# 1944 college football rankings

One human poll comprised the 1944 college football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. The Coaches' Poll began operation in 1950; in addition, the AP Poll did not begin conducting preseason polls until that same year.

## Legend

| | Increase in ranking |
| | Decrease in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| | National champion |
| (#–#) | Win–loss record |
| (Italics) | Number of first place votes |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |

## AP Poll

The final AP Poll was released on December 4, at the end of the 1944 regular season, weeks before the major bowls. The AP would not release a post-bowl season final poll regularly until 1968.
| | Week 1 Oct 9 | Week 2 Oct 16 | Week 3 Oct 23 | Week 4 Oct 30 | Week 5 Nov 6 | Week 6 Nov 13 | Week 7 Nov 20 | Week 8 Nov 27 | Week 9 (Final) Dec 4 | |
| 1. | Notre Dame (2–0) (34) | Notre Dame (3–0) (59.67) | Notre Dame (4–0) (40) | Army (5–0) (41) | Army (6–0) (58) | Army (7–0) (77) | Army (8–0) (65.33) | Army (8–0) (55.33) | Army (9–0) (95) | 1. |
| 2. | North Carolina Pre-Flight (3–0) (24) | Army (3–0) (11.67) | Army (4–0) (30) | Notre Dame (5–0) (15) | Ohio State (6–0) (18) | Randolph Field (7–0) (15) | Navy (6–2) (5) | Navy (6–2) (1) | Ohio State (9–0) (5) | 2. |
| 3. | Army (2–0) (3) | Randolph Field (3–0) (21.58) | Randolph Field (4–0) (23) | Ohio State (5–0) (17) | Navy (4–2) (1) | Navy (5–2) (5) | Ohio State (8–0) (5) | Ohio State (9–0) (18) т | Randolph Field (9–0) (17) | 3. |
| 4. | Randolph Field (2–0) (22) | Ohio State (3–0) (4) | Ohio State (4–0) (14) | Randolph Field (5–0) (18) | Randolph Field (6–0) (18) | Ohio State (7–0) (3) | Randolph Field (8–0) (11.33) | Randolph Field (9–0) (5.33) т | Navy (6–3) | 4. |
| 5. | Great Lakes Navy (2–0) (3) | Iowa Pre-Flight (4–1) (0.25) | Georgia Tech (4–0) | Georgia Tech (5–0) (1) | Notre Dame (5–1) | Michigan (7–1) | Bainbridge NTS (8–0) (4.33) | Bainbridge NTS (9–0) (11.33) | Bainbridge NTS (10–0) (3) | 5. |
| 6. | Navy (2–0) | Great Lakes Navy (3–0) (1) | Iowa Pre-Flight (5–1) | Navy (3–2) (1) | Bainbridge NTS (6–0) (6) | Bainbridge NTS (7–0) (4) | Michigan (8–1) | Iowa Pre-Flight (10–1) (1) | Iowa Pre-Flight (10–1) (1) | 6. |
| 7. | Purdue (2–1) (2) | Penn (3–0) (3) | Penn (3–0) т | Iowa Pre-Flight (6–1) | Iowa Pre-Flight (7–1) | Iowa Pre-Flight (8–1) | Iowa Pre-Flight (9–1) (2) | USC (7–0–2) | USC (7–0–2) | 7. |
| 8. | Ohio State (2–0) (2) | Georgia Tech (3–0) | Tulsa (4–0) т | North Carolina Pre-Flight (5–0–1) | Michigan (6–1) | March Field (6–0–1) (2) | USC (6–0–2) (1) | Michigan (8–2) | Michigan (8–2) | 8. |
| 9. | Penn (2–0) | Navy (2–1) | North Carolina Pre-Flight (4–0–1) | Illinois (4–2–1) | March Field (5–0–1) (3) | Georgia Tech (6–1) | March Field (7–0–1) (3) | Notre Dame (7–2) | Notre Dame (8–2) | 9. |
| 10. | Georgia Tech (2–0) | North Carolina Pre-Flight (3–0–1) | Purdue (3–2) | Michigan (5–1) | Illinois (4–2–1) | Duke (3–4) | Georgia Tech (7–1) | Tennessee (7–0–1) | March Field (7–0–2) | 10. |
| 11. | Iowa Pre-Flight (3–1) (1) | Purdue (2–2) | March Field (3–0–1) | March Field (4–0–1) (6) | USC (5–0–2) | Notre Dame (5–2) | Duke (4–4) (1) | Duke (5–4) | Duke (6–4) | 11. |
| 12. | Michigan (3–1) | California (3–0–1) (1) | Navy (2–2) | Bainbridge NTS (5–0) (2) | Wake Forest (7–0) (1) | USC (5–0–2) | Great Lakes Navy (7–1) | Great Lakes Navy (8–1) | Tennessee (7–0–1) | 12. |
| 13. | Tulsa (2–0) | Tulsa (3–0) | Bainbridge NTS (4–0) (2) | USC (4–0–2) | Georgia Tech (5–1) | Great Lakes Navy (6–1) | Alabama (4–1–2) | Norman NAS (6–0) | Georgia Tech (8–2) т | 13. |
| 14. | Illinois (2–0) | March Field (2–0–1) (1) | Illinois (4–1–1) | Great Lakes Navy (4–1) | Great Lakes Navy (5–1) | Purdue (5–3) | Camp Peary (6–1) | March Field (7–0–2) | Norman NAS (6–0) т | 14. |
| 15. | Second Air Force (3–1) т | Michigan (4–1) т | Second Air Force (5–1) | Indiana (5–1) | Norman NAS (5–0) | El Toro Marines (5–1) | Tennessee (6–0–1) | Oklahoma A&M (7–1) | Illinois (5–4–1) | 15. |
| 16. | Tennessee (2–0) (1) т | USC (2–0–2) т | Great Lakes Navy (3–1) | Tennessee (4–0–1) | North Carolina Pre-Flight (5–1–1) | Mississippi State (6–0) | El Toro Marines (6–1) | Alabama (5–1–2) | El Toro Marines (7–1) | 16. |
| 17. | Wake Forest (3–0) | Tennessee (3–0) | Indiana (4–1) | Wake Forest (6–0) | El Toro Marines (4–1) | Tennessee (5–0–1) | Norman NAS (6–0) | Camp Peary (6–2) | Great Lakes Navy (8–2) | 17. |
| 18. | Bainbridge NTS (2–0) | Bainbridge NTS (3–0) (2) | Wake Forest (5–0) | Mississippi State (4–0) | Tennessee (5–0–1) | Norman NAS (6–0) т | Notre Dame (6–2) | El Toro Marines (7–1) т | Fort Pierce (8–0) | 18. |
| 19. | Indiana (2–1) т | Second Air Force (4–1) (0.25) | 3rd Air Force (4–0) т | Alabama (3–0–2) т | Mississippi State (5–0) | North Carolina Pre-Flight (6–1–1) т | Second Air Force (8–2) | Yale (7–0–1) т | Saint Mary's Pre-Flight (4–4) | 19. |
| 20. | Wisconsin (2–0) т | Indiana (3–1) | Mississippi State (4–0) тTennessee (3–0–1) т | Oklahoma A&M (5–0) т | Duke (2–4) | Yale (6–0) | North Carolina Pre-Flight (6–2–1) | Second Air Force (8–2–1) | Second Air Force (8–2–1) | 20. |
| | Week 1 Oct 9 | Week 2 Oct 16 | Week 3 Oct 23 | Week 4 Oct 30 | Week 5 Nov 6 | Week 6 Nov 13 | Week 7 Nov 20 | Week 8 Nov 27 | Week 9 (Final) Dec 4 | |
| | | Dropped: IllinoisWake ForestWisconsin | Dropped: CaliforniaMichiganUSC | Dropped: Second Air Force3rd Air ForcePennPurdueTulsa | Dropped: AlabamaIndianaOklahoma A&M | Dropped: IllinoisWake Forest | Dropped: Mississippi StatePurdueYale | Dropped: Georgia TechNorth Carolina Pre-Flight | Dropped: AlabamaCamp PearyOklahoma A&MYale | |

