# 1954 college football rankings

Two human polls comprised the 1954 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 November 29, at the end of the 1954 regular season, weeks before the major bowls. The AP would not release a post-bowl season final poll regularly until 1968.
| | Preseason Aug | Week 1 Sep 20 | Week 2 Sep 27 | Week 3 Oct 4 | Week 4 Oct 11 | Week 5 Oct 18 | Week 6 Oct 25 | Week 7 Nov 1 | Week 8 Nov 8 | Week 9 Nov 15 | Week 10 Nov 22 | Week 11 (Final) Nov 29 | |
| 1. | Notre Dame (52) | Oklahoma (1–0) (56) | Notre Dame (1–0) (94) | Oklahoma (2–0) (77) | Oklahoma (3–0) (118) | Oklahoma (4–0) (115) | Ohio State (5–0) (64) | UCLA (7–0) (72) | UCLA (8–0) (117) | Ohio State (8–0) (87) | Ohio State (9–0) (115) | Ohio State (9–0) (204) | 1. |
| 2. | Oklahoma (74) | Notre Dame (0–0) (11) | Oklahoma (2–0) (24) | UCLA (3–0) (20) | Wisconsin (4–0) (21) | Wisconsin (4–0) (42) | Oklahoma (5–0) (74) | Ohio State (6–0) (69) | Ohio State (7–0) (80) | UCLA (8–0) (92) | UCLA (9–0) (85) | UCLA (9–0) (133) | 2. |
| 3. | Maryland (13) | Maryland (0–0) (9) | Iowa (1–0) (11) | Wisconsin (2–0) (17) | UCLA (4–0) (10) | UCLA (5–0) (23) | UCLA (6–0) (45) | Oklahoma (6–0) (42) | Oklahoma (7–0) (44) | Oklahoma (8–0) (28) | Oklahoma (9–0) (31) | Oklahoma (10–0) (35) | 3. |
| 4. | Texas (10) | Texas (1–0) (3) | UCLA (2–0) (3) | Iowa (2–0) (15) | Ohio State (3–0) (14) | Ohio State (4–0) (8) | Arkansas (5–0) (16) | Arkansas (6–0) (16) | Arkansas (7–0) (43) | Notre Dame (6–1) (2) | Notre Dame (7–1) (4) | Notre Dame (8–1) (9) | 4. |
| 5. | Illinois (2) | Georgia Tech (1–0) (2) | Wisconsin (1–0) (7) | Purdue (2–0) (22) | Purdue (2–0–1) (3) | Ole Miss (5–0) (9) | Army (4–1) (1) | Notre Dame (4–1) (4) | Notre Dame (5–1) (3) | Army (7–1) | Army (7–1) | Navy (7–2) (4) | 5. |
| 6. | Michigan State (7) | Illinois (0–0) | Maryland (1–0) (3) | Duke (2–0) (3) | Duke (2–0–1) (7) | Notre Dame (3–1) | Notre Dame (3–1) (1) | Miami (FL) (6–0) (14) | Army (6–1) (4) | Ole Miss (8–1) (7) | Navy (6–2) (2) | Ole Miss (9–1) (6) | 6. |
| 7. | Georgia Tech (5) | Michigan State (0–0) | Duke (1–0) (7) | Ole Miss (3–0) (12) | Ole Miss (4–0) (11) | Arkansas (4–0) (4) | West Virginia (4–0) (6) | Army (5–1) (1) | Ole Miss (7–1) (5) | Navy (6–2) т | Ole Miss (8–1) (6) | Army (7–2) | 7. |
| 8. | UCLA (1) | UCLA (1–0) (2) | Ole Miss (2–0) (3) | Notre Dame (1–1) | Notre Dame (2–1) (2) | Minnesota (4–0) | Wisconsin (4–1) | Purdue (4–1–1) | USC (7–1) | USC (8–1) т | Wisconsin (7–2) | Maryland (7–2–1) (4) | 8. |
