Poling System

The Poling System was a mathematical rating system used to rank college football teams.[1] Its selections were published in the Football Review Supplement and several newspapers.[1] The system was developed by Richard R. Poling, a native of Mansfield, Ohio who had played college football at Ohio Wesleyan University.

The Poling System is considered by the NCAA to have been a "major selector" of national championships for the years 1935–1984.[1]: 108

## Champions

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The Poling System named contemporary champions from 1935 to 1984 and retroactively named champions from 1924 to 1934.[1]: 108–109, 111–114, 120

Season | Champion(s) | Record | Coach

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Retrospective selections
1924 | Notre Dame | 10–0 | Knute Rockne
1925 | Alabama | 10–0 | Wallace Wade
1926 | Alabama | 9–0–1 | Wallace Wade
1927 | Georgia | 9–1 | George Cecil Woodruff
1928 | Georgia Tech | 10–0 | William Alexander
1929 | Notre Dame | 9–0 | Knute Rockne
1930 | Notre Dame | 10–0 | Knute Rockne
1931 | USC | 10–1 | Howard Jones
1932 | USC | 10–0 | Howard Jones
1933 | Michigan | 7–0–1 | Harry Kipke
1934 | Alabama | 10–0 | Frank Thomas
Poling System rating
1935 | Minnesota | 8–0 | Bernie Bierman
1936 | Minnesota | 7–1 | Bernie Bierman
1937 | Pittsburgh | 9–0–1 | Jock Sutherland
1938 | Tennessee | 11–0 | Robert Neyland
1939 | Texas A&M | 11–0 | Homer Norton
1940[2][3] | Stanford | 10–0 | Clark Shaughnessy
1941 | Minnesota | 8–0 | Bernie Bierman
1942 | Georgia | 11–1 | Wally Butts
1943 | Notre Dame | 9–1 | Frank Leahy
1944 | Army | 9–0 | Earl Blaik
1945 | Army | 9–0 | Earl Blaik
1946 | Army | 9–0–1 | Earl Blaik
Notre Dame | 8–0–1 | Frank Leahy
1947 | Michigan | 10–0 | Fritz Crisler
1948 | Michigan | 9–0 | Bennie Oosterbaan
1949 | Notre Dame | 10–0 | Frank Leahy
1950 | Princeton | 9–0 | Charley Caldwell
1951 | Michigan State | 9–0 | Biggie Munn
1952 | Georgia Tech | 12–0 | Bobby Dodd
1953 | Notre Dame | 9–0–1 | Frank Leahy
1954 | Ohio State | 10–0 | Woody Hayes
1955 | Oklahoma | 11–0 | Bud Wilkinson
1956[4] | Oklahoma | 10–0 | Bud Wilkinson
1957 | Auburn | 10–0 | Ralph Jordan
1958 | LSU | 11–0 | Paul Dietzel
1959 | Syracuse | 11–0 | Ben Schwartzwalder
1960 | Missouri | 11–0 | Dan Devine
1961 | Ohio State | 8–0–1 | Woody Hayes
1962 | USC | 11–0 | John McKay
1963 | Texas | 11–0 | Darrell Royal
1964 | Arkansas | 11–0 | Frank Broyles
1965 | Michigan State | 10–1 | Duffy Daugherty
1966 | Notre Dame | 9–0–1 | Ara Parseghian
1967 | Oklahoma | 10–1 | Chuck Fairbanks
1968 | Ohio State | 10–0 | Woody Hayes
1969 | Texas | 11–0 | Darrell Royal
1970 | Arizona State | 11–0 | Frank Kush
1971 | Nebraska | 13–0 | Bob Devaney
1972 | USC | 12–0 | John McKay
1973 | Michigan | 10–0–1 | Bo Schembechler
Ohio State | 10–0–1 | Woody Hayes
1974 | Oklahoma | 11–0 | Barry Switzer
1975 | Ohio State | 11–1 | Woody Hayes
1976 | Pittsburgh | 12–0 | Johnny Majors
1977 | Notre Dame | 11–1 | Dan Devine
1978 | Oklahoma | 11–1 | Barry Switzer
1979 | Alabama | 12–0 | Paul "Bear" Bryant
1980 | Georgia | 12–0 | Vince Dooley
1981[4] | Clemson | 12–0 | Danny Ford
1982 | Penn State | 11–1 | Joe Paterno
1983 | Nebraska | 12–1 | Tom Osborne
1984 | BYU | 13–0 | LaVell Edwards

## References

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1. ^ a b c d National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2017). "National Poll Rankings" (PDF). NCAA Division I FBS Football Records. NCAA. pp. 108–109, 111–114. Retrieved December 7, 2017. "Poling System (1935-84), a mathematical rating system for college football teams developed by Richard Poling from Mansfield, Ohio, a former football player at Ohio Wesleyan. Poling's football ratings were published annually in the Football Review Supplement and in various newspapers. Predated national champions from 1924 to 1934."
2. ^ Poling, Richard R. (1941). "Top Teams of 1940". The 1940 Supplement of the Football Review. Mansfield, Ohio: Poling's Football Ratings. "We predicted that STANFORD would beat NEBRASKA by from seven to ten points, and this game came home to us right – final score STANFORD 21 NEBRASKA 13. This game bore us out and thus made STANFORD NATIONAL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS OF 1940. [...] No. 1 Stanford 45.06, No. 2 Minnesota 43.13, No 3. Boston College 43.0"
3. ^ Poling, Richard R. "Poling’s Football Review Supplement, 1940" (1941). John Gunn Sports Collection, Box: 422. Center for Southeast North Carolina Archives and History, William M. Randall Library, University of North Carolina Wilmington.
4. ^ a b Poling, Richard R. (1981). "Poling's National Champions over the Years". Supplement for the 1981 Football Season. Mansfield, Ohio: Poling's Football Ratings — The 1981 Football Review.

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