## Litkenhous Ratings

The final Litkenhous Ratings released in December 1944 provided numerical rankings to more than 300 college and military football programs. The top 100 ranked teams were:
1. Army (9–0) 2. Randolph Field (11–0) 3. Ohio State (9–0) 4. Navy (6–3) 5. Notre Dame (8–2) 6. Second Air Force (10–4–1) 7. Michigan (8–2) 8. Iowa Pre-Flight (10–1) 9. Georgia Tech (8–3) 10. Indiana (7–3) 11. Great Lakes Navy (9–2–1) 12. Purdue (5–5) 13. Illinois (5–4–1) 14. Duke (6–4) 15. Minnesota (5–3–1) 16. Fourth Air Force (7–2–2) 17. Lincoln Army Air Field (6–1) 18. Tulsa (8–2) 19. Alabama (5–2–2) 20. Fort Warren (5–4–1) 21. Colorado (6–2) 22. Norman NAS (6–0) 23. El Toro Marines (8–1) 24. Penn (5–3) 25. USC (8–0–2) 26. Fort Pierce Amphibs (9–0) 27. Third Air Force (8–3) 28. Bainbridge NTS (10–0) 29. Tennessee (7–1–1) 30. Wisconsin (3–6) 31. Mississippi State (6–2) 32. Oklahoma A&M (8–1) 33. LSU (2–5–1) 34. Northwestern (1–7–1) 35. Georgia (7–3) 36. Bunker Hill NAS (6–1) 37. Amarillo AAF (5–3) 38. Texas (5–4) 39. Camp Peary (5–2) 40. North Carolina Pre-Flight (6–2–1) 41. Tulane (4–3) 42. Texas A&M (7–4) 43. Saint Mary's Pre-Flight (4–4) 44. Wake Forest (8–1) 45. Washington (5–3) 46. Georgia Pre-Flight (4–5) 47. UCLA (4–5–1) 48. Oklahoma (6–3–1) 49. San Diego NTS 50. Ottumwa NAS 51. Berkeley CGS 52. Marquette 53. Camp Shoemaker 54. Fleet City 55. Auburn 56. Alameda Coast Guard 57. Jacksonville NAS 58. Virginia 59. Utah 60. Arkansas 61. Denver 62. Kentucky 63. Rice 64. Yale 65. TCU 66. NC State 67. Kessler Field 68. Colorado College 69. Clemson 70. Fort Benning Fourth 71. Missouri 72. Iowa 73. Michigan State 74. Coast Guard Academy 75. Iowa State 76. California 77. SMU 78. North Carolina 79. Maxwell Field 80. Pittsburgh 81. Brown 82. Southwestern (TX) 83. Cornell 84. Lubbock American Air Force 85. Ole Miss 86. Maryville 87. Penn State 88. Denison 89. William & Mary 90. Navy PT School 91. Western Michigan 92. Colorado Amphibs 93. South Carolina 94. Arkansas Aggies 95. San Francisco Coast Guard 96. Texas Tech 97. Peru Navy 98. Dartmouth 99. Holy Cross 100. Fort Benning Third