| 9. | Wisconsin (1) | Ole Miss (1–0) (1) | USC (2–0) | USC (3–0) | Navy (3–0) (1) т | Army (3–1) | Purdue (3–1–1) | Ole Miss (6–1) (2) | Iowa (5–2) | Arkansas (7–1) (5) | Baylor (7–2) | Wisconsin (7–2) | 9. |
| 10. | Ole Miss (2) | Baylor (1–0) т | Penn State (1–0) | Ohio State (2–0) (1) | Penn State (3–0) (3) т | West Virginia (3–0) (9) | Miami (FL) (5–0) (6) | USC (6–1) | Navy (5–2) | Minnesota (7–1) | Maryland (6–2–1) | Arkansas (8–2) (4) | 10. |
| 11. | Iowa (1) | Wisconsin (0–0) т | Baylor (2–0) | Rice (2–0) | Minnesota (3–0) (2) | Colorado (5–0) (2) | Michigan (4–1) | Duke (4–1–1) | Miami (FL) (6–1) | SMU (5–1–1) | Miami (FL) (7–1) (2) | Miami (FL) (8–1) (7) | 11. |
| 12. | California | Iowa (0–0) | Texas (1–1) | Penn State (2–0) | Arkansas (3–0) (1) | Alabama (4–1) | Ole Miss (5–1) | Iowa (4–2) | Cincinnati (8–0) | Michigan (6–2) | West Virginia (7–1) (3) | West Virginia (8–1) (2) | 12. |
| 13. | Army | Rice (0–0) | Michigan State (0–1) | Maryland (1–1) | Iowa (2–1) | Purdue (2–1–1) | USC (5–1) | Cincinnati (7–0) | Minnesota (6–1) | Maryland (5–2–1) | Arkansas (7–2) (2) | Auburn (7–3) (1) | 13. |
| 14. | Alabama | Texas Tech (1–0) (1) | Ohio State (1–0) (1) | Florida (2–1) (1) | West Virginia (2–0) (6) | Virginia Tech (4–0) | Virginia Tech (5–0) (1) | Minnesota (5–1) | Wisconsin (5–2) | West Virginia (6–1) | Michigan (6–3) | Duke (7–2–1) | 14. |
| 15. | Duke (2) | USC (1–0) | South Carolina (1–0) (1) | Texas (2–1) | Rice (2–1) | Georgia Tech (4–1) | Navy (4–1) | Rice (4–2) | Virginia Tech (6–0–1) | Virginia Tech (6–0–1) | Auburn (7–2) | Michigan (6–3) | 15. |
| 16. | Rice | Oregon (1–0) | Rice (1–0) | West Virginia (1–0) (5) | Virginia Tech (3–0) | Miami (FL) (4–0) | Duke (3–1–1) | Wisconsin (4–2) | West Virginia (5–1) (2) | Miami (FL) (6–1) | Virginia Tech (7–0–1) | Virginia Tech (8–0–1) | 16. |
| 17. | USC | California (0–1) | Texas Tech (2–0) | Stanford (3–0) | Colorado (4–0) (1) | USC (4–1) | TCU (4–2) | West Virginia (4–1) (1) | Maryland (4–2–1) | Wisconsin (6–2) | USC (8–2) | USC (8–3) | 17. |
| 18. | Oregon | Army (0–0) | California (1–1) | Minnesota (2–0) | Army (2–1) | Florida (3–2) | SMU (3–1) | Virginia Tech (5–0–1) | Baylor (6–2) | Auburn (7–1) | Kentucky (7–3) | Baylor (7–3) | 18. |
| 19. | Texas Tech | Duke (0–0) | Purdue (1–0) | Navy (2–0) т | Georgia Tech (3–1) | Duke (2–1–1) | Rice (3–2) | Navy (4–2) | SMU (4–1–1) | Iowa (5–3) | Penn State (7–2) | Rice (7–3) | 19. |
