# 1951 college football season

The 1951 college football season was the 83rd season of intercollegiate football in the United States. It finished with Princeton halfback Dick Kazmaier winning the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award. Five teams have laid claim to the 1951 national championship:
* Tennessee was unbeaten and untied in the regular season and was ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press (AP) and United Press (UP) coaches polls. The Volunteers then lost to No. 3 Maryland in the Sugar Bowl. The final polls were issued prior to the bowl games, leaving intact Tennessee's claim as AP and UP national champion. Tennessee's Hank Lauricella rushed for 881 yards and finished second in voting for the Heisman Trophy.
* Maryland compiled a perfect 10–0 record, including a 28–13 victory over Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl. The Terrapins were ranked No. 3 in the final AP poll but were recognized as national champion by Billingsley Report, College Football Researchers Association, National Championship Foundation, DeVold System, Dunkel System, and Sagarin Ratings. Maryland guard Bob Ward was a consensus All-American.
* Michigan State compiled a perfect 9–0 record, including victories over No. 7 Ohio State and No. 11 Notre Dame. The Spartans were ranked No. 2 in the final AP and UP polls, trailing Tennessee in the final AP poll by 139 first-place votes to 104. The Spartans were selected as national champion by the Billingsley Report, Helms Athletic Foundation, and Poling System. Michigan State tackle Don Coleman and end Bob Carey were consensus All-Americans.
* Georgia Tech compiled an 11–0–1 record, including a victory over No. 9 Baylor in the Orange Bowl. The Yellow Jackets were ranked No. 5 in the final AP and UP polls and were selected as national champion by Berryman (QPRS), Boand System, and Houlgate System.
* Illinois compiled a 9–0–1 record, won the Big Ten Conference championship, and defeated No. 7 in the Rose Bowl. The Illini were ranked No. 3 in the final UP poll and were selected as co-national champion by Boand System. Illinois halfback Johnny Karras was a consensus All-American.
Individual statistical leaders for the 1951 season included San Francisco halfback Ollie Matson with 1,566 rushing yards and 126 points scored, Princeton halfback Dick Kazmaier with 1,827 yards of total offense, Loyola quarterback Don Klosterman with 1,843 passing yards, and Wyoming end Dewey McConnell with 47 receptions.

## Conference and program changes
### Conference changes

* Three conferences began play during the 1951 season:
** Central Church College Conference – active through the 1957 season
** Indiana Collegiate Conference - active through the 1977 season
** Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – an active NAIA/NCAA Division II conference

### Membership changes

| School | 1950 Conference | 1951 Conference |
| CCNY Beavers | Independent | Dropped Program |
| Duquesne Dukes | Independent | Dropped Program |
| Georgetown Hoyas | Independent | Dropped Program |
| High Point Panthers | Independent | Dropped Program |
| Houston Cougars | Gulf Coast | Missouri Valley |
| Kent State Golden Flashes | Independent | MAC |
| Milligan Buffaloes | Smoky Mountain Conference/Volunteer State Athletic Conference | Dropped Program |
| Montana Grizzlies | Independent | Skyline (Mountain States) |
| New Mexico Lobos | Border | Skyline (Mountain States) |
| Niagara Purple Eagles | Western New York Little Three | Dropped Program |
| St. Mary's Gaels | Independent | Dropped Program |

## September

In the preseason poll released on September 24, 1951, Tennessee and Michigan State were ranked first and second, with Tennessee having 60 of the 115 first place votes. MSU had opened its season on the 22nd with a 6–0 win over Oregon State. They were followed by No. 3 Ohio State, defending champion No. 4 Oklahoma, and No. 5 California (which had won its opener against Santa Clara, 34–0). As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games.
On September 14, the Central Missouri Mules played the Southwestern Moundbuilders in the rejected touchdown game where Southwestern's head coach Harold Hunt "rejected" a touchdown awarded by officials because his player stepped out of bounds.
On September 29 No. 1 Tennessee beat Mississippi State 14–0. No. 2 Michigan State won at No. 17 Michigan, 25–0, to take the top spot from the Vols. No. 3 Ohio State beat visiting SMU 7–0 in a win not deemed good enough to stay in the top five. No. 4 Oklahoma beat William & Mary 49–7. No. 5 California won in Philadelphia against No. 19 Penn, 35–0, and rose to second in the next poll. The game was broadcast in New York in a test for color television No. 14 Notre Dame, which had beaten Indiana 48–6, rose to fifth. The poll: No. 1 Michigan State, No. 2 California, No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Oklahoma, and No. 5 Notre Dame.

