1942 college football season explained

Year:	1942
Preseason Ap:	Ohio State^[1]
Champion:	Ohio State (AP) Georgia (various)
Number Of Bowls:	5
Heisman:	Frank Sinkwich (halfback, Georgia)

The 1942 college football season was the 74th season of intercollegiate football in the United States. Competition included schools from the Big Ten Conference, the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the Big Six Conference, the Southern Conference, the Southwestern Conference, and numerous smaller conferences and independent programs. The season was the first after the entry of the United States into World War II.

The teams ranked highest in the final AP Poll in December 1942 were:

1. The Ohio State Buckeyes won the Big Ten championship and compiled an overall record of 9–1 record with the team's one loss coming against No. 3 Wisconsin. The Buckeyes ranked second nationally in scoring offense (33.7 points per game) and fourth in total offense (397.5 yards per game). They were ranked No. 1 in the final AP Poll but did not appear in a bowl game. Gene Fekete led the Big Ten with 910 rushing yards. Ohio State was selected as the national champion by the Associated Press (AP).
2. The Georgia Bulldogs won the SEC championship and had an overall record of 11–1, including a victory over UCLA in the 1943 Rose Bowl. The Bulldogs ranked first nationally with 429.5 yards of total offense per game and were voted second in the final AP Poll in December 1942, prior to the Rose Bowl. A majority of selectors (including Billingsley and Houlgate) later named the Bulldogs as the national champion.^[2]
3. The Wisconsin Badgers finished second in the Big Ten with an overall record of 8–1–1 record, including a 17–7 victory over eventual AP national champion Ohio State. They were ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll. The Helms Athletic Foundation selected Wisconsin as 1942 national champions following the bowl games.^[3]
4. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane won the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) championship with a 10–1 record and was ranked No. 4 in the final AP Poll. They ranked first nationally in scoring offense (39.5 points per game) and passing offense (233.9 yards per game). Glenn Dobbs ranked fourth nationally with 1,427 yards of total offense.
5. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets finished second in the SEC and compiled a 9–2 record, including a loss to Texas in the 1943 Cotton Bowl Classic. They were ranked No. 5 in the final AP Poll.

Frank Sinkwich of Georgia won the Heisman Trophy and led the nation with 2,187 yards of total offense (including 1,392 passing yards), making him the first major-college player to tally more than 2,000 yards in a season. Paul Governali of Columbia won the Maxwell Award. The year's other statistical leaders included Rudy Mobley of Hardin-Simmons with 1,281 rushing yards, Ray Evans of Kansas with 1,117 passing yards, Harding Miller of SMU with 531 receiving yards, and Bob Steuber of Missouri with 121 points scored.

With large numbers of college and professional football players serving in the armed forces, "service teams" competed against the college teams. The top-ranked service teams were Great Lakes Navy (No. 1), Iowa Pre-Flight (No. 2), and Georgia Pre-Flight (No. 3).

Conference and program changes

Conference changes

The Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which had been active since 1928, played its final season in 1942. The Northern Teachers Athletic Conference, an active NCAA Division II conference now known as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, changed its name to the State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota.

Membership changes

School	1941 Conference	1942 Conference
		Dropped Program
Centenary Gentlemen		Dropped program
	Independent	Dropped Program
Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels	Independent	Dropped program
	Independent	Dropped program
Transylvania Pioneers	SIAA	Dropped program

September

On September 19, in Louisville, Georgia defeated Kentucky, 7–6. The following Friday, Georgia defeated the Jacksonville Naval Air Station, 14–0, in Macon. The soldiers at the Flight School at the University of Iowa, organized as the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks, overwhelmed Kansas, 61–0.

Most schools got their seasons underway on September 26. Defending champion Minnesota beat Pittsburgh, 50–7. Duke beat Davidson 21–0. Notre Dame and Wisconsin played to a 7–7 tie in Madison. Illinois beat South Dakota 46–0. In Montgomery, Alabama beat South Louisiana Institute (later University of Louisiana at Lafayette), 54–0. Texas beat the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, 18–7. Michigan beat the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, 9–0. Before its smallest crowd since 1933 (22,555) Ohio State defeated a service team, the Fort Knox Armoraiders, 59–0.^[4] Iowa Pre-Flight won again, at Northwestern, 20–12.