| 20. | Ohio State (1) | TCU (1–0) | Florida (1–1) | Virginia Tech (3–0) т | Texas Tech (3–0–1) | TCU (3–2) | Cincinnati (6–0) | Baylor (5–2) тNebraska (4–2) тPittsburgh (3–3) т | Georgia (6–1–1) | Baylor (6–2) | Duke (6–2–1) тMinnesota (7–2) т | Penn State (7–2) | 20. |
| | Preseason Aug | Week 1 Sep 20 | Week 2 Sep 27 | Week 3 Oct 4 | Week 4 Oct 11 | Week 5 Oct 18 | Week 6 Oct 25 | Week 7 Nov 1 | Week 8 Nov 8 | Week 9 Nov 15 | Week 10 Nov 22 | Week 11 (Final) Nov 29 | |
| | | Dropped: AlabamaOhio State | Dropped: ArmyGeorgia TechIllinoisOregonTCU | Dropped: BaylorCaliforniaMichigan StateSouth CarolinaTexas Tech | Dropped: FloridaMarylandStanfordTexasUSC | Dropped: IowaNavyPenn StateRiceTexas Tech | Dropped: AlabamaColoradoFloridaGeorgia TechMinnesota | Dropped: MichiganSMUTCU | Dropped: DukeNebraskaPittsburghPurdueRice | Dropped: CincinnatiGeorgia | Dropped: IowaSMU | Dropped: KentuckyMinnesota | |

## Final Coaches Poll

The final UP Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, on November 29. UCLA received 21 of the 35 first-place votes; Ohio State received eleven, and one each to Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and Navy.
| Ranking | Team | Conference | Bowl |
| 1 | UCLA | Pacific Coast | none |
| 2 | Ohio State | Big Ten | Won Rose, 20–7 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | Big Seven | none |
| 4 | Notre Dame | Independent | none |
| 5 | Navy | Independent | Won Sugar, 21–0 |
| 6 | Ole Miss | SEC | Lost Sugar, 0–21 |
| 7 | Army | Independent | none |
| 8 | Arkansas | Southwest | Lost Cotton, 6–14 |
| 9 | Miami (FL) | Independent | none |
| 10 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | none |
| 11 | USC | Pacific Coast | Lost Rose, 7–20 |
| 12 | Maryland | ACC | none |
| 13 | Georgia Tech | SEC | Won Cotton, 14–6 |
| 14 | Duke | ACC | Won Orange, 34–7 |
| 15 | Michigan | Big Ten | none |
| 15 | Penn State | Independent | none |
| 17 | SMU | Southwest | none |
| 18 | Denver | Skyline | none |
| 18 | Rice | Southwest | none |
| 20 | Minnesota | Big Ten | none |
* The NCAA record book lists USC, Maryland, and Georgia Tech in a tie for 11th place, while contemporary sources list them in 11th, 12th, and 13th respectively.
* Prior to the 1975 season, the Big Ten and Pacific Coast (later AAWU / Pac-8) conferences allowed only one postseason participant each, for the Rose Bowl.

