🏈 The 1982 college football season
The champion and its path, the poll race week by week, the honours, the best games and every conference table.
Source: Citizen of Nowhere college football database · 11 conferences · 16 bowls
Jump to any season1869–2026
1860s
1982 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path, Penn State11-1
- Sep 4vsTempleW31-14
- Sep 11vsMarylandW39-31
- Sep 18vsRutgersW49-14
- Sep 25vs#2NebraskaW27-24
- Oct 9at#4AlabamaL21-42
- Oct 16vsSyracuseW28-7
- Oct 23at#13West VirginiaW24-0
- Oct 30atBoston CollegeW52-17
- Nov 6vsNorth Carolina StateW54-0
- Nov 13at#13Notre DameW24-14
- Nov 26vs#5PittsburghW19-10
- Jan 1vs#1GeorgiaW27-23Sugar Bowl
The 1982 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
- Cotton BowlJan 1#4SMU7#6Pittsburgh3
- Fiesta BowlJan 1#11Arizona State32#12Oklahoma21
- Orange BowlJan 1#3Nebraska21#13LSU20
- Rose BowlJan 1#5UCLA24#19Michigan14
- Sugar BowlJan 1#2Penn State27#1Georgia23
The 1982 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
The final top five and the champion are drawn in team colours; everyone else is muted until you tap a line or pick a team. The grid under a poll chart has the same ranks, team by week, so a rank can be read as a number as well as a height. Where the College Football Playoff or BCS ranking also ran, switch between it and the AP poll. The Elo view plots each team's rating on the poll dates for the teams that finished in the Elo top 15 or were ranked at any point, and its Show filter works the same way.
- Regular season ends
- Bowl season
Tap or drag on the chart to read a team's rank in any week.
AP rank, team by week
| Team | Aug30 | Sep6 | 13 | 20 | 27 | Oct4 | 11 | 18 | 25 | Nov1 | 8 | 15 | 22 | 29 | Dec6 | Jan2final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| SMU | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Nebraska | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Georgia | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| UCLA | 20 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Arizona State | 19 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 6 |
| Washington | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 7 |
| Clemson | 11 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | |||
| Arkansas | 13 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 14 | 9 |
| Pittsburgh | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 10 |
| LSU | 18 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 12 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 11 | |||||
| Ohio State | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 12 | ||||||||
| Florida State | 19 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 15 | 13 | |||||||
| Auburn | 20 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 14 | |||||||||||
| USC | 10 | 10 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 |
| Oklahoma | 9 | 9 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 16 | |||||
| Texas | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 17 | ||
| North Carolina | 5 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 18 | |||||
| West Virginia | 17 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 19 | ||
| Maryland | 19 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 20 | |||||||||
| Michigan | 12 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 20 | 20 | 19 | |||||
| Tulsa | 20 | 19 | 20 | |||||||||||||
| Notre Dame | 18 | 20 | 20 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 13 | 18 | ||||||
| Alabama | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 17 | |||||
| Florida | 16 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 20 | |||||||||
| Miami (FL) | 15 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | |||||||
| Illinois | 19 | 20 | 15 | |||||||||||||
| Boston College | 18 | 19 | ||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 19 |
Tap a rank to read it and highlight that team on the chart above.
Movers
AP rank on Aug 30 against the final AP rank. NR is not ranked.
