# 1941 college football rankings

One human poll comprised the 1941 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 1, at the end of the 1941 regular season, weeks before the major bowls. The AP would not release a post-bowl season final poll regularly until 1968.
| | Week 1 Oct 13 | Week 2 Oct 20 | Week 3 Oct 27 | Week 4 Nov 3 | Week 5 Nov 10 | Week 6 Nov 17 | Week 7 Nov 24 | Week 8 (Final) Dec 1 | |
| 1. | Minnesota (2–0) (66) | Minnesota (3–0) (69) | Minnesota (4–0) (60) т | Texas (6–0) (73.5) | Minnesota (6–0) (99) | Minnesota (7–0) (112) | Minnesota (8–0) (95) | Minnesota (8–0) (84.5) | 1. |
| 2. | Texas (3–0) (30) | Texas (4–0) (33) | Texas (5–0) (53) т | Minnesota (5–0) (34.5) | Texas (6–0–1) (4) | Texas A&M (8–0) (5) | Texas A&M (8–0) (2) | Duke (9–0) (9.5) | 2. |
| 3. | Duke (3–0) (14) | Michigan (4–0) (7) | Fordham (4–0) (7) | Fordham (5–0) (6) | Duke (7–0) (11) | Duke (8–0) (12) | Duke (9–0) (15) | Notre Dame (8–0–1) | 3. |
| 4. | Fordham (2–0) | Duke (4–0) (7) | Duke (5–0) (5) | Duke (6–0) (7) | Texas A&M (7–0) (6) | Notre Dame (7–0–1) | Notre Dame (8–0–1) (2) | Texas (7–1–1) (1) | 4. |
| 5. | Northwestern (2–0) (1) | Navy (4–0) (3) | Texas A&M (5–0) | Texas A&M (6–0) | Notre Dame (6–0–1) | Michigan (6–1) | Duquesne (8–0) | Michigan (6–1–1) | 5. |
| 6. | Michigan (3–0) (1) | Fordham (3–0) | Notre Dame (5–0) | Navy (5–0–1) | Stanford (6–1) (1) | Duquesne (8–0) | Michigan (6–1–1) | Fordham (7–1) | 6. |
| 7. | Navy (3–0) (3) | Notre Dame (4–0) | Michigan (4–1) | Notre Dame (5–0–1) | Michigan (5–1) | Alabama (7–1) | Missouri (8–1) (1) | Missouri (8–1) (1) | 7. |
| 8. | Notre Dame (3–0) | Santa Clara (4–0) | Penn (4–0) (1) | Michigan (5–1) | Northwestern (4–2) | Missouri (7–1) | Fordham (6–1) | Duquesne (8–0) | 8. |
| 9. | Santa Clara (3–0) (1) | Texas A&M (4–0) | Northwestern (3–1) | Stanford (5–1) | Alabama (6–1) | Texas (6–1–1) | Northwestern (5–3) | Texas A&M (8–1) | 9. |
| 10. | Ohio State (2–0) (1) | Tulane (3–1) (1) | Vanderbilt (5–0) | Northwestern (3–2) | Duquesne (7–0) | Northwestern (4–3) | Texas (6–1–1) | Navy (7–1–1) | 10. |
| 11. | Penn (2–0) | Ohio State (3–0) (1) | Navy (4–0–1) | Army (4–0–1) | Fordham (5–1) | Fordham (5–1) | Navy (6–1–1) | Northwestern (5–3) | 11. |
| 12. | Rice (2–0) | Penn (3–0) | Stanford (4–1) | Duquesne (6–0) | Navy (5–1–1) | Navy (5–1–1) | Vanderbilt (8–1) | Oregon State (7–2) | 12. |
| 13. | Clemson (4–0) (1) | Northwestern (2–1) | Temple (5–0) | Alabama (5–1) | Mississippi State (5–0–1) (0.5) | Penn (6–1) | Penn (7–1) | Ohio State (6–1–1) | 13. |
| 14. | Texas A&M (3–0) | Clemson (4–0) (3) | Army (4–0) | Tulane (4–2) | Penn (5–1) | Ohio State (6–1) | Ole Miss (6–1–1) | Georgia (8–1–1) | 14. |
| 15. | Nebraska (2–0) | Vanderbilt (4–0) | Alabama (4–1) | Mississippi State (4–0–1) | Ole Miss (5–1–1) (0.5) | Ole Miss (5–1–1) | Ohio State (6–1–1) | Penn (7–1) | 15. |
| 16. | Oregon State (3–0) | Oregon (3–1) | Duquesne (5–0) | Ole Miss (4–1–1) | Missouri (6–1) | Oregon State (5–2) | Clemson (7–1) | Mississippi State (7–1–1) | 16. |
| 17. | Tulane (2–1) (1) | Temple (4–0) | Ole Miss (3–1–1) т | Missouri (5–1) | Harvard (3–2–1) | Stanford (6–2) | Oregon State (6–2) | Ole Miss (6–2–1) | 17. |
| 18. | Vanderbilt (3–0) | Oregon State (3–1) | Mississippi State (3–0–1) т | Syracuse (5–1) | Boston College (5–2) | Clemson (6–1) | Alabama (7–2) | Tennessee (8–2) | 18. |
| 19. | Mississippi State (2–0–1) | Stanford (3–1) т | Missouri (4–1) | Penn (4–1) | Army (4–1–1) | TCU (6–2) | Harvard (5–2–1) | Washington State (6–3) | 19. |
| 20. | Columbia (2–0) | Villanova (3–0) т | SMU (3–1) | Ohio State (4–1) | Ohio State (5–1) | Georgia (6–1–1) тWashington (5–3) т | Georgia (7–1–1) | Alabama (8–2) | 20. |
| | Week 1 Oct 13 | Week 2 Oct 20 | Week 3 Oct 27 | Week 4 Nov 3 | Week 5 Nov 10 | Week 6 Nov 17 | Week 7 Nov 24 | Week 8 (Final) Dec 1 | |
| | | Dropped: ColumbiaMississippi StateNebraskaRice | Dropped: ClemsonOhio StateOregonOregon StateSanta ClaraTulaneVillanova | Dropped: SMUTempleVanderbilt | Dropped: SyracuseTulane | Dropped: ArmyBoston CollegeHarvardMississippi State | Dropped: StanfordTCUWashington | Dropped: ClemsonHarvardVanderbilt | |

