🏈 The 1959 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
1959 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path, Syracuse11-0
- Sep 26vsKansasW35-21
- Oct 3vsMarylandW29-0
- Oct 10atNavyW32-6
- Oct 17vsHoly CrossW42-6
- Oct 24vsWest VirginiaW44-0
- Oct 31atPittsburghW35-0
- Nov 7at#7Penn StateW20-18
- Nov 14vsColgateW71-0
- Nov 21atBoston UniversityW46-0
- Dec 5at#17UCLAW36-8
- Jan 1vs#4TexasW23-14Cotton Bowl
The 1959 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
- Cotton BowlJan 1#1Syracuse23#4Texas14
- Orange BowlJan 1#5Georgia14#18Missouri0
- Rose BowlJan 1#8Washington44#6Wisconsin8
- Sugar BowlJan 1#2Mississippi21#3LSU0
The 1959 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 | Sep7 | 21 | 28 | Oct5 | 12 | 19 | 26 | Nov2 | 9 | 16 | 23 | 30 | Dec7final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse | 20 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Mississippi | 8 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| LSU | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Texas | 17 | 15 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Georgia | 17 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | ||||
| Wisconsin | 6 | 8 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 6 | |
| TCU | 13 | 9 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | |||
| Washington | 18 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 8 | |||||
| Arkansas | 19 | 12 | 10 | 17 | 16 | 20 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 9 | |||
| Alabama | 17 | 19 | 11 | 10 | |||||||||
| Clemson | 17 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 17 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 19 | 14 | 10 | 11 | |
| Penn State | 18 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 12 | ||
| Illinois | 20 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | |||||||
| USC | 11 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 14 | |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 2 | 13 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 15 | |||||
| Wyoming | 16 | 16 | |||||||||||
| Notre Dame | 16 | 8 | 19 | 17 | |||||||||
| Missouri | 18 | 20 | 18 | ||||||||||
| Florida | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 19 | |||||||
| Pittsburgh | 20 | 16 | 20 | ||||||||||
| UCLA | 20 | 17 | |||||||||||
| Auburn | 3 | 3 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 11 | ||
| Miami (FL) | 18 | 12 | |||||||||||
| Northwestern | 10 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | |||
| Michigan State | 19 | 19 | 11 | ||||||||||
| Oregon | 11 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | ||||||||
| Iowa | 9 | 13 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 16 | 16 | |||||
| Tennessee | 9 | 8 | 14 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 20 | ||||||
| Georgia Tech | 16 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 19 | 15 | |||||
| North Texas | 20 | 16 | |||||||||||
| Purdue | 11 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 11 | 14 | |||||||
| Air Force | 15 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | ||||||||
| Yale | 19 | 13 | |||||||||||
| Ohio State | 7 | 12 | 14 | 20 | |||||||||
| SMU | 4 | 6 | 15 | 15 | |||||||||
| South Carolina | 14 | 20 | 16 | 11 | |||||||||
| Army | 5 | 7 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Navy | 13 | 15 | |||||||||||
| North Carolina | 12 |
Tap a rank to read it and highlight that team on the chart above.
Movers
AP rank on Sep 7 against the final AP rank. NR is not ranked.
