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1939 Boston College

9–⁠2, coached by Frank Leahy, finished No. 11 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

Boston College in 1939, game by game: won vs. Lebanon Valley 45–0; won vs. St. Joseph’s (Pennsylvania) 20–6; lost vs. Florida 0–7; won vs. Temple 19–0; won vs. Saint Anselm 28–0; won vs. Auburn 13–7; won at Detroit Mercy 20–13; won vs. Boston University 19–0; won vs. Kansas State 38–7; won vs. No. 10 Holy Cross 14–0; lost vs. No. 15 Clemson 3–6+45−7Won 45–0 vs. Lebanon Valley+45Lebanon ValleyWon 20–6 vs. St. Joseph’s (Pennsylvania)+14St. Joseph’s (P…Lost 0–7 vs. Florida-7FloridaWon 19–0 vs. Temple+19TempleWon 28–0 vs. Saint Anselm+28Saint AnselmWon 13–7 vs. Auburn+6AuburnWon 20–13 at Detroit Mercy+7Detroit MercyWon 19–0 vs. Boston University+19Boston Universi…Won 38–7 vs. Kansas State+31Kansas StateWon 14–0 vs. No. 10 Holy Cross+14No. 10 Holy CrossLost 3–6 vs. No. 15 Clemson-3No. 15 Clemson
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 30vsLebanon ValleyW 45–⁠090%
Oct 6vsSt. Joseph’s (Pennsylvania)W 20–⁠690%
Oct 12vsFloridaL 0–⁠776%
Oct 21vsTempleW 19–⁠062%
Oct 28vsSaint AnselmW 28–⁠089%
Nov 4vsAuburnW 13–⁠756%
Nov 11atDetroit MercyW 20–⁠1341%
Nov 18vsBoston UniversityW 19–⁠089%
Nov 25vsKansas StateW 38–⁠769%
Dec 2vs10Holy CrossW 14–⁠046%
Jan 1Bowls & playoffvs15ClemsonCotton BowlL 3–⁠643%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Clemson 6–⁠3 in the Cotton Bowl; No. 11 in the final AP poll.

In program history: The 18th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 116 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 8: 14
  2. Final: 11

Players on this team

Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 1939.

Record
9–⁠2
Conference
—
AP final
No. 11 peak No. 11
Points
219–⁠46
Coach
Frank Leahy
Elo
1605 +90 this season
SP+ rating
—
SRS
16.0 No. 9 of 124 major-college teams
Recruiting class
—
Captain
Ernie Schwotzer

Drafted in 1940

The 1940 draft
Rd 7Pete Cignetti BPittsburgh Steelers