | 17 | 18 | |||||||||
| Ohio State | 7 | 6 | 3 | 17 | 16 | ||||||
| SMU | 13 | 11 | |||||||||
| Navy | 13 | 14 | 10 | 20 | |||||||
| LSU | 19 | 14 | 14 | ||||||||
| Texas A&M | 15 | ||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | 17 | 17 | 15 | 18 | |||||||
| Southern Mississippi | 20 | 17 | 19 | ||||||||
| California | 14 | 16 | |||||||||
| Mississippi State | 11 | 13 | 20 | ||||||||
| Northwestern | 18 | ||||||||||
| Holy Cross | 20 | 19 | |||||||||
| Pennsylvania | 20 | ||||||||||
| Georgia | 18 | ||||||||||
| Florida | 15 | ||||||||||
| Princeton | 19 |
Tap a rank to read it and highlight that team on the chart above.
Movers
AP rank on Sep 13 against the final AP rank. NR is not ranked.
Risers
- IllinoisNR → #7
- IowaNR → #9
- Texas TechNR → #12
- ArmyNR → #14
- WisconsinNR → #15
Fallers
- Ohio State#7 → NR
- USC#8 → NR
- Navy#13 → NR
- California#14 → NR
- Florida#15 → NR
1953 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
1953 final pollsAP, Coaches, Elo
AP and Coaches
Nov 30 final| AP | Team | C | Rec |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MarylandAPC | 1 | 10-0 |
| 2 | 2 | 8-0-1 | |
| 3 | 3 | 8-1 | |
| 4 | 5 | 8-1-1 | |
| 5 | 4 | 8-1 | |
| 6 | 6 | 8-2 | |
| 7 | 7 | 7-1-1 | |
| 8 | 9 | 8-2-1 | |
| 9 | 10 | 5-3-1 | |
| 10 | 13 | 8-1 | |
| 11 | 8 | 7-3 | |
| 12 | 12 | 10-1 | |
| 13 | 11 | 6-2-3 | |
| 14 | 16 | 7-1-1 | |
| 15 | 14 | 6-2-1 | |
| 16 | 15 | 7-2-1 | |
| 17 | 7-2-1 | ||
| 18 | 18 | 7-2-1 | |
| 19 | 17 | 6-3-1 | |
| 20 | 19 | 6-3 | |
| Coaches only | |||
| 20 | |||
Elo top 25
rating, z
APAP championCCoaches champion
The 1953 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1953 honoursHeisman: Johnny Lattner
Heisman Trophy voting
Major awards
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
- Larry MorrisGeorgia Tech
- J.C. CarolineIllinois
- Paul Giel★ unanimousMinnesota
- Johnny Lattner★ unanimousNotre Dame
- Paul CameronUCLA
- Don DohoneyMichigan State
- Carlton MasseyTexas
Show all 5 positions
- Crawford MimsMississippi
- J.D. RobertsOklahoma
- Stan Jones★ unanimousMaryland
- Art HunterNotre Dame
- Larry MorrisGeorgia Tech
- J.C. CarolineIllinois
- Paul Giel★ unanimousMinnesota
- Johnny Lattner★ unanimousNotre Dame
- Paul CameronUCLA
- Don DohoneyMichigan State
- Carlton MasseyTexas
- Crawford MimsMississippi
- J.D. RobertsOklahoma
- Stan Jones★ unanimousMaryland
- Art HunterNotre Dame
The best games of 1953
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 195310 games
Upsets of 1953
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Upsets of 195310 upsets
1953 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1953 standings by conference11 groups
Atlantic Coast
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland★ conference champion | 3-0 | 10-1 | #1 |
| 2 | Duke★ conference champion | 4-0 | 7-2-1 | #18 |
| 3 | South Carolina | 2-3 | 7-3 | |
| 4 | North Carolina | 2-3 | 4-6 | |
| 5 | Wake Forest | 2-3 | 3-6-1 | |
| 6 | Clemson | 1-2 | 3-5-1 | |
| 7 | North Carolina State | 0-3 | 1-9 |
Big Seven
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma★ conference champion | 6-0 | 9-1-1 | #4 |
| 2 | Kansas State | 4-2 | 6-3-1 | |
| 3 | Missouri | 4-2 | 6-4 | |
| 4 | Colorado | 2-4 | 6-4 | |
| 5 | Nebraska | 2-4 | 3-6-1 | |
| 6 | Kansas | 2-4 | 2-8 | |
| 7 | Iowa State | 1-5 | 2-7 |
Big Ten
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan State★ conference champion | 5-1 | 9-1 | #3 |
| 2 | Illinois★ conference champion | 5-1 | 7-1-1 | #7 |
| 3 | Wisconsin | 4-1-1 | 6-2-1 | #15 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 4-3 | 6-3 | |
| 5 | Michigan | 3-3 | 6-3 | #20 |
| 6 | Iowa | 3-3 | 5-3-1 | #9 |
| 7 | Minnesota | 3-3-1 | 4-4-1 | |
| 8 | Purdue | 2-4 | 2-7 | |
| 9 | Indiana | 1-5 | 2-7 | |
| 10 | Northwestern | 0-6 | 3-6 |
Border