## October

October 6 No. 1 Michigan State won at No. 7 Ohio State, 24–20. No. 2 California beat Minnesota, 55–14. No. 3 Tennessee beat No. 16 Duke 26–0. No. 4 Oklahoma lost at No. 10 Texas A&M, 14–7 and fell out of the top five. No. 5 Notre Dame had beaten Mercy College of Detroit, 40–6, the night before. The next poll: No. 1 Michigan State, No. 2 California, No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Texas A&M, and No. 5 Notre Dame.
October 13 No. 1 Michigan State had trouble in defeating Marquette 20–14. No. 2 California beat Washington State 42–35 and took over the top spot from the Spartans in the next poll. No. 3 Tennessee beat the University of Chattanooga 42–13. No. 4 Texas A&M beat Trinity College 53–14 and fell from the top five. No. 5 Notre Dame lost to visiting SMU, 27–20. Taking the places of the Aggies and the Irish were No. 6 Texas (which had beaten No. 11 Oklahoma in Dallas, 9–7) and No. 8 Georgia Tech (which had beaten LSU 25–7). The next poll: No. 1 California, No. 2 Tennessee, No. 3 Michigan State, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Georgia Tech.
October 20 In Los Angeles, No. 1 California and No. 11 USC, both unbeaten at 4–0–0, faced off, and the Golden Bears lost the game, along with the top spot in the poll, 21–14. Earlier, in Birmingham, No. 2 Tennessee defeated Alabama 27–13. No. 3 Michigan State won at Penn State, 32–21. No. 4 Texas lost at Arkansas, 16–14. No. 5 Georgia Tech defeated Auburn 27–7. Appearing in the top five were No. 8 Illinois (which had a 27–20 win over No. 20 Washington) and No. 7 Maryland (which had beaten North Carolina 14–7). The next poll: No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Michigan State, No. 3 Georgia Tech, No. 4 Illinois, and No. 5 Maryland.
Another significant game on this date, though for a far different reason, was the Drake–Oklahoma A&M matchup. Then-unbeaten Drake was led by quarterback Johnny Bright, who was leading the nation in total offense at the time and had been touted as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Two years earlier, he had been the first black player to appear in a game at A&M's home field, without incident. The same could not be said about this game. Bright was forced to leave the game in the first quarter after suffering three concussions and a broken jaw as the result of a racially motivated attack by white A&M player Wilbanks Smith, and A&M ultimately won 27–14. The attack was immortalized in a photo sequence in the Des Moines Register that won the photographers a Pulitzer Prize. It also had an enduring legacy on the sport:
* By the end of the school year, Drake and Bradley withdrew from the Missouri Valley Conference in protest over both the attack and the failure of either the conference or Oklahoma A&M to discipline Smith. Bradley would return to the MVC for non-football sports in 1955, with Drake doing the same a year later, but Bradley never returned for football (dropping the sport in 1970) and Drake did not return to MVC football until 1971.
* The attack led to new NCAA rules regarding illegal blocking and mandating the use of helmets with face guards.
October 27 No. 1 Tennessee beat Tennessee Tech 68–0. No. 2 Michigan State beat visiting Pitt, 53–26. No. 3 Georgia Tech won narrowly at Vanderbilt, 8–7. No. 4 Illinois won at Indiana, 21–0. Unbeaten (4–0–0) and No. 5 Maryland visited once-beaten (4–1–0) LSU, and won convincingly, 27–0. With the top five teams staying unbeaten, the poll changed only slightly: No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Michigan State, No. 3 Illinois, No 4 Maryland, and No. 5 Georgia Tech.

## November

November 3 No. 1 Tennessee won at North Carolina, 27–0 for its fourth shutout. In six games, the Vols had outscored their opponents, 207–14. No. 2 Michigan State was idle and dropped to fifth in the next poll. No. 3 Illinois beat No. 15 Michigan 7–0. No. 4 Maryland shut out Missouri 35–0. No. 5 Georgia Tech was tied by Duke, 14–14. No. 6 Princeton, which rose to 5–0–0 after a 12–0 win over Brown and had not lost a game in more than two years, gave an Ivy League addition to the Top Five. The next poll: No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Illinois, No. 3 Maryland, No. 4 Princeton, and No. 5 Michigan State.
November 10 No. 1 Tennessee beat Washington & Lee, 60–14. No. 2 Illinois beat Iowa 40–13. In Baltimore, No. 3 Maryland beat Navy, 40–21. No. 4 Princeton won at Harvard, 54–13 but left the top five. No. 5 Michigan State (6–0–0) hosted No. 11 Notre Dame (5–1–0), shut out the Irish 35–0, and returned to the No. 1 spot in the poll. In Los Angeles, two unbeaten and untied (7–0–0) powers faced off, as No. 6 USC and No. 7 Stanford met. The Stanford Indians beat the Trojans 27–20. The next poll: No. 1 Michigan State, No. 2 Tennessee, No. 3 Illinois, No. 4 Stanford, and No. 5 Maryland.
November 17 No. 1 Michigan State won at Indiana, 30–26. No. 2 Tennessee won at Mississippi, 46–21. No. 3 Illinois got a blemish on its record with a 0–0 tie at Ohio State. No. 4 Stanford beat Oregon State 35–14. No. 5 Maryland overwhelmed N.C. State 53–0. No. 6 Princeton, which had shut out Yale 27–0, came back to the top five. The next poll: No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Michigan State, No. 3 Stanford, No. 4 Maryland, and No. 5 Princeton.
November 24 No. 1 Tennessee beat No. 9 Kentucky 28–0. No. 2 Michigan State beat Colorado 45–7 to finish its season at 9–0–0. No. 3 Stanford suffered its first defeat, falling to No. 19 California 20–7. No. 4 Maryland stayed unbeaten, defeating West Virginia 54–7. No. 5 Princeton closed its season with a 13–0 win over Dartmouth. No. 6 Illinois, which won at Northwestern 3–0, returned to the top five. The penultimate poll: No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Michigan State, No. 3 Maryland, No. 4 Illinois, and No. 5 Princeton.
On December 1 No. 1 Tennessee closed its season unbeaten with a 35–27 win over Vanderbilt. No. 6 Georgia Tech, the only other highly-ranked team which had not finished its season, defeated Georgia 48–6. This result moved the Yellow Jackets up a spot in the final poll: No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Michigan State, No. 3 Maryland, No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Georgia Tech, and No. 6 Princeton, with all six teams being undefeated (although Illinois and Georgia Tech both had ties on their record).
The nation's seventh undefeated team was the No. 14 University of San Francisco Dons, who closed their season—and their football program—with a perfect record of 9 wins, 0 losses and 0 ties. After their November 24 game against in-state Jesuit rival Loyola University, a 20–2 win, USF stopped playing football.

