# 1956 college football rankings

The 1956 college football rankings were an effort to rank the American football teams participating in the 1956 college football season. College football's governing body, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), did not issue rankings or conduct a championship game or playoffs to determine a national champion. The most widely-reported rankings were published by two of the major news agencies based on polling conducted on a weekly basis during the season.
* The Associated Press (AP) conducted a weekly poll of sports writers throughout the country. This was known as the AP poll or the "writers poll".
* The United Press International (UPI) conducted a weekly poll of the nation's head football coaches. This was known as the UPI poll or the "coaches poll".
At the end of the regular season, Oklahoma was ranked No. 1 in both the AP and UPI polls. Oklahoma did not participate in a bowl game. Neither agency conducted polling after the bowl games.
Though not as widely reported as the AP and UPI polls, some newspapers also reported on a mathematical ranking system developed by Vanderbilt University professor Edward Litkenhous. These were known as the Litkenhous Ratings. Oklahoma was also ranked No. 1 in the Litkenhouse Ratings. Whereas the AP and UPI polls ranked the top 20 teams, Litkenhouse ranked every college football team, and his rankings from 1 to 100 are included below.

## 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 3, at the end of the regular season, weeks before the major bowls. The AP did not release poll after the bowl season regularly until 1968.
| | Preseason Aug | Week 1 Sep 24 | Week 2 Oct 1 | Week 3 Oct 8 | Week 4 Oct 15 | Week 5 Oct 22 | Week 6 Oct 29 | Week 7 Nov 5 | Week 8 Nov 12 | Week 9 Nov 19 | Week 10 Nov 26 | Week 11 (Final) Dec 3 | |
| 1. | Oklahoma (111) | Oklahoma (0–0) (91) | Oklahoma (1–0) (60) | Oklahoma (2–0) (76) | Oklahoma (3–0) (67) | Michigan State (4–0) (96) | Oklahoma (5–0) (143) | Oklahoma (6–0) (116) | Tennessee (7–0) (58) | Oklahoma (8–0) (111) | Oklahoma (9–0) (81) | Oklahoma (10–0) (104) | 1. |
| 2. | Michigan State (20) | Georgia Tech (1–0) (12) | Michigan State (1–0) (17) | Michigan State (2–0) (32) | Michigan State (3–0) (45) | Oklahoma (4–0) (44) | Georgia Tech (5–0) (31) | Georgia Tech (6–0) (30) | Oklahoma (7–0) (92) | Tennessee (8–0) (69) | Tennessee (9–0) (49) | Tennessee (10–0) (48) | 2. |
| 3. | Notre Dame (5) | Michigan State (0–0) (9) | Georgia Tech (1–0) (5) | Georgia Tech (2–0) (4) | Georgia Tech (3–0) (5) | Georgia Tech (4–0) (9) | Tennessee (5–0) (8) | Tennessee (6–0) (1) | Michigan State (6–1) (3) | Iowa (7–1) (6) | Iowa (8–1) (12) | Iowa (8–1) (15) | 3. |
| 4. | Georgia Tech (3) | TCU (1–0) (4) | Ohio State (1–0) | TCU (2–0) (7) | TCU (3–0) (2) | Tennessee (4–0) (4) | Michigan State (4–1) | Michigan State (5–1) (7) | Georgia Tech (6–1) | Texas A&M (8–0–1) | Georgia Tech (8–1) (2) | Georgia Tech (9–1) (4) | 4. |
| 5. | Ohio State | SMU (1–0) (10) | Michigan (1–0) (2) | Ohio State (2–0) (1) | Ohio State (3–0) | Michigan (3–1) | Texas A&M (5–0–1) | Texas A&M (6–0–1) (1) | Texas A&M (7–0–1) (1) | Georgia Tech (7–1) (1) | Texas A&M (8–0–1) (1) | Texas A&M (9–0–1) (2) | 5. |
| 6. | Maryland | USC (1–0) (12) | Ole Miss (2–0) (5) | Tennessee (2–0) (5) | Ole Miss (4–0) (7) | USC (4–0) (2) | Ohio State (4–1) (1) | Minnesota (5–0–1) | Ohio State (6–1) (1) | Miami (FL) (6–0–1) (5) | Miami (FL) (7–0–1) (8) | Miami (FL) (8–0–1) (12) | 6. |
| 7. | TCU (2) | Syracuse (1–0) (4) | Pittsburgh (2–0) (1) | Ole Miss (3–0) (2) | Tennessee (3–0) (3) | Texas A&M (4–0–1) (1) | Iowa (5–0) | Ohio State (5–1) (1) | Iowa (6–1) | Minnesota (6–1–1) | Michigan (7–2) (2) | Michigan (7–2) (1) | 7. |
