# 1958 college football season

The 1958 college football season was the 90th season of intercollegiate football in the United States. It concluded with two teams having claim to the major college national championship:
* LSU compiled an 11–0 record, defeated Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, and was ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press (AP) writers and United Press International (UPI) coaches polls. LSU received 139 first-place votes in the AP poll and 29 of 35 first-place votes in the UPI poll. LSU was also selected as the national champion by numerous other selectors, including: Billingsley Report, College Football Researchers Association, Helms Athletic Foundation, and National Championship Foundation. LSU halfback Billy Cannon finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy.
* Iowa compiled an 8–1–1 record, defeated California in the Rose Bowl, and was selected as the national champion by the Football Writers Association of America. Iowa quarterback Randy Duncan led major college football with 1,347 passing yards and a .587 completion percentage and finished second in voting for the Heisman Trophy.
Three small college teams also claimed national championships:
* Mississippi Southern compiled a 9–0 record and was ranked No. 1 in the UPI small college coaches poll.
* Prairie View compiled a 10–0–1 record, defeated Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic, and was selected as the black college national champion.
* Northeastern State compiled an 11–0 record, defeated Arizona State–Flagstaff in the Holiday Bowl, and won the NAIA championship.
Army halfback Pete Dawkins won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award as the best player in college football. Pacific fullback Dick Bass led all major college football players with 1,448 yards of total offense, 1,361 rushing yards, and 116 points scored.
On January 13, 1958, the eleven-man NCAA Rules Committee unanimously approved a resolution to allow teams to choose between kicking an extra point after a touchdown, or running or passing from the three-yard line for a two-point conversion. University of Michigan athletic director Fritz Crisler said at the meeting in Fort Lauderdale, "It's a progressive step which will make football more interesting for the spectators," adding that the rule "will add drama to what has been the dullest, most stupid play in the game."

## Conference and program changes
### Conference changes

* Two conferences began play in 1958:
** Middle Atlantic Conference – an active NCAA Division III conference
** Western Pennsylvania Conference – active through the 1967 season
* One conference played their final season in 1958:
** Virginia Little Eight Conference – active since the 1949 season; previously known the Virginia Little Six (1949–1953) and Virginia Little Seven (1954–1955)

### Membership changes

| School | 1957 Conference | 1958 Conference |
| Washington and Lee Generals | Southern | Independent |

## Season chronology
### September

In the preseason poll released on September 15, 1958, the Buckeyes of Ohio State University were the first place choice for 46 of 99 writers casting votes, followed by Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Michigan State and 1957's champion, Auburn. As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games.
Most teams did not begin play until September 27. On September 13, Kentucky beat Hawaii 51–0 in a game in Louisville, and attempted the 2-point conversion, but without success. One of the first successful 2-point conversions in an NCAA game happened when Iowa State Teachers College hosted Bradley University at Cedar Falls, Iowa on September 13. Max Huffman carried the ball over twice on conversion attempts to give the Panthers of Iowa Teachers a 29–12 win over the Braves. On September 20, No. 6 Mississippi and No. 8 Texas Christian were among the winners, beating Memphis State (17–0) and Kansas (42–0) respectively, but the Top Five schools had not yet started play. The poll for the five 0–0 teams was No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2. Oklahoma, No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 Michigan State, and No. 5 Notre Dame.
September 27 No. 1 Ohio State narrowly beat No. 20 SMU at home, 23–20, and fell to third in the next poll. No. 2 Oklahoma, on the other hand, rolled over visiting No. 13 West Virginia 47–14, and rose to first place. No. 3 Auburn beat Tennessee in Birmingham, 13–0, and No. 4 Michigan State beat California 32–12. No. 5 Notre Dame beat Indiana 18–0, but fell to 7th, while No. 8 Army, which beat South Carolina 45–8, took the place of the Irish. The next poll: No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Michigan State, and No. 5 Army.

### October

October 4 No. 1 Oklahoma got past visiting Oregon, 6–0, and dropped to second. No. 2 Auburn, which beat UT-Chattanooga 30–8 at home, moved up to the top spot. No. 3 Ohio State beat Washington at home, 12–7. No. 4 Michigan State played No. 16 Michigan to a 12–12 tie, and fell to 9th. No. 5 Army beat Penn State 26–0. No. 7 Notre Dame, which beat No. 17 SMU in Dallas, 14–6, returned to the Top Five. The next poll: No. 1 Auburn, No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Army, No. 4 Notre Dame, and No. 5 Ohio State.
October 11 No. 1 Auburn won at Kentucky, 8–0. No. 2 Oklahoma sustained a 15–14 loss at Dallas in their annual meeting with the No. 16 Texas Longhorns. In South Bend, Indiana, the visiting No. 3 Army Cadets beat No. 4 Notre Dame, 14–2, and were voted No. 1 in the next poll. No. 5 Ohio State won at Illinois, 19–13. No. 6 Wisconsin, which beat Purdue 31–6, and No. 9 Michigan State, which beat No. 10 Pittsburgh 22–8, rose in the polls, to put three Big Ten schools in the top five. The next poll: No. 1 Army, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Wisconsin, and No. 5 Michigan State.
On October 18 at West Point, New York, No. 1 Army beat Virginia 35–6. No. 2 Auburn tied with Georgia Tech 7–7 in Atlanta and fell in the polls. No. 3 Ohio State beat Indiana 49–8. No. 4 Wisconsin lost to No. 13 Iowa at home, 20–9, and No. 5 Michigan State began a five-game losing streak with a 14–6 defeat at Purdue. The Spartans would finish the season with a 3–5–1 record after starting 2–0–1. No. 7 Texas (24–6 over Arkansas) and No. 9 LSU (32–7 over Kentucky) rose in the polls. The next poll: No. 1 Army, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Auburn.
October 25 For the top-ranked teams, a tie was only slightly better than a loss. No. 1 Army played to a 14–14 tie against the Panthers at Pittsburgh, and No. 2 Ohio State tied with Wisconsin at home 7–7. No. 3 LSU beat Florida 10–7, and the win was enough to propel the Tigers to first place. No. 4 Texas lost to the Rice Owls in Houston, 34–7. No. 5 Auburn beat Maryland at home, 20–7. No. 7 Iowa, which beat Northwestern 26–20, rose to 2nd in the next poll: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Army, No. 4 Auburn, and No. 5 Ohio State.

