🏈 The 1958 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
1958 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path, LSU11-0
- Sep 20atRiceW26-6
- Sep 27atAlabamaW13-3
- Oct 4vsHardin-SimmonsW20-6
- Oct 10atMiami (FL)W41-0
- Oct 18vsKentuckyW32-7
- Oct 25vsFloridaW10-7
- Nov 1vs#6MississippiW14-0
- Nov 8vsDukeW50-18
- Nov 15atMississippi StateW7-6
- Nov 22atTulaneW62-0
- Jan 1vs#12ClemsonW7-0Sugar Bowl
The 1958 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
The 1958 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 | Sep8 | 22 | 29 | Oct6 | 13 | 20 | 27 | Nov3 | 10 | 17 | 24 | Dec1final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSU | 15 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Iowa | 13 | 8 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | |
| Army | 9 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Auburn | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Air Force | 14 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | |||||
| Wisconsin | 14 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Ohio State | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 8 |
| Syracuse | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 | |||||||
| TCU | 8 | 6 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 10 | ||
| Mississippi | 6 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 11 | |
| Clemson | 17 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 12 | ||
| Purdue | 14 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 13 | |||
| Florida | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 12 | 14 | 14 | |||||
| South Carolina | 18 | 16 | 15 | |||||||||
| California | 19 | 17 | 16 | |||||||||
| Notre Dame | 3 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 17 | ||
| SMU | 17 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 15 | 18 | ||||
| Oklahoma State | 19 | |||||||||||
| Rutgers | 20 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | |||||||
| Vanderbilt | 20 | 14 | 15 | |||||||||
| Pittsburgh | 19 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 19 | |||||
| North Carolina | 10 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 17 | |||||||
| Mississippi State | 15 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 19 | 18 | ||||||
| Northwestern | 17 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 13 | 20 | ||||||
| Rice | 14 | 13 | 17 | |||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 17 | 20 | ||||||||||
| Colorado | 19 | 12 | 9 | |||||||||
| Navy | 7 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 15 | |||||
| Texas | 11 | 17 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 16 | ||||||
| Michigan State | 4 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 20 | ||||||
| Oregon | 15 | 14 | ||||||||||
| Houston | 19 | 19 | 15 | |||||||||
| Michigan | 16 | 14 | 19 | |||||||||
| Washington State | 10 | |||||||||||
| West Virginia | 13 | |||||||||||
| Miami (FL) | 16 | 15 | ||||||||||
| Kentucky | 17 | |||||||||||
| Oregon State | 12 | |||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 20 |
Tap a rank to read it and highlight that team on the chart above.
Movers
AP rank on Sep 8 against the final AP rank. NR is not ranked.
Fallers
- Michigan State#4 → NR
- Navy#7 → NR
- North Carolina#10 → NR
- Texas#11 → NR
- Notre Dame#3 → #17
1958 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