## Conference standings
### Major conference standings

1951 Big Seven Conference football standings :
| 1951 Big Seven Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 10 Oklahoma $ 6 –0 –08 –2 –0 Colorado 5 –1 –07 –3 –0 Kansas 4 –2 –08 –2 –0 Iowa State 2 –4 –04 –4 –1 Nebraska 2 –4 –02 –8 –0 Missouri 2 –4 –03 –7 –0 Kansas State 0 –6 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll | 1951 Big Ten Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Illinois $ 5 –0 –19 –0 –1 Purdue 4 –1 –05 –4 –0 No. 8 Wisconsin 5 –1 –17 –1 –1 Michigan 4 –2 –04 –5 –0 Ohio State 2 –2 –24 –3 –2 Northwestern 2 –4 –05 –4 –0 Minnesota 1 –4 –12 –6 –1 Indiana 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 Iowa 0 –5 –12 –5 –2 $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll | 1951 Border Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Texas Tech $ 4 –0 –07 –4 –0 Arizona State 4 –1 –06 –3 –1 Hardin–Simmons 4 –1 –06 –6 –0 Arizona 3 –3 –06 –5 –0 Texas Western 2 –4 –03 –7 –0 New Mexico A&M 1 –4 –01 –9 –0 West Texas State 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 Arizona State–Flagstaff 0 –1 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1951 Mid-American Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Cincinnati $ 3 –0 –010 –1 –0 Miami (OH) 3 –1 –07 –3 –0 Kent State 2 –1 –04 –3 –2 Ohio 2 –2 –05 –4 –1 Western Reserve 1 –3 –02 –6 –1 Western Michigan 0 –4 –04 –4 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Middle Three Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Lehigh $ 2 –0 –07 –2 –0 Rutgers 1 –1 –04 –4 –0 Lafayette 0 –2 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Pacific Coast Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Stanford $ 6 –1 –09 –2 –0 No. 17 UCLA 4 –1 –15 –3 –1 No. 12 California 5 –2 –08 –2 –0 USC 4 –2 –07 –3 –0 No. 18 Washington State 4 –3 –07 –3 –0 Oregon State 3 –5 –04 –6 –0 Washington 1 –5 –13 –6 –1 Oregon 1 –6 –02 –8 –0 Idaho 0 –3 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll |
| 1951 Skyline Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Utah $ 4 –1 –07 –4 –0 Wyoming 5 –1 –17 –2 –1 Denver 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Colorado A&M 3 –3 –15 –4 –1 BYU 2 –3 –16 –3 –1 Utah State 2 –4 –13 –5 –1 New Mexico 2 –4 –04 –7 –0 Montana 1 –4 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Southeastern Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Georgia Tech + 7 –0 –011 –0 –1 No. 1 Tennessee + 5 –0 –010 –1 –0 LSU 4 –2 –17 –3 –1 Ole Miss 4 –2 –16 –3 –1 No. 15 Kentucky 3 –3 –08 –4 –0 Auburn 3 –4 –05 –5 –0 Vanderbilt 3 –5 –06 –5 –0 Alabama 3 –5 –05 –6 –0 Florida 2 –4 –05 –5 –0 Georgia 2 –4 –05 –5 –0 Mississippi State 2 –5 –04 –5 –0 Tulane 1 –5 –04 –6 –0 + – Conference co-championsRankings from AP Poll | 1951 Southern Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Maryland + 5 –0 –010 –0 –0 VMI + 5 –0 –07 –3 –0 Washington and Lee 5 –1 –06 –4 –0 William & Mary 5 –1 –07 –3 –0 No. 19 Clemson 3 –1 –07 –3 –0 Duke 4 –2 –05 –4 –1 South Carolina 5 –3 –06 –4 –0 Wake Forest 5 –3 –06 –4 –0 George Washington 2 –3 –12 –6 –1 North Carolina 2 –3 –02 –8 –0 West Virginia 2 –3 –05 –5 –0 NC State 2 –6 –03 –7 –0 Richmond 2 –6 –03 –8 –0 The Citadel 1 –3 –04 –6 –0 Furman 1 –4 –13 –6 –1 Davidson 1 –5 –01 –8 –0 VPI 1 –7 –02 –8 –0 + – Conference co-championsRankings from AP Poll |
| 1951 Southwest Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 11 TCU $ 5 –1 –06 –5 –0 No. 9 Baylor 4 –1 –18 –2 –1 Texas 3 –3 –07 –3 –0 Rice 3 –3 –05 –5 –0 Texas A&M 1 –3 –25 –3 –2 Arkansas 2 –4 –05 –5 –0 SMU 1 –4 –13 –6 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll |

### Independents

1951 Eastern college football independents records :
| 1951 Eastern college football independents records vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Bucknell   –  9 –0 –0 No. 6 Princeton   –  9 –0 –0 Susquehanna   –  6 –0 –0 Trenton State   –  6 –0 –0 Northeastern   –  6 –0 –1 No. 19 Holy Cross   –  8 –2 –0 Carnegie Tech   –  6 –2 –0 Hofstra   –  6 –2 –1 Cornell   –  6 –3 –0 No. 16 Boston University   –  6 –4 –0 Temple   –  6 –4 –0 Columbia   –  5 –3 –0 Villanova   –  5 –3 –0 Fordham   –  5 –4 –0 Franklin & Marshall   –  5 –4 –0 Penn   –  5 –4 –0 Penn State   –  5 –4 –0 Syracuse   –  5 –4 –0 Buffalo   –  4 –4 –0 Colgate   –  4 –5 –0 Dartmouth   –  4 –5 –0 Drexel   –  3 –4 –0 Harvard   –  3 –5 –1 Boston College   –  3 –6 –0 Yale   –  2 –5 –2 Pittsburgh   –  3 –7 –0 Geneva   –  2 –5 –0 Army   –  2 –7 –0 Brown   –  2 –7 –0 NYU   –  1 –7 –0 Tufts   –  0 –7 –2 Rankings from AP Poll | 1951 Midwestern college football independents records vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Michigan State   –  9 –0 –0 Xavier   –  9 –0 –1 Wabash   –  7 –0 –1 No. 13 Notre Dame   –  7 –2 –1 Dayton   –  7 –3 –0 Toledo   –  6 –4 –0 Washington University   –  5 –4 –0 Wayne   –  5 –4 –0 Bowling Green   –  4 –4 –1 Marquette   –  4 –6 –1 Baldwin–Wallace   –  3 –5 –0 John Carroll   –  3 –6 –0 Rose Poly   –  2 –5 –0 Youngstown   –  2 –6 –1 Rankings from AP Poll | 1951 Southern college football independents records vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 13 Virginia   –  8 –1 –0 Maryland State   –  7 –1 –0 Arkansas State   –  10 –2 –0 Stetson   –  8 –1 –2 Florida State   –  6 –2 –0 Northeast Louisiana State   –  6 –2 –0 Texas Southern   –  7 –3 –1 Miami (FL)   –  8 –3 –0 Tampa   –  7 –3 –1 Delaware   –  5 –3 –0 Memphis State   –  5 –3 –0 Sewanee   –  5 –3 –0 McNeese State   –  5 –4 –1 Louisville   –  5 –4 –0 Chattanooga   –  6 –5 –0 Grambling   –  4 –5 –1 Navy   –  2 –6 –1 Delta State   –  1 –8 –0 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1951 Western college football independents records vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 14 San Francisco   –  9 –0 –0 La Verne   –  5 –3 –0 Pacific (CA)   –  6 –5 –0 Fresno State   –  5 –5 –0 Santa Clara   –  3 –5 –1 Hawaii   –  4 –7 –0 Loyola (CA)   –  3 –6 –0 San Jose State   –  2 –7 –1 Cal Poly San Dimas   –  1 –6 –0 Rankings from AP Poll |

