1930 college football season
Encyclopedia
The 1930 college football season saw Notre Dame repeat as national champion under the Dickinson system, and a post-season Rose Bowl matchup between two unbeaten (9-0-0) teams, Washington State
and Alabama, ranked #2 and #3, respectively. Alabama won the Pasadena contest, 24-0.
Major conferences that existed in 1930 were the Western Conference(today's Big Ten), the Pacific Coast Conference (now the Pac-10), the Big Six (forerunner of the Big 12), the Southwest Conference, and the Southern Conference (whose members later formed the SEC and the ACC). At season's end, the Rissman Trophy was awarded to the team that finished first in the "Dickinson ratings", which considered strength of schedule, in that a win, loss or tie against a "strong" opponent was worth more than one against a lesser team, and the results were averaged.
opened its season against a non-college team, beating the West Coast Army club, 32-0
September 27 Nearly all the big schools scheduled tune-up games against weaker visitors, and all but one shut out the opposition. Michigan opened its season with a doubleheader, beating Denison 33-0 and Eastern Michigan 7-0. Other schools rolled up high schores, as Stanford
beat the Olympic Club, 18-0; Army
beat Boston University 39-0; Alabama beat Samford, 43-0; USC rolled over UCLA 52-0; Tennessee
beat Maryville College 54-0; Dartmouth
beat Norwich College 79-0; and Tulane defeated Lafayette College of Louisiana, 84-0. Only Washington State
was scored upon, getting a surprise from the Coyotes of College of Idaho, which unleashed a surprise passing attack for two touchdowns (and 12 of 19 completions) in the fourth quarter. WSU won 47-12.
Northwestern
beat visiting Tulane, 14-0. Washington State
won at California 16-0 and USC beat visiting Oregon State 27-7, while Stanford
defeated Santa Clara 20-0. Dartmouth
beat Bates 20-0 and Army
beat Furman, 54-0. Alabama rolled over visiting Ole Miss, 64-0 and in Danville, Kentucky, Tennessee
dfeated Centre College 18-0. Michigan and Michigan State played to a scoreless tie.
October 11 Washington State
edged visiting USC 7-6.
Notre Dame beat Navy 26-2. Northwestern
beat Ohio State 19-2, and Michigan narrowly won over Purdue 14-13. Dartmouth
crushed visiting Boston University 74-0, and Army
beat Swarthmore 39-0. Tennessee
beat Ole Miss 27-0. In Birmingham, Alabama shut out Sewanee 25-0, and in Dallas, Tulane beat Texas A&M 19-9. In Minneapolis, Stanford
and Minnesota played to a 0-0 tie.
October 18 Alabama and Tennessee
, both 3-0-0, and both unscored upon, met at Tuscaloosa in a game that would ultimately determine the fictional championship of the South. Alabama won 18-6.
Notre Dame beat Carnegie Tech 21-6. Northwestern
won at Illinois 32-0 and Michigan won at Ohio State, 13-0 USC won at Utah State 65-0, Washington State
won in Spokane at Gonzaga University, 24-0, and Stanford
beat Oregon State 13-7. Dartmouth
beat Columbia 52-0 and Army
defeated Harvard, 6-0. Tulane defeated Birmingham Southern College 21-0
October 25 Alabama and Vanderbilt, both 4-0-0, met at Birmingham. In another close game, Alabama won 12-7. USC (3-1-0) and Stanford
(3-0-1) met in Palo Alto, with the Trojans handing the Indians their first loss of the season, 41-12. Notre Dame won at Pittsburgh 35-19. Washington State
beat visiting Montana, 61-0. Northwestern
beat Centre College 45-7 and Michigan beat Illinois 15-7.(Dartmouth
was scored upon, winning at Harvard 7-2, and Army
's streak of shutouts ended with its 7-7 tie at Yale. Tennessee
beat visiting North Carolina 9-7, and in Atlanta, Tulane shut out Georgia Tech 28-0.