Risers
- GeorgiaNR → #5
- Syracuse#20 → #1
- WashingtonNR → #8
- ArkansasNR → #9
- AlabamaNR → #10
Fallers
- Auburn#3 → NR
- SMU#4 → NR
- Army#5 → NR
- Ohio State#7 → NR
- Iowa#9 → NR
1959 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
1959 final pollsAP, Coaches, Elo
AP and Coaches
Dec 7 final| AP | Team | C | Rec |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SyracuseAPC | 1 | 10-0 |
| 2 | 2 | 9-1 | |
| 3 | 3 | 9-1 | |
| 4 | 4 | 9-1 | |
| 5 | 5 | 9-1 | |
| 6 | 6 | 7-2 | |
| 7 | 8 | 8-2 | |
| 8 | 7 | 9-1 | |
| 9 | 9 | 8-2 | |
| 10 | 13 | 7-1-2 | |
| 11 | 11 | 8-2 | |
| 12 | 10 | 8-2 | |
| 13 | 12 | 5-3-1 | |
| 14 | 13 | 8-2 | |
| 15 | 17 | 7-3 | |
| 16 | 9-1 | ||
| 17 | 18 | 5-5 | |
| 18 | 19 | 6-4 | |
| 19 | 19 | 5-4-1 | |
| 20 | 19 | 6-4 | |
| Coaches only | |||
| 15 | |||
| 16 | |||
Elo top 25
rating, zAPAP championCCoaches champion
The 1959 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1959 honoursHeisman: Billy Cannon
Heisman Trophy voting
Major awards
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
- Maxie BaughanGeorgia Tech
- Billy CannonLSU
- Charlie FlowersMississippi
- Ron BurtonNorthwestern
- Richie LucasPenn State
- Bill CarpenterArmy
- Monty SticklesNotre Dame
- Maxie BaughanGeorgia Tech
- Billy CannonLSU
- Charlie FlowersMississippi
- Ron BurtonNorthwestern
- Richie LucasPenn State
- Bill CarpenterArmy
- Monty SticklesNotre Dame
The best games of 1959
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 195910 games
Upsets of 1959
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Upsets of 195910 upsets
1959 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1959 standings by conference12 groups
AAWU
5 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington★ conference champion | 3-1 | 10-1 | #8 |
| 2 | USC★ conference champion | 3-1 | 8-2 | #14 |
| 3 | UCLA★ conference champion | 3-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 4 | California | 1-3 | 2-8 | |
| 5 | Stanford | 0-4 | 3-7 |
Atlantic Coast
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson★ conference champion | 6-1 | 9-2 | #11 |
| 2 | North Carolina | 5-2 | 5-5 | |
| 3 | Maryland | 4-2 | 5-5 | |
| 4 | South Carolina | 4-3 | 6-4 | |
| 5 | Wake Forest | 4-3 | 6-4 | |
| 6 | Duke | 2-3 | 4-6 | |
| 7 | North Carolina State | 0-6 | 1-9 | |
| 8 | Virginia | 0-5 | 0-10 |
Big Seven
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma★ conference champion | 5-1 | 7-3 | #15 |
| 2 | Missouri | 4-2 | 6-5 | #18 |
| 3 | Iowa State | 3-3 | 7-3 | |
| 4 | Colorado | 3-3 | 5-5 | |
| 5 | Kansas | 3-3 | 5-5 | |
| 6 | Nebraska | 2-4 | 4-6 | |
| 7 | Kansas State | 1-5 | 2-8 |
Big Ten
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisconsin★ conference champion | 5-2 | 7-3 | #6 |
| 2 | Michigan State | 4-2 | 5-4 | |
| 3 | Purdue | 4-2-1 | 5-2-2 | |
| 4 | Illinois | 4-2-1 | 5-3-1 | #13 |
| 5 | Northwestern | 4-3 | 6-3 | |
| 6 | Iowa | 3-3 | 5-4 | |
| 7 | Michigan | 3-4 | 4-5 | |
| 8 | Indiana | 2-4-1 | 4-4-1 | |
| 9 | Ohio State | 2-4-1 | 3-5-1 | |
| 10 | Minnesota | 1-6 | 2-7 |
Border
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State★ conference champion | 5-0 | 10-1 | |
| 2 | Arizona | 2-1 | 4-6 | |
| 3 | New Mexico State | 2-2 | 8-3 | |
| 4 | Hardin-Simmons | 2-2 | 3-7 | |
| 5 | Texas Western | 2-3 | 3-7 | |
| 6 | West Texas State | 0-5 | 1-9 |
Ivy
