# 1959 college football season

The 1959 college football season was the 91st season of intercollegiate football in the United States. It concluded with two teams having claim to the major college national championship:
* Syracuse compiled a perfect 11–0 record, including a victory over No. 4 Texas in the Cotton Bowl, and led the country in total offense (451.5 yards per game), scoring offense (39.0 points per game), total defense (96.2 yards per game), and rushing defense (19.3 yards per game). The Orangemen were ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press (AP) writers poll and United Press International (UPI) coaches poll and were also selected as the national champion by, among others, the Billingsley Report, Football Writers Association of America, College Football Researchers Association, Football News, Helms Athletic Foundation, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, and National Football Foundation. Guard Roger Davis was a unanimous All-American.
* Ole Miss compiled a 10–1 record, including a victory over No. 3 LSU in the Sugar Bowl, led the country in scoring defense (2.1 points per game), and was ranked No. 2 in the final AP and UP polls. The Rebels have been rated as the 1959 national champion by Berryman QPRS, Billingsley Report, Dunkel System, and Sagarin Ratings. Fullback Charlie Flowers was a unanimous All-American selection.
Three small college teams also claimed national championships:
* Bowling Green compiled a 9–0 record and was named the UPI small college national champion. Jack Harbaugh, who later gained fame as a coach (and the father of John an Jim Harbaugh), set a school record with three interceptions in the November 14 game against No. 1 Delaware.
* Florida A&M, led by Hall of Fame coach Jake Gaither, compiled a 10–0 record, defeated Prairie View A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic, and was selected as the black college national champion.
* Texas A&I compiled a 12–1 record and defeated Lenoir Rhyne in the Holiday Bowl to win the NAIA football national championship. It was the first of seven national championships for Texas A&I.
LSU halfback Billy Cannon won the Heisman Trophy, and Penn State quarterback Richie Lucas received the Maxwell Award. Individual statistical leaders in major college football included New Mexico State running back Pervis Atkins with 971 rushing yards and 107 points scored and Stanford quarterback Dick Norman with 1,963 passing yards and 2,018 yards of total offense.
A rule change in 1959 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 18½ feet.

## 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 had disbanded in June. The remaining four (Idaho, Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington State) became independents; Washington State joined 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 |

## Season chronology
### 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 No. 20 overall. As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games.
On September 19, No. 1 LSU beat Rice at home, 26–3. Oklahoma, Auburn, SMU, and Army had not yet opened their seasons; SMU and Army fell to 6th and 7th. No. 8 Mississippi, which won 16–0 at Houston, rose to 4th in the next poll. No. 18 Clemson moved up to 5th after its 20–18 win at No. 12 North Carolina. Three of the Top Five schools were from the SEC: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 Mississippi, and No. 5 Clemson
September 26 No. 1 LSU beat No. 9 TCU at home, 10–0. No. 2 Oklahoma lost its opener, falling 45–13 at No. 10 Northwestern, and dropped out of the Top 20 entirely, while Northwestern took its place. No. 3 Auburn lost at Tennessee 3–0 and fell to 17th place in the next poll. No. 4 Mississippi recorded another 16–0 win, this time at Kentucky, and rose to third. No. 5 Clemson won at 47–0 at Virginia, but fell to 6th. No. 7 Army returned to the Top 5 after its 44–8 win over Boston College. No. 13 Iowa, which had won at California 42–12, rose to fifth. The next poll was No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Mississippi, No. 4 Army, and No. 5 Iowa.

### October

October 3 No. 1 LSU and Baylor met at a game in Shreveport, with LSU winning 22–0. No. 2 Northwestern won at No. 5 Iowa, 14–10. No. 3 Mississippi registered a third shutout, beating Memphis State 43–0, but fell to fifth. No. 4 Army lost at Illinois, 20–14, and fell out of the Top 20 completely. No. 7 Georgia Tech which went to 3–0 after a 16–6 win over No. 6 Clemson, rose to 3rd in the poll. No. 10 Texas rose to fourth after its third shutout in a row, a 33–0 walloping of California. The poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Georgia Tech, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Mississippi.
October 10 No. 1 LSU beat the visiting Miami Hurricanes 27–3. No. 2 Northwestern beat Minnesota 6–0. No. 3 Georgia Tech won at No. 8 Tennessee, 14–7. In Dallas, No. 4 Texas defeated No. 13 Oklahoma 19–12. No. 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: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Georgia Tech, and No. 5 Mississippi.
On October 17, No. 1 LSU won at Kentucky, 9–0. No. 2 Northwestern won at Michigan 20–7. No. 3 Texas narrowly beat No. 12 Arkansas 13–12 in Little Rock. No. 4 Georgia Tech lost to No. 11 Auburn, 7–6. No. 5 Mississippi yielded some points for the first time in the season, but beat Tulane 53–7. The No. 7 USC Trojans rose to 5th after beating No. 18 Washington in Seattle, 22–15. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Mississippi, and No. 5 USC.
October 24 No. 1 LSU recorded its fourth shutout, winning 9–0 in Florida. No. 2 Northwestern killed another giant on the road, beating Notre Dame 30–24. No. 3 Texas defeated Rice 28–6. No. 4 Mississippi shut out No. 10 Arkansas 28–0 at Memphis. The No. 5 USC Trojans got past Stanford 30–28 and fell to 6th. Taking USC's place was No. 6 Syracuse, which had beaten West Virginia 44–0 to reach the 5–0 mark. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Mississippi, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Syracuse.
October 31 No. 1 LSU and No. 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. No. 2 Northwestern beat visiting Indiana 30–13. No. 4 Texas beat SMU in Dallas, 21–0. No. 5 Syracuse won at Pittsburgh, 35–0, and rose to fourth. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Syracuse, and No. 5 Mississippi.

### November

November 7 No. 1 LSU traveled to Knoxville to face No. 13 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 No. 2 Northwestern, which fell to visiting No. 9 Wisconsin, 24–19, and dropped to 6th. Northwestern would close the season on a three-game losing streak after a 6-0 start. No. 3 Texas won a close one over Baylor, 13–12, and rose to 2nd. No. 4 Syracuse, which had won at No. 7 Penn State 20–18, was catapulted to the No. 1 spot. No. 5 Mississippi crushed UT-Chattanooga 58–0. No. 6 USC returned to the Top Five after a 36–0 win over West Virginia. The next poll was No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 USC, and No. 5 Mississippi.
November 14 No. 1 Syracuse exercised its top status, brushing off overmatched Colgate 71–0. No. 2 Texas lost to No. 18 TCU, 14–9, and No. 3 LSU returned to its winning ways, beating Mississippi State at home, 27–0. No. 4 USC beat Baylor 17–8. No. 5 Mississippi beat No. 9 Tennessee in Memphis, 37–7. The poll changed slightly: No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Mississippi, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 USC, and No. 5 Texas.
November 21 No. 1 Syracuse won at Boston University, 46–0, for its fifth shutout as it reached the 9–0 mark. No. 3 LSU beat Tulane 14–6, then accepted an invitation to play in the Sugar Bowl. No. 4 USC lost to rival UCLA, 10–3 and fell to 7th. No. 9 Wisconsin, which closed its season and clinched the Big Ten title with an 11–7 win at Minnesota, rose to 5th. No. 2 Mississippi and No. 5 Texas were idle. The next poll: No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Mississippi, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Wisconsin.
On Thanksgiving Day, No. 4 Texas won 20–17 at Texas A&M. No. 1 Syracuse was idle as it prepared for its December 5 trip to Los Angeles to play UCLA. On Saturday, November 28, No. 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 No. 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 No. 6 Wisconsin against No. 8 Washington. The penultimate poll was No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Mississippi, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Georgia.
On December 5, No. 1 Syracuse closed its season with trip to the Los Angeles Coliseum to face the upset-minded (but 5–3–1) No. 17 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, Syracuse was voted No. 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. The Orangemen prepared to play SWC champion Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

