🏈 The 1985 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 · 18 bowls
Jump to any season1869–2026
1860s
1985 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path, Oklahoma11-1
- Sep 28atMinnesotaW13-7
- Oct 5atKansas StateW41-6
- Oct 12vs#17TexasW14-7
- Oct 19vsMiami (FL)L14-27
- Oct 26vsIowa StateW59-14
- Nov 2vsKansasW48-6
- Nov 9atMissouriW51-6
- Nov 16vsColoradoW31-0
- Nov 23vs#2NebraskaW27-7
- Nov 30at#17Oklahoma StateW13-0
- Dec 7vsSMUW35-13
- Jan 1vs#1Penn StateW25-10Orange Bowl
The 1985 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
- Cotton BowlJan 1#11Texas A&M36#16Auburn16
- Fiesta BowlJan 1#5Michigan27#7Nebraska23
- Orange BowlJan 1#3Oklahoma25#1Penn State10
- Rose BowlJan 1#13UCLA45#4Iowa28
- Sugar BowlJan 1#8Tennessee35#2Miami (FL)7
The 1985 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 | Aug27 | Sep3 | 10 | 17 | 24 | Oct1 | 8 | 15 | 22 | 29 | Nov5 | 12 | 19 | 26 | Dec3 | 10 | Jan3final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Michigan | 19 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | |||
| Penn State | 18 | 19 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Tennessee | 16 | 14 | 20 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 4 | |||||
| Florida | 5 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Texas A&M | 19 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 6 | ||||||||||||
| UCLA | 20 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 7 | ||
| Air Force | 19 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | ||||
| Miami (FL) | 15 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | ||||||||
| Iowa | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| Nebraska | 9 | 10 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 11 |
| Arkansas | 15 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 12 | |
| Alabama | 15 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 13 | |||||
| Ohio State | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 14 |
| Florida State | 19 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 18 | 18 | 15 |
| BYU | 10 | 8 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 16 |
| Baylor | 19 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 17 | 15 | 17 | ||||||||
| Maryland | 7 | 7 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 18 | ||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 19 | ||||||||||||||||
| LSU | 13 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 20 |
| Auburn | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 16 | 16 | |
| Oklahoma State | 16 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 19 | 19 | |
| Bowling Green | 20 | 20 | |||||||||||||||
| Texas | 20 | 17 | 19 | 18 | |||||||||||||
| Georgia | 18 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 12 | 20 | 20 | |||||||||
| SMU | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 20 | |||||||||
| Minnesota | 20 | ||||||||||||||||
| Army | 19 | ||||||||||||||||
| USC | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 18 | ||||||||||||
| Virginia | 20 | ||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 17 | 18 | 15 | 15 | |||||||||||||
| Illinois | 11 | 11 | 19 | 20 | |||||||||||||
| Notre Dame | 14 | 14 | 13 | ||||||||||||||
| Washington | 12 | 12 |
Tap a rank to read it and highlight that team on the chart above.
Movers
AP rank on Aug 27 against the final AP rank. NR is not ranked.
