# 1959 major college football rankings

Two human polls comprised the 1959 major 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.

## 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 7, at the end of the 1959 regular season, weeks before the major bowls.
| | Preseason Aug | Week 1 Sep 21 | Week 2 Sep 28 | Week 3 Oct 5 | Week 4 Oct 12 | Week 5 Oct 19 | Week 6 Oct 26 | Week 7 Nov 2 | Week 8 Nov 9 | Week 9 Nov 16 | Week 10 Nov 23 | Week 11 Nov 30 | Week 12 (Final) Dec 7 | |
| 1. | LSU (60) | LSU (1–0) (64) | LSU (2–0) (48) | LSU (3–0) (69) | LSU (4–0) (83) | LSU (5–0) (68) | LSU (6–0) (71) | LSU (7–0) (132) | Syracuse (7–0) (111) | Syracuse (8–0) (126) | Syracuse (9–0) (121) | Syracuse (9–0) (95) | Syracuse (10–0) (134) | 1. |
| 2. | Oklahoma (48) | Oklahoma (0–0) (12) | Northwestern (1–0) (20) | Northwestern (2–0) (30) | Northwestern (3–0) (10) | Northwestern (4–0) (23) | Northwestern (5–0) (25) | Northwestern (6–0) (30) | Texas (8–0) (85) | Ole Miss (8–1) (68) | Ole Miss (8–1) (32) | Ole Miss (9–1) (49) | Ole Miss (9–1) (47) | 2. |
| 3. | Auburn (17) | Auburn (0–0) (6) | Ole Miss (2–0) (4) | Georgia Tech (3–0) | Texas (4–0) (10) | Texas (5–0) (8) | Ole Miss (6–0) (46) | Texas (7–0) (6) | LSU (7–1) (13) | LSU (8–1) (16) | LSU (9–1) (1) | LSU (9–1) (6) | LSU (9–1) (6) | 3. |
| 4. | SMU (6) | Ole Miss (1–0) (6) | Army (1–0) | Texas (3–0) | Georgia Tech (4–0) (6) | Ole Miss (5–0) (18) | Texas (6–0) (6) | Syracuse (6–0) (14) | USC (7–0) (14) | USC (8–0) (16) | Texas (8–1) (1) | Texas (9–1) | Texas (9–1) (1) | 4. |
| 5. | Army (4) | Clemson (1–0) | Iowa (1–0) (4) | Ole Miss (3–0) (2) | Ole Miss (4–0) (6) | USC (4–0) (12) | Syracuse (5–0) (11) | Ole Miss (6–1) (1) | Ole Miss (7–1) (14) | Texas (8–1) (1) | Wisconsin (7–2) (1) | Georgia (9–1) (2) | Georgia (9–1) (3) | 5. |
| 6. | Wisconsin (10) | SMU (0–0) | Clemson (2–0) (7) | USC (3–0) (9) | Purdue (2–0–1) (5) | Syracuse (4–0) (4) | USC (5–0) (6) | USC (6–0) (4) | Northwestern (6–1) (2) | Georgia (8–1) (6) | Georgia (8–1) (2) | Wisconsin (7–2) (15) | Wisconsin (7–2) (5) | 6. |
| 7. | Ohio State (2) | Army (0–0) | Georgia Tech (2–0) | Purdue (1–0–1) | USC (3–0) (7) | Auburn (3–1) (5) | Penn State (6–0) (6) | Penn State (7–0) (8) | Wisconsin (6–1) (19) | Penn State (8–1) (6) | USC (8–1) | TCU (8–2) | TCU (8–2) | 7. |
| 8. | Ole Miss (5) | Wisconsin (0–0) | Notre Dame (1–0) (1) | Tennessee (2–0) | Syracuse (3–0) (2) | Penn State (5–0) (3) | Auburn (4–1) (5) | Auburn (5–1) (3) | Auburn (6–1) (9) | Northwestern (6–2) (1) | TCU (7–2) | Washington (9–1) (2) | Washington (9–1) | 8. |
| 9. | Iowa (4) | TCU (1–0) | Tennessee (1–0) | Wisconsin (2–0) | Iowa (2–1) (5) | Georgia Tech (4–1) | Georgia Tech (5–1) (1) | Wisconsin (5–1) (2) | Tennessee (5–1–1) (4) | Wisconsin (6–2) | Washington (9–1) (4) | Arkansas (8–2) | Arkansas (8–2) | 9. |
| 10. | Northwestern (6) | Northwestern (0–0) | Texas (2–0) | Iowa (1–1) | Penn State (4–0) (4) | Arkansas (4–1) (1) | Wisconsin (4–1) (2) | Clemson (5–1) (2) | Penn State (7–1) | TCU (6–2) | Arkansas (8–2) (1) | Clemson (8–2) | Alabama (7–1–2) (5) | 10. |