## Conference standings
### Major college standings

1959 Athletic Association of Western Universities football standings :
| 1959 Athletic Association of Western Universities football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 Washington ^ + 3 –1 –010 –1 –0 No. 14 USC + 3 –1 –08 –2 –0 UCLA + 3 –1 –05 –4 –1 California 1 –3 –02 –8 –0 Stanford 0 –4 –03 –7 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – Selected as Rose Bowl representativeRankings from AP Poll | 1959 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 11 Clemson $ 6 –1 –09 –2 –0 North Carolina 5 –2 –05 –5 –0 Maryland 4 –2 –05 –5 –0 South Carolina 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Wake Forest 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Duke 2 –3 –04 –6 –0 NC State 0 –6 –01 –9 –0 Virginia 0 –5 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll | 1959 Big Seven Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 15 Oklahoma $ 5 –1 –07 –3 –0 No. 18 Missouri 4 –2 –06 –5 –0 Colorado 3 –3 –05 –5 –0 Iowa State 3 –3 –07 –3 –0 Kansas 3 –3 –05 –5 –0 Nebraska 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Kansas State 1 –5 –02 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll |
| 1959 Big Ten Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Wisconsin $ 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 Michigan State 4 –2 –05 –4 –0 Purdue 4 –2 –15 –2 –2 No. 13 Illinois 4 –2 –15 –3 –1 Northwestern 4 –3 –06 –3 –0 Iowa 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 Michigan 3 –4 –04 –5 –0 Indiana 2 –4 –14 –4 –1 Ohio State 2 –4 –13 –5 –1 Minnesota 1 –6 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll | 1959 Border Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Arizona State $ 5 –0 –010 –1 –0 Arizona 2 –1 –04 –6 –0 New Mexico State 2 –2 –08 –3 –0 Hardin–Simmons 2 –2 –03 –7 –0 Texas Western 2 –3 –03 –7 –0 West Texas State 0 –5 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1959 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Penn $ 6 –1 –07 –1 –1 Dartmouth 5 –1 –15 –3 –1 Harvard 4 –3 –06 –3 –0 Yale 4 –3 –06 –3 –0 Cornell 3 –4 –05 –4 –0 Princeton 3 –4 –04 –5 –0 Brown 1 –5 –12 –6 –1 Columbia 1 –6 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1959 Missouri Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T North Texas State + 3 –1 –09 –2 –0 Houston + 3 –1 –03 –7 –0 Tulsa 2 –2 –05 –5 –0 Wichita 1 –2 –15 –4 –1 Cincinnati 0 –3 –15 –4 –1 + – Conference co-champions | 1959 Skyline Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 16 Wyoming $ 7 –0 –09 –1 –0 Colorado State 5 –2 –06 –4 –0 New Mexico 4 –2 –07 –3 –0 Utah 3 –2 –05 –5 –0 Utah State 2 –5 –05 –6 –0 BYU 2 –5 –03 –7 –0 Denver 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Montana 1 –5 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll | 1959 Southeastern Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Georgia $ 7 –0 –010 –1 –0 No. 3 LSU 5 –1 –09 –2 –0 No. 2 Ole Miss # 5 –1 –010 –1 –0 No. 10 Alabama 4 –1 –27 –2 –2 Auburn 4 –3 –07 –3 –0 Vanderbilt 3 –2 –25 –3 –2 Georgia Tech 3 –3 –06 –5 –0 Tennessee 3 –4 –15 –4 –1 No. 19 Florida 2 –4 –05 –4 –1 Kentucky 1 –6 –04 –6 –0 Tulane 0 –5 –13 –6 –1 Mississippi State 0 –7 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion$^#$ Berryman, Billingsley, Dunkel, Sagarin national championRankings from AP Poll |
| 1959 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T VMI $ 5 –0 –18 –1 –1 The Citadel 5 –1 –08 –2 –0 Virginia Tech 3 –1 –06 –4 –0 Furman 3 –2 –03 –7 –0 Richmond 4 –3 –14 –5 –1 West Virginia 2 –2 –03 –7 –0 William & Mary 2 –5 –04 –6 –0 Davidson 0 –5 –01 –8 –0 George Washington 0 –5 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll | 1959 Southwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 9 Arkansas + 5 –1 –09 –2 –0 No. 4 Texas + 5 –1 –09 –2 –0 No. 7 TCU + 5 –1 –08 –3 –0 SMU 2 –3 –15 –4 –1 Baylor 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Rice 1 –4 –11 –7 –2 Texas A&M 0 –6 –03 –7 –0 + – Conference co-championsRankings from AP Poll | 1959 NCAA University Division independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Syracuse   –  11 –0 –0 No. 12 Penn State   –  9 –2 –0 Oregon   –  8 –2 –0 Detroit   –  6 –4 –0 Holy Cross   –  6 –4 –0 Miami (FL)   –  6 –4 –0 Oklahoma State   –  6 –4 –0 No. 20 Pittsburgh   –  6 –4 –0 Washington State   –  6 –4 –0 Boston College   –  5 –4 –0 Pacific (CA)   –  5 –4 –0 Air Force   –  5 –4 –1 Navy   –  5 –4 –1 Army   –  4 –4 –1 No. 17 Notre Dame   –  5 –5 –0 Boston University   –  4 –5 –0 Florida State   –  4 –6 –0 San Jose State   –  4 –6 –0 Texas Tech   –  4 –6 –0 Dayton   –  3 –7 –0 Marquette   –  3 –7 –0 Oregon State   –  3 –7 –0 Colgate   –  2 –7 –0 Idaho   –  1 –9 –0 Villanova   –  1 –9 –0 Rankings from AP Poll |