### November

November 1 No. 1 LSU beat No. 6 Ole Miss 14–0. No. 2 Iowa won at Michigan, 37–14. No. 3 Army crushed Colgate, 68–6. No. 4 Auburn won 6–5 at Florida. In Columbus, No. 5 Ohio State was upset by visiting No. 11 Northwestern, 21–0. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Army, No. 4 Northwestern, and No. 5 Auburn.
November 8 No. 1 LSU beat Duke 50–18. No. 2 Iowa won at Minnesota 28–6. No. 3 Army beat the No. 13 Rice Owls in Houston, 14–7. No. 4 Northwestern lost at Madison to No. 7 Wisconsin, 17–13. No. 5 Auburn beat Mississippi State 33–14 at home. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Army, No. 4 Auburn, and No. 5 Wisconsin.
November 15 No. 1 LSU beat Mississippi State at Jackson 7–6. No. 2 Iowa lost at home to No. 16 Ohio State 38–28. No. 3 Army beat Villanova 26–0. No. 4 Auburn met the Georgia Bulldogs halfway in Columbus, Georgia, and won 21–6. No. 5 Wisconsin won 31–12 at Illinois. No. 6 Oklahoma, which beat Missouri 39–0, rose to 4th. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Army, No. 4 Oklahoma, and No. 5 Wisconsin.
November 22 In New Orleans, the No. 1 LSU Tigers crushed Tulane 62–0, scoring 56 points in the second half, to close their season 10–0–0. They would face the Clemson Tigers in the Sugar Bowl. Behind them were the No. 2 Auburn Tigers, who beat Wake Forest at home 21–7. No. 3 Army was idle as it prepared for the annual Army-Navy game. No. 4 Oklahoma crushed Nebraska 40–7. No. 5 Wisconsin beat Minnesota to close its season at 7–1–1. No. 6 Iowa, which beat No. 15 Notre Dame 31–21, returned to the Top Five: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Iowa, and No. 5 Army.
On November 29 No. 2 Auburn defeated Alabama 14–8 in Birmingham to finish its season at 9–0–1, but they were on probation for recruiting violations and ineligible for a bowl game. No. 3 Oklahoma won at Oklahoma State 7–0. The Sooners (who had not lost a conference game since 1946) won the Big 7 title and headed to the Orange Bowl. In Philadelphia, No. 5 Army beat Navy, 22–6, to finish its season 8–0–1.
The final AP Poll was released on December 1, and the No. 1 LSU Tigers, at 10–0–0, won the AP Trophy with 130 of the first place votes. The other 73 votes were spread among 12 schools, including No. 2 Iowa (17), No. 3 Army (13), No. 4 Auburn (9), No. 5 Oklahoma (10), No. 6 Air Force (2), No. 7 Wisconsin (13), No. 8 Ohio State (3), and No. 9 Syracuse (1). LSU finished the 1958 season as the only undefeated and untied team in college football. Army, Air Force, and Auburn were also undefeated but they each had one game that ended in a tie. The United States Air Force Academy football team, nicknamed the Falcons, had a 9–0–1 record in only their second year of playing college football, and accepted a bid to face No. 10 Texas Christian in the Cotton Bowl. Oklahoma was the only team to beat a top 10 team in all of the bowl games when they defeated number 9 Syracuse in the Orange Bowl.