October

October 3

Minnesota's winning streak ended when the defending national champs lost their first game in almost four years, to the Seahawks of Iowa Pre-Flight (who just happened to be coached that season by "former" Minnesota head coach Bernie Bierman who had taken leave from Minnesota to serve as an officer in the military during World War II), 7–6. Ohio State beat Indiana 32–21. Michigan beat Michigan State 20–0. Illinois defeated Butler 67–0. Texas beat LSU 27–14. Notre Dame lost to Georgia Tech 13–6. Georgia defeated Furman 40–7. Alabama beat Mississippi State 21–6. Duke lost at Wake Forest, 20–7.

October 10

Minnesota lost at Illinois, 20–13. Ohio State beat visiting USC, 28–12. Michigan lost to Iowa Pre-Flight, 26–14. Georgia beat Ole Miss, 48–13, at Memphis. In Mobile, Alabama defeated the Pensacola NAS, 27–0. Texas lost at Tulane, 18–7. In the poll that followed, the Top Five consisted of three teams from the Big Nine (No. 1 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan, and No. 5 Illinois) and two from the SEC (No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama).

October 17

No. 1 Ohio State beat Purdue 26–0. No. 2 Georgia beat Tulane 40–0. No. 3 Michigan defeated Northwestern 34–16. In Birmingham, No. 4 Alabama beat No. 15 Tennessee, 8–0. No. 5 Illinois won at No. 19 Iowa, 12–7. Losing also that day was Iowa Pre-Flight, which sustained its first loss at Notre Dame, 28–0.

In the next poll, the Top Five shuffled slightly, with Alabama and Michigan trading places: Ohio State (No. 1), Georgia (No. 2), Alabama (No. 3), Michigan (No. 4), Illinois (No. 5).

October 24

No. 1 Ohio State won at Northwestern 20–6. No. 2 Georgia won at Cincinnati 35–13. No. 3 Alabama won at Kentucky, 14–0. No. 4 Michigan lost at No. 13 Minnesota, 16–14. No. 5 Illinois lost to No. 8 Notre Dame, 21–14. No. 6 Georgia Tech won at Navy, 21–0.

In the poll that followed, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech replaced Michigan and Illinois: Ohio State (No. 1), Georgia (No. 2), Alabama (No. 3), Notre Dame (No. 4), Georgia Tech (No. 5).

October 31

No. 1 Ohio State lost at No. 6 Wisconsin, 17–7. In Atlanta, No. 2 Georgia beat No. 3 Alabama, 21–10. No. 4 Notre Dame beat Navy in Cleveland, 9–0. No. 5 Georgia Tech won at Duke, 26–7. No. 7 Boston College beat Georgetown, 47–0. The Georgia Bulldogs took over first place in the poll that followed, and Wisconsin and Boston College moved in while Ohio State and Alabama fell out: 1. Georgia 2. Wisconsin 3. Georgia Tech 4. Notre Dame 5. Boston College.

November

November 7

In Jacksonville, No. 1 Georgia beat Florida, 75–0. No. 2 Wisconsin lost at unranked Iowa, 6–0. No. 3 Georgia Tech beat Kentucky 47–7. No. 4 Notre Dame beat Army 13–0 at Yankee Stadium. No. 5 Boston College beat Temple, 28–0. No. 8 Alabama beat South Carolina 29–0 and moved into the Top Five as Wisconsin dropped out. The nation's top two teams were Georgia and Georgia Tech: Georgia (No. 1), Georgia Tech (No. 2), Boston College (No. 3), Notre Dame (No. 4), Alabama (No. 5).

November 14

No. 1 Georgia won at Chattanooga, 40–0. In Atlanta, No. 2 Georgia Tech beat No. 5 Alabama 7–0. No. 3 Boston College beat Fordham at home, 56–6. No. 4 Notre Dame lost to No. 6 Michigan, 32–20, while in Cleveland, No. 10 Ohio State beat No. 13 Illinois 44–20. The poll: Georgia (No. 1), Georgia Tech (No. 2), Boston College (No. 3), Michigan (No. 4), Ohio State (No. 5).

November 21

In Columbus, Georgia, No. 1 Georgia lost to unranked Auburn, 27–13. No. 2 Georgia Tech beat Florida 20–7. No. 3 Boston College defeated Boston University, 37–0. No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Ohio State met in Columbus, with OSU winning 21–7, capturing the Big Nine championship. No. 7 Wisconsin beat No. 10 Minnesota 21–6 to finish its season at 8–1–1. In the next poll, the Boston College Eagles were No. 1: Boston College (No. 1), Georgia Tech (No. 2), Ohio State (No. 3), Wisconsin (No. 4), Georgia (No. 5).

