🏈 The 1955 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
1955 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path, Oklahoma11-0
- Sep 24atNorth CarolinaW13-6
- Oct 1vs#12PittsburghW26-14
- Oct 8vsTexasW20-0
- Oct 15vsKansasW44-6
- Oct 22vs#14ColoradoW56-21
- Oct 29atKansas StateW40-7
- Nov 5atMissouriW20-0
- Nov 12vsIowa StateW52-0
- Nov 19atNebraskaW41-0
- Nov 26vsOklahoma A&MW53-0
- Jan 2vs#3MarylandW20-6Orange Bowl
The 1955 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
- Cotton BowlJan 2#10Mississippi14#6TCU13
- Orange BowlJan 2#1Oklahoma20#3Maryland6
- Rose BowlJan 2#2Michigan State17#4UCLA14
- Sugar BowlJan 2#7Georgia Tech7#11Pittsburgh0
The 1955 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 | Sep12 | 19 | 26 | Oct3 | 10 | 17 | 24 | 31 | Nov7 | 14 | 21 | Nov28final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Michigan State | 13 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Maryland | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| UCLA | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Ohio State | 4 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 5 | ||
| TCU | 10 | 8 | 7 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | ||
| Georgia Tech | 10 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Auburn | 17 | 14 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | ||
| Notre Dame | 6 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| Mississippi | 15 | 8 | 20 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 10 | ||||
| Pittsburgh | 7 | 12 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 11 | |||||
| Michigan | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 12 |
| USC | 13 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 13 | |||
| Miami (FL) | 9 | 15 | 15 | 20 | 14 | 14 | ||||||
| Miami (OH) | 18 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | ||||||
| Stanford | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | ||||||||
| Texas A&M | 19 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 17 | ||||
| Navy | 8 | 9 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 18 |
| West Virginia | 19 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 19 | ||
| Army | 7 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Duke | 18 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 18 | |||
| Vanderbilt | 19 | |||||||||||
| Syracuse | 18 | 20 | ||||||||||
| Tennessee | 17 | |||||||||||
| Oregon State | 19 | |||||||||||
| Illinois | 16 | |||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 20 | 18 | ||||||||||
| Iowa | 12 | 14 | 20 | |||||||||
| Kentucky | 19 | 20 | 17 | |||||||||
| Holy Cross | 20 | 13 | ||||||||||
| Washington | 19 | 18 | 12 | 19 | ||||||||
| Colorado | 20 | 14 | ||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 14 | 17 | 9 | 6 | 15 | |||||||
| Baylor | 18 | 20 | 16 | |||||||||
| Boston College | 17 | |||||||||||
| Yale | 19 | |||||||||||
| Rice | 11 | 13 | 11 | 15 | ||||||||
| Clemson | 16 | |||||||||||
| Purdue | 20 | 19 | 17 | |||||||||
| Penn State | 18 | |||||||||||
| Texas Tech | 12 | |||||||||||
| LSU | 16 | |||||||||||
| Arkansas | 17 | |||||||||||
| Florida | 19 | |||||||||||
| SMU | 16 |
Tap a rank to read it and highlight that team on the chart above.
Movers
AP rank on Sep 12 against the final AP rank. NR is not ranked.