Risers
- UCLA#20 → #5
- LSUNR → #11
- Arizona State#19 → #6
- Florida StateNR → #13
- AuburnNR → #14
Fallers
- Alabama#3 → NR
- Michigan#12 → NR
- North Carolina#5 → #18
- Miami (FL)#15 → NR
- Florida#16 → NR
1982 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
1982 final pollsAP, Coaches, Elo
AP and Coaches
Jan 2 final| AP | Team | C | Rec |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penn StateAPC | 1 | 11-1 |
| 2 | 2 | 11-0-1 | |
| 3 | 3 | 12-1 | |
| 4 | 4 | 11-1 | |
| 5 | 5 | 10-1-1 | |
| 6 | 6 | 10-2 | |
| 7 | 7 | 10-2 | |
| 8 | 9-1-1 | ||
| 9 | 8 | 9-2-1 | |
| 10 | 9 | 9-3 | |
| 11 | 11 | 8-3-1 | |
| 12 | 12 | 9-3 | |
| 13 | 10 | 9-3 | |
| 14 | 14 | 9-3 | |
| 15 | 8-3 | ||
| 16 | 16 | 8-4 | |
| 17 | 17 | 9-3 | |
| 18 | 13 | 8-4 | |
| 19 | 19 | 9-3 | |
| 20 | 20 | 8-4 | |
| Coaches only | |||
| 15 | |||
| 17 | |||
Elo top 25
rating, z
APAP championCCoaches champion
The 1982 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1982 honoursHeisman: Herschel Walker
Heisman Trophy voting
Major awards
Joe Paterno
AFCA Coach of the Year Award · Coach · Penn State
Todd Blackledge
Davey O'Brien Award · QB · Penn State
Herschel Walker
Maxwell Award · RB · Georgia
Dave Rimington
Outland Trophy · C · Nebraska
Dave Rimington
Vince Lombardi/Rotary Award · C · Nebraska
Show all 6 awards
Herschel Walker
Walter Camp Award · RB · Georgia
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
QB
- John Elway★ unanimousStanford
WR
- Anthony Carter★ unanimousMichigan
Show all 12 positions
TE
- Gordon Hudson★ unanimousBYU
OL
- Steve Korte★ unanimousArkansas
- Jimbo CovertPittsburgh
- Bruce MatthewsUSC
- Don Mosebar★ unanimousUSC
C
- Dave Rimington★ unanimousNebraska
DL
- Mike PittsAlabama
- Vernon MaxwellArizona State
- Billy Ray Smith★ unanimousArkansas
- Wilber MarshallFlorida
- Rick BryanOklahoma
- Gabriel RiveraTexas Tech
LB
- Ricky HunleyArizona
- Marcus MarekOhio State
- Darryl Talley★ unanimousWest Virginia
DB
- Mike RichardsonArizona State
- Terry Kinard★ unanimousClemson
- Terry HoageGeorgia
P
- Jim Arnold★ unanimousVanderbilt
MG
- George AchicaUSC
PK
- Chuck Nelson★ unanimousWashington
QB
- John Elway★ unanimousStanford
WR
- Anthony Carter★ unanimousMichigan
TE
- Gordon Hudson★ unanimousBYU
OL
- Steve Korte★ unanimousArkansas
- Jimbo CovertPittsburgh
- Bruce MatthewsUSC
- Don Mosebar★ unanimousUSC
C
- Dave Rimington★ unanimousNebraska
DL
- Mike PittsAlabama
- Vernon MaxwellArizona State
- Billy Ray Smith★ unanimousArkansas
- Wilber MarshallFlorida
- Rick BryanOklahoma
- Gabriel RiveraTexas Tech
LB
- Ricky HunleyArizona
- Marcus MarekOhio State
- Darryl Talley★ unanimousWest Virginia
DB
- Mike RichardsonArizona State
- Terry Kinard★ unanimousClemson
- Terry HoageGeorgia
P
- Jim Arnold★ unanimousVanderbilt
MG
- George AchicaUSC
PK
- Chuck Nelson★ unanimousWashington
The best games of 1982
The ten best games of the season by Game Score. Switch to the Elo score for a second opinion.
How this is measured
Game score is the college football workbook's own rating of how good a game was; it weighs a lot more than the margin. The Elo score is a second view built from the ratings alone: the two teams' average pre-game Elo, plus stakes (150 for the national championship game, 90 for a playoff game or a major bowl, 40 for another bowl or a conference title game, 15 for a rivalry), plus up to 60 for a close finish and 15 for overtime. The Elo view takes its own top ten from every game between major teams. Sort by any column.
The best games of 198210 games
Rank by
Upsets of 1982
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Win chance is the winner's pre-game probability from the site's college football Elo ratings, home field included, so 3% means the winner would be expected to win about one time in thirty. Games against lower-level opponents count and carry a tag for the level (FCS, Division II and so on). Where the AP poll had ranks, the rank line is shown as context. Elo gap is the loser's pre-game rating minus the winner's.