### Minor conferences

| Conference | Champion(s) | Record |
| California Collegiate Athletic Association | San Diego State | 4–0 |
| Central Church College Conference | Concordia (NE) | 3–0 |
| Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association | West Virginia State | 5–0–1 |
| Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Kansas State Teachers Pittsburg State | 4–1 |
| College Conference of Illinois | Illinois Wesleyan | 5–0 |
| Evergreen Conference | Pacific Lutheran Puget Sound Western Washington College | 4–1 |
| Far Western Conference | NBCA | 3–1 |
| Gulf Coast Conference | North Texas State | 2–0 |
| Indiana Collegiate Conference | Valparaiso | 4–0 |
| Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Saint Ambrose | 5–0 |
| Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference | College of Emporia | 6–0 |
| Lone Star Conference | East Texas State Teachers | 5–0 |
| Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Alma Hope | 4–1 |
| Mid-American Conference | Cincinnati | 3–0 |
| Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference | Lawrence | 7–0 |
| Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Gustavus Adolphus | 6–0 |
| Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Northeast Missouri State Southwest Missouri State | 4–0–1 |
| Nebraska College Conference | Doane Peru State | 6–1 |
| New Mexico Intercollegiate Conference | Eastern New Mexico | 5–0 |
| North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | South Dakota | 6–0 |
| North Dakota College Athletic Conference | Dickinson State Valley City State | 4–0 |
| Ohio Athletic Conference | Ohio Wesleyan | 6–0 |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Murray State College | 5–1 |
| Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference | Northeastern State College (OK) | 5–0 |
| Oregon Collegiate Conference | Oregon College | — |
| Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | Bloomsburg State Teachers | 7–0 |
| Pacific Northwest Conference | Lewis & Clark Pacific (OR) | 4–1 |
| Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | Colorado Mines | 4–0 |
| South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference | South Dakota Mines | 6–0 |
| Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Occidental | 4–0 |
| Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Morris Brown | 8–0 |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | Prairie View A&M College | 6–1 |
| State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota | St. Cloud State Teachers | 4–0 |
| Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference | Abilene Christian Howard Payne Texas A&I | 3–1 |
| Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference | La Crosse State Teachers | 6–0 |