## Conference standings
### Major college

1958 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings :
| 1958 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 12 Clemson $ 5 –1 –08 –3 –0 No. 15 South Carolina 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 Duke 3 –2 –05 –5 –0 North Carolina 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Maryland 3 –3 –04 –6 –0 Wake Forest 2 –4 –03 –7 –0 NC State 2 –5 –02 –7 –1 Virginia 1 –5 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll | 1958 Big Seven Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Oklahoma $ 6 –0 –010 –1 –0 Missouri 4 –1 –15 –4 –1 Colorado 4 –2 –06 –4 –0 Kansas 3 –2 –14 –5 –1 Kansas State 2 –4 –03 –7 –0 Nebraska 1 –5 –03 –7 –0 Iowa State 0 –6 –04 –6 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll | 1958 Big Ten Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Iowa $ 5 –1 –08 –1 –1 No. 7 Wisconsin 5 –1 –17 –1 –1 No. 8 Ohio State 4 –1 –26 –1 –2 No. 13 Purdue 3 –1 –26 –1 –2 Indiana 3 –2 –15 –3 –1 Illinois 4 –3 –04 –5 –0 Northwestern 3 –4 –05 –4 –0 Michigan 1 –5 –12 –6 –1 Minnesota 1 –6 –01 –8 –0 Michigan State 0 –5 –13 –5 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll |
| 1958 Border Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Hardin–Simmons $ 4 –0 –06 –5 –0 Arizona State 4 –1 –07 –3 –0 Arizona 2 –1 –03 –7 –0 New Mexico A&M 1 –3 –04 –6 –0 Texas Western 1 –4 –02 –7 –0 West Texas State 1 –4 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Dartmouth $ 6 –1 –07 –2 –0 Cornell 5 –2 –06 –3 –0 Princeton 5 –2 –06 –3 –0 Brown 4 –3 –06 –3 –0 Penn 4 –3 –04 –5 –0 Harvard 3 –4 –04 –5 –0 Columbia 1 –6 –01 –8 –0 Yale 0 –7 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Missouri Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T North Texas State $ 2 –1 –17 –2 –1 Tulsa 2 –2 –07 –3 –0 Houston 2 –2 –05 –4 –0 Cincinnati 1 –1 –26 –2 –2 Wichita 1 –2 –14 –5 –1 $ – Conference champion |
| 1958 Pacific Coast Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 16 California $ 6 –1 –07 –4 –0 Washington State 6 –2 –07 –3 –0 USC 4 –2 –14 –5 –1 Oregon State 5 –3 –06 –4 –0 Oregon 4 –4 –04 –6 –0 UCLA 2 –4 –13 –6 –1 Stanford 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Washington 1 –6 –03 –7 –0 Idaho 0 –3 –04 –5 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll | 1958 Skyline Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Wyoming $ 6 –1 –08 –3 –0 New Mexico 5 –1 –07 –3 –0 BYU 5 –2 –06 –4 –0 Colorado State 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Utah 3 –3 –04 –7 –0 Utah State 2 –5 –03 –7 –0 Denver 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Montana 0 –7 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Southeastern Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 LSU $ 6 –0 –011 –0 –0 No. 4 Auburn 6 –0 –19 –0 –1 No. 11 Ole Miss 3 –2 –09 –2 –0 Vanderbilt 2 –1 –35 –2 –3 Tennessee 4 –3 –04 –6 –0 Alabama 3 –4 –15 –4 –1 Kentucky 3 –4 –15 –4 –1 No. 14 Florida 2 –3 –16 –4 –1 Georgia Tech 2 –3 –15 –4 –1 Georgia 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Tulane 1 –5 –03 –7 –0 Mississippi State 1 –6 –03 –6 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll |
| 1958 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T West Virginia $ 4 –0 –04 –5 –1 VPI 3 –1 –05 –4 –1 George Washington 3 –2 –03 –5 –0 VMI 2 –2 –16 –2 –2 Richmond 3 –4 –03 –7 –0 The Citadel 2 –3 –04 –6 –0 Davidson 2 –3 –05 –4 –0 Furman 1 –2 –02 –7 –0 William & Mary 1 –4 –12 –6 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Southwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 10 TCU $ 5 –1 –08 –2 –1 No. 18 SMU 4 –2 –06 –4 –0 Rice 4 –2 –05 –5 –0 Texas 3 –3 –07 –3 –0 Arkansas 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Texas A&M 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Baylor 1 –5 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll | 1958 NCAA University Division independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Army   –  8 –0 –1 No. 6 Air Force   –  9 –0 –2 No. 9 Syracuse   –  8 –2 –0 No. 19 Oklahoma State   –  8 –3 –0 Boston College   –  7 –3 –0 Florida State   –  7 –4 –0 Holy Cross   –  6 –3 –0 Navy   –  6 –3 –0 Penn State   –  6 –3 –1 No. 17 Notre Dame   –  6 –4 –0 Pacific (CA)   –  6 –4 –0 Villanova   –  6 –4 –0 Pittsburgh   –  5 –4 –1 Detroit   –  4 –4 –1 Boston University   –  4 –5 –0 San Jose State   –  4 –5 –0 Texas Tech   –  3 –7 –0 Marquette   –  2 –7 –1 Drake   –  2 –7 –0 Dayton   –  2 –8 –0 Miami (FL)   –  2 –8 –0 Colgate   –  1 –8 –0 Rankings from AP Poll |

