🏈 The 1956 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
1956 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path, Oklahoma10-0
- Sep 29vsNorth CarolinaW36-0
- Oct 6vsKansas StateW66-0
- Oct 13vsTexasW45-0
- Oct 20atKansasW34-12
- Oct 27atNotre DameW40-0
- Nov 3atColoradoW27-19
- Nov 10atIowa StateW44-0
- Nov 17vsMissouriW67-14
- Nov 24vsNebraskaW54-6
- Dec 1atOklahoma A&MW53-0
The 1956 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
The 1956 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 | 24 | Oct1 | 8 | 15 | 22 | 29 | Nov5 | 12 | 19 | 26 | Dec3final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tennessee | 12 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Iowa | 20 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||
| Georgia Tech | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Texas A&M | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Miami (FL) | 18 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | |
| Michigan | 8 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Syracuse | 7 | 18 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | ||
| Michigan State | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 9 | |
| Oregon State | 17 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | ||||||
| Baylor | 16 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 11 | ||||
| Minnesota | 17 | 8 | 6 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 12 | |||||
| Pittsburgh | 10 | 10 | 7 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 20 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 13 | |
| TCU | 7 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 14 | ||
| Ohio State | 5 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 20 | 15 |
| Navy | 14 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 16 | ||||||
| George Washington | 16 | 17 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 17 | |||||
| USC | 15 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 20 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 18 | |
| Clemson | 15 | 20 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 19 | ||||||
| Colorado | 18 | 20 | 19 | 20 | ||||||||
| Florida | 19 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 18 | |||||||
| Wyoming | 19 | |||||||||||
| Mississippi | 13 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 19 | |||||
| Princeton | 20 | |||||||||||
| UCLA | 17 | 19 | ||||||||||
| Stanford | 14 | 12 | 10 | 20 | ||||||||
| Penn State | 18 | 12 | ||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | 18 | 16 | 15 | |||||||||
| Tulane | 19 | 15 | ||||||||||
| Purdue | 17 | |||||||||||
| South Carolina | 17 | 20 | 20 | |||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 15 | 18 | 13 | |||||||||
| Army | 11 | 16 | 15 | 15 | ||||||||
| Notre Dame | 3 | 14 | 17 | 18 | ||||||||
| SMU | 5 | 12 | 19 | |||||||||
| West Virginia | 20 | |||||||||||
| Illinois | 20 | 13 | ||||||||||
| Oregon | 18 | |||||||||||
| North Carolina State | 20 | |||||||||||
| Maryland | 6 | |||||||||||
| Duke | 16 | |||||||||||
| Yale | 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
- IowaNR → #3
- SyracuseNR → #8
- Oregon StateNR → #10
- BaylorNR → #11
- MinnesotaNR → #12
Fallers
- Notre Dame#3 → NR
- Maryland#6 → NR
- Army#11 → NR