### Small college standings

1959 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings :
| 1959 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 20 Arkansas State Teachers + 5 –0 –18 –0 –1 Henderson State + 5 –0 –16 –2 –1 Southern State (AR) 5 –2 –06 –3 –0 Arkansas Tech 4 –3 –04 –3 –0 Ouachita Baptist 2 –4 –03 –7 –0 Arkansas A&M 2 –5 –02 –6 –0 Hendrix 1 –4 –11 –6 –1 Ozarks 0 –6 –10 –9 –1 + – Conference co-championsRankings from NAIA poll | 1959 Badger-Gopher Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Lakeland + 3 –1 –03 –2 –1 Northland + 3 –1 –03 –5 –0 Northwestern (WI) 2 –2 –05 –2 –0 Bethel (MN) 1 –3 –01 –7 –0 Milton 1 –3 –0 ? – ? – ? + – Conference co-champions | 1959 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Fresno State $ 5 –0 –07 –3 –0 Los Angeles State 3 –2 –07 –3 –0 Cal Poly 3 –2 –06 –3 –0 UC Santa Barbara 2 –3 –06 –4 –0 Long Beach State 2 –3 –04 –5 –0 San Diego State 0 –5 –01 –6 –1 $ – Conference champion |
| 1959 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T North Carolina A&T $ 5 –0 –06 –2 –0 Virginia Union 7 –0 –17 –0 –2 Virginia State 7 –2 –07 –2 –0 St. Augustine's 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 Winston-Salem State 5 –2 –06 –2 –0 Maryland State 6 –1 –06 –1 –1 Johnson C. Smith 5 –4 –05 –4 –0 North Carolina College 3 –3 –04 –4 –1 Saint Paul's (VA) 3 –4 –03 –4 –0 Hampton 4 –4 –04 –4 –1 Elizabeth City State 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 Howard 2 –4 –03 –5 –0 Lincoln (PA) 2 –4 –03 –6 –0 Fayetteville State 1 –6 –01 –7 –0 Shaw 1 –6 –11 –6 –1 Bluefield State 1 –4 –03 –6 –0 Delaware State 1 –6 –01 –7 –0 Morgan State 1 –6 –01 –6 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1959 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T St. Benedict's $ 5 –0 –07 –3 –0 Pittsburg State 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 Washburn 2 –3 –03 –6 –0 Emporia State 2 –3 –02 –7 –0 Fort Hays State 1 –4 –03 –6 –0 Omaha 1 –4 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1959 College Conference of Illinois football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Wheaton (IL) $ 6 –0 –16 –1 –2 Illinois Wesleyan 5 –2 –06 –3 –0 Carroll (WI) 4 –2 –15 –2 –1 Augustana (IL) 4 –3 –05 –3 –0 North Central (IL) 3 –2 –24 –3 –2 Lake Forest 2 –5 –03 –5 –0 Millikin 2 –5 –02 –6 –0 Elmhurst 0 –7 –00 –7 –1 $ – Conference champion |
| 1959 Evergreen Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 19 Whitworth $ 4 –1 –09 –1 –0 Puget Sound 3 –1 –16 –1 –1 Central Washington 3 –2 –03 –6 –0 Western Washington 2 –3 –03 –5 –0 Eastern Washington 1 –3 –12 –6 –1 Pacific Lutheran 1 –3 –11 –6 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA poll | 1959 Far Western Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 17 San Francisco State $ 5 –0 –010 –0 –0 Humboldt State 4 –1 –09 –1 –0 Nevada 3 –2 –04 –3 –0 Chico State 2 –3 –04 –4 –0 Sacramento State 1 –4 –02 –7 –0 UC Davis 0 –5 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from UPI small college poll | 1959 Frontier Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Arizona State–Flagstaff $ 3 –0 –06 –2 –1 Panhandle A&M 2 –1 –04 –5 –1 New Mexico Western 0 –2 –13 –3 –1 New Mexico Highlands 0 –2 –12 –5 –2 $ – Conference champion |
| 1959 Gulf States Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Louisiana Tech $ 5 –0 –09 –1 –0 McNeese State 2 –3 –06 –3 –0 Northwestern State 2 –3 –04 –5 –1 Southwestern Louisiana 2 –3 –04 –5 –0 Southeastern Louisiana 1 –4 –03 –2 –0 Northeast Louisiana State 1 –4 –02 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA poll | 1959 Hoosier Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Anderson (IN) $ 5 –0 –07 –1 –0 Taylor 3 –2 –06 –3 –0 Franklin (IN) 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Hanover 2 –3 –02 –6 –1 Indiana Central 1 –3 –13 –5 –1 Manchester (IN) 0 –4 –13 –5 –1 + – Conference co-champions | 1959 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Butler $ 6 –0 –09 –0 –0 Evansville 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 Indiana State 3 –3 –05 –3 –0 Saint Joseph's (IN) 3 –3 –04 –4 –0 Valparaiso 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 DePauw 1 –5 –01 –7 –1 Ball State 1 –5 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1959 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Western Illinois $ 6 –0 –09 –0 –0 No. 17 Northern Illinois State 4 –2 –07 –2 –0 Central Michigan 4 –2 –07 –3 –0 Southern Illinois 4 –2 –05 –4 –0 Eastern Illinois 1 –4 –13 –5 –1 Eastern Michigan 1 –5 –01 –7 –0 Illinois State Normal 0 –5 –13 –5 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA poll | 1959 Iowa Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Wartburg $ 8 –0 –08 –1 –0 Buena Vista 7 –1 –08 –1 –0 Luther 6 –2 –06 –3 –0 Iowa Wesleyan 5 –3 –05 –4 –0 Dubuque 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Parsons 3 –5 –03 –7 –0 Central (IA) 2 –6 –03 –6 –0 Upper Iowa 1 –7 –01 –8 –0 Simpson (IA) 0 –8 –00 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1959 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T College of Emporia $ 7 –0 –09 –1 –0 Ottawa 6 –1 –06 –3 –0 Baker 5 –2 –05 –4 –0 Kansas Wesleyan 3 –3 –13 –5 –1 McPherson 3 –4 –04 –5 –0 Bethany (KS) 2 –4 –14 –4 –1 Friends 1 –6 –01 –8 –0 Bethel (KS) 0 –7 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1959 Lone Star Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Texas A&I +^ 6 –1 –012 –1 –0 No. 4 East Texas State + 6 –1 –09 –1 –0 Lamar Tech 4 –3 –08 –3 –0 Stephen F. Austin 4 –3 –04 –6 –1 Sam Houston State 3 –4 –05 –5 –0 Howard Payne 3 –4 –03 –7 –0 Southwest Texas State 2 –5 –04 –6 –0 Sul Ross 0 –7 –00 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA poll | 1959 Mason–Dixon Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Johns Hopkins $ 2 –1 –07 –1 –0 Western Maryland 2 –1 –15 –2 –2 Hampden–Sydney 2 –1 –15 –3 –1 Randolph–Macon 2 –2 –14 –2 –3 Bridgewater 1 –3 –02 –6 –0 Gallaudet 0 –2 –03 –3 –0 $ – Conference championConference standings were based on the Dickinson Scoring System. | 1959 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Hillsdale $^ 6 –0 –08 –2 –0 Hope 5 –1 –08 –1 –0 Alma 4 –2 –05 –4 –0 Albion 3 –3 –04 –4 –0 Olivet 1 –5 –03 –5 –0 Adrian 1 –5 –02 –6 –0 Kalamazoo 1 –5 –02 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA poll |
| 1959 Mid-American Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Bowling Green $ 6 –0 –09 –0 –0 No. 9 Ohio 4 –2 –07 –2 –0 No. 19 Miami (OH) 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Kent State 3 –3 –05 –3 –0 Western Michigan 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 Marshall 1 –4 –01 –8 –0 Toledo 0 –6 –02 –6 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from UPI small college poll | 1959 Mid-Ohio League football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Bluffton $ 5 –0 –06 –3 –0 Findlay 3 –1 –15 –3 –1 Ashland 3 –1 –14 –3 –2 Ohio Northern 2 –3 –03 –6 –0 Defiance 1 –4 –01 –8 –0 Wilmington (OH) 0 –5 –01 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1959 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T University Division Delaware x 5 –0 –08 –1 –0 Gettysburg 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Lafayette 4 –3 –05 –4 –0 Bucknell 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 Rutgers 2 –2 –06 –3 –0 Lehigh 2 –3 –04 –5 –0 Temple 0 –5 –00 –9 –0 Muhlenberg * 1 –2 –03 –6 –0 Northern College Division Albright x 6 –1 –07 –3 –0 Juniata 5 –1 –07 –1 –0 Wagner 5 –1 –06 –2 –0 Lebanon Valley 3 –2 –05 –3 –0 Susquehanna 3 –2 –04 –3 –0 Moravian 2 –4 –03 –5 –0 Wilkes 2 –5 –02 –5 –0 Lycoming 1 –4 –03 –5 –0 Scranton * 3 –1 –05 –4 –0 Southern College Division Johns Hopkins x 6 –0 –07 –1 –0 Pennsylvania Military 6 –2 –06 –2 –0 Western Maryland 3 –2 –15 –2 –2 Ursinus 2 –5 –02 –6 –0 Dickinson 1 –5 –01 –7 –0 Haverford 0 –5 –01 –5 –0 Drexel 0 –5 –01 –6 –0 Franklin & Marshall * 1 –2 –14 –3 –1 Swarthmore * 1 –3 –02 –5 –0 West Chester * 0 –0 –07 –1 –0 x – Division champion/co-champions * – Ineligible for championship due to insufficient conference games |
| 1959 Midwest Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Tennessee A&I $ 3 –0 –09 –1 –0 No. 21 Kentucky State 1 –1 –13 –5 –1 No. 22 Central State (OH) 1 –2 –04 –3 –1 No. 11 Lincoln (MO) 0 –2 –17 –2 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from Associated Negro Press | 1959 Midwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Coe $ 8 –0 –08 –0 –0 Cornell (IA) 7 –1 –07 –1 –0 St. Olaf 6 –2 –06 –2 –0 Beloit 4 –4 –04 –4 –0 Lawrence 4 –4 –04 –4 –0 Ripon 4 –4 –04 –4 –0 Carleton 3 –5 –03 –5 –0 Knox 2 –6 –02 –6 –0 Grinnell 1 –7 –01 –7 –0 Monmouth (IL) 1 –7 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1959 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Gustavus Adolphus $ 7 –0 –08 –1 –0 Concordia (MN) 6 –1 –07 –2 –0 Minnesota–Duluth 4 –2 –15 –2 –1 Saint John's (MN) 4 –3 –05 –3 –0 St. Thomas (MN) 3 –3 –14 –3 –1 Augsburg 2 –5 –03 –5 –0 Macalester 1 –6 –02 –6 –0 Hamline 0 –7 –00 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1959 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 15 William Jewell $ 3 –0 –08 –1 –0 Missouri Valley 2 –1 –07 –2 –0 Culver–Stockton 1 –2 –16 –3 –1 Tarkio 1 –2 –13 –5 –1 Central (MO) 0 –2 –00 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA poll | 1959 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T SE Missouri State $ 5 –0 –07 –2 –0 NE Missouri State 3 –1 –17 –1 –1 NW Missouri State 2 –2 –13 –3 –2 Missouri–Rolla 2 –3 –04 –4 –0 SW Missouri State 1 –4 –04 –5 –0 Central Missouri State 1 –4 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1959 Montana Collegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Eastern Montana + 4 –1 –05 –2 –0 Rocky Mountain + 4 –1 –04 –2 –0 Carroll (MT) 3 –2 –04 –4 –0 Western Montana 3 –2 –05 –2 –1 Northern Montana 1 –4 –01 –6 –0 Montana Mines 0 –5 –0 ? – ? – ? + – Conference co-champions |
| 1959 Nebraska College Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Kearney State $ 7 –0 –08 –2 –0 Peru State 6 –1 –07 –1 –0 Chadron State 5 –2 –06 –2 –0 Doane 5 –3 –15 –3 –1 Nebraska Wesleyan 4 –3 –15 –3 –1 Wayne State (NE) 4 –3 –14 –4 –1 Hastings 2 –2 –33 –2 –3 Concordia (NE) 2 –6 –03 –6 –0 Dana 0 –7 –00 –8 –0 Midland 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1959 North Central Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Augustana (SD) $ 4 –1 –16 –2 –1 North Dakota State 3 –2 –14 –4 –1 South Dakota 3 –2 –14 –5 –1 Iowa State Teachers 3 –3 –06 –3 –0 Morningside 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 South Dakota State 2 –4 –02 –7 –0 North Dakota 1 –4 –12 –5 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1959 North Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Mayville State $ 5 –0 –16 –0 –1 Dickinson State 4 –2 –05 –2 –0 Minot State 2 –2 –23 –2 –2 Valley City State 3 –3 –04 –3 –0 Wahpeton Science 2 –2 –22 –2 –2 Jamestown 1 –4 –12 –5 –1 Ellendale 1 –5 –02 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1959 North State Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. Lenoir Rhyne $^ 6 –0 –010 –1 –0 Appalachian State 5 –1 –06 –4 –0 Western Carolina 4 –2 –07 –2 –1 East Carolina 3 –3 –05 –6 –0 Catawba 2 –4 –02 –7 –1 Guilford 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 Elon 0 –6 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA poll | 1959 Northern State College Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Bemidji State + 4 –1 –06 –1 –1 Michigan Tech + 4 –1 –06 –2 –0 Mankato State + 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 Winona State 2 –3 –02 –5 –0 St. Cloud State 1 –4 –02 –6 –0 Moorhead State 0 –5 –00 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1959 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Willamette $ 3 –1 –15 –3 –1 Lewis & Clark 3 –2 –04 –5 –0 College of Idaho 2 –2 –16 –3 –1 Whitman 2 –3 –05 –3 –0 Pacific (OR) 2 –3 –04 –5 –0 Linfield 1 –2 –24 –3 –2 $ – Conference champion |