### Small college

1958 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings :
| 1958 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Arkansas A&M + 5 –1 –07 –2 –0 Arkansas Tech + 5 –1 –07 –2 –0 Arkansas State Teachers 4 –1 –07 –2 –0 Henderson State 2 –3 –03 –6 –0 Ozarks 2 –4 –03 –5 –0 Ouachita Baptist 0 –4 –12 –5 –1 Hendrix 0 –4 –11 –6 –1 + – Conference co-champions | 1958 Badger-Gopher Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Bethel (MN) $ 5 –0 –05 –3 –0 Wisconsin Tech 3 –1 –1 ? – ? – ? Northland 2 –2 –1 ? – ? – ? Northwestern (WI) 2 –3 –05 –3 –0 Lakeland 2 –3 –02 –6 –0 Milton 0 –5 –0 ? – ? – ? $ – Conference champion | 1958 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 15 Cal Poly 4 –1 –09 –1 –0 Fresno State $ 4 –1 –05 –5 –0 UC Santa Barbara 3 –2 –04 –4 –1 San Diego State 2 –3 –03 –5 –0 Long Beach State 1 –3 –12 –6 –1 Los Angeles State 0 –4 –14 –4 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from UPI small college poll |
| 1958 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T North Carolina A&T $ 6 –0 –07 –2 –0 North Carolina College 5 –1 –07 –2 –0 Morgan State 5 –2 –05 –3 –0 Shaw 6 –3 –06 –3 –0 Bluefield State 4 –2 –05 –2 –1 St. Augustine's 6 –2 –06 –2 –0 Maryland State 4 –3 –04 –3 –0 Howard 4 –2 –05 –2 –1 Johnson C. Smith 5 –2 –06 –2 –0 Hampton 6 –3 –07 –3 –0 Delaware State 3 –4 –03 –5 –0 Virginia State 3 –6 –03 –6 –0 Winston-Salem State 3 –5 –03 –5 –1 Elizabeth City State 2 –5 –03 –6 –0 Fayetteville State 1 –7 –01 –7 –0 Lincoln (PA) 1 –5 –01 –7 –0 Virginia Union 1 –6 –02 –6 –0 Saint Paul's (VA) 0 –7 –00 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 9 St. Benedict's $^ 5 –0 –010 –1 –0 Pittsburg State 3 –2 –04 –5 –1 Emporia State 2 –2 –15 –4 –1 Fort Hays State 2 –2 –14 –4 –1 Washburn 2 –3 –04 –5 –0 Southwestern (KS) 0 –5 –01 –7 –1 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from UPI small college poll | 1958 College Conference of Illinois football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Wheaton (IL) $ 7 –0 –08 –0 –0 Carroll (WI) 5 –2 –06 –2 –0 North Central (IL) 5 –2 –06 –3 –0 Lake Forest 4 –3 –05 –3 –0 Illinois Wesleyan 4 –3 –04 –4 –0 Millikin 2 –5 –02 –6 –0 Augustana (IL) 2 –6 –01 –7 –0 Elmhurst 0 –7 –00 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1958 Evergreen Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Central Washington + 4 –1 –06 –1 –1 Western Washington + 4 –1 –06 –2 –0 Puget Sound 3 –2 –04 –5 –0 Eastern Washington 2 –3 –04 –4 –0 Whitworth 1 –4 –03 –7 –0 Pacific Lutheran 1 –4 –01 –7 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1958 Far Western Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T San Francisco State $ 4 –1 –07 –3 –0 Humboldt State 3 –2 –07 –2 –1 Cal Aggies 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Chico State 2 –3 –05 –5 –0 Nevada 2 –3 –03 –3 –0 Sacramento State 1 –4 –03 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Frontier Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Arizona State–Flagstaff $^ 3 –0 –011 –1 –0 New Mexico Western 2 –1 –06 –2 –0 New Mexico Highlands 1 –2 –05 –2 –1 Panhandle A&M 0 –3 –04 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA playoff participant |
| 1958 Gulf States Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northwestern State + 4 –1 –08 –2 –0 Louisiana Tech + 4 –1 –07 –3 –0 Northeast Louisiana State 3 –2 –06 –3 –0 McNeese State 2 –3 –05 –5 –0 Southeastern Louisiana 2 –3 –04 –5 –0 Southwestern Louisiana 0 –5 –01 –8 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1958 Hoosier Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Hanover $ 5 –0 –05 –4 –0 Anderson (IN) 4 –1 –08 –1 –0 Indiana Central 2 –3 –03 –6 –0 Taylor 2 –3 –03 –6 –0 Manchester (IN) 1 –4 –03 –6 –0 Franklin (IN) 1 –4 –02 –6 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1958 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Butler $ 5 –1 –08 –1 –0 Ball State 4 –2 –06 –2 –0 Saint Joseph's (IN) 4 –2 –05 –4 –0 Valparaiso 3 –3 –06 –3 –0 Evansville 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 DePauw 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 Indiana State 1 –5 –02 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1958 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Western Illinois $ 5 –1 –06 –1 –1 Southern Illinois 4 –2 –07 –2 –0 Central Michigan 4 –2 –07 –3 –0 Eastern Michigan 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 Northern Illinois 2 –4 –04 –5 –0 Illinois State Normal 2 –4 –03 –6 –0 Eastern Illinois 1 –5 –02 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Iowa Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Wartburg $ 7 –0 –18 –0 –1 Luther 6 –1 –17 –1 –1 Iowa Wesleyan 6 –2 –06 –3 –0 Buena Vista 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Dubuque 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Upper Iowa 3 –5 –03 –5 –0 Simpson (IA) 2 –5 –12 –5 –1 Parsons 2 –6 –04 –6 –0 Central (IA) 0 –7 –10 –8 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Baker $ 7 –0 –08 –1 –0 McPherson 6 –1 –08 –1 –0 Ottawa 3 –3 –13 –5 –1 Kansas Wesleyan 3 –4 –04 –4 –1 College of Emporia 3 –4 –04 –5 –0 Bethany (KS) 2 –4 –13 –4 –1 Bethel (KS) 2 –4 –13 –5 –1 Friends 0 –6 –10 –8 –1 $ – Conference champion |
| 1958 Lone Star Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 East Texas State $ 6 –1 –010 –1 –0 Lamar Tech 5 –2 –06 –2 –0 Sam Houston State 5 –2 –07 –2 –0 Texas A&I 4 –3 –07 –4 –0 Southwest Texas State 4 –3 –05 –5 –0 Howard Payne 2 –5 –02 –7 –0 Stephen F. Austin 1 –6 –02 –7 –0 Sul Ross 1 –6 –02 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from UPI small college poll | 1958 Mason–Dixon Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Randolph–Macon $ 5 –0 –05 –4 –0 Hampden–Sydney 3 –1 –06 –3 –0 Western Maryland 2 –2 –03 –6 –0 Bridgewater 1 –3 –01 –6 –1 Johns Hopkins 0 –3 –05 –3 –0 Gallaudet 0 –2 –02 –5 –0 $ – Conference championConference standings were based on the Dickinson Scoring System. | 1958 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Hope + 5 –1 –08 –1 –0 Hillsdale + 5 –1 –07 –2 –0 Albion + 5 –1 –06 –2 –0 Alma 3 –3 –05 –3 –0 Adrian 2 –4 –03 –5 –0 Olivet 1 –5 –01 –8 –0 Kalamazoo 0 –6 –00 –8 –0 + – Conference co-champions |
