| 1934 college football rankings | |
|---|---|
| Season | 1934 |
| Bowl season | 1934–35 bowl games |
| End of season champions | Minnesota[a] Alabama[b] |
| college football rankings | |
The1934 college football rankings included a poll of leading newspapers conducted by theAssociated Press (AP), a poll of 250 sports writers conducted by the committee responsible for awarding theToledo Cup to the nation's top college football team, and theBoand andDickinson Systems, mathematical systems operated by William F. Boand and Frank G. Dickinson. The four ranking systems were unanimous in selecting the undefeatedMinnesota Golden Gophers as the national champion. Professor Dickinson gave the nod to Minnesota even though one-lossPittsburgh received a higher mathematical score.
All major rankings (both contemporary and retroactive) have identified either Alabama or Minnesota to have been the season's champion.[1]
Note: AP poll, Boand System, Dickinson System, Dunkel System, Houlgate System, Litkenhous Ratings, Toledo Cup, and Williamson System were given contemporarily. All other methods were given retroactively.
In mid-November 1934, theAssociated Press published the results of its poll of the country's leading newspapers.[2] The results of the poll were as follows:
| Rank | Team | Points | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota (8–0) | 635 | 50 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Stanford (9–1–1) | 468 | 8.5 | 9.5 | 16.5 | 12.5 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Alabama (10–0) | 438.5 | 5.5 | 11.5 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh (8–1) | 420 | 1 | 20 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | Princeton (7–1) | 300.5 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5-1/2 |
| 6 | Illinois (7–1) | 183.5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 3-1/2 |
| 7 | Navy (8–1) | 182 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| 8 | Colgate (7–1) | 181.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3-1/2 |
| 9 | Ohio State (7–1) | 170.5 | 0 | 3 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 10 | Syracuse (6–2) | 130.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 5-1/2 |
| 11 | Santa Clara (7–2–1) | 119 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 12 | Rice (9–1–1) | 106 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| 13 | LSU (7–2–2) | 52 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 14 | Army (7–3) | 44 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 15 | Temple (7–1–2) | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
TheToledo Cup was based on ballots submitted by a national committee of 250 sports writers. The process was overseen by a committee includingWestbrook Pegler,Avery Brundage,Gustavus Kirby,Lynn St. John,Wilbur C. Smith,Stewart Edward White, andTheodore Roosevelt Jr. In preliminary polling in December 1934, the results were as follows:
1.Minnesota (8–0) - 840 points
2.Alabama (10–0) - 361-1/4 points
3.Pittsburgh (8–1) - 281 points
4.Stanford (9–1–1) - 134-1/2 points
5.Ohio State (7–1) - 62 points
6.Temple (7–1–2) - 7 points
7.Colgate (7–1) - 6 points
8.LSU (7–2–2) - 4 points
9.Wisconsin (4–4) - 3 points
10. (tie)Princeton (7–1),Washington (6–1–1) - 1 point each
[4]
In final polling in January 1935, the results were as follows:
1. Minnesota - 224 votes
2. Alabama - 23 votes
[5]
TheBoand System was a mathematical ranking system developed by William F. Boand and sometimes billed as the "Azzi Ratem" (as I rate 'em) system. Boand typically updated his rankings after the bowl games, but his post-bowl rankings have not been found. His final pre-bowl rankings released in mid-December 1934 were as follows:
1. Minnesota - 150 points
2. Pittsburgh - 147 points
3. Stanford - 137 points
3. Alabama - 137 points
5. Navy - 135 points
6. Ohio State - 132 points
6. Rice - 132 points
8. Temple - 127 points
9. Colgate - 125 points
10. Tennessee - 123 points
11. Columbia - 122 points
12. Tulane - 121 points
13. Illinois - 120 points
13. Texas - 120 points
15. Notre Dame - 118 points
15. LSU - 118 points
17. Washington - 117 points
TheDickinson System was a mathematical rating system devised byUniversity of Illinois economics professor Frank G. Dickinson. For the first time, Professor Dickinson declared a team as national champion even though it did not receive the highest point total in his mathematical calculations. Professor Dickinson justified the departure based on a provision in his "code" providing that an undefeated team should be rated higher than a defeated team, regardless of the point standing. Dickinson's final ratings were as follows:
1.Minnesota (8–0) - 23.51 points
2.Pittsburgh (8–1) - 24.19 points
3.Navy (8–1) - 23.00 points
4.Illinois (7–1) - 22.01 points
5.Rice (9–1–1) - 21.97 points
6.Alabama (10–0) - 21.70 points
7.Columbia (7–1) - 21.67 points
8.Ohio State (7–1) - 21.51 points
9.Colgate (7–1) - 21.06 points
10.Stanford (9–1–1) - 20.34 points
11.Tulane (10–1) - 20.03 points
TheHoulgate System rankings for 1934 were as follows:[8]
1.Stanford (9–1–1) - 32.5[9]
2.Navy (8–1)
3.Alabama (10–0)
4.Pittsburgh (8–1)
5.Minnesota (8–0)