Upsets of 198210 upsets
1982 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1982 standings by conference11 groups
Atlantic Coast
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson★ conference champion | 6-0 | 9-1-1 | #8 |
| 2 | Maryland | 5-1 | 8-4 | #20 |
| 3 | North Carolina | 3-3 | 8-4 | #18 |
| 4 | Duke | 3-3 | 6-5 | |
| 5 | North Carolina State | 3-3 | 6-5 | |
| 6 | Virginia | 1-5 | 2-9 | |
| 7 | Wake Forest | 0-6 | 3-8 |
Big Eight
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nebraska★ conference champion | 7-0 | 12-1 | #3 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 6-1 | 8-4 | #16 |
| 3 | Oklahoma State | 3-2-2 | 4-5-2 | |
| 4 | Kansas State | 3-3-1 | 6-5-1 | |
| 5 | Missouri | 2-3-2 | 5-4-2 | |
| 6 | Iowa State | 1-5-1 | 4-6-1 | |
| 7 | Kansas | 1-5-1 | 2-7-2 | |
| 8 | Colorado | 1-5-1 | 2-8-1 |
Big Ten
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan★ conference champion | 8-1 | 8-4 | |
| 2 | Ohio State | 7-1 | 9-3 | #12 |
| 3 | Iowa | 6-2 | 8-4 | |
| 4 | Illinois | 6-3 | 7-5 | |
| 5 | Wisconsin | 5-4 | 7-5 | |
| 6 | Indiana | 4-5 | 5-6 | |
| 7 | Purdue | 3-6 | 3-8 | |
| 8 | Northwestern | 2-7 | 3-8 | |
| 9 | Michigan State | 2-7 | 2-9 | |
| 10 | Minnesota | 1-8 | 3-8 |
Mid-American
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowling Green★ conference champion | 7-2 | 7-5 | |
| 2 | Western Michigan | 5-2-2 | 7-2-2 | |
| 3 | Miami (OH) | 5-3 | 7-4 | |
| 4 | Central Michigan | 5-3-1 | 6-4-1 | |
| 5 | Ohio | 5-4 | 6-5 | |
| 6 | Toledo | 5-4 | 6-5 | |
| 7 | Northern Illinois | 5-4 | 5-5 | |
| 8 | Ball State | 4-4 | 5-6 | |
| 9 | Eastern Michigan | 1-7-1 | 1-9-1 | |
| 10 | Kent State | 0-9 | 0-11 |
Missouri Valley
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tulsa★ conference champion | 6-0 | 10-1 | |
| 2 | Wichita State | 4-1 | 8-3 | |
| 3 | Southern Illinois | 4-1 | 6-5 | |
| 4 | Indiana State | 3-2 | 5-6 | |
| 5 | Drake | 2-4 | 4-7 | |
| 6 | New Mexico State | 1-4 | 3-8 | |
| 7 | West Texas State | 1-4 | 3-8 | |
| 8 | Illinois State | 0-5 | 2-9 |
Pacific Coast
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fresno State★ conference champion | 6-0 | 11-1 | |
| 2 | Long Beach State | 5-1 | 6-5 | |
| 3 | San Jose State | 4-2 | 8-3 | |
| 4 | Utah State | 2-3 | 5-6 | |
| 5 | Pacific | 2-4 | 2-9 | |
| 6 | UNLV | 1-4 | 3-8 | |
| 7 | CSU-Fullerton | 0-6 | 3-9 |
Pacific-10
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA★ conference champion | 5-1-1 | 10-1-1 | #5 |
| 2 | Washington | 6-2 | 10-2 | #7 |
| 3 | Arizona State | 5-2 | 10-2 | #6 |
| 4 | USC | 5-2 | 8-3 | #15 |
| 5 | Arizona | 4-3-1 | 6-4-1 | |
| 6 | California | 4-4 | 7-4 | |
| 7 | Stanford | 3-5 | 5-6 | |
