1959 college football season - wikipedia 1959 college football season 1959 NCAA University Division football season Preseason AP # 1 LSU Tigers Regular season September 19 -- December 5, 1959 Number of bowls 8 Bowl games December 19, 1959 -- January 2, 1960 Champion Syracuse Orangemen ( AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF ) Heisman Billy Cannon, LSU HB ← 1958 College football seasons 1960 → The 1959 NCAA University Division football season saw Syracuse University crowned as the national champion by both final polls, the AP writers poll and the UPI coaches polls. A major rule change widened the goal posts from 18 ft 6 in ( 5.64 m ) to 23 ft 4 in ( 7.11 m ). This width remained in effect for 32 seasons, until the 1991 season, when it was returned to 181⁄2 feet. During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for the major college football teams in the University Division, later known as Division I-A. The NCAA did recognize a national champion based upon the final results of `` wire service '' ( AP and UPI ) polls. The extent of that recognition came in the form of acknowledgment in the annual NCAA Football Guide of the `` unofficial '' national champions. The AP poll in 1959 consisted of the votes of as many as 201 sportswriters. Though not all writers voted in every poll, each would give their opinion of the twenty best teams. Under a point system of 20 points for first place, 19 for second, etc., the `` overall '' ranking was determined. Although the rankings were based on the collective opinion of the representative sportswriters, the teams that remained `` unbeaten and untied '' were generally ranked higher than those that had not. A defeat, even against a strong opponent, tended to cause a team to drop in the rankings, and a team with two or more defeats was unlikely to remain in the Top 20. The top teams played on New Year 's Day in the four major postseason bowl games : the Rose Bowl ( near Los Angeles at Pasadena ), the Sugar Bowl ( New Orleans ), the Orange Bowl ( Miami ), and the Cotton Bowl ( Dallas ). Contents 1 Conference and program changes 1.1 Conference changes 1.2 Membership changes 2 September 3 October 4 November 5 Conference standings 6 Bowl games 6.1 Major bowls 6.2 Other bowls 7 Heisman Trophy 8 Other champions 8.1 Small college poll 8.1. 1 Conference standings 8.2 NAIA 8.3 Minor conference champions 9 See also 10 References Conference and program changes Conference changes One conference began play in 1959 : Athletic Association of Western Universities -- predecessor to the modern Pac - 12 Conference ; founded by five members ( California, Stanford, USC, UCLA, and Washington ) of the Pacific Coast Conference, which disbanded following the 1958 season. The remaining four ( Idaho, Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington State ) became independents ( although WSU would later join in 1962, followed by Oregon and Oregon state in 1964 ). Two conferences played their final seasons in 1959 : Alabama Intercollegiate Conference -- active since the 1938 season ; replaced by the Alabama Collegiate Conference in 1960 Eastern Intercollegiate Conference -- active since the 1953 season Membership changes School 1958 Conference 1959 Conference California Golden Bears PCC AAWU Idaho Vandals PCC Independent Oregon Ducks PCC Independent Oregon State Beavers PCC Independent USC Trojans PCC AAWU Stanford Indians PCC AAWU UCLA Bruins PCC AAWU Washington Huskies PCC AAWU Washington State Cougars PCC Independent September In the preseason poll released on September 14, the defending champion LSU Tigers were ranked first, followed by Oklahoma, Auburn, SMU, and Army. With more than 100 sportswriters weighing in, eighteen different schools received