(5-0-0) and (3-1-1) Yale (3-1-1) played to a 0-0 tie in New Haven. Notre Dame beat Indiana 27-0 and Northwestern
won at Minnesota 27-6 USC beat Denver, 33-13.
Army
defeated visiting North Dakota 33-6. In Portland, Washington State
defeated Oregon State 14-7. Alabama won at Kentucky, 19-0, Tennessee
beat Clemson 27-0 and Tulane beat Mississippi State 53-0
November 8 Notre Dame beat Pennsylvania 60-20. Washington State
won at Idaho 33-7. Northwestern
won at Indiana 25-0 and Michigan won at Harvard 6-3. Army
defeate Illinois at Yankee Stadium, 13-0.
USC beat California 74-0 and Stanford
beat Washington 25-7
Alabama won at Florida, 20-0, Tulane beat Auburn 21-0, and Allegheny College did what no other team had done that season, scoring two touchdowns against Dartmouth
; the Big Green won 43-14 to stay unbeaten. Tennessee
shut out Carson-Newman College 34-0
November 15 Tennessee
and Vanderbilt University, both 6-1-0, met at Nashville, with Tennessee winning 13-0.
Notre Dame defeated Drake University 28-7. In Seattle, Washington State
won another close one, beating Washington 3-0j. Alabama beat LSU in a game at Montgomery, Alabama, 33-0, while Tulane (6-1-0) and Georgia (6-0-1) met at New Orleans, with Tulane handing the Bulldogs their first loss, 25-0
Northwestern
beat Wisconsin 20-7 and Michigan beat Minnesota 7-0
USC defeated visiting Hawaii 52-0, while Stanford
beat Caltech, 57-7
Dartmouth
won at Cornell 19-13. Army
beat Kentucky Wesleyan 47-2
November 22 Notre Dame and Northwestern
, both unbeaten (7-0-0) met at Evanston, with the Fighting Irish winning 14-0. Michigan beat Chicago 16-0
Stanford
won at California 41-0. Army
defeated Ursinus College 18-0.
November 27, Thanksgiving Day, Alabama (8-0-0) met Georgia (6-1-1) in Birmingham. The Crimson Tide extended its unbeaten streak, 13-0, to close the regular season unbeaten. The champion of the South also earned a Rose Bowl invitation to face Washington State. USC beat Washington 32-0. Tennessee
defeated Kentucky 8-0 and Tulane won over LSU, 12-7.
November 29 (8-0-0) Notre Dame and (8-0-1) Army
met at Chicago, with the Irish narrowly winning 7-6. In Philadelphia, Washington State
beat Villanova, 13-0, to close its season 9-0-0. (8-1-1)Stanford
hosted (7-0-1) Dartmouth
and won 14-7
December 6 In Los Angeles, a crowd of 90,000 turned out at the Coliseum as Notre Dame (9-0-0) visited USC (8-1-0). While some predicted a Trojans win, or at least a close game, "Rockne's Ramblers" scored six minutes into the game and never looked back. Paul O'Connor, a third string player earlier in the season, had 11 carries for 142 yards, and one touchdown. The Irish closed their season with a decisive 27-0 victory and with another victory over a tough opponent, finished first in the Dickinson ratings. Nobody realized at the time that Knute Rockne
had coached his final game. Rockne was killed in a plane crash on March 31, 1931. At Jacksonville, Tennessee
defeated Florida 13-6.
December 13 In the Army–Navy Game, played in New York, Army
won 6-0 to close its season at 9-1-1.
would not begin continuously until 1936. (although, the first time was a one instance publishing in 1934) Frank G. Dickinson, an economics professor at the University of Illinois, had invented the Dickinson System
to rank colleges based upon their records and the strength of their opposition. Notre Dame, Washington State and Alabama, all unbeaten and untied, were ranked first, second and third by Dickinson, with the Irish getting the higher rating based on the their opposition.
The system was originally designed to rank teams in the Big Nine (later the Big Ten) conference. Chicago clothing manufacturer Jack Rissman then persuaded Dickinson to rank the nation's teams under the system, and awarded the Rissman Trophy to the winning university.
