🏈 The 1957 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
1957 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path9-1
- Sep 28vsTCUL14-18
- Oct 5atWashingtonW35-7
- Oct 12vsIllinoisW21-7
- Oct 19vsIndianaW56-0
- Oct 26atWisconsinW16-13
- Nov 2vsNorthwesternW47-6
- Nov 9vsPurdueW20-7
- Nov 16vs#5IowaW17-13
- Nov 23at#19MichiganW31-14
- Jan 1vsOregonW10-7Rose Bowl
The 1957 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
- Cotton BowlJan 1#5Navy20#8Rice7
- Orange BowlJan 1#4Oklahoma48#16Duke21
- Rose BowlJan 1#2Ohio State10
- Sugar BowlJan 1#7Mississippi39#11Texas7
The 1957 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 | Sep9 | 23 | 30 | Oct7 | 14 | 21 | 28 | Nov4 | 11 | 18 | 25 | Dec2final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | 15 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Ohio State | 17 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Michigan State | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Navy | 12 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 5 | |
| Iowa | 9 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| Mississippi | 19 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 7 | |
| Rice | 18 | 15 | 19 | 13 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 8 | ||||
| Texas A&M | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| Notre Dame | 18 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 10 | ||
| Texas | 13 | 20 | 19 | 13 | 11 | |||||||
| Arizona State | 17 | 11 | 12 | |||||||||
| Tennessee | 5 | 8 | 19 | 17 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 13 | |||
| Mississippi State | 17 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 14 | |||||||
| North Carolina State | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 19 | 20 | 15 | 15 | ||
| Duke | 10 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 16 |
| Florida | 19 | 20 | 17 | |||||||||
| Army | 12 | 10 | 19 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 18 | ||
| Wisconsin | 16 | 13 | 18 | 14 | 19 | |||||||
| VMI | 20 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 20 | |||||||
| Oregon State | 13 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 19 | ||||||
| Oregon | 18 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 15 | |||||||
| Michigan | 6 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 20 | 12 | 11 | 18 | 19 | ||
| Clemson | 14 | |||||||||||
| Illinois | 16 | 15 | ||||||||||
| TCU | 18 | 17 | ||||||||||
| Arkansas | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 11 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 18 | |||||||
| Missouri | 19 | |||||||||||
| Colorado | 18 | |||||||||||
| Dartmouth | 20 | |||||||||||
| LSU | 17 | 10 | ||||||||||
| Minnesota | 4 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 14 | ||||||
| UCLA | 19 | 15 | ||||||||||
| North Carolina | 18 | 14 | ||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | 8 | 16 | 20 | 16 | ||||||||
| Washington State | 19 | |||||||||||
| Baylor | 7 | 11 | 11 | |||||||||
| Stanford | 16 | 17 | ||||||||||
| Houston | 14 | |||||||||||
| SMU | 15 | |||||||||||
| Penn State | 16 | 19 | ||||||||||
| Miami (FL) | 14 | |||||||||||
| USC | 19 | |||||||||||
| Kentucky | 20 |
Tap a rank to read it and highlight that team on the chart above.
Movers
AP rank on Sep 9 against the final AP rank. NR is not ranked.