November 28

No. 1 Boston College lost to unranked Holy Cross, 55–12. No. 2 Georgia Tech visited No. 5 Georgia, and lost 34–0. No. 3 Ohio State defeated the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks, 41–12, finishing 9–1–0 and capturing the No. 1 ranking in the final AP poll, ahead of No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 4 Tulsa, and No. 5 Georgia Tech.

Conference standings

For this article, major conferences defined as those including multiple state flagship public universities or a team ranked in the AP Poll.

Minor conferences

Conference	Champion(s)	Record
California Collegiate Athletic Association	Fresno State Normal	2–0
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association	Morgan State College	5–1–1
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Pittsburg State	5–0
Far Western Conference	Pacific (CA)	2–0
Indiana Intercollegiate Conference	Ball State Teachers College	5–0
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Dubuque	8–0
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference	Baker	6–0
Lone Star Conference	East Texas State Teachers	2–0–1
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association	Alma	4–0
Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference	Lawrence	5–0
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Saint Thomas (MN)	5–0
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association	Northwest Missouri State Teachers Southeast Missouri State Teachers	3–1
Nebraska College Athletic Conference	Doane	4–0
Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association	Nebraska State Teachers (UN–Kearney)	2–1
New Mexico Intercollegiate Conference	New Mexico State Teachers	1–0
North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Augustana (SD) Iowa State Teachers (Northern Iowa)	4–0 5–0
North Dakota College Athletic Conference	North Dakota Science	5–0
Ohio Athletic Conference	Ohio Northern	5–0–1
Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference	Central State College (OK)	2–0
Pacific Northwest Conference	Willamette	4–0
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference	East Stroudsburg State Teachers	4–0
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference	Colorado Mines	2–0
South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference	Augustana (SD)	2–0
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Occidental Pomona-Pitzer Whittier	2–1
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Florida A&M College	7–0
Southwestern Athletic Conference	Texas College	4–0
State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota	Mankato State Teachers St. Cloud State Teachers	4–0
Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference	Howard Payne	4–0
Washington Intercollegiate Conference	Central Washington College	4–1–1
Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference	North: La Crosse Teachers South: Platteville State Teachers	4–0 3–0–1

Minor conference standings

Rankings

See main article: 1942 NCAA football rankings. Top 10 in final AP poll 1. Ohio State (9–1)
2. Georgia (10–1)
3. Wisconsin (8–1–1)
4. Tulsa (10–0)
5. Georgia Tech (9–1)
6. Notre Dame (7–2–1)
7. Tennessee (8–1–1)
8. Boston College (8–1)
9. Michigan (7–3)
10. Alabama (7–3)

Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player

Player	School	Position	Total
Frank Sinkwich	Georgia	HB	1,059
		QB	218
		HB	99
		FB	90
		HB	86
		QB	75
		OT	71
		FB	65
		HB	63
		E	60

Bowl games

Bowl game	Winning team		Losing team
Rose Bowl	No. 2 Georgia	9	No. 13 UCLA	0
Sugar Bowl	No. 7 Tennessee	14	No. 4 Tulsa	7
Orange Bowl	No. 10 Alabama	37	No. 8 Boston College	21
Cotton Bowl Classic	No. 11 Texas	14	No. 5 Georgia Tech	7
Sun Bowl	Second Air Force	13	Hardin–Simmons	7

Statistical leaders

Team leaders

Total offense

Rank	Team	Games played	Yards gained	Yards per game	First downs
1		11	4725	429.5	186
2		10	4261	426.1	165
3		9	3697	410.8	137
4		10	3975	397.5	152
5		12	4272	356.0	169
6		9	3130	347.8	124
6		10	3356	335.6	133
7		10	3304	330.4	136
9		10	3301	330.1	154
10		10	3205	320.5	148

^[5]

Total defense

Rank	Team	Games played	Yards gained	Yards per game	1st downs
1		10	1173	117.3	63
2	Miami	9	1154	128.2	66
3		9	1186	131.8	72
4		11	1516	137.8	77
5		10	1428	142.8	87
6		10	1435	143.5	75
7		9	1314	146.0	67
8		10	1487	148.7	70
9		10	1494	149.4	61
10		12	1917	159.8	91

^[5]

Rushing offense

Rank	Team	Games	Rushes	Yards gained	Yards per game
1		9	508	2767	307.4
2		9	538	2635	292.8
3		10	571	2833	283.3
4		12	597	3230	269.2
5		10	532	2496	249.6
6		10	515	2493	249.3
7		9	500	2223	247.0
8		12	619	2906	242.2
9		9	518	2162	240.2
10		11	491	2624	238.5

