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The 1948 season

Michigan finished No. 1 in the final AP poll, 9–⁠0 under Bennie Oosterbaan. The biggest game by the rankings: No. 4 Michigan 28, No. 3 Northwestern 0 (Oct 16, 1948). 19 ranked teams lost to unranked or lower-ranked opponents.

Heisman Trophy: Doak Walker, RB, SMU.

The Heisman vote: Doak Walker 778 points, Charlie Justice 443
PlayerPoints1st2nd3rd
Doak Walker RB, SMU778
Charlie Justice RB, North Carolina443
Chuck Bednarik C, Penn336
Jackie Jensen RB, California143
Stan Heath QB, Nevada113
Norm Van Brocklin QB, Oregon83
Emil Sitko FB/RB, Notre Dame73
Jack Mitchell QB, Oklahoma68

First-, second- and third-place votes (3, 2 and 1 points), from the season’s Wikipedia article, as published. Two finishers show identical ballots in the source, which is likely a copying error there.

The 1948 Michigan team
The 1948 Michigan team, national championsPhoto: Unidentified (Michiganensian is the University of Michigan yearbook published by University of Michigan), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The 1948 Michigan season →

Scoreboards

Final AP poll

1MichiganWestern Conference
2Notre DameIndependent
3North CarolinaSouthern Conference
4CaliforniaPacific Coast Conference
5OklahomaBig Seven
6ArmyIndependent
7NorthwesternWestern Conference
8GeorgiaSoutheastern Conference
9OregonPacific Coast Conference
10SMUSouthwest Conference
11ClemsonSouthern Conference
12VanderbiltSoutheastern Conference
13TulaneSoutheastern Conference
14Michigan StateIndependent
15Ole MissSoutheastern Conference
16MinnesotaWestern Conference
17William & MarySouthern Conference
18Penn StateIndependent
19CornellIndependent
20Wake ForestSouthern Conference

Biggest upsets

Oct 9, 1948Missouri 20, 4SMU 14
Nov 6, 1948Tennessee 13, 6Georgia Tech 6
Nov 20, 1948Pittsburgh 7, 6Penn State 0
Oct 16, 1948Tulane 20, 10Ole Miss 7
Oct 9, 1948Iowa 14, 11Ohio State 7
Nov 7, 1948Santa Clara 14, 11Nevada 0
Nov 13, 1948Alabama 14, 11Georgia Tech 12
Jan 1, 1949Texas 41, 12Georgia 28
Oct 9, 1948Baylor 23, 13Arkansas 7
Oct 9, 1948Oklahoma 20, 16Texas 14
Oct 9, 1948TCU 7, 17Indiana 6
Oct 9, 1948Cornell 40, 18Harvard 6

Ranked teams that lost as the betting favorite, the longest shots first, with the winner’s odds on the line; before lines are on file, ranked teams beaten by unranked or lower-ranked ones.