- Mississippi#13 → NR
- Stanford#14 → NR
1956 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
1956 final pollsAP, Coaches, Elo
AP and Coaches
Dec 3 final| AP | Team | C | Rec |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OklahomaAPC | 1 | 10-0 |
| 2 | 2 | 10-0 | |
| 3 | 3 | 8-1 | |
| 4 | 4 | 9-1 | |
| 5 | 5 | 9-0-1 | |
| 6 | 6 | 8-0-1 | |
| 7 | 7 | 7-2 | |
| 8 | 8 | 7-1 | |
| 9 | 10 | 7-2 | |
| 10 | 13 | 7-2-1 | |
| 11 | 11 | 8-2 | |
| 12 | 9 | 6-1-2 | |
| 13 | 12 | 6-2-1 | |
| 14 | 14 | 7-3 | |
| 15 | 6-3 | ||
| 16 | 19 | 6-1-2 | |
| 17 | 7-1-1 | ||
| 18 | 15 | 8-2 | |
| 19 | 7-1-2 | ||
| 20 | 18 | 7-2-1 | |
| Coaches only | |||
| 16 | |||
| 17 | |||
| 20 | |||
Elo top 25
rating, z
APAP championCCoaches champion
The 1956 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1956 honoursHeisman: Paul Hornung
Heisman Trophy voting
Major awards
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
- John BrodieStanford
- Jerry Tubbs★ unanimousOklahoma
Show all 6 positions
- Ron Kramer★ unanimousMichigan
- Joe Walton★ unanimousPittsburgh
- Bill Glass★ unanimousBaylor
- Jim Parker★ unanimousOhio State
- Lou MichaelsKentucky
- John WitteOregon State
- John BrodieStanford
- Jerry Tubbs★ unanimousOklahoma
- Ron Kramer★ unanimousMichigan
- Joe Walton★ unanimousPittsburgh
- Bill Glass★ unanimousBaylor
- Jim Parker★ unanimousOhio State
- Lou MichaelsKentucky
- John WitteOregon State
The best games of 1956
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 195610 games
Upsets of 1956
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Upsets of 195610 upsets
1956 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1956 standings by conference12 groups
Atlantic Coast
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson★ conference champion | 4-0-1 | 7-2-2 | #19 |
| 2 | Duke | 4-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 3 | South Carolina | 5-2 | 7-3 | |
| 4 | Maryland | 2-2-1 | 2-7-1 | |
| 5 | North Carolina | 2-3-1 | 2-7-1 | |
| 6 | North Carolina State | 2-4 | 3-7 | |
| 7 | Wake Forest | 1-5-1 | 2-5-3 | |
| 8 | Virginia | 1-4 | 3-7 |
Big Seven
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma★ conference champion | 6-0 | 10-0 | #1 |
| 2 | Colorado | 4-1-1 | 8-2-1 | #20 |
| 3 | Missouri | 3-2-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 4 | Nebraska | 3-3 | 4-6 | |
| 5 | Kansas | 2-4 | 3-6-1 | |
| 6 | Kansas State | 2-4 | 3-7 | |
| 7 | Iowa State | 0-6 | 2-8 |
Big Ten
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa★ conference champion | 5-1 | 9-1 | #3 |
| 2 | Michigan | 5-2 | 7-2 | #7 |
| 3 | Minnesota | 4-1-2 | 6-1-2 | #12 |
| 4 | Michigan State | 4-2 | 7-2 | #9 |
| 5 | Ohio State | 4-2 | 6-3 | #15 |
| 6 | Northwestern | 3-3-1 | 4-4-1 | |
| 7 | Purdue | 1-4-2 | 3-4-2 | |
| 8 | Illinois | 1-4-2 | 2-5-2 | |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 0-4-3 | 1-5-3 | |
| 10 | Indiana | 1-5 | 3-6 |
Border
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas Western★ conference champion | 5-0 | 9-2 | |
| 2 | Arizona State | 3-1 | 9-1 | |
| 3 | West Texas State | 2-2 | 8-2 | |
| 4 | Arizona | 1-2 | 4-6 | |
| 5 | Hardin-Simmons | 1-3 | 4-6 | |
| 6 | New Mexico State | 0-4 | 1-9 |
Ivy
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yale★ conference champion | 7-0 | 8-1 | |