Risers
- MichiganNR → #2
- TennesseeNR → #4
- Texas A&MNR → #6
- Air ForceNR → #8
- Miami (FL)NR → #9
Fallers
- Auburn#2 → NR
- SMU#3 → NR
- USC#6 → NR
- Illinois#11 → NR
- Washington#12 → NR
1985 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
1985 final pollsAP, Coaches, Elo
AP and Coaches
Jan 3 final| AP | Team | C | Rec |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OklahomaAPC | 1 | 11-1 |
| 2 | 2 | 10-1-1 | |
| 3 | 3 | 11-1 | |
| 4 | 4 | 9-1-2 | |
| 5 | 9-1-1 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 10-2 | |
| 7 | 6 | 9-2-1 | |
| 8 | 5 | 12-1 | |
| 9 | 8 | 10-2 | |
| 10 | 9 | 10-2 | |
| 11 | 10 | 9-3 | |
| 12 | 12 | 10-2 | |
| 13 | 14 | 9-2-1 | |
| 14 | 11 | 9-3 | |
| 15 | 13 | 9-3 | |
| 16 | 17 | 11-3 | |
| 17 | 15 | 9-3 | |
| 18 | 19 | 9-3 | |
| 19 | 18 | 9-2-1 | |
| 20 | 20 | 9-2-1 | |
| Coaches only | |||
| 16 | |||
Elo top 25
rating, z
APAP championCCoaches champion
The 1985 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1985 honoursHeisman: Bo Jackson
Heisman Trophy voting
Major awards
Fisher DeBerry
AFCA Coach of the Year Award · Coach · Air Force
Chuck Long
Davey O'Brien Award · QB · Iowa
Brian Bosworth
Dick Butkus Award · LB · Oklahoma
Chuck Long
Maxwell Award · QB · Iowa
Mike Ruth
Outland Trophy · NG · Boston College
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
QB
- Chuck Long★ unanimousIowa
RB
- Bo Jackson★ unanimousAuburn
- Lorenzo White★ unanimousMichigan State
- Napoleon McCallumNavy
- Thurman ThomasOklahoma State
- Reggie DupardSMU
Show all 11 positions
TE
- Willie SmithMiami (FL)
OL
- Jamie DukesFlorida State
- J.D. MaarleveldMaryland
- John RienstraTemple
- Jeff BregelUSC
- Jim Dombrowski★ unanimousVirginia
- Brian JozwiakWest Virginia
C
- Pete AndersonGeorgia
DL
- Mike RuthBoston College
- Mike HammersteinMichigan
- Tony CasillasOklahoma
- Leslie O’Neal★ unanimousOklahoma State
- Tim Green★ unanimousSyracuse
DB
- Scott ThomasAir Force
- David FulcherArizona State
- Brad CochranMichigan
P
- Barry HeltonColorado
PK
- John Lee★ unanimousUCLA
QB
- Chuck Long★ unanimousIowa
RB
- Bo Jackson★ unanimousAuburn
- Lorenzo White★ unanimousMichigan State
- Napoleon McCallumNavy
- Thurman ThomasOklahoma State
- Reggie DupardSMU
TE
- Willie SmithMiami (FL)
OL
- Jamie DukesFlorida State
- J.D. MaarleveldMaryland
- John RienstraTemple
- Jeff BregelUSC
- Jim Dombrowski★ unanimousVirginia
- Brian JozwiakWest Virginia
C
- Pete AndersonGeorgia
DL
- Mike RuthBoston College
- Mike HammersteinMichigan
- Tony CasillasOklahoma
- Leslie O’Neal★ unanimousOklahoma State
- Tim Green★ unanimousSyracuse
DB
- Scott ThomasAir Force
- David FulcherArizona State
- Brad CochranMichigan
P
- Barry HeltonColorado
PK
- John Lee★ unanimousUCLA
The best games of 1985
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 198510 games
Rank by
Upsets of 1985
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 198510 upsets