The system awarded 30 points for a win over a "strong team", and 20 for a win over a "weak team". Losses were awarded points (15 for loss to a strong team, 10 for loss to a weak team). Ties were treated as half a win and half a loss (22.5 for a tie with a strong team, 15 for a tie with a weak team). An average was then derived by dividing the points by games played.
.
Freddie Sington, Bama's star tackle/linebacker, was pitted against WSU's Turk Edwards
, and blocked WSU's only chance to score. In addition, Sington blocked for the rushing of Johnny Campbell, "The Mississippi Rabbit", who ran 42 yards for one of Alabama's three touchdowns in the second quarter. After a 21-0 halftime lead, Alabama went on to a 24-0 win.
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
and Alabama, ranked #2 and #3, respectively. Alabama won the Pasadena contest, 24-0.
Major conferences that existed in 1930 were the Western Conference(today's Big Ten), the Pacific Coast Conference (now the Pac-10), the Big Six (forerunner of the Big 12), the Southwest Conference, and the Southern Conference (whose members later formed the SEC and the ACC). At season's end, the Rissman Trophy was awarded to the team that finished first in the "Dickinson ratings", which considered strength of schedule, in that a win, loss or tie against a "strong" opponent was worth more than one against a lesser team, and the results were averaged.
September
September 20 StanfordStanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
opened its season against a non-college team, beating the West Coast Army club, 32-0
September 27 Nearly all the big schools scheduled tune-up games against weaker visitors, and all but one shut out the opposition. Michigan opened its season with a doubleheader, beating Denison 33-0 and Eastern Michigan 7-0. Other schools rolled up high schores, as Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
beat the Olympic Club, 18-0; Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
beat Boston University 39-0; Alabama beat Samford, 43-0; USC rolled over UCLA 52-0; Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
beat Maryville College 54-0; Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
beat Norwich College 79-0; and Tulane defeated Lafayette College of Louisiana, 84-0. Only Washington State
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
was scored upon, getting a surprise from the Coyotes of College of Idaho, which unleashed a surprise passing attack for two touchdowns (and 12 of 19 completions) in the fourth quarter. WSU won 47-12.
October
October 4 Notre Dame opened its season with a 20-14 win over visiting Southern Methodist.Northwestern
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
beat visiting Tulane, 14-0. Washington State
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
won at California 16-0 and USC beat visiting Oregon State 27-7, while Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
defeated Santa Clara 20-0. Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
beat Bates 20-0 and Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
beat Furman, 54-0. Alabama rolled over visiting Ole Miss, 64-0 and in Danville, Kentucky, Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
dfeated Centre College 18-0. Michigan and Michigan State played to a scoreless tie.
October 11 Washington State
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
edged visiting USC 7-6.
Notre Dame beat Navy 26-2. Northwestern
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
beat Ohio State 19-2, and Michigan narrowly won over Purdue 14-13. Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
crushed visiting Boston University 74-0, and Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
beat Swarthmore 39-0. Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
beat Ole Miss 27-0. In Birmingham, Alabama shut out Sewanee 25-0, and in Dallas, Tulane beat Texas A&M 19-9. In Minneapolis, Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
and Minnesota played to a 0-0 tie.
October 18 Alabama and Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
, both 3-0-0, and both unscored upon, met at Tuscaloosa in a game that would ultimately determine the fictional championship of the South. Alabama won 18-6.
Notre Dame beat Carnegie Tech 21-6. Northwestern
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
won at Illinois 32-0 and Michigan won at Ohio State, 13-0 USC won at Utah State 65-0, Washington State
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
won in Spokane at Gonzaga University, 24-0, and Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
beat Oregon State 13-7. Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
beat Columbia 52-0 and Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
defeated Harvard, 6-0. Tulane defeated Birmingham Southern College 21-0
October 25 Alabama and Vanderbilt, both 4-0-0, met at Birmingham. In another close game, Alabama won 12-7. USC (3-1-0) and Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
(3-0-1) met in Palo Alto, with the Trojans handing the Indians their first loss of the season, 41-12. Notre Dame won at Pittsburgh 35-19. Washington State
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
beat visiting Montana, 61-0. Northwestern
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
beat Centre College 45-7 and Michigan beat Illinois 15-7.(Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
was scored upon, winning at Harvard 7-2, and Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
's streak of shutouts ended with its 7-7 tie at Yale. Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
beat visiting North Carolina 9-7, and in Atlanta, Tulane shut out Georgia Tech 28-0.