### Minor conference standings

1951 Badger-Illini Conference football standings :
| 1951 Badger-Illini Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Northwestern (WI) $ 6 –0 –16 –0 –1 Milton 5 –1 –05 –1 –0 St. Procopius 3 –1 –23 –2 –2 Concordia (IL) 2 –2 –12 –3 –1 Mission House 2 –4 –02 –4 –0 Wisconsin–Extension 2 –4 –02 –4 –0 Wisconsin Tech 2 –4 –02 –4 –0 Aurora 0 –6 –00 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T San Diego State $ 4 –0 –010 –0 –1 Cal Poly 2 –1 –15 –4 –1 Pepperdine 2 –1 –15 –4 –1 Santa Barbara 1 –3 –05 –4 –0 Los Angeles State 0 –4 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Central Church College Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Concordia (NE) $ 3 –0 –08 –1 –0 York (NE) 2 –1 –05 –3 –0 Tarkio 1 –2 –01 –7 –0 Dana 0 –3 –02 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1951 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 West Virginia State $ 5 –0 –16 –2 –1 No. 1 North Carolina A&T 5 –1 –07 –1 –1 No. 6 North Carolina College 5 –1 –17 –2 –1 Virginia Union 5 –4 –05 –5 –0 No. 19 Lincoln (PA) 4 –2 –06 –2 –0 No. 16 Virginia State 5 –3 –05 –3 –0 No. 18 Hampton 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Winston-Salem State 4 –2 –04 –4 –0 Howard 5 –4 –05 –4 –0 Morgan State 3 –4 –03 –5 –0 Bluefield State 3 –3 –03 –6 –0 Johnson C. Smith 3 –4 –03 –5 –0 Delaware State 2 –4 –02 –7 –0 St. Augustine's 2 –5 –03 –6 –0 Shaw 1 –8 –01 –9 –0 Saint Paul's (VA) 0 –7 –00 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from Associated Negro Press | 1951 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Pittsburg State + 4 –1 –07 –3 –0 Emporia State + 4 –1 –05 –3 –1 Washburn 3 –2 –06 –3 –0 Fort Hays State 2 –3 –05 –4 –0 St. Benedict's 2 –3 –04 –5 –0 Southwestern (KS) 0 –5 –01 –7 –1 + – Conference co-champions | 1951 College Conference of Illinois football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Illinois Wesleyan $ 5 –0 –08 –0 –0 Wheaton (IL) 3 –1 –06 –2 –0 Lake Forest 3 –2 –03 –4 –1 Millikin 3 –2 –03 –4 –0 Illinois College 3 –3 –04 –4 –0 Augustana (IL) 2 –3 –03 –4 –1 North Central (IL) 2 –3 –03 –5 –0 Elmhurst 1 –3 –04 –4 –0 Carthage 0 –5 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1951 Evergreen Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Western Washington + 4 –1 –08 –1 –0 Puget Sound + 4 –1 –07 –1 –0 Pacific Lutheran + 4 –1 –04 –3 –0 Whitworth 1 –4 –04 –3 –1 Eastern Washington 1 –4 –02 –6 –0 Central Washington 1 –4 –01 –6 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1951 Far Western Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Cal Aggies $ 3 –1 –05 –4 –0 San Francisco State 2 –0 –08 –2 –0 Humboldt State 2 –1 –04 –3 –1 Southern Oregon 1 –2 –01 –8 –0 Chico State 0 –4 –00 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Gulf Coast Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T North Texas State $ 2 –0 –08 –4 –0 Midwestern (TX) 0 –1 –15 –4 –1 Trinity (TX) 0 –1 –14 –5 –1 $ – Conference champion |
| 1951 Gulf States Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Mississippi Southern $ 4 –0 –06 –5 –0 Southeastern Louisiana 4 –1 –07 –3 –0 Southwestern Louisiana 3 –2 –06 –4 –0 Louisiana Tech 2 –3 –04 –5 –0 Louisiana College 1 –4 –05 –6 –0 Northwestern State 0 –5 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Hoosier Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Hanover $ 6 –0 –06 –3 –0 Indiana Central 4 –2 –05 –3 –0 Earlham 3 –3 –04 –4 –0 Manchester (IN) 3 –3 –04 –4 –0 Taylor 3 –3 –03 –5 –0 Franklin (IN) 1 –5 –02 –6 –0 Anderson (IN) 1 –5 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Valparaiso $ 4 –0 –09 –0 –0 Saint Joseph's (IN) 3 –1 –04 –4 –0 Butler 3 –2 –04 –4 –1 Evansville 1 –1 –05 –5 –0 Indiana State 0 –3 –10 –6 –1 Ball State 0 –4 –10 –6 –1 $ – Conference champion |
| 1951 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Northern Illinois State 6 –0 –09 –0 –0 Western Illinois 4 –1 –17 –1 –1 Central Michigan 4 –2 –05 –3 –0 Eastern Illinois 2 –2 –24 –2 –2 Michigan State Normal 2 –4 –04 –5 –0 Illinois State Normal 1 –4 –13 –5 –1 Southern Illinois 0 –6 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Iowa Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Northern Division Loras xy 5 –0 –06 –4 –0 Luther 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 Buena Vista 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Wartburg 2 –3 –02 –5 –0 Upper Iowa 1 –4 –01 –5 –0 Westmar 0 –5 –01 –6 –1 Southern Division St. Ambrose xy$ 5 –0 –09 –2 –0 Iowa Wesleyan 3 –2 –05 –2 –1 Dubuque 3 –2 –03 –4 –0 Simpson (IA) 2 –3 –02 –7 –0 Parsons 1 –4 –04 –4 –0 Central (IA) 1 –4 –03 –6 –0 Championship: St. Ambrose 44, Loras 0 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant | 1951 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T College of Emporia $ 6 –0 –08 –0 –0 McPherson 5 –1 –07 –2 –0 Ottawa 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 Kansas Wesleyan 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 Bethany (KS) 2 –4 –04 –5 –0 Baker 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 Bethel (KS) 0 –6 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1951 Lone Star Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T East Texas State $ 5 –0 –09 –2 –0 Southwest Texas State 2 –2 –16 –3 –1 Sam Houston State 2 –2 –14 –4 –1 Stephen F. Austin 2 –3 –04 –4 –1 Lamar Tech 2 –3 –04 –6 –0 Sul Ross 1 –4 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Mason–Dixon Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Western Maryland $ 3 –0 –08 –0 –0 Randolph–Macon 3 –1 –15 –3 –1 Hampden–Sydney 1 –1 –24 –3 –2 Bridgewater 1 –2 –01 –3 –0 Johns Hopkins 0 –2 –12 –5 –1 Gallaudet 0 –2 –01 –4 –0 $ – Conference championConference standings were based on the Dickinson Scoring System. | 1951 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Alma + 4 –1 –07 –2 –0 Hope + 4 –1 –05 –4 –0 Albion 3 –2 –06 –2 –0 Hillsdale 2 –3 –02 –6 –0 Kalamazoo 2 –3 –02 –6 –0 Adrian 0 –5 –00 –6 –0 + – Conference co-champions |
| 1951 Mid-Ohio League football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Bluffton + 4 –1 –06 –2 –0 Findlay + 4 –1 –05 –2 –0 Ohio Northern 3 –2 –04 –5 –0 Cedarville 2 –3 –0 ? – ? – ? Ashland 2 –3 –02 –5 –1 Defiance 0 –5 –00 –6 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1951 Midlands Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Lewis $ 3 –0 –07 –1 –0 St. Ambrose 2 –1 –09 –2 –0 St. Norbert 2 –2 –05 –4 –0 Loras 1 –3 –06 –4 –0 Saint Joseph's (IN) 1 –3 –04 –4 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Midwest Athletic Association football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Central State (OH) $ 3 –0 –07 –2 –0 No. 3 Tennessee A&I 2 –1 –08 –2 –0 No. 10 Lincoln (MO) 1 –2 –07 –2 –0 Kentucky State 0 –3 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from the Pittsburgh Courier |
| 1951 Midwest Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Lawrence $ 7 –0 –07 –0 –0 Ripon 6 –1 –06 –2 –0 Knox 3 –2 –14 –3 –1 Carleton 3 –3 –04 –3 –0 Monmouth (IL) 2 –3 –13 –3 –2 Coe 2 –4 –03 –5 –0 Grinnell 1 –5 –01 –6 –1 Cornell (IA) 0 –6 –00 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Gustavus Adolphus $ 6 –0 –08 –0 –1 Minnesota–Duluth 5 –1 –05 –2 –1 St. Thomas (MN) 5 –1 –06 –2 –0 Saint John's (MN) 4 –1 –04 –3 –0 St. Olaf 3 –2 –03 –4 –0 Hamline 3 –3 –03 –3 –0 Concordia (MN) 2 –4 –04 –4 –0 Saint Mary's (MN) 1 –5 –01 –6 –0 Macalester 0 –6 –02 –7 –0 Augsburg 0 –6 –00 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Minnesota Teachers College Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T St. Cloud State $ 4 –0 –05 –2 –0 Bemidji State 3 –1 –06 –2 –0 Mankato State 2 –2 –04 –4 –0 Moorhead State 1 –3 –03 –4 –0 Winona State 0 –4 –00 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1951 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Missouri Valley $ 4 –0 –010 –1 –0 William Jewell 3 –1 –08 –3 –0 Culver–Stockton 2 –2 –03 –4 –0 Central (MO) 1 –3 –01 –8 –0 Tarkio 0 –4 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Kirksville State + 4 –0 –17 –1 –1 SW Missouri State + 4 –0 –16 –3 –1 Missouri Mines 3 –2 –03 –5 –0 NW Missouri State 2 –3 –02 –6 –1 SE Missouri State 0 –4 –12 –5 –1 Central Missouri State 0 –4 –10 –7 –2 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Missouri Valley Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Tulsa $ 4 –0 –09 –2 –0 Drake 3 –1 –07 –2 –0 Oklahoma A&M 3 –2 –03 –7 –0 Houston 2 –2 –06 –5 –0 Detroit 2 –4 –04 –7 –0 Wichita 2 –4 –02 –7 –0 Bradley 0 –3 –04 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1951 