| 1959 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Middle Tennessee + 5 –0 –110 –0 –1 Tennessee Tech + 5 –0 –17 –2 –2 East Tennessee State 4 –2 –07 –3 –0 Western Kentucky 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 Eastern Kentucky 2 –4 –03 –6 –0 Morehead State 1 –5 –03 –6 –0 Murray State 0 –6 –00 –10 –0 + – Conference co-championsRankings from UPI small college poll | 1959 Mid-Ohio League football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Bluffton $ 5 –0 –06 –3 –0 Findlay 3 –1 –15 –3 –1 Ashland 3 –1 –14 –3 –2 Ohio Northern 2 –3 –03 –6 –0 Defiance 1 –4 –01 –8 –0 Wilmington (OH) 0 –5 –01 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1959 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Langston $ 6 –0 –07 –1 –0 No. 11 Central State (OK) 5 –1 –08 –1 –0 East Central 4 –2 –08 –4 –0 SW Oklahoma State 3 –3 –03 –6 –1 Northeastern State 2 –4 –03 –6 –0 NW Oklahoma State 1 –5 –04 –5 –0 SE Oklahoma State 0 –6 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA poll |
| 1959 Oregon Collegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Oregon Tech $ 4 –0 –06 –2 –0 Southern Oregon 3 –1 –04 –5 –0 Eastern Oregon 2 –2 –03 –6 –0 Portland State 1 –3 –01 –8 –0 Oregon College 0 –4 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1959 Prairie College Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Illinois College + 1 –0 –13 –2 –2 Principia + 1 –0 –14 –3 –1 Rose Poly 0 –2 –02 –4 –1 + – Conference co-champions | 1959 Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 10/10 West Chester $ 5 –1 –07 –1 –0 California (PA) 4 –2 –06 –2 –0 Shippensburg 5 –2 –06 –2 –0 Clarion 4 –1 –16 –1 –1 East Stroudsburg 3 –2 –05 –2 –2 Lock Haven 5 –2 –06 –2 –0 Millersville 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 Slippery Rock 2 –3 –02 –6 –0 Edinboro 2 –3 –13 –4 –1 Bloomsburg 2 –4 –05 –2 –1 Indiana (PA) 1 –3 –13 –4 –1 Mansfield 1 –4 –22 –4 –2 Kutztown 1 –2 –13 –4 –1 Cheyney 0 –6 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference championConference standings were based on the Saylor system of ratings.Rankings from NAIA poll and UPI small college poll |
| 1959 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T John Carroll $ 6 –0 –07 –0 –0 Allegheny 4 –1 –06 –2 –0 Wayne State (MI) 4 –1 –04 –3 –0 Western Reserve 3 –2 –03 –4 –0 Thiel 1 –4 –11 –5 –1 Case Tech 1 –4 –01 –6 –0 Bethany (WV) 1 –4 –01 –8 –0 Washington & Jefferson 0 –4 –11 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1959 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Idaho State $ 3 –0 –06 –2 –0 Adams State 3 –1 –08 –1 –0 Colorado State–Greeley 3 –2 –07 –2 –0 Colorado College 2 –3 –04 –4 –0 Colorado Mines 1 –3 –04 –6 –0 Western State (CO) 1 –4 –03 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1959 South Central Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Mississippi Vocational $ 3 –1 –03 –4 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Mississippi Industrial]] 2 –1 –04 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Paul Quinn]] 1 –2 –14 –4 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Alcorn A&M]] 2 –2 –03 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Leland]] 0 –2 –11 –4 –3 $ – Conference champion |
| 1959 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 14 [[{{{school}}}|Huron]] + 7 –1 –09 –1 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Southern State (SD)]] + 7 –1 –07 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|General Beadle]] 5 –2 –15 –2 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Northern State]] 5 –3 –05 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Dakota Wesleyan]] 3 –4 –13 –5 –1 [[{{{school}}}|South Dakota Tech]] 3 –4 –03 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Sioux Falls]] 2 –5 –02 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Black Hills]] 1 –6 –01 –6 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Yankton]] 0 –7 –00 –8 –0 + – Conference co-championsRankings from NAIA poll | 1959 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 18 [[{{{school}}}|Whittier]] $ 5 –0 –08 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Redlands]] 4 –1 –06 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Pomona]] 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Occidental]] 2 –3 –03 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Caltech]] 1 –4 –01 –7 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Claremont-Mudd]] 0 –5 –01 –7 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA poll | 1959 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Southern $ 7 –0 –08 –2 –0 No. 16 Prairie View A&M 6 –1 –09 –2 –0 Texas Southern 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 Jackson State 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Arkansas AM&N 2 –5 –04 –6 –0 Grambling 2 –5 –04 –6 –0 Texas College 2 –5 –04 –6 –0 Wiley 0 –7 –02 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA poll |
| 1959 Virginia Little Eight Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T [[{{{school}}}|Emory and Henry]] * 1 –0 –07 –3 –0 Randolph–Macon $ 1 –0 –14 –2 –3 Hampden–Sydney 1 –1 –15 –3 –1 Bridgewater 0 –2 –02 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion * – Emory and Henry did not play enough conference games to be eligible for the championship. | 1959 West Penn Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T [[{{{school}}}|Westminster (PA)]] $ 5 –0 –06 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Carnegie Tech]] 3 –1 –07 –1 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Geneva]] 2 –2 –07 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Saint Vincent]] 1 –3 –03 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Grove City]] 0 –2 –13 –5 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Waynesburg]] 0 –3 –11 –6 –2 $ – Conference champion | 1959 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Eastern Division [[{{{school}}}|West Liberty State]] x 4 –3 –04 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Shepherd]] 3 –2 –04 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|West Virginia State]] 2 –2 –02 –5 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Davis & Elkins]] 1 –6 –01 –6 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Salem]] 0 –8 –00 –8 –0 Bluefield State * 0 –1 –03 –6 –0 Western Division No. 12 [[{{{school}}}|Fairmont State]] x$ 8 –0 –08 –1 –0 [[{{{school}}}|West Virginia Tech]] 4 –1 –07 –1 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Potomac State]] 4 –2 –07 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|West Virginia Wesleyan]] 5 –2 –06 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Glenville State]] 4 –3 –04 –3 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Concord]] 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 Bethany (WV) * 0 –1 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-champions * – Did not qualify for conference standings Salem forfeited seven conference wins, over Concord, Davis & Elkins, Glenville State, Potomac State, West Liberty State, West Virginia State, and West Virginia Wesleyan. Conference standings based on power ratings Rankings from NAIA poll |
| 1959 Wisconsin State College Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T [[{{{school}}}|Whitewater State]] $ 6 –0 –07 –1 –1 [[{{{school}}}|La Crosse State]] 5 –1 –08 –1 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Superior State]] 3 –1 –24 –3 –2 [[{{{school}}}|Stevens Point State]] 3 –3 –14 –3 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Milwaukee]] 3 –3 –04 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Oshkosh State]] 2 –3 –23 –3 –2 [[{{{school}}}|Eau Claire State]] 2 –4 –12 –5 –1 [[{{{school}}}|River Falls State]] 2 –4 –12 –6 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Platteville State]] 2 –4 –02 –6 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Stout State]] 0 –5 –12 –5 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1959 Yankee Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Connecticut $ 4 –0 –06 –3 –0 UMass 2 –2 –03 –5 –1 Maine 1 –2 –23 –3 –2 New Hampshire 1 –2 –13 –3 –2 Rhode Island 1 –2 –13 –5 –1 Vermont 0 –1 –04 –3 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1959 NCAA College Division independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Hofstra   –  9 –0 –0 Howard (AL)   –  9 –1 –0 Buffalo   –  8 –1 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Carnegie Tech]]   –  7 –1 –0 Cal Poly Pomona   –  7 –1 –1 [[{{{school}}}|North Park]]   –  6 –1 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Santa Clara]]   –  4 –1 –0 No. 8 [[{{{school}}}|Southern Connecticut State]] ^   –  8 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Northern Michigan]]   –  6 –2 –0 UC Riverside   –  5 –2 –0 Montana State   –  6 –3 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Carthage]]   –  5 –3 –1 Louisville   –  6 –4 –0 Memphis State   –  6 –4 –0 Mississippi Southern   –  6 –4 –0 Arlington State   –  4 –3 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Sewanee]]   –  4 –3 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Abilene Christian]]   –  5 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Baldwin–Wallace]]   –  4 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Washington and Lee]]   –  3 –4 –1 Xavier   –  4 –6 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Wabash]]   –  3 –5 –1 Rose Poly   –  2 –4 –1 Arkansas State   –  3 –6 –0 Hawaii   –  3 –6 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Trinity (TX)]]   –  3 –6 –0 Pepperdine   –  2 –5 –1 Chattanooga   –  3 –7 –0 Tampa   –  3 –7 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Drake]]   –  2 –7 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Northeastern]]   –  1 –6 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Washington University]]   –  1 –7 –0 [[{{{school}}}|St. Norbert]]   –  0 –6 –1 ^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA poll |
| 1959 NAIA independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T [[{{{school}}}|Austin]]   –  8 –2 –0 No. 9 [[{{{school}}}|McMurry]]   –  8 –2 –0 No. 8 [[{{{school}}}|Southern Connecticut State]] ^   –  8 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Georgetown (KY)]]   –  5 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Oklahoma Panhandle State]]   –  4 –5 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Eastern New Mexico]]   –  4 –6 –0 [[{{{school}}}|La Verne]]   –  3 –6 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Carson–Newman]]   –  1 –7 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Earlham]]   –  1 –7 –0 ^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA poll |