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas Tech★ conference champion | 5-0 | 11-1 | #12 |
| 2 | Hardin-Simmons | 4-1 | 6-5 | |
| 3 | Texas Western | 4-2 | 8-2 | |
| 4 | Arizona | 3-2 | 4-5-1 | |
| 5 | Arizona State | 1-3 | 4-5-1 | |
| 6 | New Mexico State | 1-4 | 2-7 | |
| 7 | West Texas State | 0-6 | 1-8-1 |
Missouri Valley
5 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma A&M★ conference champion | 3-1 | 7-3 | |
| 2 | Detroit★ conference champion | 3-1 | 6-4 | |
| 3 | Houston | 1-2 | 4-4-1 | |
| 4 | Wichita | 1-2 | 4-4-1 | |
| 5 | Tulsa | 1-3 | 3-7 |
Pacific Coast
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA★ conference champion | 6-1 | 8-2 | #5 |
| 2 | Stanford | 5-1-1 | 6-3-1 | #19 |
| 3 | USC | 4-2-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 4 | California | 2-2-2 | 4-4-2 | |
| 5 | Washington State | 3-4 | 4-6 | |
| 6 | Oregon State | 3-5 | 3-6 | |
| 7 | Washington | 2-4-1 | 3-6-1 | |
| 8 | Oregon | 2-5-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 9 | Idaho | 0-3 | 1-8 |
Skyline
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah★ conference champion | 5-0 | 8-2 | |
| 2 | Utah State | 5-2 | 8-3 | |
| 3 | Wyoming | 4-2-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 4 | New Mexico | 3-2-1 | 5-3-1 | |
| 5 | Colorado A&M | 3-4 | 4-5 | |
| 6 | Montana | 2-4 | 3-5 | |
| 7 | Denver | 1-5-1 | 3-5-2 | |
| 8 | BYU | 1-5-1 | 2-7-1 |
Southeastern
12 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama★ conference champion | 4-0-3 | 6-3-3 | #13 |
| 2 | Georgia Tech | 4-1-1 | 9-2-1 | #8 |
| 3 | Kentucky | 4-1-1 | 7-2-1 | #16 |
| 4 | Mississippi | 4-1-1 | 7-2-1 | |
| 5 | Auburn | 4-2-1 | 7-3-1 | #17 |
| 6 | Mississippi State | 3-1-3 | 5-2-3 | |
| 7 | Tennessee | 3-2-1 | 6-4-1 | |
| 8 | LSU | 2-3-3 | 5-3-3 | |
| 9 | Florida | 1-3-2 | 3-5-2 | |
| 10 | Vanderbilt | 1-5 | 3-7 | |
| 11 | Georgia | 1-5 | 3-8 | |
| 12 | Tulane | 0-7 | 1-8-1 |
Southern
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia★ conference champion | 4-0 | 8-2 | #10 |
| 2 | Furman | 2-0 | 7-2 | |
| 3 | George Washington | 4-2 | 5-4 | |
| 4 | William & Mary | 3-2 | 5-4-1 | |
| 5 | Richmond | 3-3 | 5-3-1 | |
| 6 | VMI | 3-3 | 5-5 | |
| 7 | Virginia Tech | 3-3 | 5-5 | |
| 8 | Washington & Lee | 2-4 | 4-6 | |
| 9 | Citadel | 1-3 | 2-7 | |
| 10 | Davidson | 0-5 | 0-9 |
Southwest
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rice★ conference champion | 5-1 | 9-2 | #6 |
| 2 | Texas★ conference champion | 5-1 | 7-3 | #11 |
| 3 | Baylor | 4-2 | 7-3 | |
| 4 | SMU | 3-3 | 5-5 | |
| 5 | Arkansas | 2-4 | 3-7 | |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 1-5 | 4-5-1 | |
| 7 | TCU | 1-5 | 3-7 |
Independent
28 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notre Dame | - | 9-0-1 | #2 |
| 2 | Army | - | 7-1-1 | #14 |
| 3 | Harvard | - | 6-2 | |
| 4 | Penn State | - | 6-3 | |
| 5 | Yale | - | 5-2-2 | |
| 6 | Marquette | - | 6-3-1 | |
| 7 | Boston College | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 8 | Boston University | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 9 | Syracuse | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 10 | Cornell | - | 4-3-2 | |
| 11 | Navy | - | 4-3-2 | |
| 12 | Princeton | - | 5-4 | |
| 13 | Drake | - | 4-4 | |
| 14 | Holy Cross | - | 5-5 | |
| 15 | Pacific | - | 4-4-2 | |
| 16 | San Jose State | - | 4-4-1 | |
| 17 | Colgate | - | 3-4-2 | |
| 18 | Columbia | - | 4-5 | |
| 19 | Fordham | - | 4-5 | |
| 20 | Miami (FL) | - | 4-5 | |
| 21 | Villanova | - | 4-6 | |
| 22 | Brown | - | 3-5-1 | |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | - | 3-5-1 | |
| 24 | Pittsburgh | - | 3-5-1 | |
| 25 | North Texas | - | 3-6-1 | |
| 26 | Rutgers | - | 2-6 | |
| 27 | Dartmouth | - | 2-7 | |
| 28 | Virginia | - | 1-8 |
1953 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1953 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.