November
November 1 DartmouthDartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
(5-0-0) and (3-1-1) Yale (3-1-1) played to a 0-0 tie in New Haven. Notre Dame beat Indiana 27-0 and Northwestern
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
won at Minnesota 27-6 USC beat Denver, 33-13.
Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
defeated visiting North Dakota 33-6. In Portland, Washington State
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
defeated Oregon State 14-7. Alabama won at Kentucky, 19-0, Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
beat Clemson 27-0 and Tulane beat Mississippi State 53-0
November 8 Notre Dame beat Pennsylvania 60-20. Washington State
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
won at Idaho 33-7. Northwestern
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
won at Indiana 25-0 and Michigan won at Harvard 6-3. Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
defeate Illinois at Yankee Stadium, 13-0.
USC beat California 74-0 and Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
beat Washington 25-7
Alabama won at Florida, 20-0, Tulane beat Auburn 21-0, and Allegheny College did what no other team had done that season, scoring two touchdowns against Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
; the Big Green won 43-14 to stay unbeaten. Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
shut out Carson-Newman College 34-0
November 15 Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
and Vanderbilt University, both 6-1-0, met at Nashville, with Tennessee winning 13-0.
Notre Dame defeated Drake University 28-7. In Seattle, Washington State
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
won another close one, beating Washington 3-0j. Alabama beat LSU in a game at Montgomery, Alabama, 33-0, while Tulane (6-1-0) and Georgia (6-0-1) met at New Orleans, with Tulane handing the Bulldogs their first loss, 25-0
Northwestern
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
beat Wisconsin 20-7 and Michigan beat Minnesota 7-0
USC defeated visiting Hawaii 52-0, while Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
beat Caltech, 57-7
Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
won at Cornell 19-13. Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
beat Kentucky Wesleyan 47-2
November 22 Notre Dame and Northwestern
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
, both unbeaten (7-0-0) met at Evanston, with the Fighting Irish winning 14-0. Michigan beat Chicago 16-0
Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
won at California 41-0. Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
defeated Ursinus College 18-0.
November 27, Thanksgiving Day, Alabama (8-0-0) met Georgia (6-1-1) in Birmingham. The Crimson Tide extended its unbeaten streak, 13-0, to close the regular season unbeaten. The champion of the South also earned a Rose Bowl invitation to face Washington State. USC beat Washington 32-0. Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
defeated Kentucky 8-0 and Tulane won over LSU, 12-7.
November 29 (8-0-0) Notre Dame and (8-0-1) Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
met at Chicago, with the Irish narrowly winning 7-6. In Philadelphia, Washington State
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
beat Villanova, 13-0, to close its season 9-0-0. (8-1-1)Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
hosted (7-0-1) Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and won 14-7
December
Although the Rose Bowl was the lone postseason game, and other bowl games were still four years in the future, several big contests were played after most colleges had completed their seasons.December 6 In Los Angeles, a crowd of 90,000 turned out at the Coliseum as Notre Dame (9-0-0) visited USC (8-1-0). While some predicted a Trojans win, or at least a close game, "Rockne's Ramblers" scored six minutes into the game and never looked back. Paul O'Connor, a third string player earlier in the season, had 11 carries for 142 yards, and one touchdown. The Irish closed their season with a decisive 27-0 victory and with another victory over a tough opponent, finished first in the Dickinson ratings. Nobody realized at the time that Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
had coached his final game. Rockne was killed in a plane crash on March 31, 1931. At Jacksonville, Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
defeated Florida 13-6.