## Bowl games
### Major bowls

Friday, January 1, 1960
| COTTON | No. 1 Syracuse Orangemen | 23 | No. 4 Texas Longhorns | 14 |
| SUGAR | No. 2 Mississippi Rebels | 21 | No. 3 LSU Tigers | 0 |
| ROSE | No. 8 Washington Huskies | 44 | No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers | 8 |
| ORANGE | No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs | 14 | No. 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, who would become the Commissioner of the National Football League in late-January.

### 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 | No. 9 Arkansas | 14–7 | Georgia Tech |
| BLUEBONNET | Houston, TX | December 19 | No. 11 Clemson | 23–7 | No. 7 TCU |
| LIBERTY | Philadelphia, PA | December 19 | No. 12 Penn State | 7–0 | No. 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.

### NAIA postseason

| Semifinals December 5, 1959 | Semifinals December 5, 1959 | Semifinals December 5, 1959 | Championship December 19, 1959 Holiday Bowl | Championship December 19, 1959 Holiday Bowl | Championship December 19, 1959 Holiday Bowl |
| Hillsdale | Hillsdale | 0 | | | |
| Texas A&I* | Texas A&I* | 20 | | | |
| Texas A&I* | Texas A&I* | 20 | Texas A&I | Texas A&I | 20 |
| | | | Lenoir Rhyne | Lenoir Rhyne | 7 |
| [[{{{school}}}|Southern Connecticut State]] | [[{{{school}}}|Southern Connecticut State]] | 20 | Lenoir Rhyne | Lenoir Rhyne | 7 |
| Lenoir Rhyne* | Lenoir Rhyne* | 47 | | | |

## Rankings
### Major college polls

Final polls were released in the first week of December.
AP writers poll :
| Rank | Team | 1st | Points |
| 1 | Syracuse | 134 | 1768 |
| 2 | Ole Miss | 47 | 1444 |
| 3 | LSU | 6 | 1284 |
| 4 | Texas | 1 | 1028 |
| 5 | Georgia | 3 | 876 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | 5 | 724 |
| 7 | TCU | - | 580 |
| 8 | Washington | - | 428 |
| 9 | Arkansas | - | 301 |
| 10 | Alabama | 5 | 301 |
| 11 | Clemson | - | 239 |
| 12 | Penn State | - | 190 |
| 13 | Illinois | - | 104 |
| 14 | USC | - | 94 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | - | 68 |
| 16 | Wyoming | - | 60 |
| 17 | Notre Dame | - | 46 |
| 18 | Missouri | - | 40 |
| 19 | Florida | - | 34 |
| 20 | Pittsburgh | - | 30 |
UPI coaches poll :
| Rank | Team | 1st | Points |
| 1 | Syracuse | 31 | 342 |
| 2 | Ole Miss | 3 | 285 |
| 3 | LSU | - | 258 |
| 4 | Texas | - | 247 |
| 5 | Georgia | - | 184 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | - | 157 |
| 7 | Washington | 1 | 121 |
| 8 | TCU | - | 103 |
| 9 | Arkansas | - | 65 |
| 10 | Penn State | - | 42 |
| 11 | Clemson | - | 38 |
| 12 | Illinois | - | 19 |
| 13 | Alabama | - | 17 |
| 13 | USC | - | 17 |
| 15 | Auburn | - | 8 |
| 16 | Michigan State | - | 5 |
| 17 | Oklahoma | - | 4 |
| 18 | Notre Dame | - | 3 |
| 19 | Florida | - | 2 |
| 19 | Pittsburgh | - | 2 |
| 19 | Missouri | - | 2 |