first place votes. Syracuse was ranked # 20 overall. As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend 's games. On September 19, # 1 LSU beat Rice at home, 26 -- 3. Oklahoma, Auburn, SMU, and Army had not yet opened their seasons ; SMU and Army fell to # 6 and # 7. # 8 Mississippi, which won 16 -- 0 at Houston and rose to 4th in the poll. # 18 Clemson moved up 5th after its 20 - 18 win at North Carolina. Three of the Top Five schools were from the SEC : 1. LSU 2. Oklahoma 3. Auburn 4. Mississippi 5. Clemson September 26 # 1 LSU beat TCU at home, 10 -- 0. # 2 Oklahoma lost its opener, falling 45 -- 13 at # 10 Northwestern, and dropped out of the Top 20 entirely, while Northwestern took its place. # 3 Auburn lost at Tennessee 3 -- 0 and fell to 17th place in the next poll. # 4 Mississippi recorded another 16 -- 0 win, this time at Kentucky, and rose to third. # 5 Clemson won at 47 -- 0 at Virginia, but fell to 6th. # 7 Army returned to the Top 5 after its 44 -- 8 win over Boston College. # 13 Iowa, which had won at California 42 -- 12, rose to fifth. The poll was 1. LSU 2. Northwestern 3. Mississippi 4. Army 5. Iowa October October 3 # 1 LSU and Baylor met at a game in Shreveport, with LSU winning 22 -- 0. # 2 Northwestern won at # 5 Iowa, 14 -- 10. # 3 Mississippi registered a third shutout, beating Memphis State 43 -- 0, but fell to fifth. # 4 Army lost at Illinois, 20 -- 14, and fell out of the Top 20 completely. # 7 Georgia Tech which went to 3 -- 0 after a 16 - 6 win over # 6 Clemson, rose to 3rd in the poll. # 10 Texas rose to fourth after its third shutout in a row, a 33 -- 0 walloping of California. The poll was : 1. LSU 2. Northwestern 3. Georgia Tech 4. Texas 5. Mississippi October 10 # 1 LSU beat the visiting Miami Hurricanes 27 -- 3. # 2 Northwestern beat Minnesota 6 -- 0. # 3 Georgia Tech won at Tennessee, 14 -- 7. In Dallas, # 4 Texas defeated Oklahoma 19 -- 12. # 5 Mississippi won at Vanderbilt, 33 -- 0. In four games, Ole Miss was 4 -- 0 and had outscored its opponents 108 -- 0. The next poll was : 1. LSU 2. Northwestern 3. Texas 4. Georgia Tech 5. Mississippi On October 17, # 1 LSU won at Kentucky, 9 -- 0. # 2 Northwestern won at Michigan 20 -- 7. # 3 Texas narrowly beat Arkansas 13 -- 12 in Little Rock. # 4 Georgia Tech lost to Auburn, 7 -- 6. # 5 Mississippi yielded some points for the first time in the season, but beat Tulane 53 -- 7. The # 7 USC Trojans rose to 5th after beating Washington in Seattle, 22 -- 15. The poll was : 1. LSU 2. Northwestern 3. Texas 4. Mississippi 5. USC October 24 # 1 LSU recorded its fourth shutout, winning 9 -- 0 in Florida. # 2 Northwestern killed another giant on the road, beating Notre Dame 30 -- 24. # 3 Texas defeated Rice 28 -- 6. # 4 Mississippi shut out Arkansas 28 -- 0 at Memphis. # 5 USC Trojans got past Stanford 30 -- 28 and fell to 6th. Taking USC 's place was # 6 Syracuse, which had beaten West Virginia 44 -- 0 to reach the 5 -- 0 mark. The next poll was : 1. LSU 2. Northwestern 3. Mississippi 4. Texas 5. Syracuse October 31 # 1 LSU and # 3 Mississippi, both 6 -- 0, met in Baton Rouge and both schools had great defenses. LSU had outscored its opposition 103 -- 6, while Ole Miss had a 189 -- 7 point differential over all comers. Someone had to lose, and Ole Miss fell to LSU 7 -- 3. Billy Cannon returned a Jake Gibbs punt 89 yards for the game 's only touchdown, but the Rebels had a chance to win the game when it drove to the LSU 1 - yard line in the closing seconds, only to see third - string quarterback Doug Elmore stopped cold on fourth and goal by Cannon. # 2 Northwestern beat visiting Indiana 30 -- 13. # 4 Texas beat SMU in Dallas, 21 -- 0. # 5 Syracuse won at Pittsburgh, 35 -- 0, and rose to fourth. The next poll was : 1. LSU 2. Northwestern 3. Texas 4. Syracuse 5. Mississippi November November 7 # 1 LSU traveled to Knoxville to face Tennessee, and gave up a touchdown for the first time in the season. The Vols made it to the end zone twice, winning 14 -- 13 over the Tigers. Losing also was # 2 Northwestern, which fell to the visiting Wisconsin, 24 -- 19, and dropped to 6th. # 3 Texas won a close one over Baylor, 13 -- 12, and rose to 2nd. # 4 Syracuse, which had won at Penn State 20 -- 18, was catapulted to the # 1 spot. # 5 Mississippi crushed UT - Chattanooga 58 -- 0. # 6 USC returned to the Top Five after a 36 -- 0 win over West Virginia. The next poll was 1. Syracuse 2. Texas 3. LSU 4. USC 5. Mississippi November 14 # 1 Syracuse exercised its top status, brushing off overmatched Colgate 71 -- 0. # 2 Texas lost to TCU, 14 -- 9, and # 3 LSU returned to its winning ways, beating Mississippi State at home, 27 - 0. # 4 USC beat Baylor 17 -- 8. # 5 Mississippi beat Tennessee in Memphis, 37 - 7. The poll changed slightly : 1. Syracuse 2. Mississippi 3. LSU 4. USC 5. Texas November 21 # 1 Syracuse won at Boston University, 46 -- 0, for its fifth shutout as it reached the 9 -- 0 mark. # 3 LSU beat Tulane 14 -- 6, then accepted an invitation to play in the Sugar Bowl. # 4 USC lost to rival UCLA, 10 -- 3 and fell to 7th. # 9 Wisconsin, which closed its season with an 11 -- 7 win at Minnesota, rose to 5th. # 2 Mississippi and # 5 Texas were idle, but stayed at the same place in the polls : 1. Syracuse 2. Mississippi 3. LSU 4. Texas 5. Wisconsin On Thanksgiving Day, # 4 Texas won 20 -- 17 at Texas A&M. # 1 Syracuse was idle as it prepared for its December 5 trip to Los Angeles to play UCLA. On Saturday, November 28, # 2 Mississippi played its season ender against Mississippi State, in Starkville, and won 42 -- 0. Both LSU and Ole Miss were invited to a rematch in New Orleans at the Sugar Bowl. A third SEC team, the # 6 Georgia Bulldogs, beat Georgia Tech 21 -- 14 in Atlanta and accepted a spot in the Orange Bowl. Because Oklahoma had played in the Orange Bowl the year before, a `` no repeat '' rule gave the Big 7 ( Oklahoma State would join later ) berth to 6 -- 4 Missouri. The Rose Bowl matched # 6 Wisconsin against # 8 Washington. The penultimate poll was 1. Syracuse 2. Mississippi 3. LSU 4. Texas 5. Georgia. On December 5, # 1 Syracuse closed its season with trip to the Los Angeles Coliseum to face the upset - minded ( but 5 -- 3 -- 1 ) UCLA Bruins In a nationally televised game, the Orangemen took a 14 -- 0 lead and went on to win 36 -- 8 to finish the season with a perfect 10 -- 0 record. As the only unbeaten team among universities, the Syracuse Orangemen were voted # 1 in the AP Poll ( with 134 of 201 first - place votes ) and in the UPI Coaches Poll, with 31 of the 35 first - place votes. Conference standings 1959 AAWU football standings Conf Overall Team No. 8 Washington ^ + -- -- 0 10 -- -- 0 No. 14 USC + -- -- 0 8 -- -- 0 UCLA + -- -- 0 5 -- -- California -- -- 0 -- 8 -- 0 Stanford 0 -- -- 0 -- 7 -- 0 + -- Conference co-champions ^ -- Selected as Rose Bowl representative Rankings from AP Poll 1959 ACC football standings Conf Overall Team No. 11 Clemson $ 6 -- 9 -- North Carolina 5 -- 5 -- 5 Maryland -- 5 -- 5 South Carolina -- 6 -- Wake Forest -- 6 -- Duke -- -- 6 NC State 0 -- 6 -- 9 Virginia 0 -- 5 0 -- 10 $ -- Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll 1959 Big 7 football standings Conf Overall Team No. 15 Oklahoma $ 5 -- -- 0 7 -- -- 0 No. 18 Missouri -- -- 0 6 -- 5 -- 0 Colorado -- -- 0 5 -- 5 -- 0 Iowa State -- -- 0 7 -- -- 0 Kansas -- -- 0 5 -- 5 -- 0 Nebraska -- -- 0 -- 6 -- 0 Kansas State -- 5 -- 0 -- 8 -- 0 $ -- Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll 1959 Big Ten