| 1958 Mid-American Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Miami (OH) $ 5 –0 –06 –3 –0 Kent State 5 –1 –07 –2 –0 No. 14 Bowling Green 4 –2 –07 –2 –0 Ohio 2 –4 –05 –4 –0 Western Michigan 2 –4 –04 –5 –0 Toledo 1 –4 –04 –5 –0 Marshall 1 –5 –03 –6 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from UPI small college poll | 1958 Mid-Ohio League football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Bluffton $ 5 –0 –08 –1 –0 Findlay 4 –1 –04 –4 –1 Defiance 3 –2 –04 –4 –0 Ohio Northern 1 –4 –01 –6 –0 Wilmington (OH) 1 –4 –01 –6 –0 Ashland 1 –4 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T University Division No. 20 Rutgers x 4 –0 –08 –1 –0 Lafayette 5 –1 –15 –3 –1 Gettysburg 3 –1 –17 –1 –1 Lehigh 2 –1 –23 –3 –3 Delaware 2 –3 –05 –3 –0 Bucknell 1 –5 –01 –8 –0 Temple 0 –5 –00 –8 –0 Muhlenberg * 1 –2 –04 –4 –0 Northern College Division Juniata x 6 –0 –07 –0 –1 Lycoming 4 –1 –07 –1 –0 Lebanon Valley 3 –1 –14 –3 –1 Susquehanna 3 –2 –03 –4 –0 Moravian 3 –3 –04 –4 –0 Wagner 3 –3 –03 –5 –0 Dickinson 3 –4 –04 –4 –0 Albright 2 –4 –12 –6 –1 Wilkes 1 –7 –01 –8 –0 Scranton * 2 –2 –05 –3 –0 Southern College Division Pennsylvania Military x 7 –1 –07 –2 –0 Johns Hopkins 5 –1 –05 –3 –0 Haverford 4 –2 –04 –3 –0 Western Maryland 1 –4 –03 –6 –0 Swarthmore 1 –4 –01 –7 –0 Drexel 1 –5 –01 –7 –0 Ursinus 0 –8 –00 –8 –0 West Chester * 1 –0 –09 –1 –0 Franklin & Marshall * 3 –1 –05 –4 –0 x – Division champion/co-champions * – Ineligible for championship due to insufficient conference games Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1958 Midwest Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Lincoln (MO) $ 3 –0 –07 –1 –0 No. 8 Jackson State 2 –0 –06 –2 –1 No. 14 Tennessee A&I 2 –1 –04 –4 –0 Central State (OH) 1 –2 –05 –2 –0 Kentucky State 0 –3 –00 –7 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from Pittsburgh Courier | 1958 Midwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Coe $ 7 –1 –07 –1 –0 Carleton 6 –1 –16 –1 –1 Ripon 6 –2 –06 –2 –0 St. Olaf 4 –4 –04 –4 –0 Cornell (IA) 3 –4 –13 –4 –1 Grinnell 2 –4 –22 –4 –2 Knox 2 –5 –12 –5 –1 Monmouth (IL) 2 –5 –12 –5 –1 Lawrence 1 –7 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 13 Gustavus Adolphus $^ 7 –0 –08 –1 –0 Concordia (MN) 6 –1 –07 –2 –0 Saint John's (MN) 5 –2 –06 –2 –0 Minnesota–Duluth 4 –3 –04 –4 –0 St. Thomas (MN) 3 –4 –04 –4 –0 Macalester 2 –5 –03 –6 –0 Hamline 2 –5 –02 –6 –0 Augsburg 0 –7 –00 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from UPI small college poll |
| 1958 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Missouri Valley $ 3 –0 –08 –1 –0 William Jewell 2 –1 –07 –3 –0 Culver–Stockton 2 –2 –05 –5 –0 Tarkio 1 –3 –04 –5 –0 Central (MO) 0 –2 –01 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T SE Missouri State $ 5 –0 –07 –1 –1 Missouri–Rolla 4 –1 –05 –4 –0 NE Missouri State 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 SW Missouri State 2 –3 –04 –5 –0 Central Missouri State 1 –4 –02 –6 –1 NW Missouri State 0 –5 –00 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Montana Collegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Eastern Montana $ 5 –0 –05 –2 –0 Western Montana 4 –1 –05 –3 –0 Rocky Mountain 3 –2 –03 –3 –0 Northern Montana 2 –3 –03 –3 –0 Carroll (MT) 1 –4 –02 –6 –0 Montana Mines 0 –5 –0 ? – ? – ? $ – Conference champion |
| 1958 Nebraska College Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Kearney State + 7 –0 –09 –0 –0 Chadron State + 7 –0 –08 –0 –0 Peru State 6 –1 –07 –1 –0 Nebraska Wesleyan 5 –3 –05 –4 –0 Hastings 4 –3 –04 –4 –0 Wayne State (NE) 4 –4 –04 –5 –0 Doane 3 –6 –03 –6 –0 Concordia (NE) 1 –7 –02 –7 –0 Midland 1 –7 –01 –7 –0 Dana 0 –7 –00 –8 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1958 North Central Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T North Dakota $ 5 –1 –05 –3 –0 South Dakota 4 –2 –05 –4 –0 Augustana (SD) 3 –3 –05 –3 –0 Morningside 3 –3 –04 –4 –0 South Dakota State 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 North Dakota State 2 –4 –03 –6 –0 Iowa State Teachers 1 –5 –04 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1958 North Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Valley City State + 6 –1 –06 –1 –0 Dickinson State + 6 –1 –06 –1 –0 Jamestown 5 –2 –05 –3 –0 Mayville State 4 –3 –04 –3 –0 Minot State 3 –3 –13 –3 –1 Wahpeton Science 2 –5 –02 –5 –0 Ellendale 1 –5 –11 –5 –1 Bismarck JC 0 –7 –00 –7 –0 + – Conference co-champions |
| 1958 North State Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Lenoir Rhyne $ 6 –0 –09 –1 –0 Appalachian State 4 –2 –06 –4 –0 East Carolina 4 –2 –06 –4 –0 Catawba 2 –3 –15 –3 –2 Elon 2 –4 –03 –6 –0 Western Carolina 1 –4 –11 –8 –1 Guilford 1 –5 –03 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Northern State College Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Mankato State $ 5 –0 –07 –2 –0 Bemidji State 4 –1 –07 –1 –0 Michigan Tech 2 –2 –04 –4 –0 Winona State 1 –3 –13 –4 –1 Moorhead State 1 –4 –01 –7 –0 St. Cloud State 0 –3 –11 –6 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Willamette $ 5 –0 –08 –1 –0 Linfield 3 –1 –17 –1 –1 Lewis & Clark 2 –2 –14 –4 –1 Whitman 2 –3 –04 –4 –0 College of Idaho 1 –3 –13 –6 –1 Pacific (OR) 0 –4 –11 –7 –1 $ – Conference champion |