### 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 |
| 1 | Bowling Green | 9–0 | 23 | 407 |
| 2 | Mississippi Southern | 6–3 | 5 | 247 |
| 3 | Middle Tennessee | 9–0 | 2 | 231 |
| 4 | Delaware | 8–1 | 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 | 2 | 81 |
| 9 | Ohio | 7–2 | | 76 |
| 10 | West Chester | 7–1 | | 71 |

## Award season
### Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player
| Player | School | Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total |
| Billy Cannon | LSU | HB | 519 | 147 | 78 | 1,929 |
| Richie Lucas | Penn State | QB | 97 | 109 | 104 | 613 |
| Don Meredith | SMU | QB | 26 | 67 | 74 | 286 |
| Bill Burrell | Illinois | G | 23 | 47 | 33 | 196 |
| Charlie Flowers | Ole Miss | FB | 11 | 58 | 44 | 193 |
| Dean Look | Michigan State | HB | 23 | 41 | 25 | 176 |
| Dale Hackbart | Wisconsin | QB | 19 | 21 | 35 | 134 |
| Dwight Nichols | Iowa State | HB | 21 | 25 | 13 | 126 |
| Monty Stickles | Notre Dame | E | 16 | 21 | 36 | 126 |
| Ron Burton | Northwestern | HB | 10 | 28 | 36 | 122 |
Source:

### All-Americans

For the year 1960, the NCAA recognizes six published All-American teams as "official" designations for purposes of its consensus determinations. The following chart identifies the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans and displays which first-team designations they received.
| Name | Position | School | Number | Official | Other |
| Mike Ditka | End | Pittsburgh | 6/6 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI | CP, Time, WC |
| Dan LaRose | End | Missouri | 6/6 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI | CP, Time, WC |
| Bob Lilly | Tackle | TCU | 6/6 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI | CP, Time, WC |
| Tom Brown | Guard | Minnesota | 6/6 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI | CP, Time, WC |
| Joe Bellino | Halfback | Navy | 6/6 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI | CP, Time, WC |
| Bob Ferguson | Fullback | Ohio State | 6/6 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI | CP, Time, WC |
| Jake Gibbs | Quarterback | Ole Miss | 6/6 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI | CP, WC |
| Ken Rice | Tackle | Auburn | 5/6 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, SN, UPI | CP, Time, WC |
| E. J. Holub | Center | Texas Tech | 5/6 | AFCA, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI | CP, Time, WC |
| Joe Romig | Guard | Colorado | 3/6 | AFCA, FWAA, UPI | WC |
| Ernie Davis | Halfback | Syracuse | 2/6 | AFCA, UPI | WC |

### Other awards

* Maxwell Award - Richie Lucas, Penn State
* Sammy Baugh Trophy - Dick Norman, Stanford
* Outland Trophy (best lineman) - Mike McGee, Duke
* AFCA Coach of the Year Award - Ben Schwartzwalder, Syracuse
* FWAA Coach of the Year Award - Ben Schwartzwalder, Syracuse

## Statistical leaders
### Individual
#### Total offense

The following players were the individual leaders in total offense during the 1959 season:
Major college
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Plays | Total Yds | PtR |
| 1 | Dick Norman | Stanford | 10 | 319 | 2018 | 68 |
| 2 | Charley Johnson | New Mexico State | 10 | 251 | 1635 | 114 |
| 3 | Pete Hall | Marquette | 10 | 330 | 1555 | 66 |
| 4 | Jacky Lee | Cincinnati | 10 | 298 | 1528 | 70 |
| 5 | Norm Snead | Wake Forest | 10 | 218 | 1365 | 78 |
| 6 | Rich Mayo | Air Force | 10 | 249 | 1357 | 58 |
| 7 | Dwight Nichols | Iowa State | 10 | 287 | 1355 | 102 |
| 8 | Fran Curci | Miami (FL) | 10 | 289 | 1328 | 50 |
| 9 | Gale Weidner | Colorado | 10 | 256 | 1305 | 84 |
| 10 | Don Meredith | SMU | 10 | 283 | 1291 | 82 |
Small college
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Plays | Total Yds |
| 1 | Gary Campbell | Whittier | 10 | 309 | 2383 |
| 2 | Jim St. Clair | UC Santa Barbara | 10 | 245 | 1858 |
| 3 | Jim Northrup | Alma | 9 | 296 | 1658 |
| 4 | Vince Tesone | Colorado Mines | 10 | 291 | 1619 |
| 5 | Green | Youngstown | 10 | 230 | 1504 |
| 6 | Miller | Austin | 9 | 243 | 1485 |
| 7 | Dale Mills | NE Missouri | 9 | 250 | 1447 |
| 8 | Alvaro | College of Idaho | 10 | 227 | 1441 |
| 9 | Ferguson | Graceland | 8 | 264 | 1422 |
| 10 | Kincaid | William Jewell | 9 | 221 | 1368 |

#### Passing

The following players were the individual leaders in pass completions during the 1959 season:
Major college
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Compl. | Att. | Pct. Compl. | Yds. | Int. | TDs |
| 1 | Dick Norman | Stanford | 10 | 152 | 263 | .578 | 1963 | 12 | 11 |
| 2 | Jacky Lee | Cincinnati | 10 | 132 | 232 | .569 | 1535 | 6 | 7 |
| 3 | Pete Hall | Marquette | 10 | 120 | 237 | .506 | 1589 | 14 | 7 |
| 4 | Rich Mayo | Air Force | 10 | 110 | 211 | .521 | 1212 | 10 | 6 |
| 5 | Don Meredith | SMU | 10 | 105 | 181 | .580 | 1266 | 10 | 11 |
| 6 | Joe Caldwell | Army | 9 | 105 | 188 | .559 | 1343 | 7 | 9 |
| 7 | Charley Johnson | New Mexico State | 10 | 105 | 199 | .528 | 1449 | 8 | 18 |
| 8 | Fran Curci | Miami (FL) | 10 | 100 | 195 | .513 | 1068 | 14 | 5 |
| 9 | Gale Weidner | Colorado | 10 | 100 | 207 | .483 | 1200 | 13 | 7 |
| 10 | Dick Soergel | Oklahoma State | 10 | 93 | 155 | .600 | 1102 | 4 | 8 |
Small college
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Compl. | Att. | Pct. Compl. | Yds. | Int. | TDs |
| 1 | Gary Campbell | Whittier | 10 | 111 | 183 | .607 | 1717 | 4 | 12 |
| 2 | Light | Pacific | 9 | 110 | 197 | .558 | 1086 | 19 | 3 |
| 3 | St. Clair | UC Santa Barbara | 10 | 107 | 208 | .514 | 1901 | 12 | 17 |
| 4 | Stone | Akron | 9 | 102 | 231 | .442 | 1196 | 22 | 3 |
| 5 | Terhes | Bucknell | 9 | 97 | 173 | .561 | 831 | 8 | 6 |
| 6 | Coniam | Oberlin | 8 | 96 | 165 | .582 | 1111 | 8 | 10 |
| 7 | Johnson | Pepperdine | 8 | 96 | 187 | .513 | 1197 | 13 | 11 |
| 8 | Costello | Xavier (OH) | 10 | 93 | 161 | .578 | 1062 | 9 | 6 |
| 9 | Flinn | Northern Illinois | 9 | 93 | 174 | .534 | 1420 | 12 | 18 |
| 10 | Miller | Austin | 9 | 90 | 154 | .584 | 1219 | 14 | 13 |
| 10 | Spurlock | Whitworth | 9 | 90 | 167 | .539 | 1309 | 9 | 18 |