1985 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1985 standings by conference11 groups
Atlantic Coast
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland★ conference champion | 6-0 | 9-3 | #18 |
| 2 | Georgia Tech | 5-1 | 9-2-1 | #19 |
| 3 | Virginia | 4-3 | 6-5 | |
| 4 | Clemson | 4-3 | 6-6 | |
| 5 | North Carolina | 3-4 | 5-6 | |
| 6 | Duke | 2-5 | 4-7 | |
| 7 | North Carolina State | 2-5 | 3-8 | |
| 8 | Wake Forest | 1-6 | 4-7 |
Big Eight
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma★ conference champion | 7-0 | 11-1 | #1 |
| 2 | Nebraska | 6-1 | 9-3 | #11 |
| 3 | Oklahoma State | 4-3 | 8-4 | |
| 4 | Colorado | 4-3 | 7-5 | |
| 5 | Iowa State | 3-4 | 5-6 | |
| 6 | Kansas | 2-5 | 6-6 | |
| 7 | Kansas State | 1-6 | 1-10 | |
| 8 | Missouri | 1-6 | 1-10 |
Big Ten
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa★ conference champion | 7-1 | 10-2 | #10 |
| 2 | Michigan | 6-1-1 | 10-1-1 | #2 |
| 3 | Illinois | 5-2-1 | 6-5-1 | |
| 4 | Ohio State | 5-3 | 9-3 | #14 |
| 5 | Michigan State | 5-3 | 7-5 | |
| 6 | Minnesota | 4-4 | 7-5 | |
| 7 | Purdue | 3-5 | 5-6 | |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 2-6 | 5-6 | |
| 9 | Indiana | 1-7 | 4-7 | |
| 10 | Northwestern | 1-7 | 3-8 |
Mid-American
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowling Green★ conference champion | 9-0 | 11-1 | |
| 2 | Miami (OH) | 7-1-1 | 8-2-1 | |
| 3 | Central Michigan | 6-3 | 7-3 | |
| 4 | Western Michigan | 4-4-1 | 4-6-1 | |
| 5 | Northern Illinois | 4-4 | 4-7 | |
| 6 | Ball State | 3-6 | 4-7 | |
| 7 | Eastern Michigan | 3-6 | 4-7 | |
| 8 | Toledo | 3-6 | 4-7 | |
| 9 | Kent State | 2-6 | 3-8 | |
| 10 | Ohio | 2-7 | 2-9 |
Missouri Valley
5 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tulsa★ conference champion | 3-0 | 6-5 | |
| 2 | West Texas State | 3-1-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 3 | Indiana State | 2-2 | 4-6 | |
| 4 | Wichita State | 2-3 | 3-8 | |
| 5 | Drake | 1-5 | 4-7 |
Pacific Coast
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fresno State★ conference champion | 7-0 | 11-0-1 | |
| 2 | CSU-Fullerton | 5-2 | 6-5 | |
| 3 | UNLV | 4-2-1 | 5-5-1 | |
| 4 | Long Beach State | 4-3 | 6-6 | |
| 5 | Utah State | 3-4 | 3-8 | |
| 6 | San Jose State | 2-4-1 | 2-8-1 | |
| 7 | Pacific | 2-5 | 5-7 | |
| 8 | New Mexico State | 0-7 | 1-10 |
Pacific-10
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA★ conference champion | 6-2 | 9-2-1 | #7 |
| 2 | Arizona | 5-2 | 8-3-1 | |
| 3 | Arizona State | 5-2 | 8-4 | |
| 4 | Washington | 5-3 | 7-5 | |
| 5 | USC | 5-3 | 6-6 | |
| 6 | Oregon | 3-4 | 5-6 | |
| 7 | Stanford | 3-5 | 4-7 | |
| 8 | Washington State | 3-5 | 4-7 | |
| 9 | Oregon State | 2-6 | 3-8 | |
| 10 | California | 2-7 | 4-7 |
Southeastern
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | 5-1 | 9-1-1 | #5 |
| 2 | Tennessee★ conference champion | 5-1 | 9-1-2 | #4 |
| 3 | Alabama | 4-1-1 | 9-2-1 | #13 |