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania★ conference champion | 6-1 | 7-1-1 | |
| 2 | Dartmouth | 5-1-1 | 5-3-1 | |
| 3 | Harvard | 4-3 | 6-3 | |
| 4 | Yale | 4-3 | 6-3 | |
| 5 | Cornell | 3-4 | 5-4 | |
| 6 | Princeton | 3-4 | 4-5 | |
| 7 | Brown | 1-5-1 | 2-6-1 | |
| 8 | Columbia | 1-6 | 2-7 |
Missouri Valley
5 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Texas★ conference champion | 3-1 | 9-2 | |
| 2 | Houston★ conference champion | 3-1 | 3-7 | |
| 3 | Tulsa | 2-2 | 5-5 | |
| 4 | Wichita | 1-2-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 5 | Cincinnati | 0-3-1 | 5-4-1 |
Skyline
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming★ conference champion | 7-0 | 9-1 | #16 |
| 2 | Colorado State | 5-2 | 6-4 | |
| 3 | New Mexico | 4-2 | 7-3 | |
| 4 | Utah | 3-2 | 5-5 | |
| 5 | Utah State | 2-5 | 5-6 | |
| 6 | BYU | 2-5 | 3-7 | |
| 7 | Denver | 2-5 | 2-8 | |
| 8 | Montana | 1-5 | 1-8 |
Southeastern
12 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia★ conference champion | 7-0 | 10-1 | #5 |
| 2 | Mississippi | 6-1 | 10-1 | #2 |
| 3 | LSU | 5-2 | 9-2 | #3 |
| 4 | Alabama | 4-1-2 | 7-2-2 | #10 |
| 5 | Auburn | 4-3 | 7-3 | |
| 6 | Vanderbilt | 3-2-2 | 5-3-2 | |
| 7 | Georgia Tech | 3-3 | 6-5 | |
| 8 | Tennessee | 3-4-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 9 | Florida | 2-4 | 5-4-1 | #19 |
| 10 | Kentucky | 1-6 | 4-6 | |
| 11 | Tulane | 0-5-1 | 3-6-1 | |
| 12 | Mississippi State | 0-7 | 2-7 |
Southern
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VMI★ conference champion | 5-0-1 | 8-1-1 | |
| 2 | Citadel | 5-1 | 8-2 | |
| 3 | Virginia Tech | 3-1 | 6-4 | |
| 4 | Furman | 3-2 | 3-7 | |
| 5 | Richmond | 4-3-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 6 | West Virginia | 2-2 | 3-7 | |
| 7 | William & Mary | 2-5 | 4-6 | |
| 8 | Davidson | 0-5 | 1-8 | |
| 9 | George Washington | 0-5 | 1-8 |
Southwest
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas★ conference champion | 5-1 | 9-2 | #9 |
| 2 | Texas★ conference champion | 5-1 | 9-2 | #4 |
| 3 | TCU★ conference champion | 5-1 | 8-3 | #7 |
| 4 | SMU | 2-3-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 5 | Baylor | 2-4 | 4-6 | |
| 6 | Rice | 1-4-1 | 1-7-2 | |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 0-6 | 3-7 |
Independent
27 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Syracuse | - | 11-0 | #1 |
| 2 | Penn State | - | 9-2 | #12 |
| 3 | Oregon | - | 8-2 | |
| 4 | Rutgers | - | 6-3 | |
| 5 | Detroit | - | 6-4 | |
| 6 | Holy Cross | - | 6-4 | |
| 7 | Miami (FL) | - | 6-4 | |
| 8 | Oklahoma State | - | 6-4 | |
| 9 | Pittsburgh | - | 6-4 | #20 |
| 10 | Washington State | - | 6-4 | |
| 11 | Boston College | - | 5-4 | |
| 12 | Pacific | - | 5-4 | |
| 13 | Air Force | - | 5-4-1 | |
| 14 | Navy | - | 5-4-1 | |
| 15 | Army | - | 4-4-1 | |
| 16 | Notre Dame | - | 5-5 | #17 |
| 17 | Boston University | - | 4-5 | |
| 18 | Florida State | - | 4-6 | |
| 19 | San Jose State | - | 4-6 | |
| 20 | Texas Tech | - | 4-6 | |
| 21 | Xavier | - | 4-6 | |
| 22 | Dayton | - | 3-7 | |
| 23 | Marquette | - | 3-7 | |
| 24 | Oregon State | - | 3-7 | |
| 25 | Colgate | - | 2-7 | |
| 26 | Idaho | - | 1-9 | |
| 27 | Villanova | - | 1-9 |
1959 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1959 bowls8 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.