| 1958 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. T–16 Wittenberg $ 6 –0 –08 –1 –0 Muskingum 6 –1 –08 –1 –0 Akron 6 –2 –06 –2 –1 Wooster 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 Capital 4 –3 –14 –3 –1 Heidelberg 3 –3 –06 –3 –0 Ohio Wesleyan 3 –3 –06 –3 –0 Marietta 3 –4 –05 –4 –0 Kenyon 3 –4 –03 –4 –0 Denison 3 –5 –04 –5 –0 Otterbein 2 –4 –13 –4 –2 Mount Union 3 –6 –03 –6 –0 Oberlin 1 –5 –03 –5 –0 Hiram 1 –6 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from UPI small college poll | 1958 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 11 Middle Tennessee + 5 –1 –08 –2 –0 Tennessee Tech + 5 –1 –07 –3 –0 East Tennessee State 4 –2 –05 –4 –0 Eastern Kentucky 3 –3 –03 –6 –0 Western Kentucky 2 –4 –04 –5 –0 Murray State 2 –4 –03 –7 –0 Morehead State 0 –6 –00 –8 –1 + – Conference co-championsRankings from UPI small college poll | 1958 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northeastern State $^ 6 –0 –011 –0 –0 Central State (OK) 4 –2 –05 –4 –0 NW Oklahoma State 3 –3 –06 –3 –0 Langston 3 –3 –04 –4 –0 SE Oklahoma State 2 –4 –03 –5 –0 SW Oklahoma State 2 –4 –02 –6 –1 East Central 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA playoff participant |
| 1958 Oregon Collegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Oregon College $ 4 –0 –05 –4 –0 Southern Oregon 3 –1 –05 –5 –0 Portland State 2 –2 –04 –5 –0 Eastern Oregon 1 –3 –01 –8 –0 Oregon Tech * 0 –4 –02 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion * – Oregon Tech forfeited wins over Eastern Oregon, Oregon College, and Portland State due to ineligible players. | 1958 Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T California (PA) $ 6 –0 –08 –0 –0 No. T–16 West Chester 6 –0 –09 –1 –0 Indiana (PA) 4 –1 –05 –3 –0 Lock Haven 5 –2 –05 –3 –0 Bloomsburg 3 –2 –15 –2 –1 Slippery Rock 2 –3 –12 –6 –1 Millersville 3 –3 –06 –3 –0 Shippensburg 3 –4 –04 –4 –0 Edinboro 2 –4 –14 –4 –1 Clarion 2 –4 –03 –6 –0 East Stroudsburg 1 –3 –12 –5 –2 Kutztown 1 –2 –03 –3 –1 Mansfield 1 –6 –02 –6 –0 Cheyney 0 –5 –00 –7 –0 $ – Conference championConference standings were based on the Saylor system of ratings.Rankings from UPI small college poll | 1958 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Western Reserve $ 4 –0 –04 –3 –0 Allegheny 3 –1 –13 –4 –1 Wayne State (MI) 2 –1 –12 –4 –1 Thiel * 1 –1 –12 –4 –1 [[{{{school}}}|John Carroll]] 3 –4 –03 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Case Tech]] 2 –3 –12 –4 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Bethany (WV)]] 1 –3 –01 –6 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Washington & Jefferson]] 1 –4 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion * Ineligible for conference title |
| 1958 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T [[{{{school}}}|Colorado College]] + 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Colorado Mines]] + 4 –1 –07 –3 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Idaho State]] 3 –2 –04 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Colorado State–Greeley]] 3 –2 –05 –3 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Adams State]] 1 –4 –01 –8 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Western State (CO)]] 0 –5 –01 –8 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1958 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T [[{{{school}}}|Huron]] $ 7 –0 –19 –0 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Northern State]] 7 –1 –08 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Southern State (SD)]] 6 –1 –16 –2 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Yankton]] 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Sioux Falls]] 3 –4 –13 –4 –1 [[{{{school}}}|South Dakota Mines]] 1 –4 –31 –4 –3 [[{{{school}}}|General Beadle]] 2 –6 –02 –6 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Dakota Wesleyan]] 1 –6 –11 –7 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Black Hills]] 0 –7 –10 –7 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T [[{{{school}}}|Whittier]] $ 4 –0 –08 –1 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Redlands]] 3 –1 –07 –3 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Occidental]] 2 –2 –03 –5 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Pomona]] 1 –3 –03 –5 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Caltech]] 0 –4 –02 –5 –1 $ – Conference champion |
| 1958 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Florida A&M $ 5 –0 –07 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|South Carolina State]] 7 –1 –07 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Alabama State]] 6 –1 –06 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Tuskegee]] 5 –2 –16 –3 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Fort Valley State]] 3 –2 –15 –2 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Xavier (LA)]] 3 –2 –13 –3 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Clark (GA)]] 3 –4 –04 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Benedict]] 3 –3 –05 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Morehouse]] 3 –3 –03 –4 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Morris Brown]] 2 –4 –04 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Alabama A&M]] 1 –7 –11 –7 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Knoxville]] 1 –6 –02 –6 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Fisk]] 1 –7 –01 –7 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Bethune–Cookman]] 1 –6 –01 –7 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Allen]] 4 –2 –05 –3 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Lane]] 3 –1 –04 –4 –1 $ – Conference championConference standings were by Dickinson System; Allen was ineligible and Lane did not play a sufficient number of conference game to be rated. | 