1958 final pollsAP, Coaches, Elo
AP and Coaches
Dec 1 final| AP | Team | C | Rec |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSUAPC | 1 | 10-0 |
| 2 | 2 | 7-1-1 | |
| 3 | 3 | 8-0-1 | |
| 4 | 4 | 9-0-1 | |
| 5 | 5 | 9-1 | |
| 6 | 8 | 9-0-1 | |
| 7 | 6 | 7-1-1 | |
| 8 | 7 | 6-1-2 | |
| 9 | 10 | 8-1 | |
| 10 | 9 | 8-2 | |
| 11 | 12 | 8-2 | |
| 12 | 13 | 8-2 | |
| 13 | 11 | 6-1-2 | |
| 14 | 15 | 6-3-1 | |
| 15 | 7-3 | ||
| 16 | 16 | 7-3 | |
| 17 | 14 | 6-4 | |
| 18 | 18 | 6-4 | |
| 19 | 7-3 | ||
| 20 | 8-1 | ||
| Coaches only | |||
| 17 | |||
Elo top 25
rating, z
APAP championCCoaches champion
The 1958 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1958 honoursHeisman: Pete Dawkins
Heisman Trophy voting
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
- Bob HarrisonOklahoma
- Pete Dawkins★ unanimousArmy
- Randy Duncan★ unanimousIowa
- Billy Cannon★ unanimousLSU
- Bob WhiteOhio State
- Sam WilliamsMichigan State
- Buddy DialRice
Show all 5 positions
- Zeke SmithAuburn
- John GuzikPittsburgh
- George DeiderichVanderbilt
- Brock StromAir Force
- Ted BatesOregon State
- Bob HarrisonOklahoma
- Pete Dawkins★ unanimousArmy
- Randy Duncan★ unanimousIowa
- Billy Cannon★ unanimousLSU
- Bob WhiteOhio State
- Sam WilliamsMichigan State
- Buddy DialRice
- Zeke SmithAuburn
- John GuzikPittsburgh
- George DeiderichVanderbilt
- Brock StromAir Force
- Ted BatesOregon State
The best games of 1958
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 195810 games
Upsets of 1958
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Upsets of 195810 upsets
1958 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1958 standings by conference12 groups
Atlantic Coast
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson★ conference champion | 5-1 | 8-3 | #12 |
| 2 | South Carolina | 5-2 | 7-3 | #15 |
| 3 | Duke | 3-2 | 5-5 | |
| 4 | North Carolina | 4-3 | 6-4 | |
| 5 | Maryland | 3-3 | 4-6 | |
| 6 | Wake Forest | 2-4 | 3-7 | |
| 7 | North Carolina State | 2-5 | 2-7-1 | |
| 8 | Virginia | 1-5 | 1-9 |
Big Seven
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma★ conference champion | 6-0 | 10-1 | #5 |
| 2 | Missouri | 4-1-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 3 | Colorado | 4-2 | 6-4 | |
| 4 | Kansas | 3-2-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 5 | Kansas State | 2-4 | 3-7 | |
| 6 | Nebraska | 1-5 | 3-7 | |
| 7 | Iowa State | 0-6 | 4-6 |
Big Ten
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa★ conference champion | 5-1 | 8-1-1 | #2 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 5-1-1 | 7-1-1 | #7 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 4-1-2 | 6-1-2 | #8 |
| 4 | Purdue | 3-1-2 | 6-1-2 | #13 |
| 5 | Indiana | 3-2-1 | 5-3-1 | |
| 6 | Illinois | 4-3 | 4-5 | |
| 7 | Northwestern | 3-4 | 5-4 | |
| 8 | Michigan | 1-5-1 | 2-6-1 | |
| 9 | Minnesota | 1-6 | 1-8 | |
| 10 | Michigan State | 0-5-1 | 3-5-1 |
Border
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hardin-Simmons | 4-0 | 6-5 | |
| 2 | Arizona State | 4-1 | 7-3 | |
| 3 | Arizona | 2-1 | 3-7 | |
| 4 | New Mexico State | 1-3 | 4-6 | |
| 5 | Texas Western | 1-4 | 2-7 | |
| 6 | West Texas State | 1-4 | 1-9 |
Ivy
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dartmouth★ conference champion | 6-1 | 7-2 | |
| 2 | Cornell | 5-2 | 6-3 | |
| 3 | Princeton | 5-2 | 6-3 | |