| 11. | Purdue (2) | USC (1–0) (4) | USC (2–0) (1) | South Carolina (3–0) (3) | Auburn (2–1) (1) | Oregon (5–0) (1) | Purdue (3–1–1) | Georgia (6–1) | Clemson (6–1) (3) | Michigan State (5–3) (1) | Auburn (7–2) | Alabama (7–1–2) (6) | Clemson (8–2) | 11. |
| 12. | North Carolina (6) | Ohio State (0–0) | Wisconsin (1–0) | Syracuse (2–0) (1) | Arkansas (4–0) | Wisconsin (3–1) | Clemson (4–1) (2) | Washington (6–1) | Georgia (7–1) (2) | Auburn (6–2) | Miami (FL) (6–3) (5) | Illinois (5–3–1) (1) | Penn State (8–2) | 12. |
| 13. | TCU (2) | Iowa (0–0) т | Georgia (2–0) | Oklahoma (1–1) (2) | Illinois (2–1) | Illinois (3–1) | Yale (5–0) (1) | Tennessee (4–1–1) | Washington (7–1) | Arkansas (7–2) | Illinois (5–3–1) | USC (8–2) | Illinois (5–3–1) | 13. |
| 14. | South Carolina (4) | Navy (1–0) т | Ohio State (1–0) | Auburn (1–1) | Tennessee (2–1) | Purdue (2–1–1) | Georgia (5–1) | Purdue (3–1–2) | Oregon (7–1) (2) | Washington (8–1) | Clemson (7–2) | Penn State (8–2) | USC (8–2) | 14. |
| 15. | Air Force (1) | Texas (1–0) | Navy (2–0) | SMU (1–1) | Clemson (3–1) т | Iowa (2–2) | TCU (4–2) | Oregon (6–1) | Georgia Tech (6–2) | Oregon (8–1) (1) | Penn State (8–2) | Oklahoma (7–3) | Oklahoma (7–3) | 15. |
| 16. | Notre Dame (3) | Georgia Tech (1–0) | South Carolina (2–0) | Penn State (3–0) (2) | SMU (2–1) т | TCU (3–2) | Oregon (5–1) | Arkansas (5–2) | Iowa (4–3) (1) т | Iowa (5–3) (3) | Pittsburgh (6–4) | Wyoming (9–1) | Wyoming (9–1) | 16. |
| 17. | Texas | Georgia (1–0) | Auburn (0–1) | Florida (3–0) | Air Force (3–0) | Clemson (3–1) | Arkansas (4–2) т | TCU (5–2) | North Texas State (8–0) т | Alabama (5–1–2) (4) | Oklahoma (6–3) | UCLA (5–3–1) | Notre Dame (5–5) | 17. |
| 18. | Clemson (1) | Penn State (1–0) (2) | Air Force (1–0) | Air Force (2–0) | Washington (4–0) | Oklahoma (3–2) | Washington (5–1) т | Air Force (4–1–1) | TCU (5–2) | Miami (FL) (5–3) | Missouri (6–4) (2) | Florida (5–4–1) | Missouri (6–4) | 18. |
| 19. | Michigan State (1) | Florida (1–0) | Florida (2–0) | Arkansas (3–0) | Florida (3–0–1) | Yale (4–0) (1) | Oklahoma (4–2) | Georgia Tech (5–2) | Michigan State (4–3) | Clemson (6–2) | Alabama (6–1–2) (1) | Notre Dame (5–5) | Florida (5–4–1) | 19. |
| 20. | Syracuse | South Carolina (1–0) | Syracuse (1–0) | Illinois (1–1) | Pittsburgh (3–1) | Ohio State (2–0) | Tennessee (3–1–1) | North Texas State (7–0) | Arkansas (6–2) | Tennessee (5–2–1) | UCLA (4–3–1) | Missouri (6–4) | Pittsburgh (6–4) | 20. |
| | Preseason Aug | Week 1 Sep 21 | Week 2 Sep 28 | Week 3 Oct 5 | Week 4 Oct 12 | Week 5 Oct 19 | Week 6 Oct 26 | Week 7 Nov 2 | Week 8 Nov 9 | Week 9 Nov 16 | Week 10 Nov 23 | Week 11 Nov 30 | Week 12 (Final) Dec 7 | |
| | | Dropped: Air ForceMichigan StateNorth CarolinaNotre DamePurdueSyracuse | Dropped: OklahomaPenn StateSMUTCU | Dropped: ArmyClemsonGeorgiaNavyNotre DameOhio State | Dropped: OklahomaSouth CarolinaWisconsin | Dropped: Air ForceFloridaPittsburghSMUTennesseeWashington | Dropped: IllinoisIowaOhio State | Dropped: OklahomaYale | Dropped: Air ForcePurdue | Dropped: Georgia TechNorth Texas State | Dropped: IowaMichigan StateNorthwesternOregonTennessee | Dropped: AuburnMiami (FL)Pittsburgh | Dropped: UCLA | |