Risers
- MississippiNR → #7
- RiceNR → #8
- Ohio State#17 → #2
- TexasNR → #11
- Auburn#15 → #1
Fallers
- Minnesota#4 → NR
- Michigan#6 → NR
- Baylor#7 → NR
- Pittsburgh#8 → NR
- Georgia Tech#11 → NR
1957 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
1957 final pollsAP, Coaches, Elo
AP and Coaches
Dec 2 final| AP | Team | C | Rec |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AuburnAP | 2 | 10-0 |
| 2 | 1 | 8-1 | |
| 3 | 3 | 8-1 | |
| 4 | 4 | 9-1 | |
| 5 | 6 | 8-1-1 | |
| 6 | 5 | 7-1-1 | |
| 7 | 8 | 8-1-1 | |
| 8 | 7 | 7-3 | |
| 9 | 10 | 8-2 | |
| 10 | 9 | 6-3 | |
| 11 | 11 | 6-3-1 | |
| 12 | 12 | 10-0 | |
| 13 | 16 | 7-3 | |
| 14 | 6-2-1 | ||
| 15 | 20 | 7-1-2 | |
| 16 | 13 | 6-2-2 | |
| 17 | 6-2-1 | ||
| 18 | 13 | 7-2 | |
| 19 | 13 | 6-3 | |
| 20 | 9-0-1 | ||
| Coaches only | |||
| 17 | |||
| 18 | |||
| 18 | |||
Elo top 25
rating, z
APAP championCCoaches champion
The 1957 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1957 honoursHeisman: John David Crow
Heisman Trophy voting
Major awards
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
- Dan CurrieMichigan State
- Bob AndersonArmy
- Walt KowalczykMichigan State
- Clendon ThomasOklahoma
- John David Crow★ unanimousTexas A&M
Show all 5 positions
- Al EcuyerNotre Dame
- Bill KrisherOklahoma
- Dan CurrieMichigan State
- Bob AndersonArmy
- Walt KowalczykMichigan State
- Clendon ThomasOklahoma
- John David Crow★ unanimousTexas A&M
- Al EcuyerNotre Dame
- Bill KrisherOklahoma
The best games of 1957
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 195710 games
Upsets of 1957
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Upsets of 195710 upsets
1957 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1957 standings by conference12 groups
Atlantic Coast
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina State★ conference champion | 5-0-1 | 7-1-2 | #15 |
| 2 | Duke | 5-1-1 | 6-3-2 | #16 |
| 3 | Clemson | 4-3 | 7-3 | |
| 4 | North Carolina | 4-3 | 6-4 | |
| 5 | Maryland | 4-3 | 5-5 | |
| 6 | Virginia | 2-4 | 3-6-1 | |
| 7 | South Carolina | 2-5 | 5-5 | |
| 8 | Wake Forest | 0-7 | 0-10 |
Big Seven
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma★ conference champion | 6-0 | 10-1 | #4 |
| 2 | Kansas | 4-2 | 5-4-1 | |
| 3 | Colorado | 3-3 | 6-3-1 | |
| 4 | Missouri | 3-3 | 5-4-1 | |
| 5 | Iowa State | 2-4 | 4-5-1 | |
| 6 | Kansas State | 2-4 | 3-6-1 | |
| 7 | Nebraska | 1-5 | 1-9 |
Big Ten
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State★ conference champion | 7-0 | 9-1 | #2 |
| 2 | Michigan State | 5-1 | 8-1 | #3 |
| 3 | Iowa | 4-1-1 | 7-1-1 | #6 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 4-3 | 6-3 | #19 |
| 5 | Purdue | 4-3 | 5-4 | |
| 6 | Michigan | 3-3-1 | 5-3-1 | |
| 7 | Illinois | 3-4 | 4-5 | |
| 8 | Minnesota | 3-5 | 4-5 | |
| 9 | Indiana | 0-6 | 1-8 | |
| 10 | Northwestern | 0-7 | 0-9 |
Border
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State★ conference champion | 4-0 | 10-0 | #12 |
| 2 | West Texas State | 3-1 | 7-3 | |
| 3 | Texas Western | 3-2 | 6-3 | |
| 4 | Hardin-Simmons | 3-2 | 5-5 | |
| 5 | New Mexico State | 0-4 | 3-7 | |
| 6 | Arizona | 0-4 | 1-8-1 |
Ivy
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Princeton★ conference champion | 6-1 | 7-2 | |
| 2 | Dartmouth | 5-1-1 | 7-1-1 | |