| 4 | LSU | 4-1-1 | 9-2-1 | #20 |
| 5 | Georgia | 3-2-1 | 7-3-2 | |
| 6 | Auburn | 3-3 | 8-4 | |
| 7 | Mississippi | 2-4 | 4-6-1 | |
| 8 | Vanderbilt | 1-4-1 | 3-7-1 | |
| 9 | Kentucky | 1-5 | 5-6 | |
| 10 | Mississippi State | 0-6 | 5-6 |
Southwest
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M★ conference champion | 7-1 | 10-2 | #6 |
| 2 | Arkansas | 6-2 | 10-2 | #12 |
| 3 | Baylor | 6-2 | 9-3 | #17 |
| 4 | Texas | 6-2 | 8-4 | |
| 5 | SMU | 5-3 | 6-5 | |
| 6 | Houston | 3-5 | 4-7 | |
| 7 | Rice | 2-6 | 3-8 | |
| 8 | Texas Tech | 1-7 | 4-7 | |
| 9 | TCU | 0-8 | 3-8 |
Western Athletic
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Air Force★ conference champion | 7-1 | 12-1 | #8 |
| 2 | BYU★ conference champion | 7-1 | 11-3 | #16 |
| 3 | Utah | 5-3 | 8-4 | |
| 4 | Hawaii | 4-3-1 | 4-6-2 | |
| 5 | Colorado State | 4-4 | 5-7 | |
| 6 | San Diego State | 3-4-1 | 5-6-1 | |
| 7 | New Mexico | 2-6 | 3-8 | |
| 8 | Wyoming | 2-6 | 3-8 | |
| 9 | UTEP | 1-7 | 1-10 |
Independent
21 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penn State | - | 11-1 | #3 |
| 2 | Miami (FL) | - | 10-2 | #9 |
| 3 | Army | - | 9-3 | |
| 4 | Florida State | - | 9-3 | #15 |
| 5 | West Virginia | - | 7-3-1 | |
| 6 | Southern Mississippi | - | 7-4 | |
| 7 | Syracuse | - | 7-5 | |
| 8 | Virginia Tech | - | 6-5 | |
| 9 | Pittsburgh | - | 5-5-1 | |
| 10 | Cincinnati | - | 5-6 | |
| 11 | Notre Dame | - | 5-6 | |
| 12 | South Carolina | - | 5-6 | |
| 13 | Navy | - | 4-7 | |
| 14 | SW Louisiana | - | 4-7 | |
| 15 | Temple | - | 4-7 | |
| 16 | Boston College | - | 4-8 | |
| 17 | Memphis State | - | 2-7-2 | |
| 18 | Rutgers | - | 2-8-1 | |
| 19 | East Carolina | - | 2-9 | |
| 20 | Louisville | - | 2-9 | |
| 21 | Tulane | - | 1-10 |
1985 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1985 bowls18 bowls
Show all 18 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
Playoff
Round by round.
I-AA playoff
First Round · 4 games
Quarterfinals · 4 games
Northern Iowa17✓
Eastern Washington14
Northern Iowa
Semifinals · 2 games
Championship · 1 game
1985 standings by conference
Overall and conference record.
1985 standings by conference11 groups
Big Sky
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | 6-1 | 11-2 | |
| 2 | Idaho | 6-1 | 9-3 | |
| 3 | Boise State | 5-2 | 7-4 | |
| 4 | Weber State | 4-3 | 6-5 | |
| 5 | Idaho State | 3-4 | 5-6 | |
| 6 | Montana | 2-5 | 3-8 | |
| 7 | Northern Arizona | 1-6 | 3-8 | |
| 8 | Montana State | 1-6 | 2-9 |
Gateway
4 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Iowa | 5-0 | 11-2 | |
| 2 | SW Missouri State | 2-2 | 6-4-1 | |
| 3 | Eastern Illinois | 2-3 | 6-5 | |
| 4 | Western Illinois | 2-3 | 5-5 |
Gulf Star
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen F. Austin | 4-1 | 9-2 | |
| 2 | Sam Houston State | 4-1 | 8-3 | |
| 3 | Nicholls State | 2-3 | 6-5 | |
| 4 | Northwestern State | 2-3 | 3-8 | |