#### Rushing

The following players were the individual leaders in rushing yards during the 1959 season: Major college
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Yds | Rushes | Avg |
| 1 | Pervis Atkins | New Mexico State | 10 | 971 | 130 | 7.47 |
| 2 | Tom Watkins | Iowa State | 10 | 843 | 158 | 5.34 |
| 3 | Dwight Nichols | Iowa State | 10 | 746 | 207 | 3.60 |
| 4 | Dick Bass | Pacific | 9 | 742 | 139 | 5.34 |
| 5 | Billy Brown | New Mexico | 10 | 740 | 95 | 7.79 |
| 6 | Charlie Flowers | Ole Miss | 10 | 733 | 141 | 5.20 |
| 7 | Abner Haynes | North Texas State | 10 | 730 | 116 | 6.29 |
| 8 | Bob Crandall | New Mexico | 10 | 729 | 116 | 6.28 |
| 9 | Fred Doelling | Penn | 9 | 707 | 133 | 5.32 |
| 10 | Nolan Jones | Arizona State | 11 | 689 | 143 | 4.82 |
| 11 | Ernie Davis | Syracuse | 10 | 686 | 98 | 7.00 |
| 12 | Tom Moore | Vanderbilt | 10 | 676 | 125 | 5.41 |
| 13 | Keith Lincoln | Washington State | 10 | 670 | 124 | 5.40 |
| 14 | Jack Spikes | TCU | 10 | 660 | 140 | 4.72 |
| 15 | Monk Bailey | Utah | 10 | 640 | 138 | 4.64 |
| 16 | Don Perkins | New Mexico | 10 | 635 | 146 | 4.35 |
| 17 | Chet Boulris | Harvard | 9 | 628 | 125 | 5.02 |
| 18 | Charles Bowers | Hardin-Simmons | 10 | 619 | 86 | 7.20 |
| 19 | Paul Choquette | Brown | 9 | 617 | 179 | 3.45 |
| 20 | Alger Pugh | Virginia Tech | 10 | 615 | 112 | 5.49 |
Small college
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Yds | Rushes | Avg |
| 1 | Dale Mills | NE Missouri | 9 | 248 | 1385 | 5.58 |
| 2 | Dallas Lee Garber | Marietta | 9 | 188 | 1298 | |
| 3 | Bill "Cannonball" Cooper | Muskingum | 9 | 219 | 1191 | |
| 4 | Brad Hustad | Luther | 9 | 230 | 1188 | |
| 5 | Hawk | Conway State | 9 | 162 | 1156 | |
| 6 | Steve McClellan | Wooster | 9 | 198 | 1088 | |
| 7 | Price | Bemidji State | 8 | 117 | 1085 | 9.27 |
| 8 | Larry Jacobson | Kearney State | 10 | 155 | 1075 | |
| 9 | Fowler | Martin Branch | 8 | 151 | 1045 | |
| 10 | MacDonald | Tufts | 8 | 179 | 978 | |

#### Receiving

The following players were the individual leaders in receptions during the 1957 season:
Major college
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Receptions | Receiving Yards | Touchdowns |
| 1 | Chris Burford | Stanford | 10 | 61 | 756 | 6 |
| 2 | Bill Carpenter | Army | 9 | 43 | 591 | 3 |
| 3 | Dick Evans | VMI | 10 | 35 | 698 | 9 |
| 4 | Ben Robinson | Stanford | 10 | 34 | 595 | 2 |
| 5 | Bill Miller | Miami (FL) | 10 | 33 | 395 | 1 |
| 6 | Paul Maguire | The Citadel | 10 | 32 | 549 | 10 |
| 7 | Ed Kovac | Cincinnati | 10 | 31 | 332 | 5 |
| 8 | Bud Whitehead | Florida State | 10 | 31 | 320 | 2 |
| 9 | Norton | Iowa | 9 | 30 | 428 | 4 |
| 10 | Gregory | SMU | 10 | 30 | 369 | 2 |
Small college
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Receptions | Receiving Yards | Touchdowns |
| 1 | Fred Tunnicliffe | UC Santa Barbara | 10 | 48 | 1087 | 11 |
| 1 | Hill | Cal Poly SLO | 9 | 48 | 714 | 7 |
| 3 | Hughes | Pacific University | 9 | 46 | 543 | 0 |
| 4 | Horn | Oberlin | 8 | 44 | 578 | 5 |
| 5 | Gregory | Whittier | 10 | 42 | 751 | 7 |
| 6 | House | Davidson | 9 | 42 | 563 | 3 |
| 7 | DeNeef | Hofstra | 9 | 41 | 545 | 6 |
| 8 | Ceremuga | Youngstown | 10 | 39 | 615 | 8 |
| 9 | Eachus | Bucknell | 9 | 38 | 310 | 2 |
| 10 | Foster | Humboldt State | 10 | 37 | 469 | 4 |

#### Scoring

The following players were the individual leaders in scoring during the 1959 season:
Major college
| Rank | Player | Team | Pts | TD | PAT | FG |
| 1 | Pervis Atkins | New Mexico State | 107 | 17 | 5 | 0 |
| 2 | Skip Face | Stanford | 100 | 11 | 25 | 3 |
| 2 | Nolan Jones | Arizona State | 100 | 11 | 25 | 3 |
| 2 | Gerhard Schwedes | Syracuse | 100 | 16 | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | Abner Haynes | North Texas State | 90 | 14 | 6 | 0 |
| 5 | Ed Kovac | Cincinnati | 90 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Larry Wilson | Utah | 84 | 13 | 6 | 0 |
| 8 | Bruce Maher | Detroit | 74 | 11 | 8 | 0 |
| 8 | Don Perkins | New Mexico | 74 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | Bill Mathis | Clemson | 70 | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| 11 | Tony Banfield | Oklahoma State | 66 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Charlie Flowers | Ole Miss | 66 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Alger Pugh | Virginia Tech | 66 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Ernie Davis | Syracuse | 64 | 10 | 4 | 0 |
| 15 | Bobby Boyd | Oklahoma | 62 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | Paul Maguire | The Citadel | 60 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Lavoie | South Carolina | 60 | 12 | 0 |
| 16 | Moore | Vanderbilt | 60 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Gaiters | New Mexico State | 58 | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| 19 | Ravenel | Harvard | 58 | 9 | 4 | 0 |
Small college
| Rank | Player | Team | Pts | TD | PAT | FG |
| 1 | Garney Henley | Huron | 141 | 22 | 9 | 0 |
| 2 | Rusty Addleman | College of Emporia | 138 | 16 | 39 | 1 |
| 3 | Dale Mills | NE Missouri | 124 | 19 | 10 | 0 |
| 4 | Richard David Seastrunk | Newberry | 120 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Vernon Lee Farmer | Lenoir Rhyne | 110 | 14 | 26 | 0 |
| 6 | White | Capital | 105 | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Childs | Florida A&M | 102 | 15 | 12 | 0 |
| 8 | Bill "Cannonball" Cooper | Muskingum | 98 | 15 | 8 | 0 |
| 8 | Garber | Marietta | 98 | 15 | 8 | 0 |
| 10 | Roger Waldrup | East Central Oklahoma | 96 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Phelps | Cornell (IA) | 92 | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | Schleicher | Pittsburg | 92 | 13 | 14 | 0 |
| 13 | Hawk | Conway State | 91 | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Gary Campbell | Whittier | 90 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Chambers | Claflin | 90 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Branda | Wheaton | 88 | 10 | 25 | 1 |
| 17 | Stosuy | Southern Connecticut | 87 | 12 | 15 | - |
| 18 | McClellan | Wooster | 86 | 13 | 8 | 0 |
| 18 | Bass | East Carolina | 86 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | Broadwater | West Carolina | 86 | 13 | 8 | 0 |