1958 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Prairie View A&M $ 5 –0 –010 –0 –1 Southern 3 –2 –08 –2 –0 Texas College 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Texas Southern 2 –3 –05 –5 –0 Wiley 2 –3 –05 –5 –0 Arkansas AM&N 0 –5 –03 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1958 Virginia Little Eight Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Randolph–Macon $ 2 –0 –05 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Emory and Henry]] 1 –0 –07 –2 –0 Hampden–Sydney 1 –2 –06 –3 –0 Bridgewater 0 –2 –03 –4 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1958 West Penn Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T [[{{{school}}}|Westminster (PA)]] $ 3 –1 –06 –1 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Geneva]] 2 –1 –15 –3 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Saint Vincent]] 1 –1 –14 –2 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Carnegie Tech]] * 1 –1 –06 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Waynesburg]] 0 –3 –03 –5 –1 $ – Conference champion * – ineligible for conference title | 1958 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T [[{{{school}}}|Glenville State]] $ 6 –0 –16 –0 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Shepherd]] 4 –0 –15 –2 –1 [[{{{school}}}|West Virginia Tech]] 4 –2 –05 –3 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Fairmont State]] 5 –2 –15 –2 –1 [[{{{school}}}|West Virginia State]] 2 –1 –13 –4 –1 [[{{{school}}}|West Virginia Wesleyan]] 2 –3 –12 –4 –2 [[{{{school}}}|Potomac State]] 1 –2 –14 –4 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Concord]] 2 –4 –03 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Davis & Elkins]] 2 –5 –02 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|West Liberty State]] 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Salem]] 1 –7 –01 –7 –0 Bluefield State * 1 –0 –15 –2 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Bethany (WV)]] * 0 –0 –11 –6 –1 $ – Conference champion * – Did not qualify for conference standings Conference standings based on power ratings | 1958 Wisconsin State College Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T [[{{{school}}}|River Falls State]] $ 6 –0 –07 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Stevens Point State]] 5 –0 –17 –0 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Oshkosh State]] 4 –2 –06 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Whitewater State]] 4 –2 –05 –3 –0 [[{{{school}}}|La Crosse State]] 3 –3 –05 –3 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Eau Claire State]] 3 –3 –03 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Platteville State]] 1 –4 –11 –4 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Milwaukee]] 1 –5 –03 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Superior State]] 1 –5 –03 –6 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Stout State]] 1 –5 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference championStevens Point State beat River Falls State on September 18, but the game was not counted in the conference standings. |
| 1958 Yankee Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 12 Connecticut $ 4 –0 –07 –3 –0 Maine 3 –1 –06 –2 –0 Rhode Island 2 –2 –04 –4 –0 UMass 1 –3 –02 –6 –0 Vermont 0 –1 –02 –4 –1 New Hampshire 0 –4 –02 –6 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from UPI small college poll | 1958 NCAA College Division independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Mississippi Southern   –  9 –0 –0 Rochester   –  8 –0 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Rose Poly]]   –  8 –0 –0 Sewanee   –  8 –0 –0 No. 10 Buffalo   –  8 –1 –0 No. 6 Montana State   –  8 –1 –0 [[{{{school}}}|North Park]]   –  7 –1 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Carthage]]   –  7 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Southern Connecticut State]]   –  7 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Carnegie Tech]]   –  6 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Northeastern]]   –  6 –2 –0 Cal Poly Pomona   –  7 –3 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Trinity (TX)]]   –  6 –3 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Hofstra]]   –  6 –4 –0 Tampa   –  6 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Abilene Christian]]   –  5 –5 –0 No. 8 Chattanooga   –  5 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Baldwin–Wallace]]   –  4 –4 –1 Louisville   –  4 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Northern Michigan]]   –  5 –5 –0 Xavier   –  5 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Washington University]]   –  4 –4 –0 Arkansas State   –  4 –5 –0 No. 18 Memphis State   –  4 –5 –0 UC Riverside   –  2 –3 –2 Hawaii   –  5 –7 –0 [[{{{school}}}|St. Norbert]]   –  3 –6 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Wabash]]   –  3 –6 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Howard (AL)]]   –  1 –5 –1 Pepperdine   –  1 –7 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Washington and Lee]]   –  1 –7 –0 Rankings from UPI small college poll | 1958 NAIA independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T [[{{{school}}}|Southern Connecticut State]]   –  7 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Georgetown (KY)]]   –  6 –2 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Austin]]   –  6 –3 –0 [[{{{school}}}|La Verne]]   –  5 –3 –1 [[{{{school}}}|McMurry]]   –  6 –4 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Carson–Newman]]   –  4 –5 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Oklahoma Panhandle State]]   –  4 –6 –0 [[{{{school}}}|Eastern New Mexico]]   –  3 –6 –1 [[{{{school}}}|Earlham]]   –  0 –7 –0 |