The AP poll, week by week

The AP poll’s top 10 in 1948, week by week1510152025Wk 1Wk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Wk 8FinalSMU: Wk 1 No. 4, Wk 2 No. 14, Wk 3 No. 11, Wk 4 No. 11, Wk 5 No. 8, Wk 6 No. 7, Wk 7 No. 10, Wk 8 No. 8, Final No. 1010 SMUOregon: Wk 1 unranked, Wk 2 unranked, Wk 3 unranked, Wk 4 No. 14, Wk 5 No. 16, Wk 6 No. 15, Wk 7 No. 13, Wk 8 No. 10, Final No. 99 OregonGeorgia: Wk 1 unranked, Wk 2 No. 16, Wk 3 unranked, Wk 4 No. 18, Wk 5 No. 13, Wk 6 No. 13, Wk 7 No. 11, Wk 8 No. 12, Final No. 88 GeorgiaNorthwestern: Wk 1 No. 3, Wk 2 No. 3, Wk 3 No. 10, Wk 4 No. 9, Wk 5 No. 10, Wk 6 No. 8, Wk 7 No. 7, Wk 8 No. 7, Final No. 77 NorthwesternArmy: Wk 1 No. 5, Wk 2 No. 5, Wk 3 No. 5, Wk 4 No. 5, Wk 5 No. 4, Wk 6 No. 3, Wk 7 No. 3, Wk 8 No. 3, Final No. 66 ArmyOklahoma: Wk 1 unranked, Wk 2 No. 20, Wk 3 No. 18, Wk 4 No. 16, Wk 5 No. 15, Wk 6 No. 9, Wk 7 No. 8, Wk 8 No. 6, Final No. 55 OklahomaCalifornia: Wk 1 No. 9, Wk 2 No. 6, Wk 3 No. 4, Wk 4 No. 4, Wk 5 No. 5, Wk 6 No. 4, Wk 7 No. 4, Wk 8 No. 5, Final No. 44 CaliforniaNorth Carolina: Wk 1 No. 2, Wk 2 No. 1, Wk 3 No. 3, Wk 4 No. 3, Wk 5 No. 3, Wk 6 No. 6, Wk 7 No. 5, Wk 8 No. 4, Final No. 33 North CarolinaNotre Dame: Wk 1 No. 1, Wk 2 No. 2, Wk 3 No. 2, Wk 4 No. 2, Wk 5 No. 1, Wk 6 No. 2, Wk 7 No. 2, Wk 8 No. 2, Final No. 22 Notre DameMichigan: Wk 1 No. 7, Wk 2 No. 4, Wk 3 No. 1, Wk 4 No. 1, Wk 5 No. 2, Wk 6 No. 1, Wk 7 No. 1, Wk 8 No. 1, Final No. 11 Michigan
The top 10 of the final AP poll and where each stood every week before it; a gap is a week out of the Top 25. Hover or tab to a line for its weeks.

Climbed

  1. Oklahomaunranked → No. 5
  2. Georgiaunranked → No. 8
  3. Oregonunranked → No. 9
  4. Clemsonunranked → No. 11
  5. Vanderbiltunranked → No. 12

Fell

  1. Georgia TechNo. 6 → unranked
  2. Ohio StateNo. 11 → unranked
  3. PennsylvaniaNo. 12 → unranked
  4. ArkansasNo. 13 → unranked
  5. PurdueNo. 15 → unranked

From the season’s first AP poll (the preseason poll) to the final one.

National leaders

Passing yardsStan Heath (Nevada)2,005 yds
Passing touchdownsStan Heath (Nevada)22 TD
Passer ratingStan Heath (Nevada)157.2
Rushing yardsFred Wendt (UTEP)1,570 yds
Rushing touchdownsFred Wendt (UTEP)20 TD
Yards per carryFred Wendt (UTEP)8.53
ReceptionsRed O’Quinn (Wake Forest)39 catches
Receiving yardsRed O’Quinn (Wake Forest)605 yds
Yards per catchDick Wilkins (Oregon)19.3
PointsFred Wendt (UTEP)152 pts
Points per gameFred Wendt (UTEP)15.20
Total offenseStan Heath (Nevada)1,992 yds
Total offense per gameStan Heath (Nevada)221.3
Punt return yardsLee Nalley (Vanderbilt)791 yds
Punt return averageGeorge Sims (Baylor)25.0
Kickoff return yardsBill Gregus (Wake Forest)503 yds
Kickoff return averageJerry Williams (Washington State)29.9

The NCAA’s official leaders. From Wikipedia’s yearly NCAA leader lists for passing, rushing, receiving, scoring, total offense and returns.