Risers
- Michigan StateNR → #2
- TCUNR → #6
- PittsburghNR → #11
- Miami (OH)NR → #15
- StanfordNR → #16
1955 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
1955 final pollsAP, Coaches, Elo
AP and Coaches
Nov 28 final| AP | Team | C | Rec |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OklahomaAPC | 1 | 10-0 |
| 2 | 2 | 8-1 | |
| 3 | 3 | 10-0 | |
| 4 | 4 | 9-1 | |
| 5 | 5 | 7-2 | |
| 6 | 6 | 9-1 | |
| 7 | 7 | 8-1-1 | |
| 8 | 8 | 8-1-1 | |
| 9 | 10 | 8-2 | |
| 10 | 9 | 9-1 | |
| 11 | 11 | 7-3 | |
| 12 | 13 | 7-2 | |
| 13 | 12 | 6-4 | |
| 14 | 18 | 6-3 | |
| 15 | 20 | 2-0 | |
| 16 | 20 | 6-3-1 | |
| 17 | 14 | 7-2-1 | |
| 18 | 20 | 6-2-1 | |
| 19 | 17 | 8-2 | |
| 20 | 15 | 6-3 | |
| Coaches only | |||
| 16 | |||
| 19 | |||
| 23 | |||
| 23 | |||
Elo top 25
rating, zAPAP championCCoaches champion
The 1955 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1955 honoursHeisman: Howard Cassady
Heisman Trophy voting
Major awards
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
- Bob Pellegrini★ unanimousMaryland
- Earl MorrallMichigan State
- Paul HornungNotre Dame
- Howard Cassady★ unanimousOhio State
- Jim Swink★ unanimousTCU
Show all 5 positions
- Norman MastersMichigan State
- Bruce BosleyWest Virginia
- Bob Pellegrini★ unanimousMaryland
- Earl MorrallMichigan State
- Paul HornungNotre Dame
- Howard Cassady★ unanimousOhio State
- Jim Swink★ unanimousTCU
- Norman MastersMichigan State
- Bruce BosleyWest Virginia
The best games of 1955
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 195510 games
Upsets of 1955
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Upsets of 195510 upsets
1955 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1955 standings by conference11 groups
Atlantic Coast
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland★ conference champion | 4-0 | 10-1 | #3 |
| 2 | Duke★ conference champion | 4-0 | 7-2-1 | |
| 3 | Clemson | 3-1 | 7-3 | |
| 4 | Wake Forest | 3-3-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 5 | North Carolina | 3-3 | 3-7 | |
| 6 | North Carolina State | 0-2-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 7 | South Carolina | 1-5 | 3-6 | |
| 8 | Virginia | 0-4 | 1-9 |
Big Seven
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma★ conference champion | 6-0 | 11-0 | #1 |
| 2 | Nebraska | 5-1 | 5-5 | |
| 3 | Colorado | 3-3 | 6-4 | |
| 4 | Kansas State | 3-3 | 4-6 | |
| 5 | Kansas | 1-4-1 | 3-6-1 | |
| 6 | Iowa State | 1-4-1 | 1-7-1 | |
| 7 | Missouri | 1-5 | 1-9 |
Big Ten
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State★ conference champion | 6-0 | 7-2 | #5 |
| 2 | Michigan State | 5-1 | 9-1 | #2 |
| 3 | Michigan | 5-2 | 7-2 | #12 |
| 4 | Purdue | 4-2-1 | 5-3-1 | |
| 5 | Illinois | 3-3-1 | 5-3-1 | |
| 6 | Wisconsin | 3-4 | 4-5 | |
| 7 | Iowa | 2-3-1 | 3-5-1 | |
| 8 | Minnesota | 2-5 | 3-6 | |
| 9 | Indiana | 1-5 | 3-6 | |
| 10 | Northwestern | 0-6-1 | 0-8-1 |
Border
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas Tech★ conference champion | 3-0-1 | 7-3-1 | |
| 2 | Arizona State | 4-1 | 8-2-1 | |
| 3 | Hardin-Simmons | 3-2 | 5-5 | |
| 4 | Texas Western | 3-2-1 | 6-2-2 | |
| 5 | Arizona | 1-2-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 6 | West Texas State | 1-4-1 | 4-4-1 | |
| 7 | New Mexico State | 0-4 | 3-7 |
Missouri Valley
5 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wichita★ conference champion | 3-1 | 7-2-1 | |
