1940 Minnesota
8–0 (6–0 Western Conference), coached by Bernie Bierman, finished No. 1 in the AP poll. Share
Schedule and results
- Best winBeat No. 3 Michigan 7–6Nov 9
Over the best-ranked team it beat, at home.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 28 | vs Washington | W 19–14 | 66% |
| Oct 5 | vs Nebraska | W 13–7 | 54% |
| Oct 19 | at 15Ohio State | W 13–7 | 42% |
| Oct 26 | vs Iowa | W 34–6 | 72% |
| Nov 2 | at 8Northwestern | W 13–12 | 45% |
| Nov 9 | vs 3Michigan | W 7–6 | 54% |
| Nov 16 | vs Purdue | W 33–6 | 73% |
| Nov 23 | at Wisconsin | W 22–13 | 69% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Wisconsin 22–13; No. 1 in the final AP poll; Western Conference champions.
In program history: The 19th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 135 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 1: 7
- Wk 2: 6
- Wk 3: 4
- Wk 4: 2
- Wk 5: 1
- Wk 6: 1
- Wk 7: 1
- Final: 1
Players on this team
Dick WildungOffensive tackle
George FranckRunning back
Bruce SmithRunning back
Bill DaleyFullback
Bill DaleyFullback
Paul MitchellOffensive tackle
Len LevyGuard
Bill GarnaasBack- Urban OdsonOffensive tackle
- Bob SweigerBack
- Bob PaffrathBack
- Gordon PaschkaGuard
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 1940.
National championsNo. 1 in the final AP poll, and a title the school claims
Western Conference champions6–0 in the conference
Heisman voteGeorge Franck, third
- Record
- 8–0
- Conference
- 6–0 first in Western Conference
- AP final
- No. 1 peak No. 1
- Points
- 154–71
- Coach
- Bernie Bierman
- Elo
- 1674 +114 this season
- SP+ rating
- —
- SRS
- 25.1 No. 2 of 121 major-college teams
- Recruiting class
- —
- Captains
- Bob Bjorklund and Bill Johnson
- Most valuable player
- Bob Paffrath
- Offense
- Single-wing
Drafted in 1941
The 1941 draft| Rd 1 | George Franck RB | New York Giants |
| Rd 3 | Bob Paffrath B | Green Bay Packers |
All-Big Ten
2 first team, 2 second teamFirst team
Urban OdsonOTAP-1; UP-1- George FranckRBAP-1; UP-1
Second team
- Bill KuusistoOGAP-2
- Bruce SmithRBAP-2; UP-2
From Wikipedia’s 1940 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).
1940 Western Conference standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 6–0 | 8–0 | 1 |
| Michigan | 3–1 | 7–1 | 3 |
| Northwestern | 4–2 | 6–2 | 8 |
| Ohio State | 3–3 | 4–4 | |
| Wisconsin | 3–3 | 4–4 | |
| Iowa | 2–3 | 4–4 | |
 Indiana | 2–3 | 3–5 | |
| Purdue | 1–4 | 2–6 | |
 Illinois | 0–5 | 1–7 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.