December 13 In the Army–Navy Game, played in New York, Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
won 6-0 to close its season at 9-1-1.
Conference standings
The following is an incomplete list of conference standings:Conference Leaders
| Conference | Champion | Conf. record | Overall record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Coast | Washington State Washington State Cougars football The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference... |
(6-0-0) | (9-0-0) |
| Independent | Notre Dame | (10-0-0) | (10-0-0) |
| Western | Michigan Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history... / Northwestern Northwestern Wildcats football The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876... |
(5-0-0)/(5-0-0) | (8-0-1)/(7-1-0) |
| Southern | Alabama Alabama Crimson Tide football |TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team... |
(8-0-0) | (9-0-0) |
| Big Six | Kansas Kansas Jayhawks football The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference.... |
(4-1-0) | (6-2-0) |
| Southwestern | Texas Texas Longhorns football The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National... |
(4-1-0) | (8-1-1) |
Dickinson System
The AP sportswriters' pollAP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
would not begin continuously until 1936. (although, the first time was a one instance publishing in 1934) Frank G. Dickinson, an economics professor at the University of Illinois, had invented the Dickinson System
Dickinson System
The Dickinson System was a mathematical point formula that awarded national championships in college football. Devised by University of Illinois economics professor Frank G...
to rank colleges based upon their records and the strength of their opposition. Notre Dame, Washington State and Alabama, all unbeaten and untied, were ranked first, second and third by Dickinson, with the Irish getting the higher rating based on the their opposition.
The system was originally designed to rank teams in the Big Nine (later the Big Ten) conference. Chicago clothing manufacturer Jack Rissman then persuaded Dickinson to rank the nation's teams under the system, and awarded the Rissman Trophy to the winning university.
The system awarded 30 points for a win over a "strong team", and 20 for a win over a "weak team". Losses were awarded points (15 for loss to a strong team, 10 for loss to a weak team). Ties were treated as half a win and half a loss (22.5 for a tie with a strong team, 15 for a tie with a weak team). An average was then derived by dividing the points by games played.
.
Final Dickinson rankings
| Rank | Team | Record | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 10-0-0 | 25.13 |
| 2 | Washington State Cougars Washington State Cougars football The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference... |
9-0-0 | 20.44 |
| 3 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 9-0-0 | 20.18 |
| 4 | Northwestern Wildcats Northwestern Wildcats football The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876... |
7-1-0 | 18.63 |
| 5 | Michigan Wolverines | 8-0-1 | 18.34 |
| 6 | USC Trojans | 8-2-0 | 17.98 |
| 7 | Stanford Indians Stanford Cardinal football The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The... |
9-1-1 | 17.92 |
| 8 | Dartmouth Big Green | 7-1-1 | 17.11 |
| 9 | Army Cadets Army Black Knights football The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946.... |
9-1-1 | 16.66 |
| 10 | Tennessee Volunteers Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference .... |
9-1-0 | 16.15 |
| 11 | Tulane Green Wave Tulane Green Wave Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official... |
8-1-0 | 16.05 |
1931 Rose Bowl
The Rose Bowl stadium's capacity had been increased to 81,000, but only 65,000 spectators turned out to watch an East-West matchup between two unbeaten (9-0-0), but out-of-state teams, the Washington State Cougars and the Alabama Crimson Tide. It was the Cougars who were decked out in crimson, however, in what reports of the day described as "a bizarre touch". Besides solid red jerseys, pants ans socks, the WSU players had bright red leather helmets and shoes.Freddie Sington, Bama's star tackle/linebacker, was pitted against WSU's Turk Edwards
Turk Edwards
Albert Glen "Turk" Edwards was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League. He played his entire career for, and eventually became the head coach of, the Washington Redskins...
, and blocked WSU's only chance to score. In addition, Sington blocked for the rushing of Johnny Campbell, "The Mississippi Rabbit", who ran 42 yards for one of Alabama's three touchdowns in the second quarter. After a 21-0 halftime lead, Alabama went on to a 24-0 win.