| 5 | SW Texas State | 2-3 | 3-8 | |
| 6 | SE Louisiana | 1-4 | 2-9 |
Ivy
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania | 6-1 | 7-2-1 | |
| 2 | Harvard | 5-2 | 7-3 | |
| 3 | Princeton | 5-2 | 5-5 | |
| 4 | Brown | 4-3 | 5-4-1 | |
| 5 | Yale | 3-3 | 4-4-1 | |
| 6 | Dartmouth | 2-4 | 2-7-1 | |
| 7 | Cornell | 2-5 | 3-7 | |
| 8 | Columbia | 0-7 | 0-10 |
Mid-Eastern
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware State | 4-0 | 9-2 | |
| 2 | Bethune-Cookman | 3-1 | 6-4 | |
| 3 | South Carolina State | 2-2 | 5-6 | |
| 4 | North Carolina A&T | 1-3 | 6-5 | |
| 5 | Howard | 0-4 | 4-7 | |
| 6 | Morgan State | - | 0-9 |
Ohio Valley
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Tennessee State | 7-0 | 11-1 | |
| 2 | Eastern Kentucky | 5-2 | 8-3 | |
| 3 | Murray State | 5-2 | 7-3-1 | |
| 4 | Akron | 5-2 | 8-4 | |
| 5 | Youngstown State | 4-3 | 5-6 | |
| 6 | Austin Peay | 2-5 | 5-6 | |
| 7 | Tennessee Tech | 1-6 | 1-10 | |
| 8 | Morehead State | 0-7 | 1-10 |
Southern
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Furman | 6-0 | 12-2 | |
| 2 | Appalachian State | 6-1 | 8-3 | |
| 3 | UT-Chattanooga | 5-2 | 6-5 | |
| 4 | Marshall | 3-3 | 7-3-1 | |
| 5 | Citadel | 2-4 | 5-5-1 | |
| 6 | Western Carolina | 2-4 | 4-6-1 | |
| 7 | VMI | 1-4 | 3-7-1 | |
| 8 | Davidson | 0-6 | 1-10 | |
| 9 | East Tennessee State | 0-7 | 0-10-1 |
Southland
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas State | 5-1 | 9-4 | |
| 2 | McNeese State | 3-1 | 6-3-2 | |
| 3 | Louisiana Tech | 4-2 | 8-3 | |
| 4 | Northeast Louisiana | 3-3 | 6-5 | |
| 5 | North Texas | 2-3 | 4-6-1 | |
| 6 | Texas-Arlington | 2-3 | 4-6-1 | |
| 7 | Lamar | 0-6 | 3-8 |
Southwestern Athletic
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grambling | 6-1 | 9-3 | |
| 2 | Jackson State | 6-1 | 8-3 | |
| 3 | Mississippi Valley State | 5-2 | 8-3 | |
| 4 | Alcorn State | 5-2 | 7-3 | |
| 5 | Southern | 3-4 | 6-5 | |
| 6 | Alabama State | 2-5 | 2-8 | |
| 7 | Texas Southern | 1-6 | 1-10 | |
| 8 | Prairie View | 0-7 | 2-9 |
Yankee
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | 5-0 | 10-3 | |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 4-1 | 7-4 | |
| 3 | New Hampshire | 2-3 | 6-4 | |
| 4 | Maine | 2-3 | 6-5 | |
| 5 | Connecticut | 1-4 | 4-5 | |
| 6 | Boston University | 1-4 | 3-8 |
Independent
15 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia Southern | - | 13-2 | |
| 2 | Eastern Washington | - | 9-3 | |
| 3 | Richmond | - | 8-3 | |
| 4 | Colgate | - | 7-3-1 | |
| 5 | Delaware | - | 7-4 | |
| 6 | Tennessee State | - | 7-4 | |
| 7 | William & Mary | - | 7-4 | |
| 8 | Lafayette | - | 6-5 | |
| 9 | James Madison | - | 5-6 | |
| 10 | Lehigh | - | 5-6 | |
| 11 | Holy Cross | - | 4-6-1 | |
| 12 | Florida A&M | - | 4-7 | |
| 13 | Western Kentucky | - | 4-7 | |
| 14 | Bucknell | - | 3-7 | |
| 15 | Northeastern | - | 2-8 |
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.