## Litkenhous Ratings

The Litkenhous Ratings released in mid-December 1954 provided numerical rankings to over 600 college football programs. The top 50 ranked teams were:
1. UCLA (9-0) - 115.3 2. Ohio State (10-0) - 113.3 3. Oklahoma (10-0) - 111.8 4. Maryland (7-2-1) - 107.4 5. Notre Dame (9-1) - 107.4 6. Wisconsin (7-2) - 106.7 7. Iowa (5-4) - 104.9 8. Ole Miss (9-2) - 103.6 9. Purdue (5-3-1) - 102.5 10. Michigan (6-3) - 102.0 11. Miami (FL) (8-1) - 101.6 12. Navy (8-2) - 101.5 13. Arkansas (8-3) - 100.8 14. Baylor (7-4) - 100.4 15. Minnesota (7-2) - 99.6 16. Auburn (8-3) - 99.2 17. Army (7-2) - 98.9 18. Michigan State (3-6) - 98.9 19. Rice (7-3) - 98.7 20. USC (8-4) - 98.7 21. SMU (6-3-1) - 98.6 22. Colorado (7-2-1) - 97.8 23. Georgia Tech (8-3) - 97.0 24. Texas Tech (7-2-1) - 97.0 25. Texas (4-5-1) - 96.5 26. California (5-5) - 96.3 27. TCU (4-6) - 96.0 28. Indiana (3-6) - 93.1 29. Duke (8-2-1) - 93.0 30. Miami (OH) (8-1) - 92.8 31. Northwestern 32. Florida (5-5) - 89.8 33. Penn State 34. Pittsburgh 35. Nebraska 36. Kentucky (7-3) - 88.2 37. West Virginia 38. Southeastern Louisiana 39. Alabama (4-5-2) - 87.5 40. Arizona 41. Mississippi State (6-4) - 87.4 42. Wichita 43. Cincinnati 44. Missouri 45. LSU (5-6) - 86.9 46. Oregon 47. Illinois (1-8) - 86.4 48. Georgia (6-3-1) - 85.6 49. Texas A&M (1-9) - 85.0 50. Oklahoma A&M 51. Clemson 52. Trinity (TX) 53. Virginia Tech 54. South Carolina 55. Vanderbilt (2-7) - 82.2 56. Kansas State 57. Denver 58. Mississippi Southern 59. Boston University 60. Iowa State 61. Tennessee (4-6) - 79.0 62. Delaware 63. Boston College 64. Tulane (1-6-3) - 77.8 65. Texas Western 66. Houston 67. North Carolina 68. Wake Forest 69. Washington State 70. Stanford 71. Chattanooga 72. San Jose State 73. Florida State 74. North Texas 75. Washington 76. Wyoming 77. Kent State 78. Pacific 79. Brown 80. Howard Payne 81. Virginia 82. Abilene Christian 83. Cornell 84. Detroit 85. Princeton 86. Marquette 87. New Hampshire 88. Colgate 89. Syracuse 90. Richmond 91. McMurry 92. NC State 93. Yale 94. Bucknell 95. Omaha 96. Dayton 97. Eastern Kentucky 98. Utah 99. William & Mary 100. Kansas 101. Hardin-Simmons 102. George Washington 103. Mt. San Antonio 104. Louisiana Tech 105. Memphis State 106. East Texas 107. Sam Houston 108. Stephen F. Austin 109. Harvar 110. Youngstown 111. Bakersfield 112. Holy Cross 113. Utah State 114. Ohio 115. Rutgers 116. Arizona State 118. Xavier 119. Rhode Island 120. Idaho 121. Oregon State 122. South Dakota State 123. Toledo 124. Tulsa 125. West Texas 126. New Mexico 127. Maine 128. Tampa (8-2) - 62.4 129. Temple (3-5) - 61.1 130. VMI (4-6) - 61.1 131. Washington University (6-3) - 60.4 132. Furman (5-5) - 60.3 136. Delta State - 59.9 137. Penn (0-9) - 59.7 138. Dartmouth (3-6) - 59.6 144. Trinity (CT) (7-0) - 59.2 146. John Carroll - 59.1 147. Marshall (4-5) - 59.1 148. Western Michigan (4-5) - 59.1 151. Northeastern - 58.6 152. Montana (3-6) - 58.5 153. Villanova (1-9) - 