| 8 | Washington State | 2-4-1 | 3-7-1 | |
| 9 | Oregon | 2-6 | 2-8-1 | |
| 10 | Oregon State | 0-7-1 | 1-9-1 |
Southeastern
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia★ conference champion | 6-0 | 11-1 | #4 |
| 2 | LSU | 4-1-1 | 8-3-1 | #11 |
| 3 | Auburn | 4-2 | 9-3 | #14 |
| 4 | Vanderbilt | 4-2 | 8-4 | |
| 5 | Tennessee | 3-2-1 | 6-5-1 | |
| 6 | Alabama | 3-3 | 8-4 | |
| 7 | Florida | 3-3 | 8-4 | |
| 8 | Mississippi State | 2-4 | 5-6 | |
| 9 | Mississippi | 0-6 | 4-7 | |
| 10 | Kentucky | 0-6 | 0-10-1 |
Southwest
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMU★ conference champion | 7-0-1 | 11-0-1 | #2 |
| 2 | Texas | 7-1 | 9-3 | #17 |
| 3 | Arkansas | 5-2-1 | 9-2-1 | #9 |
| 4 | Houston | 4-3-1 | 5-5-1 | |
| 5 | Baylor | 3-4-1 | 4-6-1 | |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 3-5 | 5-6 | |
| 7 | Texas Tech | 3-5 | 4-7 | |
| 8 | TCU | 2-6 | 3-8 | |
| 9 | Rice | 0-8 | 0-11 |
Western Athletic
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BYU★ conference champion | 7-1 | 8-4 | |
| 2 | New Mexico | 6-1 | 10-1 | |
| 3 | Air Force | 4-3 | 8-5 | |
| 4 | San Diego State | 4-3 | 7-5 | |
| 5 | Hawaii | 4-4 | 6-5 | |
| 6 | Colorado State | 3-5 | 4-7 | |
| 7 | Utah | 2-4 | 5-6 | |
| 8 | Wyoming | 2-6 | 5-7 | |
| 9 | UTEP | 1-6 | 2-10 |
Independent
25 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penn State | - | 11-1 | #1 |
| 2 | Florida State | - | 9-3 | #13 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh | - | 9-3 | #10 |
| 4 | West Virginia | - | 9-3 | #19 |
| 5 | Boston College | - | 8-3-1 | |
| 6 | SW Louisiana | - | 7-3-1 | |
| 7 | East Carolina | - | 7-4 | |
| 8 | Miami (FL) | - | 7-4 | |
| 9 | Southern Mississippi | - | 7-4 | |
| 10 | Virginia Tech | - | 7-4 | |
| 11 | Notre Dame | - | 6-4-1 | |
| 12 | Cincinnati | - | 6-5 | |
| 13 | Georgia Tech | - | 6-5 | |
| 14 | Navy | - | 6-5 | |
| 15 | Louisville | - | 5-6 | |
| 16 | Rutgers | - | 5-6 | |
| 17 | Army | - | 4-7 | |
| 18 | South Carolina | - | 4-7 | |
| 19 | Temple | - | 4-7 | |
| 20 | Tulane | - | 4-7 | |
| 21 | William & Mary | - | 3-8 | |
| 22 | North Texas | - | 2-9 | |
| 23 | Syracuse | - | 2-9 | |
| 24 | Memphis State | - | 1-10 | |
| 25 | Richmond | - | 0-10 |
1982 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1982 bowls16 bowls
Show all 16 bowls
I-AA. Shown for context. These seasons do not count in this hub’s major-college records.
Champion
I-AA national champion.
I-AA champion
Eastern Kentucky
Playoff
Round by round.
I-AA playoff
First Round · 4 games
Quarterfinals · 4 games
Semifinals · 2 games
Championship · 1 game
1982 standings by conference
Overall and conference record.