| 3 | Yale | 4-2-1 | 6-2-1 | |
| 4 | Brown | 3-4 | 5-4 | |
| 5 | Cornell | 3-4 | 3-6 | |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 3-4 | 3-6 | |
| 7 | Harvard | 2-5 | 3-5 | |
| 8 | Columbia | 1-6 | 1-8 |
Missouri Valley
5 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston★ conference champion | 3-0 | 5-4-1 | |
| 2 | North Texas | 1-0 | 5-5 | |
| 3 | Tulsa | 2-2 | 4-6 | |
| 4 | Cincinnati | 1-2 | 5-4-1 | |
| 5 | Wichita | 0-3 | 1-9 |
Pacific Coast
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon State★ conference champion | 6-2 | 8-2 | |
| 2 | Oregon★ conference champion | 6-2 | 7-4 | |
| 3 | UCLA | 5-2 | 8-2 | |
| 4 | Washington State | 5-3 | 6-4 | |
| 5 | Stanford | 4-3 | 6-4 | |
| 6 | Washington | 3-4 | 3-6-1 | |
| 7 | California | 1-6 | 1-9 | |
| 8 | USC | 1-6 | 1-9 | |
| 9 | Idaho | 0-3 | 4-4-1 |
Skyline
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah★ conference champion | 5-1 | 6-4 | |
| 2 | BYU | 5-1-1 | 5-3-2 | |
| 3 | Denver | 5-2 | 6-4 | |
| 4 | Wyoming | 3-2-2 | 4-3-3 | |
| 5 | New Mexico | 2-4 | 4-6 | |
| 6 | Colorado State | 2-5 | 3-7 | |
| 7 | Montana | 2-5 | 2-7 | |
| 8 | Utah State | 1-5-1 | 2-7-1 |
Southeastern
12 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn★ conference champion | 7-0 | 10-0 | #1 |
| 2 | Mississippi | 5-0-1 | 9-1-1 | #7 |
| 3 | Florida | 4-2-1 | 6-2-1 | #17 |
| 4 | Mississippi State | 4-2-1 | 6-2-1 | #14 |
| 5 | Tennessee | 4-3 | 8-3 | #13 |
| 6 | Vanderbilt | 3-3-1 | 5-3-2 | |
| 7 | LSU | 4-4 | 5-5 | |
| 8 | Georgia Tech | 3-4-1 | 4-4-2 | |
| 9 | Georgia | 3-4 | 3-7 | |
| 10 | Alabama | 1-6-1 | 2-7-1 | |
| 11 | Tulane | 1-5 | 2-8 | |
| 12 | Kentucky | 1-7 | 3-7 |
Southern
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VMI★ conference champion | 6-0 | 9-0-1 | #20 |
| 2 | West Virginia | 3-0 | 7-2-1 | |
| 3 | Citadel | 4-2 | 5-4-1 | |
| 4 | Furman | 2-1 | 3-7 | |
| 5 | Richmond | 2-4 | 4-6 | |
| 6 | William & Mary | 2-4 | 4-6 | |
| 7 | Davidson | 1-3 | 5-3 | |
| 8 | Virginia Tech | 1-3 | 4-6 | |
| 9 | George Washington | 1-5 | 2-7 |
Southwest
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rice★ conference champion | 5-1 | 7-4 | #8 |
| 2 | Texas | 4-1-1 | 6-4-1 | #11 |
| 3 | Texas A&M | 4-2 | 8-3 | #9 |
| 4 | SMU | 3-3 | 4-5-1 | |
| 5 | Arkansas | 2-4 | 6-4 | |
| 6 | TCU | 2-4 | 5-4-1 | |
| 7 | Baylor | 0-5-1 | 3-6-1 |
Independent
23 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Navy | - | 9-1-1 | #5 |
| 2 | Army | - | 7-2 | #18 |
| 3 | Boston College | - | 7-2 | |
| 4 | Drake | - | 7-2 | |
| 5 | Notre Dame | - | 7-3 | #10 |
| 6 | Detroit | - | 6-3 | |
| 7 | Penn State | - | 6-3 | |
| 8 | Dayton | - | 6-3-1 | |
| 9 | Oklahoma State | - | 6-3-1 | |
| 10 | Boston University | - | 5-3 | |
| 11 | Holy Cross | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 12 | Syracuse | - | 5-3-1 | |
| 13 | Pacific | - | 5-3-2 | |
| 14 | Rutgers | - | 5-4 | |
| 15 | Miami (FL) | - | 5-4-1 | |
| 16 | Florida State | - | 4-6 | |
| 17 | Pittsburgh | - | 4-6 | |
| 18 | Air Force | - | 3-6-1 | |
| 19 | Colgate | - | 3-6 | |
| 20 | Villanova | - | 3-6 | |
| 21 | San Jose State | - | 3-7 | |
| 22 | Texas Tech | - | 2-8 | |
| 23 | Marquette | - | 0-10 |
1957 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1957 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.