| 2 | Princeton | 5-2 | 7-2 | |
| 3 | Dartmouth | 4-3 | 5-3-1 | |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | 4-3 | 4-5 | |
| 5 | Brown | 3-4 | 5-4 | |
| 6 | Columbia | 2-5 | 3-6 | |
| 7 | Harvard | 2-5 | 2-6 | |
| 8 | Cornell | 1-6 | 1-8 |
Missouri Valley
5 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston★ conference champion | 4-0 | 7-2-1 | |
| 2 | Tulsa | 2-1-1 | 7-2-1 | |
| 3 | Oklahoma A&M | 2-1-1 | 3-5-2 | |
| 4 | Wichita | 1-3 | 4-6 | |
| 5 | Detroit | 0-4 | 2-8 |
Pacific Coast
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon State★ conference champion | 6-1-1 | 7-3-1 | #10 |
| 2 | USC | 5-2 | 8-2 | #18 |
| 3 | UCLA | 5-2 | 7-3 | |
| 4 | Oregon | 3-3-2 | 4-4-2 | |
| 5 | Washington | 4-4 | 5-5 | |
| 6 | Stanford | 3-4 | 4-6 | |
| 7 | Washington State | 2-5-1 | 3-6-1 | |
| 8 | California | 2-5 | 3-7 | |
| 9 | Idaho | 0-4 | 4-5 |
Skyline
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming★ conference champion | 7-0 | 10-0 | |
| 2 | Utah | 5-1 | 5-5 | |
| 3 | Denver | 4-3 | 6-4 | |
| 4 | Utah State | 4-3 | 6-4 | |
| 5 | Colorado A&M | 2-4-1 | 2-7-1 | |
| 6 | New Mexico | 2-4 | 4-6 | |
| 7 | BYU | 1-5-1 | 2-7-1 | |
| 8 | Montana | 1-6 | 1-9 |
Southeastern
12 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee★ conference champion | 6-0 | 10-1 | #2 |
| 2 | Georgia Tech | 7-1 | 10-1 | #4 |
| 3 | Florida | 5-2 | 6-3-1 | |
| 4 | Mississippi | 4-2 | 7-3 | |
| 5 | Auburn | 4-3 | 7-3 | |
| 6 | Kentucky | 4-4 | 6-4 | |
| 7 | Tulane | 3-3 | 6-4 | |
| 8 | Vanderbilt | 2-5 | 5-5 | |
| 9 | Mississippi State | 2-5 | 4-6 | |
| 10 | Alabama | 2-5 | 2-7-1 | |
| 11 | LSU | 1-5 | 3-7 | |
| 12 | Georgia | 1-6 | 3-6-1 |
Southern
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia Tech | 3-0 | 7-2-1 | |
| 2 | West Virginia★ conference champion | 5-0 | 6-4 | |
| 3 | George Washington | 5-1 | 8-1-1 | #17 |
| 4 | Furman | 2-2 | 2-8 | |
| 5 | VMI | 2-3-1 | 3-6-1 | |
| 6 | Davidson | 1-2-1 | 5-3-1 | |
| 7 | Richmond | 2-5 | 4-5 | |
| 8 | Citadel | 1-3 | 3-5-1 | |
| 9 | William & Mary | 0-5 | 0-9-1 |
Southwest
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M★ conference champion | 6-0 | 9-0-1 | #5 |
| 2 | TCU | 5-1 | 8-3 | #14 |
| 3 | Baylor | 4-2 | 9-2 | #11 |
| 4 | Arkansas | 3-3 | 6-4 | |
| 5 | SMU | 2-4 | 4-6 | |
| 6 | Rice | 1-5 | 4-6 | |
| 7 | Texas | 0-6 | 1-9 |
Independent
22 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami (FL) | - | 8-1-1 | #6 |
| 2 | Navy | - | 6-1-2 | #16 |
| 3 | Syracuse | - | 7-2 | #8 |
| 4 | North Texas | - | 7-2-1 | |
| 5 | Penn State | - | 6-2-1 | |
| 6 | Pittsburgh | - | 7-3-1 | #13 |
| 7 | Pacific | - | 6-3-1 | |
| 8 | Army | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 9 | Holy Cross | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 10 | Boston College | - | 5-4 | |
| 11 | Villanova | - | 5-4 | |
| 12 | Florida State | - | 5-4-1 | |
| 13 | Cincinnati | - | 4-5 | |
| 14 | Colgate | - | 4-5 | |
| 15 | Dayton | - | 4-6 | |
| 16 | Drake | - | 3-6 | |
| 17 | Rutgers | - | 3-7 | |
| 18 | Boston University | - | 1-5-2 | |
| 19 | San Jose State | - | 2-7-1 | |
| 20 | Texas Tech | - | 2-7-1 | |
| 21 | Notre Dame | - | 2-8 | |
| 22 | Marquette | - | 0-9 |
1956 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1956 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.