Conference champions

Major college

Big Seven
Oklahoma
Border Conference
Texas Tech
Mid-American Conference
Miami (OH)
Missouri Valley Conference
Oklahoma State
Pacific Coast Conference
California and Oregon (shared)
Skyline Conference
Utah
Southeastern Conference
Georgia
Southern Conference
Clemson
Southwest Conference
SMU
Western Conference
Michigan

Small college

California Collegiate Athletic Conference
San José State
Dixie Conference
Florida State
Evergreen Conference
Eastern Washington
Gulf States Conference
Southern Miss
Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Eastern Illinois
Lone Star Conference
Texas State
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
St. Thomas (MN)
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Missouri State
North Central Conference
Northern Iowa
North State Conference
App State
Ohio Valley Conference
Murray State
Rocky Mountain Conference
Northern Colorado
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Florida A&M
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Southern
Volunteer State Athletic Conference
Austin Peay

From each program’s Wikipedia article, with the conference’s name that season. Titles come from the articles of today’s FBS and FCS programs, so a title shared with a school outside them lists only one champion.

Consensus All-Americans

12 playersAll 12 selectors’ teams

Players picked by enough of the major selectors to count as consensus, shown in bold in Wikipedia’s 1948 All-America article. Every selector’s teams, first to last, are on the 1948 All-America teams page.

The 1948 awards

Every award

Player of the year

By position

From the newspapers

The Evening star's story: Rose Bowl OFFICIATING Protested Privately Al Coast Session
The bowl7Northwestern 20, 5California 141948 Northwestern · 1948 CaliforniaEvening star, Washington, D.C., January 3, 1949, page 1
Read the text

Rose Bowl OFFICIATING Protested Privately Al Coast Session PALM SPRINGS, Calf, Jan. s. Many outside the University OF California delegation expressed dis pleasure over the officiating of the Rose Bowl game as Pacific Coast Conference officials began their three-day winter meeting here today. Unofncial discussion centered on Northwestern’s 20–⁠14 victory over California and its many post battle repercussions. No one would COM ment by name for publication. One conference pigwig, close to the officiating setup, said he thought the whistle tooters were nervous, but no one would go SO far as to criticize them openly for miscalleo penalty yards, as happened at least twice-once for Northwestern, cnce for the Bears. Then there was a quick whistle late in the game when a Wildcat lack, Ed Tunnicliff, fumbled and a California man recovered. This oc. CURED on the 88-yard drive which led to Tunnicliff’s 43-yard sprint for the winning touchdown. The controversial tumble and touchdown uf Fullback Art Murakowski in the second quarter was a hot topic, but until game movies are shown, Judgment was reserved as to whether he fumbled before going across the goal line or after. Coast delegates, in the main, it is said, are not happy about the policy which prohibits the Big Nine champion from appearing in the Rose Bowl twice in succession. But in view of the win by Northwest ern, runnerup to Michigan for the Big Nine title, the Coast brothers can hardly campaign for a change not until they whip either a champ or a runnerup from the Midwest. On the routine side television is due for some action. And out OF the future football scheduling may come a hint as to whether the Southern California–No Dame series is to be renewed when the present contract expires in 1949. U. S. C. and U. C. L. A. have been televising football and basket ball games this year on an expert mental basis. U. S. C. Athletic Director Willis o. Hunter and U. C L. A. Graduate Manager Bill Ackerman presumably are to make a report on their findings.

Public domain, from the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America, found through American Stories (Dell and Harvard, CC BY 4.0). The text is the machine reading of the page, mistakes and all.

Bowls and playoff

Scoreboard
Dec 30, 1948Hardin Simmons 49, Wichita State 12Camellia Bowl
Jan 1, 1949Baylor 20, Wake Forest 7Dixie Bowl
Jan 1, 19499Clemson 24, Missouri 23Gator Bowl
Jan 1, 1949Drake 14, Arizona 13Salad Bowl
Jan 1, 19497Northwestern 20, 5California 14Rose Bowl
Jan 1, 19496Oklahoma 14, 4North Carolina 6Sugar Bowl
Jan 1, 19498SMU 21, 10Oregon 13Cotton Bowl
Jan 1, 1949Texas 41, 12Georgia 28Orange Bowl
Jan 1, 1949Villanova 27, Nevada 7Harbor Bowl
Jan 1, 1949West Virginia 21, UTEP 12Sun Bowl
Jan 1, 194920William & Mary 20, Oklahoma State 0Delta Bowl