| 8. | Michigan (2) | Ohio State (0–0) | TCU (1–0) (1) | USC (3–0) | Michigan (2–1) | Baylor (4–0) | Minnesota (4–0–1) | Miami (FL) (5–0–1) (1) | Miami (FL) (5–0–1) (1) | Syracuse (7–1) (2) | Syracuse (7–1) (1) | Syracuse (7–1) | 8. |
| 9. | Texas A&M | Ole Miss (1–0) | Tennessee (1–0) (3) | Texas A&M (3–0) | USC (3–0) | Ohio State (3–1) | Miami (FL) (4–0–1) (1) | Syracuse (5–1) (1) | Syracuse (6–1) | Michigan (6–2) | Michigan State (7–2) | Michigan State (7–2) | 9. |
| 10. | Pittsburgh (2) | Pittsburgh (1–0) (2) | USC (2–0) (1) | Baylor (3–0) | Baylor (4–0) | Ole Miss (4–1) т | Stanford (4–2) | Michigan (4–2) | Michigan (5–2) | Michigan State (6–2) | Minnesota (6–1–2) | Oregon State (7–2–1) (3) | 10. |
| 11. | Army | Texas A&M (1–0) | Texas A&M (2–0) | Miami (FL) (2–0) (1) | Miami (FL) (3–0) (1) | TCU (3–1) т | Pittsburgh (4–1) | Clemson (5–0–1) | Oregon State (6–2) (1) | Oregon State (7–2) (1) | Oregon State (7–2–1) (1) | Baylor (8–2) (1) | 11. |
| 12. | Tennessee (2) | Stanford (1–0) (4) | SMU (1–1) | Michigan (1–1) | Iowa (3–0) | Iowa (4–0) | Penn State (4–1) | Navy (5–1) (3) | Florida (6–1–1) (2) | Ohio State (6–2) | Pittsburgh (6–2–1) | Minnesota (6–1–2) | 12. |
| 13. | Ole Miss | Michigan (0–0) | Illinois (1–0) т | Vanderbilt (3–0) | Syracuse (2–1) | Pittsburgh (3–1) | Clemson (4–0–1) | Florida (5–1–1) | Clemson (5–0–2) | Florida (6–1–1) (2) | Navy (6–1–1) | Pittsburgh (6–2–1) | 13. |
| 14. | Stanford | Notre Dame (0–1) | Miami (FL) (1–0) т | Navy (2–0) | Texas A&M (3–0–1) | Syracuse (3–1) | George Washington (5–0–1) | Oregon State (5–2) | USC (6–1) | Pittsburgh (6–2) | TCU (6–3) | TCU (7–3) | 14. |
| 15. | USC (2) | Vanderbilt (1–0) | Army (1–0) | Army (2–0) | Clemson (3–0–1) | Tulane (4–1) | Baylor (4–1) т | Iowa (5–1) | Navy (5–1–1) | Navy (6–1–1) (1) | Baylor (7–2) | Ohio State (6–3) | 15. |
| 16. | Duke | Army (0–0) | Baylor (2–0) | George Washington (3–0) (1) | Pittsburgh (2–1) | Virginia Tech (5–1) | Virginia Tech (6–1) т | USC (5–1) | Pittsburgh (5–2) | Baylor (6–2) | George Washington (7–1–1) | Navy (6–1–2) | 16. |
| 17. | UCLA | South Carolina (2–0) | Notre Dame (0–1) | Minnesota (2–0) | Purdue (2–1) | George Washington (4–0–1) | Michigan (3–2) т | TCU (4–2) | Minnesota (5–1–1) | George Washington (7–1–1) | USC (7–2) | George Washington (7–1–1) | 17. |
| 18. | Miami (FL) | Oregon (1–0) | Syracuse (1–0) т | Notre Dame (1–1) | Virginia Tech (4–1) | Penn State (3–1) | Oregon State (4–2) т | Colorado (5–2) | George Washington (6–1–1) | TCU (5–3) | Florida (6–2–1) | USC (8–2) | 18. |
| 19. | Yale | Florida (1–0) (2) | Vanderbilt (2–0) т | SMU (2–1) | Tulane (3–1) | Miami (FL) (3–0–1) | Syracuse (4–1) т | UCLA (5–2) (1) | Ole Miss (6–2) | Wyoming (10–0) | Colorado (7–2–1) | Clemson (7–1–2) | 19. |
| 20. | Illinois | NC State (1–0) | Iowa (1–0) | South Carolina (3–1) тWest Virginia (2–1) т | South Carolina (4–1) | Clemson (3–0–1) | USC (4–1) | Pittsburgh (4–2) тStanford (4–3) т | Princeton (7–0) | Colorado (6–2–1) | Ohio State (6–3) | Colorado (7–2–1) | 20. |
| | Preseason Aug | Week 1 Sep 24 | Week 2 Oct 1 | Week 3 Oct 8 | Week 4 Oct 15 | Week 5 Oct 22 | Week 6 Oct 29 | Week 7 Nov 5 | Week 8 Nov 12 | Week 9 Nov 19 | Week 10 Nov 26 | Week 11 (Final) Dec 3 | |
| | | Dropped: DukeIllinoisMarylandMiami (FL)TennesseeUCLAYale | Dropped: FloridaNC StateOregonSouth CarolinaStanford | Dropped: IllinoisIowaPittsburghSyracuse | Dropped: ArmyGeorge WashingtonMinnesotaNavyNotre DameSMUVanderbiltWest Virginia | Dropped: PurdueSouth Carolina | Dropped: Ole MissTCUTulane | Dropped: BaylorGeorge WashingtonPenn StateVirginia Tech | Dropped: ColoradoStanfordTCUUCLA | Dropped: ClemsonOle MissPrincetonUSC | Dropped: Wyoming | Dropped: Florida | |