### Team
#### Total offense

The following teams were the leaders in total offense during the 1959 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Games played | Total plays | Yards gained | Yards per game |
| 1 | Syracuse | 10 | 738 | 4515 | 451.5 |
| 2 | Iowa | 9 | 632 | 3399 | 377.7 |
| 3 | New Mexico State | 10 | 618 | 3756 | 375.6 |
| 4 | North Texas State | 10 | 655 | 3713 | 371.3 |
| 5 | Ole Miss | 10 | 698 | 3686 | 368.6 |
| 6 | Utah | 10 | 712 | 3651 | 365.1 |
| 7 | Wyoming | 10 | 686 | 3577 | 357.7 |
| 8 | New Mexico | 10 | 639 | 3562 | 356.2 |
| 9 | Stanford | 10 | 665 | 3467 | 346.7 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 10 | 731 | 3405 | 340.5 |
Small college
| Rank | Team | Games played | Total plays | Yards gained | Yards per game |
| 1 | Whittier | 10 | 654 | 4613 | 461.3 |
| 2 | Florida A&M | 9 | 511 | 3686 | 409.6 |
| 3 | Huron | 10 | 657 | 3975 | 397.5 |
| 4 | Butler | 9 | 643 | 3468 | 385.3 |
| 5 | Winston-Salem | 8 | 463 | 2993 | 374.1 |
| 6 | Otterbein | 9 | 560 | 3313 | 368.1 |
| 7 | Marietta | 9 | 561 | 3285 | 365.0 |
| 8 | Bemidji State | 8 | 461 | 2919 | 364.9 |
| 9 | Lenoir Rhyne | 9 | 507 | 3280 | 364.4 |
| 10 | Hofstra | 9 | 621 | 3278 | 364.2 |

#### Scoring offense

The following teams were the leaders in scoring offense during the 1959 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Points per game |
| 1 | Syracuse | 39.0 |
| 2 | New Mexico State | 33.2 |
| 3 | Ole Miss | 32.9 |
| 4 | North Texas State | 29.5 |
| 5 | Wyoming | 28.7 |
| 6 | Clemson | 26.2 |
| 7 | New Mexico | 26.0 |
| 8 | Iowa | 25.9 |
| 9 | Penn State | 25.5 |
| 10 | Iowa State | 24.8 |

#### Rushing offense

The following teams were the leaders in rushing offense during the 1959 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Yards per game |
| 1 | Syracuse | 313.6 |
| 2 | North Texas State | 290.8 |
| 3 | New Mexico | 289.8 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 273.5 |
| 5 | Utah | 257.0 |
| 6 | Wyoming | 252.0 |
| 7 | USC | 249.3 |
| 8 | Ole Miss | 239.1 |
| 9 | Iowa | 239.0 |
| 10 | Iowa State | 228.7 |
Small college
| Rank | Team | Yards per game |
| 1 | Bemidji State | 326.6 |
| 2 | Huron | 309.1 |
| 3 | Colorado State | 308.8 |
| 4 | Conway State | 303.9 |
| 5 | Florida A&M | 292.4 |
| 6 | Middle Tennessee | 289.8 |
| 7 | Johns Hopkins | 282.3 |
| 8 | Gustavus Adolphus | 279.0 |
| 9 | Muskingum | 278.4 |
| 10 | Delaware | 276.6 |

#### Passing offense

The following teams were the leaders in passing offense during the 1959 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Yards per game |
| 1 | Stanford | 227.8 |
| 2 | Marquette | 187.0 |
| 3 | San Jose State | 185.2 |
| 4 | Army | 182.3 |
| 5 | Boston College | 175.3 |
| 6 | Cincinnati | 158.5 |
| 7 | New Mexico State | 157.3 |
| 8 | Hardin-Simmons | 154.2 |
| 9 | Pacific | 152.3 |
| 10 | Wake Forest | 149.8 |
Small college
| Rank | Team | Yards per game |
| 1 | Whittier | 199.3 |
| 2 | UC Santa Barbara | 199.0 |
| 3 | Hofstra | 189.2 |
| 4 | Whitworth | 180.0 |
| 5 | Xavier (OH) | 177.3 |
| 6 | Wagner | 172.6 |
| 7 | Cal Poly | 167.0 |
| 8 | Oberlin | 166.3 |
| 8 | Otterbein | 166.3 |
| 10 | Graceland | 160.6 |

#### Total defense

The following teams were the leaders in total defense during the 1959 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Games played | Total plays | Yards gained | Yards per game |
| 1 | Syracuse | 10 | 486 | 962 | 96.2 |
| 2 | LSU | 10 | 559 | 1432 | 143.2 |
| 3 | Ole Miss | 10 | 516 | 1472 | 147.2 |
| 4 | Alabama | 10 | 549 | 1799 | 179.9 |
| 5 | Wyoming | 10 | 572 | 1805 | 180.5 |
| 6 | Auburn | 10 | 565 | 1825 | 182.5 |
| 7 | USC | 10 | 603 | 1844 | 184.4 |
| 8 | Illinois | 9 | 533 | 1713 | 190.3 |
| 9 | TCU | 10 | 578 | 1945 | 194.5 |
| 10 | North Texas State | 10 | 553 | 1965 | 196.5 |
Small college
| Rank | Team | Games played | Total plays | Yards gained | Yards per game |
| 1 | Maryland State | 7 | 313 | 527 | 75.3 |
| 2 | Trenton State | 8 | 807 | 100.9 |
| 2 | Huron | 10 | 595 | 1009 | 100.9 |
| 4 | John Carroll | 7 | 319 | 796 | 113.7 |
| 5 | Norfolk State | 8 | 382 | 948 | 118.5 |
| 6 | Ithaca | 7 | 340 | 848 | 121.1 |
| 7 | Winston-Salem | 8 | 337 | 1009 | 126.1 |
| 8 | Livingstone | 9 | 418 | 1136 | 126.2 |
| 9 | Henderson State | 448 | 1145 | 127.2 |
| 10 | Claflin | 9 | 337 | 1171 | 130.1 |

#### Scoring defense

The following teams were the leaders in scoring defense during the 1959 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Points per game |
| 1 | Ole Miss | 2.1 |
| 2 | LSU | 2.9 |
| 3 | Alabama | 5.2 |
| 3 | TCU | 5.2 |
| 5 | Auburn | 5.8 |
| 6 | Syracuse | 5.9 |
| 7 | Wyoming | 6.2 |
| 8 | Washington | 6.5 |
| 9 | Texas | 7.3 |
| 10 | North Texas | 7.5 |

#### Rushing defense

The following teams were the leaders in rushing defense during the 1959 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Yards per game |
| 1 | Syracuse | 19.3 |
| 2 | LSU | 90.8 |
| 3 | Ole Miss | 93.9 |
| 4 | USC | 98.1 |
| 5 | TCU | 101.7 |
| 6 | Clemson | 108.5 |
| 7 | Penn | 109.8 |
| 7 | Wyoming | 109.8 |
| 9 | South Carolina | 111.5 |
| 10 | Detroit | 112.9 |
Small college
| Rank | Team | Yards per game |
| 1 | Maryland State | 36.3 |
| 2 | Florida A&M | 43.4 |
| 3 | Trenton State | 45.1 |
| 4 | Winston-Salem | 52.5 |
| 5 | Whitewater State | 57.8 |
| 6 | John Carroll | 57.9 |
| 7 | Geneva | 67.2 |
| 8 | Cornell (IA) | 68.1 |
| 9 | West Chester | 69.9 |
| 10 | San Francisco State | 69.9 |

#### Passing defense

The following teams were the leaders in passing defense during the 1959 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Yards per game |
| 1 | Alabama | 45.7 |
| 2 | Montana | 46.1 |
| 3 | LSU | 52.4 |
| 4 | Ole Miss | 53.3 |
| 5 | Iowa State | 55.3 |
| 6 | North Texas State | 58.1 |
| 7 | Wake Forest | 62.1 |
| 8 | Kentucky | 62.6 |
| 9 | Auburn | 63.6 |
| 10 | Tennessee | 66.8 |
Small college
| Rank | Team | Yards per game |
| 1 | Huron | 21.9 |
| 2 | Henderson State | 25.3 |
| 3 | West Virginia State | 35.6 |
| 4 | Central (IA) | 35.9 |
| 5 | Ashland | 36.0 |
| 6 | St. Procopius | 36.6 |
| 7 | Martin Branch | 36.8 |
| 8 | Mankato State | 37.4 |
| 9 | Rochester | 37.6 |
| 10 | Maryland State | 39.0 |
| 10 | West Virginia Wesleyan | 39.0 |