| 2 | Detroit★ conference champion | 3-1 | 5-3-1 | |
| 3 | Houston | 2-2 | 6-4 | |
| 4 | Tulsa | 1-3 | 2-7-1 | |
| 5 | Oklahoma A&M | 1-3 | 2-8 |
Pacific Coast
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA★ conference champion | 6-0 | 9-2 | #4 |
| 2 | Oregon State | 5-2 | 6-3 | |
| 3 | Stanford | 3-2-1 | 6-3-1 | #16 |
| 4 | Oregon | 4-3 | 6-4 | |
| 5 | Washington | 4-3-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 6 | USC | 3-3 | 6-4 | #13 |
| 7 | California | 1-5-1 | 2-7-1 | |
| 8 | Washington State | 1-5-1 | 1-7-2 | |
| 9 | Idaho | 0-4 | 2-7 |
Skyline
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado A&M★ conference champion | 6-1 | 8-2 | |
| 2 | Utah | 4-1 | 6-3 | |
| 3 | Denver | 5-2 | 8-2 | |
| 4 | Wyoming | 5-2 | 8-3 | |
| 5 | Utah State | 3-4 | 4-6 | |
| 6 | Montana | 2-4 | 3-7 | |
| 7 | New Mexico | 1-5 | 2-8 | |
| 8 | BYU | 0-7 | 1-9 |
Southeastern
12 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi★ conference champion | 5-1 | 10-1 | #10 |
| 2 | Georgia Tech | 4-1-1 | 9-1-1 | #7 |
| 3 | Auburn | 5-2-1 | 8-2-1 | #8 |
| 4 | Vanderbilt | 5-3 | 8-3 | |
| 5 | Tennessee | 3-2-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 6 | Kentucky | 3-3-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 7 | Mississippi State | 4-4 | 6-4 | |
| 8 | Tulane | 3-3-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 9 | LSU | 2-3-1 | 3-5-2 | |
| 10 | Florida | 3-5 | 4-6 | |
| 11 | Georgia | 2-5 | 4-6 | |
| 12 | Alabama | 0-7 | 0-10 |
Southern
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia★ conference champion | 4-0 | 8-2 | #19 |
| 2 | Virginia Tech | 2-1-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 3 | George Washington | 3-2 | 5-4 | |
| 4 | Richmond | 3-2-2 | 4-3-2 | |
| 5 | Citadel | 2-2 | 5-4 | |
| 6 | Davidson | 2-2 | 5-4 | |
| 7 | Furman | 1-1 | 1-9 | |
| 8 | William & Mary | 1-3-1 | 1-7-1 | |
| 9 | VMI | 1-6 | 1-9 |
Southwest
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TCU★ conference champion | 5-1 | 9-2 | #6 |
| 2 | Texas A&M | 4-1-1 | 7-2-1 | #17 |
| 3 | Texas | 4-2 | 5-5 | |
| 4 | Arkansas | 3-2-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 5 | Baylor | 2-4 | 5-5 | |
| 6 | SMU | 2-4 | 4-6 | |
| 7 | Rice | 0-6 | 2-7-1 |
Independent
28 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notre Dame | - | 8-2 | #9 |
| 2 | Princeton | - | 7-2 | |
| 3 | Yale | - | 7-2 | |
| 4 | Navy | - | 6-2-1 | #18 |
| 5 | Boston College | - | 5-2-1 | |
| 6 | Army | - | 6-3 | #20 |
| 7 | Colgate | - | 6-3 | |
| 8 | Miami (FL) | - | 6-3 | #14 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh | - | 7-4 | #11 |
| 10 | Syracuse | - | 5-3 | |
| 11 | San Jose State | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 12 | Holy Cross | - | 6-4 | |
| 13 | Cornell | - | 5-4 | |
| 14 | Pacific | - | 5-4 | |
| 15 | Penn State | - | 5-4 | |
| 16 | North Texas | - | 5-4-1 | |
| 17 | Drake | - | 4-4 | |
| 18 | Florida State | - | 5-5 | |
| 19 | Harvard | - | 3-4-1 | |
| 20 | Rutgers | - | 3-5 | |
| 21 | Dartmouth | - | 3-6 | |
| 22 | Marquette | - | 2-6-1 | |
| 23 | Boston University | - | 2-6 | |
| 24 | Brown | - | 2-7 | |
| 25 | Cincinnati | - | 1-6-2 | |
| 26 | Columbia | - | 1-8 | |
| 27 | Villanova | - | 1-9 | |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | - | 0-9 |
1955 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1955 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.