Montana Collegiate Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Carroll (MT) $ 4 –0 –06 –1 –1 Rocky Mountain 3 –1 –0 ? – ? – ? Western Montana 2 –2 –0 ? – ? – ? Eastern Montana 1 –3 –02 –3 –0 Montana Mines 0 –4 –0 ? – ? – ? $ – Conference champion | 1951 Nebraska College Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Peru State + 6 –1 –08 –2 –0 Doane + 6 –1 –07 –2 –0 Wayne State (NE) 5 –2 –06 –3 –0 Kearney State 4 –3 –05 –3 –0 Hastings 4 –3 –05 –4 –0 Nebraska Wesleyan 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Chadron State 1 –6 –01 –8 –0 Midland 0 –7 –01 –7 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1951 New Mexico Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Eastern New Mexico $ 5 –0 –08 –1 –0 New Mexico Western 3 –1 –16 –2 –1 Adams State 3 –2 –03 –6 –0 Panhandle A&M 2 –3 –06 –4 –0 New Mexico Highlands 1 –3 –13 –4 –1 New Mexico Military 0 –5 –02 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1951 North Central Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T South Dakota $ 6 –0 –07 –1 –0 South Dakota State 4 –1 –18 –1 –1 Iowa State Teachers 3 –3 –03 –4 –0 North Dakota 2 –3 –02 –4 –0 Morningside 2 –4 –03 –5 –1 North Dakota State 1 –4 –11 –5 –1 Augustana (SD) 1 –4 –03 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1952 North Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Dickinson State + 4 –0 –04 –3 –0 Valley City State + 4 –0 –04 –3 –0 Minot State 3 –2 –04 –3 –0 Ellendale 2 –2 –02 –2 –0 Wahpeton Science 1 –2 –11 –3 –1 Jamestown 1 –3 –11 –5 –1 Mayville State 1 –3 –01 –3 –0 Bismarck JC 0 –4 –00 –4 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1951 North State Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Lenoir Rhyne $ 6 –0 –010 –1 –0 Elon 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 Catawba 3 –2 –05 –5 –0 Appalachian State 3 –3 –06 –3 –0 East Carolina 1 –4 –04 –6 –0 Western Carolina 1 –4 –03 –6 –0 Guilford 1 –4 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1951 Northwest Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Pacific (OR) + 4 –1 –08 –2 –0 Lewis & Clark + 4 –1 –06 –2 –0 College of Idaho 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Linfield 1 –3 –13 –3 –3 Whitman 1 –3 –13 –5 –1 Willamette 1 –4 –03 –5 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1951 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Ohio Wesleyan $ 6 –0 –08 –1 –0 Heidelberg 3 –0 –17 –1 –1 Mount Union 2 –1 –03 –4 –1 Muskingum 3 –2 –15 –2 –1 Denison 3 –2 –14 –3 –1 Oberlin 2 –2 –04 –4 –0 Otterbein 2 –2 –12 –4 –2 Wooster 2 –3 –06 –3 –0 Akron 1 –3 –01 –8 –0 Wittenberg 1 –5 –04 –6 –0 Capital 0 –2 –12 –4 –1 Marietta 0 –3 –12 –4 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Murray State $ 5 –1 –08 –1 –0 Eastern Kentucky 4 –2 –07 –3 –0 Marshall 4 –2 –05 –5 –1 Evansville 3 –3 –05 –5 –0 Tennessee Tech 3 –3 –05 –5 –1 Western Kentucky 2 –4 –04 –5 –0 Morehead State 0 –6 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1951 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Northeastern State $ 5 –0 –09 –1 –0 SW Oklahoma State 3 –2 –04 –6 –0 SE Oklahoma State 3 –2 –03 –6 –0 Central State (OK) 2 –3 –02 –7 –0 NW Oklahoma State 1 –3 –14 –4 –1 East Central 0 –4 –11 –6 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Oregon Collegiate Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Oregon College $ 3 –0 –06 –0 –1 Oregon Tech 2 –1 –06 –3 –0 Vanport 1 –2 –03 –5 –0 Eastern Oregon 0 –3 –03 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Bloomsburg $ 7 –0 –08 –0 –0 California (PA) 4 –1 –07 –2 –0 Clarion 3 –1 –04 –2 –1 West Chester 3 –1 –08 –2 –0 Kutztown 3 –2 –05 –2 –0 Shippensburg 4 –3 –05 –3 –0 East Stroudsburg 2 –2 –04 –4 –0 Slippery Rock 1 –2 –03 –4 –0 Indiana (PA) 5 –3 –15 –3 –1 Edinboro 0 –3 –10 –5 –1 Mansfield 1 –4 –02 –5 –0 Millersville 3 –5 –03 –5 –0 Cheyney 0 –3 –02 –4 –0 Lock Haven 0 –6 –00 –8 –0 $ – Conference championConference standings were based on the Saylor system of ratings. |
| 1951 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Colorado Mines $ 4 –0 –07 –2 –0 Colorado College 3 –2 –04 –5 –0 Idaho State 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Colorado State–Greeley 2 –3 –04 –3 –0 Western State (CO) 2 –3 –03 –5 –0 Montana State 0 –4 –00 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Smoky Mountain Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Emory and Henry $ 2 –0 –09 –0 –1 East Tennessee State 1 –1 –04 –5 –0 Carson–Newman 0 –2 –04 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T South Dakota Mines $ 6 –0 –08 –0 –0 Southern State (SD) 6 –1 –06 –1 –1 Black Hills 3 –1 –06 –2 –0 Northern State 3 –2 –04 –4 –0 Huron 3 –3 –05 –3 –0 Yankton 3 –3 –03 –4 –0 General Beadle 1 –4 –01 –5 –0 Sioux Falls 0 –5 –00 –7 –0 Dakota Wesleyan 0 –6 –00 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1951 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Occidental $ 4 –0 –06 –2 –0 Redlands 2 –2 –03 –5 –0 Whittier 2 –2 –02 –7 –0 Caltech 1 –3 –02 –5 –0 Pomona 1 –3 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Morris Brown $ 8 –0 –010 –1 –0 No. 10 Xavier (LA) 5 –1 –08 –1 –0 No. 3 Florida A&M 4 –1 –07 –1 –1 No. 22 Fisk 5 –2 –06 –2 –0 No. 23 South Carolina State 4 –2 –05 –2 –0 No. 12 Bethune–Cookman 4 –2 –07 –2 –0 No. 15 Benedict 5 –3 –07 –3 –0 No. 24 Tuskegee 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 Alabama A&M 3 –3 –03 –5 –0 Lane 2 –2 –03 –4 –0 Morehouse 2 –3 –03 –4 –0 Clark (GA) 3 –5 –03 –5 –0 Allen 1 –5 –03 –7 –0 Knoxville 0 –5 –00 –8 –1 Alabama State 0 –6 –00 –8 –0 Fort Valley State 0 –0 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from Associated Negro Press | 1951 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Prairie View A&M $ 6 –1 –09 –1 –0 No. 17 Texas College 4 –1 –25 –3 –2 No. 21 Southern 4 –1 –25 –4 –2 No. 20 Arkansas AM&N 4 –2 –15 –4 –1 Langston 4 –3 –04 –5 –0 Wiley 2 –4 –13 –5 –1 Samuel Huston 1 –6 –01 –8 –0 Bishop 0 –7 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from Associated Negro Press |
| 1951 Texas Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Abilene Christian + 3 –1 –06 –4 –0 Texas A&I + 3 –1 –05 –4 –0 Howard Payne + 3 –1 –04 –4 –0 McMurry 1 –3 –03 –7 –0 Austin 0 –4 –02 –7 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1951 Virginia Little Six Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Emory and Henry $ 2 –0 –09 –0 –1 Randolph–Macon 1 –1 –15 –3 –1 Hampden–Sydney 1 –1 –14 –3 –2 Bridgewater 0 –2 –01 –3 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1951 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Morris Harvey $ 4 –0 –06 –3 –1 West Virginia Tech 5 –1 –07 –1 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Potomac State]] 3 –1 –04 –1 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Fairmont State]] 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Davis & Elkins]] 4 –2 –04 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|West Liberty State]] 2 –2 –03 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Glenville State]] 3 –4 –03 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Shepherd]] 1 –3 –03 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Concord]] 1 –5 –01 –7 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Salem]] 0 –6 –00 –8 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Bethany (WV)]] * 0 –1 –03 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion * – Did not qualify for conference standings Conference standings based on power ratings |
| 1951 Wisconsin State College Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T [[{{{school}}}|La Crosse State]] $ 6 –0 –07 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Stout Institute]] 5 –1 –07 –1 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Whitewater State]] 3 –2 –03 –3 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Superior State]] 3 –2 –14 –2 –2 [[{{{school}}}|Platteville State]] 2 –2 –22 –3 –2 [[{{{school}}}|Milwaukee State]] 1 –2 –31 –4 –3 [[{{{school}}}|Eau Claire State]] 2 –4 –03 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|River Falls State]] 1 –3 –23 –3 –2 [[{{{school}}}|Stevens Point State]] 0 –3 –30 –3 –4 [[{{{school}}}|Oshkosh State]] 0 –4 –10 –4 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1951 Yankee Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Maine $ 3 –0 –16 –0 –1 UMass 2 –0 –03 –4 –1 Connecticut 2 –1 –04 –4 –0 New Hampshire 1 –2 –15 –2 –1 Rhode Island 1 –3 –03 –5 –0 Vermont 0 –3 –00 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion |

## Bowl games

All seven games played were on Tuesday, January 1, 1952.

### Major bowls

| Bowl game | Winning team | Winning team | Losing team | Losing team |
| Cotton Bowl | No. 15 Kentucky | 20 | No. 11 TCU | 7 |
| Sugar Bowl | No. 3 Maryland | 28 | No. 1 Tennessee | 13 |
| Rose Bowl | No. 4 Illinois | 40 | No. 7 Stanford | 7 |
| Orange Bowl | No. 5 Georgia Tech | 17 | No. 9 Baylor | 14 |

### Other bowls

| Bowl game | Winning team | Winning team | Losing team | Losing team |
| Gator Bowl | Miami (FL) | 14 | No. 20 Clemson | 0 |
| Sun Bowl | Texas Tech | 25 | Pacific (CA) | 14 |
| Tangerine Bowl | Stetson | 35 | Arkansas State | 20 |

## Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player
| Player | School | Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total |
| Dick Kazmaier | Princeton | HB | 506 | 107 | 45 | 1,777 |
| Hank Lauricella | Tennessee | HB | 45 | 108 | 73 | 424 |
| Babe Parilli | Kentucky | QB | 32 | 79 | 90 | 344 |
| Bill McColl | Stanford | E | 42 | 56 | 75 | 313 |
| Johnny Bright | Drake | HB | 31 | 49 | 39 | 230 |
| Johnny Karras | Illinois | HB | 15 | 60 | 58 | 223 |
| Larry Isbell | Baylor | QB | 29 | 24 | 28 | 163 |
| Hugh McElhenny | Washington | HB | 18 | 17 | 15 | 103 |
| Ollie Matson | San Francisco | HB | 6 | 28 | 21 | 95 |
| Don Coleman | Michigan State | OT | 6 | 23 | 29 | 93 |
Source:

## Statistical leaders
### Individual
#### Total offense

The following players were the individual leaders in total offense during the 1951 season:
Major college
| Rank | Player | Team | Total Yds |
| 1 | Dick Kazmaier | Princeton | 1,827 |
| 2 | Don Klosterman | Loyola (CA) | 1,803 |
| 3 | Bill Wade | Vanderbilt | 1,646 |
| 4 | Zeke Bratkowski | Georgia | 1,634 |
| 5 | Tom Dublinski | Utah | 1,633 |
| 6 | Hair | Clemson | 1,579 |
| 7 | Morris | Tulsa | 1,572 |
| 8 | Ollie Matson | San Francisco | 1,566 |
| 9 | Larry Isbell | Baylor | 1,556 |
| 10 | Johnny Bright | Drake | 1,553 |

#### Passing

The following players were the individual leaders in pass completions during the 1951 season:
Major college
| Rank | Player | Team | Compl. | Att. | Pct. Compl. | Yds. | Int. | TDs |
| 1 | Don Klosterman | Loyola (CA) | 159 | 315 | 50.5% | 1,843 | 21 | 9 |
| 2 | Babe Parilli | Kentucky | 136 | 239 | 56.9% | 1,643 | 12 | 19 |
| 3 | Don Leahy | Marquette | 127 | 232 | 54.7% | 1,543 | 15 | 12 |
| 4 | Tom Dublinski | Utah | 124 | 239 | 51.9% | 1,418 | 11 | 14 |
| 5 | Don Babers | Oklahoma A&M | 121 | 247 | 49.0% | 1,352 | 13 | 10 |
| 6 | Hart | Hardin-Simmons | 117 | 229 | 51.1% | 1,380 | 14 | 8 |
| 7 | Zeke Bratkowski | Georgia | 116 | 248 | 46.8% | 1,578 | 29 | 6 |
| 8 | Bill Wade | Vanderbilt | 111 | 223 | 49.8% | 1,609 | 10 | 13 |
| 9 | Fred Benners | SMU | 108 | 204 | 52.9% | 1,306 | 12 | 9 |
| 10 | Larry Isbell | Baylor | 105 | 214 | 49.1% | 1,430 | 18 | 10 |

#### Rushing

The following players were the individual leaders in rushing yards during the 1951 season:
Major college
| Rank | Player | Team | Yds | Rushes | Avg |
| 1 | Ollie Matson | San Francisco | 1,566 | 245 | 6.39 |
| 2 | Dunny Goode | Hardin-Simmons | 1,399 | 270 | 5.18 |
| 3 | Howard Waugh | Tulsa | 1,118 | 165 | 6.78 |
| 4 | Shannon | Houston | 1,059 | 144 | 7.35 |
| 5 | Thomas McCormick | Pacific | 1,001 | 191 | 5.24 |
| 6 | Hugh McElhenny | Washington | 936 | 169 | 5.54 |
| 7 | Johnny Bright | Drake | 927 | 160 | 5.79 |
| 8 | John Kastan | Boston University | 886 | 133 | 6.66 |
| 9 | Hank Lauricella | Tennessee | 881 | 111 | 7.94 |
| 10 | Buck McPhail | Oklahoma | 865 | 101 | 8.56 |

#### Receiving

The following players were the individual leaders in receptions during the 1951 season:
Major college
| Rank | Player | Team | Receptions | Receiving yards | TDs |
| 1 | Dewey McConnell | Wyoming | 47 | 725 | 8 |
| 2 | Ed Barker | Washington State | 46 | 864 | 9 |
| 3 | Jim David | Colorado A&M | 46 | 551 | 5 |
| 4 | Karl Kluckhohn | Colgate | 45 | 616 | 5 |
| 5 | Fred Snyder | Loyola (CA) | 45 | 539 | 2 |
| 6 | Bill McColl | Stanford | 42 | 607 | 7 |
| 7 | Harry Babcock | Georgia | 41 | 666 | 2 |
| 8 | Ben Roderick | Vanderbilt | 40 | 627 | 5 |
| 8 | George Wooden | Oklahoma A&M | 40 | 502 | 2 |
| 8 | Wesley Bomm | Columbia | 40 | 444 | 1 |
| 8 | Jim Walker | Texas Western | 40 | 440 | 3 |

#### Scoring

The following players were the individual leaders in scoring during the 1951 season:
Major college
| Rank | Player | Team | Pts | TD | PAT | FG |
| 1 | Ollie Matson | San Francisco | 126 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Hugh McElhenny | Washington | 125 | 17 | 23 | 0 |
| 3 | Bill Parsons | Tulsa | 96 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Ray Oliverson | BYU | 90 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | John "Babe" Kastan | Boston University | 90 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Johnny Bright | Drake | 84 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Frank Goode | Hardin-Simmons | 84 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Eddie Macon | Pacific | 84 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Harold "Herky" Payne | Tennessee | 84 | 14 | 0 | 0 |

### Team
#### Total offense

The following teams were the leaders in total offense during the 1951 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Yards per game |
| 1 | Tulsa | 480.1 |
| 2 | Maryland | 423.3 |
| 3 | Princeton | 417.0 |
| 4 | Arizona State | 416.2 |
| 5 | Cincinnati | 408.3 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 406.2 |
| 7 | Holy Cross | 405.5 |
| 8 | Michigan State | 403.0 |
| 9 | Pacific | 401.6 |
| 10 | California | 398.0 |

#### Total defense

The following teams were the leaders in total defense during the 1951 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Yards per game |
| 1 | Wisconsin | 154.8 |
| 2 | Princeton | 176.9 |
| 3 | Georgia Tech | 199.1 |
| 4 | Kentucky | 205.9 |
| 5 | San Francisco | 209.4 |
| 6 | Illinois | 217.1 |
| 7 | Holy Cross | 221.2 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 221.5 |
| 9 | Virginia | 221.7 |
| 10 | Denver | 223.0 |