^[6]

Rushing defense

Rank	Team	Games	Rushes	Yards gained	Yards per game
1		9	294	440	48.9
2		10	306	575	57.5
3		11	329	734	66.7
4		10	329	743	74.3
5		10	347	760	76.0

Passing offense

Rank	Team	Games	Att.	Compl.	Int.	Pct. Compl.	Yards	Yds/Game	Yds/Attempt
1		10	245	138	9	.563	2339	233.9	9.55
2		11	245	122	18	.498	2101	191.0	8.58
3		9	199	96	21	.482	1661	184.6	8.35
4		9	157	78	13	.497	1393	154.8	8.87
5		9	170	90	15	.529	1364	151.6	8.02

Passing defense

Rank	Team	Games	Att.	Compl.	Pct. Compl.	Yards	Yds/Game
1		9	81	29	.358	409	45.4
1		8	105	40	.381	363	45.4
3	Miami	9	115	46	.400	437	48.6
3		8	93	32	.344	389	48.6
5		9	99	32	.323	453	50.3

Scoring

Rank	Team	Games	Points	Pts/Game
1		11	434	39.5
2		10	337	33.7
3		12	376	31.3
4		10	282	28.2
5		9	251	27.9
6		10	256	25.6
7		12	288	24.0
8		11	259	23.5
9		10	235	23.5
10		10	232	23.2

Individual leaders

Total offense

Rank	Player	Team	Games	Plays	Rush yds	Pass yds	Total Yds	Avg gain per play
1		Georgia	11	341	795	1392	2187	6.41
2		Columbia	9	268	168	1442	1610	6.01
3		Missouri	12	199	1098	356	1454	7.31
4		Tulsa	10	179	361	1066	1427	7.97
5		Kansas	10	311	293	1117	1410	4.53
6		Indiana	10	239	480	877	1357	5.68
7		Great Lakes Navy	12	245	849	486	1335	5.45
8		Northwestern	10	318	235	1092	1327	4.17
9	Dutton	Pittsburgh	9	303	675	610	1285	4.24
10		Hardin-Simmons	9	187	1281	0	1281	6.85

Rushing

Rank	Player	Team	Games	Rushes	Net Yds	Avg Gain per Play
1		Hardin-Simmons	9	187	1281	6.85
2		Missouri	12	149	1098	7.37
3	Camp Wilson	Hardin-Simmons	9	196	981	5.01
4	Mike Holowak	Boston College	9	174	965	5.55
5		Ohio State	10	185	910	4.92
6		Great Lakes Navy	12	144	849	5.90
7		Washington State	10	226	813	3.60
8		Georgia	11	175	795	4.54
9		Wisconsin	10	141	767	5.44
10		Texas	10	132	701	5.31

Passing

Rank	Player	Team	Games	Att.	Compl.	Int.	Pct. Compl.	Yds.
1		Kansas	10	200	101	9	.505	1117
2		Northwestern	10	182	89	18	.489	1092
3		Columbia	9	165	87	18	.527	1442
4		Georgia	11	166	84	7	.506	1392
5	Turnbull Gillette	Virginia	9	144	82	14	.569	920
6		Notre Dame	11	162	72	16	.444	1039
7	Clark	Texas Mines	9	136	71	12	.522	846
8		Tulsa	10	107	67	4	.626	1066
9		Maryland	9	127	66	12	.520	1076
10	Emery Nix±	TCU	10	154	66	9	.429	672

See also

• 1942 College Football All-America Team
• List of World War II military service football teams

Notes and References

1. Web site: October 12, 1942 AP Football Poll . November 7, 2021 . CollegePollArchive.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402233120/http://collegepollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?appollid=48 . April 2, 2015 . live .
2. Book: 2020 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records . The National Collegiate Athletic Association . July 2020 . Indianapolis . January 12, 2021 . November 1, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201101032438/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2020/FBS.pdf . live .
3. News: January 11, 1943 . Badgers Rated Nation's No. 1 . Wisconsin State Journal . Madison, Wisconsin . November 18, 2022.
4. "Ohio State Triumphs Over Fort Knox Soldiers," The Sunday Times-Signal (Zanesville, O.), Sep. 27, 1942, pII-6
5. Book: The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1943. A.S. Barnes and Company. Walter R. Okeson. 1943. 51.
6. Book: The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1943. A.S. Barnes and Company. Walter R. Okeson. 1943. 52.