| 4 | Brown | 4-3 | 6-3 | |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 4-3 | 4-5 | |
| 6 | Harvard | 3-4 | 4-5 | |
| 7 | Columbia | 1-6 | 1-8 | |
| 8 | Yale | 0-7 | 2-7 |
Missouri Valley
5 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Texas★ conference champion | 2-1-1 | 7-2-1 | |
| 2 | Cincinnati | 1-1-2 | 6-2-2 | |
| 3 | Tulsa | 2-2 | 7-3 | |
| 4 | Houston | 2-2 | 5-4 | |
| 5 | Wichita | 1-2-1 | 4-5-1 |
Pacific Coast
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California★ conference champion | 6-1 | 7-4 | #16 |
| 2 | Washington State | 6-2 | 7-3 | |
| 3 | USC | 4-2-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 4 | Oregon State | 5-3 | 6-4 | |
| 5 | Oregon | 4-4 | 4-6 | |
| 6 | UCLA | 2-4-1 | 3-6-1 | |
| 7 | Stanford | 2-5 | 2-8 | |
| 8 | Washington | 1-6 | 3-7 | |
| 9 | Idaho | 0-3 | 4-5 |
Skyline
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming★ conference champion | 6-1 | 8-3 | |
| 2 | New Mexico | 5-1 | 7-3 | |
| 3 | BYU | 5-2 | 6-4 | |
| 4 | Colorado State | 4-3 | 6-4 | |
| 5 | Utah | 3-3 | 4-7 | |
| 6 | Utah State | 2-5 | 3-7 | |
| 7 | Denver | 2-5 | 2-8 | |
| 8 | Montana | 0-7 | 0-10 |
Southeastern
12 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU★ conference champion | 6-0 | 11-0 | #1 |
| 2 | Auburn | 6-0-1 | 9-0-1 | #4 |
| 3 | Mississippi | 4-2 | 9-2 | #11 |
| 4 | Vanderbilt | 2-1-3 | 5-2-3 | |
| 5 | Tennessee | 4-3 | 4-6 | |
| 6 | Alabama | 3-4-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 7 | Kentucky | 3-4-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 8 | Georgia Tech | 2-3-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 9 | Florida | 2-4-1 | 6-4-1 | #14 |
| 10 | Georgia | 2-4 | 4-6 | |
| 11 | Tulane | 1-5 | 3-7 | |
| 12 | Mississippi State | 1-6 | 3-6 |
Southern
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia★ conference champion | 4-0 | 4-5-1 | |
| 2 | Virginia Tech | 3-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 3 | George Washington | 3-2 | 3-5 | |
| 4 | VMI | 2-2-1 | 6-2-2 | |
| 5 | Richmond | 3-4 | 3-7 | |
| 6 | Davidson | 2-3 | 5-4 | |
| 7 | Citadel | 2-3 | 4-6 | |
| 8 | Furman | 1-2 | 2-7 | |
| 9 | William & Mary | 1-4-1 | 2-6-1 |
Southwest
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TCU★ conference champion | 5-1 | 8-2-1 | #10 |
| 2 | SMU | 4-2 | 6-4 | #18 |
| 3 | Rice | 4-2 | 5-5 | |
| 4 | Texas | 3-3 | 7-3 | |
| 5 | Arkansas | 2-4 | 4-6 | |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 2-4 | 4-6 | |
| 7 | Baylor | 1-5 | 3-7 |
Independent
23 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Army | - | 8-0-1 | #3 |
| 2 | Air Force | - | 9-0-2 | #6 |
| 3 | Rutgers | - | 8-1 | #20 |
| 4 | Syracuse | - | 8-2 | #9 |
| 5 | Oklahoma State | - | 8-3 | #19 |
| 6 | Boston College | - | 7-3 | |
| 7 | Holy Cross | - | 6-3 | |
| 8 | Navy | - | 6-3 | |
| 9 | Penn State | - | 6-3-1 | |
| 10 | Florida State | - | 7-4 | |
| 11 | Notre Dame | - | 6-4 | #17 |
| 12 | Pacific | - | 6-4 | |
| 13 | Villanova | - | 6-4 | |
| 14 | Pittsburgh | - | 5-4-1 | |
| 15 | Detroit | - | 4-4-1 | |
| 16 | Boston University | - | 4-5 | |
| 17 | San Jose State | - | 4-5 | |
| 18 | Texas Tech | - | 3-7 | |
| 19 | Marquette | - | 2-7-1 | |
| 20 | Drake | - | 2-7 | |
| 21 | Dayton | - | 2-8 | |
| 22 | Miami (FL) | - | 2-8 | |
| 23 | Colgate | - | 1-8 |
1958 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1958 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.