58.4 154. Lafayette (7-2) - 58.2 155. Tennessee Tech - 58.2 157. Colorado A&M (3-7) - 58.1 160. Montana State (8-1) - 57.6 161. Missouri Valley - 57.6 162. West Chester - 57.6 163. Lehigh (2-5-2) - 56.9 166. Murray - 56.7 167. BYU (1-8) - 56.2 168. Peru State - 56.2 170. Florence - 56.1 177. Davidson (6-3) - 54.8 178. Muhlenberg - 54.7 179. St. John's - 54.0 183. Sul Ross - 53.8 184. Fordham (1-7-1) - 53.7 187. Valparaiso - 53.2 188. Western Kentucky (7-3) - 53.0 190. Vermont (5-1-1) - 53.0 193. San Francisco State (8-2) - 52.8 198. Wofford - 51.7 200. Amherst - 51.4 205. Hawaii (4-4) - 51.0

## HBCU rankings

The Pittsburgh Courier, a leading African American newspaper, ranked the top 1954 teams from historically black colleges and universities in an era when college football was largely segregated. The rankings were published on December 11:
* 1. Tennessee A&I (10–1)
* 2. Florida A&M (8–1)
* 3. Southern (10–1)
* 4. North Carolina College (7–1–1)
* 5. Virginia State (7–2)
* 6. Maryland State (6–1–1)
* 7. Prairie View A&M (10–1)
* 8. South Carolina State (8–2)
* 9. Morris Brown (5–3)
* 10. Alcorn State (5–2–2)
* 11. Lincoln (MO) (4–3–1)
* 12. Xavier (LA) (6–2)
* 13. Morgan State (6–3)
* 14. Texas Southern (4–3–2)
* 15. Grambling (4–2–2)
The Associated Negro Press also published rankings on December 25:
* 1. Tennessee A&I (10–1)
* 2. Florida A&M (8–1)
* 3. Prairie View A&M (10–1)
* 4. Southern (10–1)
* 5. N.C. College (7–1–1)
* 6. Maryland State (6–1–1)
* 7. Xavier (LA) (6–2)
* 8. Virginia State (7–2)
* 9. South Carolina State (8–2)
* 10. Bluefield State (7–2)
* 11. Miles (8–0)
* 12. Virginia Union (5–3)
* 13. Texas Southern (5–4–2)
* 14. Allen (5–4)
* 15. Bethune-Cookman (7–3)
* 16. Lincoln (MO) (4–3–1)
* 17. Alcorn (6–2–2)
* 18. St. Augustine's (6–2)
* 19. Central State (4–4)
* 20. Kentucky State (5–3)
* 21. Morris Brown (5–3)
* 22. Grambling (4–3–2)
* 23. Morgan State (5–3)
* 24. North Carolina A&T (4–5)
* 25. Mississippi Vocational (6–2)
* 26. Delaware State (7–1)
* 27. Elizabeth City (5–1)
* 28. Fort Valley State (5–4)
* 29. Langston (4–4–1)
* 30. Claflin (6–3)
* 31. Knoxville (5–3–1)
* 32. Alabama State (4–3–1)
* 33. Hampton (4–5–1)
* 34. Dillard (4–4)
* 35. Tuskegee (3–5)
* 36. Texas College (4–5)
* 37. Morehouse (4–3)
* 38. West Virginia State (3–6)
* 39. Lincoln (PA) (4–3–1)
* 40. Wiley (5–5)
* 41. Fisk (4–4)
* 42. Arkansas A&M (2–7–2)
* 43. Mississippi Industrial (2–3)
* 44. Winston-Salem State (2–7)
* 45. Fayetteville State (3–6)
* 46. Paul Quinn (2–5–1)
* 47. Florida Normal (3–1–1)
* 48. Livingstone (4–1)
* 49. Clark (1–7)
* 50. Howard (2–6–1)
* 51. Jackson State (1–7–1)
* 52. Tougaloo (3–5)
* 53. Johnson C. Smith (1–5–2)
* 54. Saint Paul's (1–7)
* 55. Albany State (1–3–1)
* 56. Morris College (2–3)
* 57. Philander Smith (1–4)
* 58. Savannah State (1–6)
* 59. Alabama A&M (1–7)
* 60. Benedict (0–8)
* 61. Shaw (0–7–1)
* 62. Lane (1–4)
* 63. Bishop (1–7)
* 64. Paine (0–5)
* 65. Rust (0–5)
* 66. Morristown (0–4)