## Boand System

The Boand System rankings (also known as "Azzi Ratem") released after games played on November 29 were as follows:
1. Minnesota (81.6) 2. Navy (80.3) 3. Notre Dame (79.4) 4. Texas (78.9) 5. Penn (77.6) 6. Duke (77.5) 7. Duquesne (77.4) 8. Michigan (78.8) 9. Missouri (76.4) 10. Texas A&M (76.3) 11. Ohio State (75.6) 12. Alabama (74.6) 13. Georgia (74.5) 14. Fordham (73.7) 15. TCU (73.4) 16. Tennessee (73.3) 17. Mississippi State (73.2) 18. Oregon State (72.7) 19. Northwestern (72.6) 20. Harvard (72.0)

## Dunkel System

The final Dunkel System rankings released in December 1941 were as follows:
1. Minnesota (100.7) 2. Duke (98.5) 3. Texas (94.5) 4. Georgia (93.4) 5. Tennessee (92.6) 6. Michigan (92.4) 7. Northwestern (92.2) 8. Missouri (92.1) 9. Texas A&M (92.1) 10. Duquesne (91) 11. Notre Dame (90.2) 12. Alabama (89.5) 13. Penn (89.1) 14. Navy (88.9) 15. TCU (88.9) 16. Washington State (88.5) 17. Oregon State (88.2) 18. SMU (88.2) 19. Rice (88.1) 20. Vanderbilt (88.1) 21.
22. Ohio State (87.4) 23. Mississippi State (87) 24.
25.
26.
27. Ole Miss (86)