1982 standings by conference10 groups
Big Sky
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idaho | 5-2 | 9-4 | |
| 2 | Montana State | 5-2 | 6-5 | |
| 3 | Montana | 5-2 | 6-6 | |
| 4 | Boise State | 4-3 | 8-3 | |
| 5 | Nevada | 3-4 | 6-5 | |
| 6 | Northern Arizona | 3-4 | 4-7 | |
| 7 | Weber State | 2-5 | 4-7 | |
| 8 | Idaho State | 1-6 | 3-8 |
Ivy
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard | 5-2 | 7-3 | |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | 5-2 | 7-3 | |
| 3 | Dartmouth | 5-2 | 5-5 | |
| 4 | Brown | 3-4 | 5-5 | |
| 5 | Cornell | 3-4 | 4-6 | |
| 6 | Yale | 3-4 | 4-6 | |
| 7 | Princeton | 3-4 | 3-7 | |
| 8 | Columbia | 1-6 | 1-9 |
Mid-Continent
4 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern Illinois | 2-0-1 | 11-1-1 | |
| 2 | Northern Iowa | 2-0-1 | 4-6-1 | |
| 3 | SW Missouri State | 1-2 | 5-6 | |
| 4 | Western Illinois | 0-3 | 2-8 |
Mid-Eastern
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina State | 4-1 | 9-3 | |
| 2 | Florida A&M | 4-1 | 6-5 | |
| 3 | Bethune-Cookman | 3-2 | 6-5 | |
| 4 | Howard | 2-3 | 6-5 | |
| 5 | Delaware State | 2-3 | 4-7 | |
| 6 | North Carolina A&T | 0-5 | 2-8 |
Ohio Valley
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern Kentucky | 7-0 | 13-0 | |
| 2 | Akron | 5-2 | 6-5 | |
| 3 | Middle Tennessee State | 4-3 | 8-3 | |
| 4 | Youngstown State | 4-3 | 6-5 | |
| 5 | Morehead State | 2-5 | 5-6 | |
| 6 | Murray State | 2-5 | 4-7 | |
| 7 | Austin Peay | 2-5 | 3-7 | |
| 8 | Tennessee Tech | 1-6 | 3-8 |
Southern
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Furman | 6-1 | 9-3 | |
| 2 | UT-Chattanooga | 5-1 | 7-4 | |
| 3 | Western Carolina | 4-2 | 6-5 | |
| 4 | Citadel | 3-4 | 5-6 | |
| 5 | Appalachian State | 3-4 | 4-7 | |
| 6 | VMI | 2-3 | 5-6 | |
| 7 | East Tennessee State | 2-5 | 2-9 | |
| 8 | Marshall | 1-6 | 3-8 | |
| 9 | Davidson | - | 3-7 |
Southland
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana Tech | 5-0 | 10-3 | |
| 2 | Northeast Louisiana | 4-1 | 8-3 | |
| 3 | Arkansas State | 2-3 | 5-6 | |
| 4 | McNeese State | 2-3 | 4-6-1 | |
| 5 | Lamar | 1-4 | 4-7 | |
| 6 | Texas-Arlington | 1-4 | 3-8 |
Southwestern Athletic
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jackson State | 6-0 | 9-2 | |
| 2 | Southern | 5-1 | 8-3 | |
| 3 | Grambling | 4-2 | 8-3 | |
| 4 | Alcorn State | 3-3 | 5-6 | |
| 5 | Mississippi Valley State | 2-4 | 5-5 | |
| 6 | Texas Southern | 1-5 | 1-9-1 | |
| 7 | Prairie View | 0-6 | 1-10 |
Yankee
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | 3-2 | 7-4 | |
| 2 | Connecticut | 3-2 | 5-6 | |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 3-2 | 5-6 | |
| 4 | Boston University | 3-2 | 5-6 | |
| 5 | Rhode Island | 2-3 | 7-4 | |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 1-4 | 4-6 |
Independent
13 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee State | - | 10-1-1 | |
| 2 | Delaware | - | 12-2 | |
| 3 | Holy Cross | - | 8-3 | |
| 4 | James Madison | - | 8-3 | |
| 5 | Lafayette | - | 7-3 | |
| 6 | Colgate | - | 8-4 | |
| 7 | Nicholls State | - | 7-4 | |
| 8 | Northwestern State | - | 6-5 | |
| 9 | Western Kentucky | - | 5-5 | |
| 10 | Bucknell | - | 4-6 | |
| 11 | Lehigh | - | 4-6 | |
| 12 | SE Louisiana | - | 4-7 | |
| 13 | Northeastern | - | 3-6 |
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.