## UPI poll

The final UPI poll was released prior to the bowl games, on December 4. Oklahoma received 26 of the 35 first-place votes; Tennessee received five, Iowa three, and Miami one.
UP poll :
| Rank | Team | 1st | Points |
| 1 | Oklahoma | 26 | 337 |
| 2 | Tennessee | 5 | 301 |
| 3 | Iowa | 3 | 247 |
| 4 | Georgia Tech | 0 | 211 |
| 5 | Texas A&M | 0 | 202 |
| 6 | Miami (FL) | 1 | 134 |
| 7 | Michigan | 0 | 115 |
| 8 | Syracuse | 0 | 63 |
| 9 | Minnesota | 0 | 60 |
| 10 | Michigan State | 0 | 55 |
| 11 | Baylor | 0 | 46 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh | 0 | 36 |
| 13 | Oregon State | 0 | 21 |
| 14 | TCU | 0 | 18 |
| 15 | USC | 0 | 15 |
| 16 | Wyoming | 0 | 13 |
| 17 | Yale | 0 | 10 |
| 18 | Colorado | 0 | 9 |
| 19 | Navy | 0 | 8 |
| 20 | Duke | 0 | 6 |

## Litkenhous Ratings

The final Litkenhous Ratings, released in December 1956, ranked over 600 teams. The top 100 teams as ranked by Litkenhous were:
1. Oklahoma 2. Tennessee 3. Georgia Tech 4. Michigan State 5. Michigan 6. Iowa 7. Texas A&M 8. TCU 9. Ohio State 10. Minnesota 11. Ole Miss 12. Baylor 13. Florida 14. Miami (FL) 15. Duke 16. Texas Western 17. Auburn 18. USC 19. Pittsburgh 20. Oregon State 21. Kentucky 22. Syracuse 23. Penn State 24. Washington University 25. Arizona State 26. Houston 27. Illinois 28. Purdue 29. UCLA 30. Oregon 31. Colorado 32. Stanford 33. Mississippi Southern 34. Vanderbilt 35. Tulane 36. Northwestern 37. Arkansas 38. Rice 39. Wisconsin 40. California 41. Navy 42. Virginia Tech 43. Clemson 44. Florida State 45. Army 46. South Carolina 47. Mississippi State 48. LSU 49. SMU 50. Southeastern Louisiana 51. Georgia 52. Missouri 53. West Texas 54. Alabama 55. Villanova 56. Pacific 57. Texas 58. Wake Forest 59. Maryland 60. Tulsa 61. North Carolina 62. 63. 64. Kansas 65. West Virginia 66. Washington State 67. Oklahoma A&M 68. Yale 69. Texas Tech 70. Notre Dame 71. Xavier 72. NC State 73. Wyoming 74.
75. Utah 76.
77.
78. Virginia 79. 80. Hardin Simmons 81. Arizona 82. George Washington 83. Boston College 84. Miami (OH) 85. Nebraska 86. Indiana 87.
88. Bowling Green 89.
90.
91.
92. Memphis State 93. Holy Cross 94. Cincinnati 95.
96. Princeton 97. Chattanooga 98.
99.
100.
105. Air Force 106. Colgate 107. Utah State 109. Kansas State 110. Dayton 117. Dartmouth 118. Denver 120. Wichita 122. Furman 123. Middle Tennessee 126. VMI 128. Louisville 129. Boston University 131. Iowa State 132. Detroit 135. Brown 140. Davidson 147. Citadel 151. Arkansas State 156. Richmond 159. William & Mary 160. Murray 168. Harvard 172. Ohio 177. Tennessee Tech 180. Florence 183. Eastern Kentucky