football standings Conf Overall Team No. 6 Wisconsin $ 5 -- -- 0 7 -- -- 0 Michigan State -- -- 0 5 -- -- 0 Purdue -- -- 5 -- -- No. 13 Illinois -- -- 5 -- -- Northwestern -- -- 0 6 -- -- 0 Iowa -- -- 0 5 -- -- 0 Michigan -- -- 0 -- 5 -- 0 Indiana -- -- -- -- Ohio State -- -- -- 5 -- Minnesota -- 6 -- 0 -- 7 -- 0 $ -- Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll 1959 Border Conference football standings Conf Overall Team Arizona State $ 5 -- 0 -- 0 10 -- -- 0 Arizona -- -- 0 -- 6 -- 0 New Mexico State -- -- 0 8 -- -- 0 Hardin -- Simmons -- -- 0 -- 7 -- 0 Texas Western -- -- 0 -- 7 -- 0 West Texas State 0 -- 5 -- 0 -- 9 -- 0 $ -- Conference champion 1959 IIAC football standings Conf Overall Team Western Illinois $ 6 -- 0 -- 0 9 -- 0 -- 0 Northern Illinois State -- -- 0 7 -- -- 0 Southern Illinois -- -- 0 5 -- -- 0 Central Michigan -- -- 0 7 -- -- 0 Illinois State -- -- 5 -- Eastern Illinois -- -- -- 5 -- Eastern Michigan -- 5 -- 0 -- 7 -- 0 $ -- Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll 1959 NCAA University Division independents football records Conf Overall Team No. 1 Syracuse -- 11 -- 0 -- 0 No. 12 Penn State -- 9 -- -- 0 Oregon -- 8 -- -- 0 Rutgers -- 6 -- -- 0 Detroit -- 6 -- -- 0 Holy Cross -- 6 -- -- 0 Memphis State -- 6 -- -- 0 Miami ( FL ) -- 6 -- -- 0 Oklahoma State -- 6 -- -- 0 No. 20 Pittsburgh -- 6 -- -- 0 Mississippi Southern -- 6 -- -- 0 Washington State -- 6 -- -- 0 Boston College -- 5 -- -- 0 Pacific ( CA ) -- 5 -- -- 0 Air Force -- 5 -- -- Navy -- 5 -- -- Army -- -- -- No. 17 Notre Dame -- 5 -- 5 -- 0 Florida State -- -- 6 -- 0 San Jose State -- -- 6 -- 0 Texas Tech -- -- 6 -- 0 Xavier -- -- 6 -- 0 Dayton -- -- 7 -- 0 Marquette -- -- 7 -- 0 Oregon State -- -- 7 -- 0 Colgate -- -- 7 -- 0 Idaho -- -- 9 -- 0 Villanova -- -- 9 -- 0 Rankings from AP Poll 1959 Ivy League football standings Conf Overall Team Penn $ 6 -- -- 0 7 -- -- Dartmouth 5 -- -- 5 -- -- Harvard -- -- 0 6 -- -- 0 Yale -- -- 0 6 -- -- 0 Cornell -- -- 0 5 -- -- 0 Princeton -- -- 0 -- 5 -- 0 Brown -- 5 -- -- 6 -- Columbia -- 6 -- 0 -- 7 -- 0 $ -- Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll 1959 Missouri Valley Conference football standings Conf Overall Team North Texas State + -- -- 0 9 -- -- 0 Houston + -- -- 0 -- 7 -- 0 Tulsa -- -- 0 5 -- 5 -- 0 Wichita -- -- 5 -- -- Cincinnati 0 -- -- 5 -- -- + -- Conference co-champions 1959 MSC football standings Conf Overall Team Wyoming $ 7 -- 0 -- 0 9 -- -- 0 Colorado State 5 -- -- 0 6 -- -- 0 New Mexico -- -- 0 7 -- -- 0 Utah -- -- 0 5 -- 5 -- 0 Utah State -- 5 -- 0 5 -- 6 -- 0 BYU -- 5 -- 0 -- 7 -- 0 Denver -- 5 -- 0 -- 8 -- 0 Montana -- 5 -- 0 -- 8 -- 0 $ -- Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll 1959 SEC football standings Conf Overall Team No. 5 Georgia $ 7 -- 0 -- 0 10 -- -- 0 No. 3 LSU 5 -- -- 0 9 -- -- 0 No. 2 Ole Miss 5 -- -- 0 10 -- -- 0 No. 10 Alabama -- -- 7 -- -- Auburn -- -- 0 7 -- -- 0 Vanderbilt -- -- 5 -- -- Georgia Tech -- -- 0 6 -- 5 -- 0 Tennessee -- -- 5 -- -- No. 19 Florida -- -- 0 5 -- -- Kentucky -- 6 -- 0 -- 6 -- 0 Tulane 0 -- 5 -- -- 6 -- Mississippi State 0 -- 7 -- 0 -- 7 -- 0 $ -- Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll 1959 Southern Conference football standings Conf Overall Team VMI $ 5 -- 0 -- 8 -- -- The Citadel 5 -- -- 0 8 -- -- 0 VPI -- -- 0 6 -- -- 0 Furman -- -- 0 -- 7 -- 0 Richmond -- -- -- 5 -- West Virginia -- -- 0 -- 7 -- 0 William & Mary -- 5 -- 0 -- 6 -- 0 Davidson 0 -- 5 -- 0 -- 8 -- 0 George Washington 0 -- 5 -- 0 -- 8 -- 0 $ -- Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll 1959 Southwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team No. 9 Arkansas + 5 -- -- 0 9 -- -- 0 No. 4 Texas + 5 -- -- 0 9 -- -- 0 No. 7 TCU + 5 -- -- 0 8 -- -- 0 SMU -- -- 5 -- -- Baylor -- -- 0 -- 6 -- 0 Rice -- -- -- 7 -- Texas A&M 0 -- 6 -- 0 -- 7 -- 0 + -- Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll Bowl games Major bowls Friday, January 1, 1960 COTTON # 1 Syracuse Orangemen 23 # 4 Texas Longhorns 14 SUGAR # 2 Mississippi Rebels 21 # 3 LSU Tigers 0 ROSE # 8 Washington Huskies 44 # 6 Wisconsin Badgers 8 ORANGE # 5 Georgia Bulldogs 14 # 18 Missouri Tigers 0 Behind future Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, the Orangemen proved the voters ' decision to name them national champions in the final polls was a wise one. It was the first Cotton Bowl for the Longhorns under coach Darrell Royal, who guided Texas to national championships in 1963, 1969, and 1970, and compiled a career record of 167 -- 47 -- 5 (. 774 ) in Austin from 1957 through 1976. Ole Miss systematically demolished LSU in the Sugar Bowl. LSU was Ole Miss 's sole loss of the regular season. The Rebels outgained the Bayou Bengals and Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon 373 - 74 in front of a largely pro-LSU crowd of over 83,000 at Tulane Stadium. Immediately following the game, Cannon signed a contract with the Houston Oilers of the fledgling American Football League, spurning the Los Angeles Rams and general manager Pete Rozelle. Other bowls BOWL Location Date Winner Score Runner - up SUN El Paso, TX December 31 New Mexico State 28 -- 8 North Texas State GATOR Jacksonville, FL January 2 # 9 Arkansas 14 -- 7 Georgia Tech BLUEBONNET Houston, TX December 19 # 11 Clemson 23 -- 7 # 7 TCU LIBERTY Philadelphia, PA December 19 # 12 Penn State 7 -- 0 # 10 Alabama Prior to the 1975 season, the Big Ten and AAWU ( later Pac - 8 ) conferences allowed only one postseason participant each, for the Rose Bowl. Heisman Trophy Billy Cannon, HB - LSU, 1,929 points Richie Lucas, QB - Penn State, 613 Don Meredith, QB - SMU, 286 Bill Burrell, G - LB - Illinois, 196 Charlie Flowers, FB - Mississippi, 193 Dean Look, QB - Michigan State, 176 Dale Hackbart, DB - Wisconsin, 134 Dwight Nichols, RB - Iowa State, 126 Monty Stickles, E - Notre Dame, 126 Ron Burton, RB - Northwestern, 122 Roger Davis, OL - Syracuse Gerhard Schwedes, HB - Syracuse Bill Carpenter, E - Army Bob Schloredt, QB - Washington Source : Other champions Small college poll In 1959, United Press International ( UPI ) conducted its `` small college '' coaches ' poll for the second time ; they voted the Bowling Green Falcons, who had a 9 -- 0 record and outscored their opponents 274 -- 83, as the number one team. United Press International ( coaches ) final poll Published on November 27 Rank School Record No. 1 votes Total points Bowling Green ( OH ) 9 -- 0 23 407 Mississippi Southern 6 -- 3 5 247 Middle Tennessee State 9 -- 0 231 Delaware 8 -- 1 211 5 East Texas State 9 -- 1 179 6 Western Illinois 9 -- 0 152 7 Memphis State 5 -- 4 86 8 Louisiana Tech 8 -- 1 81 9 Ohio University 7 -- 2 76 10 West Chester ( PA ) 7 -- 1 71 Conference standings 1959 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team Fresno State $ 5 -- 0 -- 0 7 -- -- 0 Los Angeles State -- -- 0 7 -- -- 0 Cal Poly -- -- 0 6 -- -- 0 UC Santa Barbara -- -- 0 6 -- -- 0 Long Beach State -- -- 0 -- 5 -- 0 San Diego State 0 -- 5 -- 0 -- 6 -- $ -- Conference champion 1959 Far Western Conference football standings Conf Overall Team # 17 San Francisco State $ 5 -- 0 -- 0 10 -- 0 -- 0 Humboldt State -- -- 0 9 -- -- 0 Nevada -- -- 0 -- -- 0 Chico State -- -- 0 -- -- 0 Sacramento State -- -- 0 -- 7 -- 0 UC Davis 0 -- 5 -- 0 -- 8 -- 0 $ -- Conference champion Rankings from College Division poll 1959 Ohio Valley football standings Conf Overall Team # 3 UPI Middle Tennessee State + 5 -- 0 -- 10 -- 0 -- Tennessee Tech + 5 -- 0 -- 7 -- -- East Tennessee State -- -- 0 7 -- -- 0 Western Kentucky -- -- 0 5 -- -- 0 Eastern Kentucky -- -- 0 -- 6 -- 0 Morehead State -- 5 -- 0 -- 6 -- 0 Murray State 0 -- 6 -- 0 0 -- 10 -- 0 + -- Conference co-champions Rankings from College Division poll 1959 SWAC football standings Conf Overall Team Southern $ 7 -- 0 8 -- Prairie View A&M 6 -- 9 -- Texas Southern 5 -- 7 -- Jackson State -- 6 -- Arkansas AM&N -- 5 -- 6 Grambling -- 5 -- 6 Texas College -- 5 -- 6 Wiley 0 -- 7 -- 8 $ -- Conference champion Rankings from College Division poll NAIA Main article : 1959 NAIA football season The NAIA championship game ( Camellia Bowl in Sacramento, California ) saw the Texas A&I Javelinas beat the Lenoir - Rhyne Bears, 20 -- 7. Minor conference champions This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. ( October 2016 ) Conference Champion ( s ) Record Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Hillsdale 6 -- 0 -- 0 See also 1959 NCAA University Division football rankings 1959 College Football All - America Team References Jump up ^ http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?appollid=223 ^ Jump up to : `` Orange win grid crown ''. Spokesman - Review. ( Spokane, Washington ). Associated Press. December 8, 1959. p. 18. ^ Jump up to : `` Syracuse runs off with title ''. Toledo Blade. ( Ohio ). Associated Press. December 8, 1959. p. 34. ^ Jump up to : `` Syracuse tops final grid poll by wide margin ''. Bend Bulletin. ( Oregon ). UPI. December 8, 1959. p. 2. ^ Jump up to : `` Syracuse is voted national champion by coaches board ''. Reading Eagle. ( Pennsylvania ). UPI. December 8, 1959. p. 23. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2011 - 10 - 02. Retrieved 2009 - 01 - 11. Jump up ^ `` UCLA Threat To Syracuse 's Title Hopes '', Oakland Tribune, December 1, 1959, p44 Jump up ^ `` Orange Rolls to 36 - 8 Win Over Bruins '', Oakland Tribune, December 6, 1959, p79 Jump up ^ `` Nation Votes Syracuse University Best On Gridiron '', Syracuse Herald Journal, December 8, 1959, p. 33 Jump up ^ `` 1959 Atlantic Coast Conference Year Summary ''. sports-reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2013. Jump up ^ `` LSU 's Billy Cannon Heisman Trophy winner ''. Eugene Register - Guard. ( Oregon ). Associated Press. December 2, 1959. p. 1D. Jump up ^ `` Billy Cannon ''. Heisman Trophy. 1959. Retrieved January 29, 2017. Jump up ^ http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/b/bowling_green/1955-1959_yearly_results.php Jump up ^ `` Bowling Green Is Voted No. 1 '', Lincoln Evening Journal, November 27, 1959, p14 Jump up ^ UPI ( November 27, 1959 ). `` Bowling Green Top Small College Football Team ''. Palladium - Item. Richmond, Indiana. Retrieved February 27, 2017 -- via newspapers.com. NCAA football seasons Pre-regulation 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 IAAUS / NCAA 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 NCAA University Division / Division I 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 NCAA Division I-A / FBS 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 NCAA Division I - AA / FCS 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 NCAA Division II 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 NCAA Division III 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1959_college_football_season&oldid=844592344 '' Categories : 1959 NCAA University Division football season Hidden categories : Articles to be expanded from October 2016 All articles to be expanded Articles using small message boxes Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 5 June 2018, at 21 : 22 ( UTC ). 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Question: who won the 1959 college football national championship
Answer: Syracuse University