## Final Coaches Poll

The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, on December 8. Syracuse received 31 of the 35 first-place votes; Mississippi received three and Washington one.
| Ranking | Team | Conference | Bowl |
| 1 | Syracuse | Independent | Won Cotton, 23–14 |
| 2 | Ole Miss | SEC | Won Sugar, 21–0 |
| 3 | LSU | SEC | Lost Sugar, 0–21 |
| 4 | Texas | Southwest | Lost Cotton, 14–23 |
| 5 | Georgia | SEC | Won Orange, 14–0 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | Lost Rose, 8–44 |
| 7 | Washington | AAWU | Won Rose, 44–8 |
| 8 | TCU | Southwest | Lost Bluebonnet, 7–23 |
| 9 | Arkansas | Southwest | Won Gator, 14–7 |
| 10 | Penn State | Independent | Won Liberty, 7–0 |
| 11 | Clemson | ACC | Won Bluebonnet, 23–7 |
| 12 | Illinois | Big Ten | none |
| 13 | Alabama | SEC | Lost Liberty, 0–7 |
| 13 | USC | AAWU | none |
| 15 | Auburn | SEC | none |
| 16 | Michigan State | Big Ten | none |
| 17 | Oklahoma | Big Eight | none |
| 18 | Notre Dame | Independent | none |
| 19 | Florida | SEC | none |
| 19 | Pittsburgh | Independent | none |
| 19 | Missouri | Big Eight | Lost Orange, 0–14 |
* Prior to the 1975 season, the Big Ten and AAWU (later Pac-8) conferences allowed only one postseason participant each, for the Rose Bowl.
* The Ivy League has prohibited its members from participating in postseason football since the league was officially formed in 1954.

## Litkenhous Ratings

The final Litkenhous Ratings were released in December 1959. The top 25 teams according to Litkenhous were:
1. Syracuse (11-0) - 111.0 2. Ole Miss (10-1) - 110.5 3. LSU (9-2) - 105.1 4. TCU (8-3) - 102.4 5. Texas (9-2) - 102.0 6. Auburn (7-3) - 100.8 7. Georgia (10-1) - 100.2 8. Northwestern (6-3) - 98.1 9. Iowa (5-4) - 97.9 10. Purdue (5-2-2) - 96.7 11. Michigan State (5-4) - 96.5 12. USC (8-2) -96.6 13. Arkansas (9-2) - 96.3 14. Washington (10-1) - 96.2 15. Wisconsin (7-3) - 95.8 16. Penn State (9-2) - 95.2 17. Georgia Tech - 94.9 18. Illinois - 94.7 19. Oklahoma - 04.7 20. Clemson - 94.3 21. Indiana - 93.7 22. Kentucky - 93.6 23. SMU - 93.0 24. Florida - 92.9 25. UCLA - 91.5