## Houlgate System

The Houlgate System's final selections released in early December 1941 were as follows:
1. Minnesota 2. Navy 3. Alabama 4. Duquesne 5. Notre Dame 6. Michigan  Mississippi State  Texas 9. Duke 10. Pennsylvania 11. Tennessee 12. TCU 13. Georgia 14. Ohio State  Oregon State  Temple 17. Missouri  Texas A&M  Texas Tech 20. Vanderbilt 21. Fordham 22. Boston College  Harvard 24. Virginia 25. Penn State

## Litkenhous Ratings

The final Litkenhous Ratings released in December 1941 provided numerical rankings for 681 college football programs. The top 100 ranked teams were:
1. Minnesota 2. Texas 3. Duke 4. Michigan 5. Texas A&M 6. Alabama 7. Notre Dame 8. Navy 9. Northwestern 10. Georgia 11. Tulane 12. Penn 13. Tennessee 14. Vanderbilt 15. Ohio State 16. Missouri 17. Fordham 18. Duquesne 19. Mississippi State 20. Oklahoma 21. Cornell 22. LSU 23. TCU 24. SMU 25. Oregon State 26. Washington State 27. Boston College 28. Stanford 29. Ole Miss 30. Rice 31. Washington 32. Harvard 33. California 34. Syracuse 35. Virginia 36. Santa Clara 37. Colgate 38. Auburn 39. Clemson 40. Georgia Tech 41. Penn State 42. Columbia 43. Michigan State 44. Detroit 45. Army 46. Texas Tech 47. Dartmouth 48. Indiana 49. Arkansas 50. Purdue 51. Iowa 52. Xavier 53. Marshall 54. Oregon 55. Baylor 56. Kentucky 57. Wisconsin 58. Nebraska 59. Villanova 60. Marquette 61. Texas A&I 62. Utah 63. Miami (FL) 64. USC 65. William & Mary 66. Tulsa 67. Florida 68. Temple 69. Hawaii 70. Georgetown 71. Illinois 72. Wake Forest 73. Holy Cross 74. Pittsburgh 75. South Carolina 76. Princeton 77. UCLA 78. Yale 79. Manhattan 80. Dayton 81. Saint Mary's (CA) 82. San Francisco 83. Rollins 84. Chattanooga 85. Western Michigan 86. Denver 87. Arizona 88. Panzer 89. Oklahoma A&M 90. West Virginia 91. West Texas State 92. Cincinnati 93. Hardin–Simmons 94. S.W. Tennessee 95. Lafayette 96. Western Reserve 97. Bradley 98. Brown 99. Willamette 100. North Carolina

## Williamson System

The final Williamson System rankings for 1940 were issued in January 1942, after the bowl games.
1. Texas (99.2) 2. Minnesota (97.9) 3. Notre Dame (96.2) 4. Fordham (95.8) 5. Navy (95.6) 6. Missouri (95.4) 7. Michigan (95.1) 8. Penn (94.9) 9. Duquesne (94.7) 10. Mississippi State (94.2) 11. Oregon State (94.1) 12. Alabama (94.0) 13. Duke (93.8) 14. Texas A&M (93.7) 15. Tennessee (93.6) 16. Vanderbilt (93.5) 17. Georgia (93.4) 18. Northwestern (93.2) 19. TCU (93.1) 20. Ohio State (93.0) 21. Ole Miss (92.6) 22. Cornell (92.4) 23. Harvard (92.2) 24. Washington State (91.9) 25. Oklahoma (91.5) 26. LSU (91.2) 27. Rice (91.1) 28. Stanford (91.0) 29. Tulane (90.9) 30. SMU (90.8) 31. Oregon (90.8) 32. Santa Clara (90.7) 33. Auburn (90.6) 34. Washington (90.4) 35. Army (90.1) 36. California (90.0) 37. William & Mary (89.8) 38. Dartmouth (89.7) 39. Clemson (89.6) 40. Tulsa (89.5) 41. Colgate (89.4) 42. Boston College (89.3) 43. Michigan State (89.1) 44. Temple (89.0) 45. Columbia (88.9) 46. Penn State (88.6) 47. Syracuse (88.3) 48. Manhattan (88.2)