## Bowl games
### Major bowls

Thursday, January 1, 1959
| Bowl | | | | |
| Orange | No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners | 21 | No. 9 Syracuse Orangemen | 6 |
| Sugar | No. 1 LSU Tigers | 7 | No. 12 Clemson Tigers | 0 |
| Cotton | No. 10 TCU Horned Frogs (tie) | 0 | No. 6 Air Force Falcons (tie) | 0 |
| Rose | No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes | 38 | No. 16 California Golden Bears | 12 |

### Other bowls

| Bowl | Location | Date | Winner | Score | Loser |
| Sun | El Paso, TX | December 31 | Wyoming | 14–6 | Hardin–Simmons |
| Gator | Jacksonville, FL | December 27 | No. 11 Ole Miss | 7–3 | No. 14 Florida |
| Tangerine | Orlando, FL | December 27 | East Texas State | 26–7 | Missouri Valley |
| Bluegrass | Louisville, KY | December 13 | Oklahoma State | 15–6 | Florida State |
Notably, the Tangerine Bowl initially extended a bid to Buffalo. However, when the bowl organizers told the school that its two black players would not be allowed to play, the team unanimously voted to turn down the bid. The Bulls did not appear in a bowl game until a half century later, in 2008.

### NAIA postseason

| Semifinals December 8, 1958 | Semifinals December 8, 1958 | Semifinals December 8, 1958 | Championship December 20, 1958 Holiday Bowl | Championship December 20, 1958 Holiday Bowl | Championship December 20, 1958 Holiday Bowl |
| St. Benedict's | St. Benedict's | 14 | | | |
| Northeastern State | Northeastern State | 19 | | | |
| Northeastern State | Northeastern State | 19 | Northeastern State | Northeastern State | 19 |
| | | | Arizona State–Flagstaff | Arizona State–Flagstaff | 13 |
| Gustavus Adolphus | Gustavus Adolphus | 12 | Arizona State–Flagstaff | Arizona State–Flagstaff | 13 |
| Arizona State–Flagstaff | Arizona State–Flagstaff | 41 | | | |

## Rankings
### Major college

Final polls were released in the first week of December.
AP Poll :
| Rank | Team | 1st | Points |
| 1 | LSU | 139 | 1,904 |
| 2 | Iowa | 17 | 1,459 |
| 3 | Army | 13 | 1,429 |
| 4 | Auburn | 9 | 1,398 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 10 | 1,200 |
| 6 | Air Force | 2 | 800 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 13 | 797 |
| 8 | Ohio State | 3 | 571 |
| 9 | Syracuse | 1 | 340 |
| 10 | TCU | - | 311 |
| 11 | Ole Miss | 2 | 303 |
| 12 | Clemson | 1 | 246 |
| 13 | Purdue | - | 196 |
| 14 | Florida | - | 134 |
| 15 | South Carolina | - | 101 |
| 16 | California | - | 78 |
| 17 | Notre Dame | 1 | 61 |
| 18 | SMU | - | 52 |
| 19 | Oklahoma State | - | 49 |
| 20 | Rutgers | 1 | 46 |
UPI poll :
| Rank | Team | 1st | Points |
| 1 | LSU | 29 | 331 |
| 2 | Iowa | 4 | 275 |
| 3 | Army | 1 | 255 |
| 4 | Auburn | - | 224 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | - | 174 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | - | 170 |
| 7 | Ohio State | - | 117 |
| 8 | Air Force | 1 | 75 |
| 9 | TCU | - | 74 |
| 10 | Syracuse | - | 64 |
| 11 | Purdue | | 54 |
| 12 | Ole Miss | | 41 |
| 13 | Clemson | | 24 |
| 14 | Notre Dame | | 22 |
| 15 | Florida | | 9 |
| 16 | California | | 8 |
| 17 | Northwestern | | 6 |
| 18 | SMU | | 2 |

### Small college

In 1958, United Press International (UPI) conducted a "small college" coaches' poll for the first time. Mississippi Southern, which had beaten NC State and VPI en route to a 9–0 record, was ranked first from start to finish.
United Press International (coaches) final poll Published on December 4
| Rank | School | Record | No. 1 votes | Total points |
| 1 | Mississippi Southern | 9–0 | 36 | 403 |
| 2 | Miami (OH) | 6–3 | | 215 |
| 3 | Arizona State–Flagstaff | 10–0 | 2 | 209 |
| 4 | Northeastern State | 9–0 | 1 | 205 |
| 5 | East Texas State | 9–1 | | 172 |
| 6 | Montana State | 8–1 | | 148 |
| 7 | Wheaton (IL) | 8–0 | 1 | 107 |
| 8 | Chattanooga | 5–5 | | 105 |
| 9 | St. Benedict's | 10–0 | | 92 |
| 10 | Buffalo | 8–1 | | 91 |

### NAIA rankings

The top teams in the NAIA football rankings were as follows:
* Northeastern State, 11-0, 180 points
* Arizona State–Flagstaff, 11-1, 162 points
* Willamette, 8-1, 116 points
* St. Benedict's, 10-1, 112 points
* Missouri Valley, 8-1, 104 points
* Gustavus Adolphus, 8-1, 100 points
* East Texas State, 7-1, 98 points
* Kearney, 9-0, 85 points
* Middle Tennessee, 8-2, 42 points
* Lenoir Rhyne, 9-1, 41 points
* Cal Poly, 9-1
* Tampa, 6-4
* Lamar Tech, 6-2
* [[{{{school}}}|Westminster (PA)]], 6-1-1
* California (PA), 8-0
* Chadron State, 8-0
* [[{{{school}}}|Louisiana College]], 7-2
* [[{{{school}}}|Stevens Point State]], 7-0-1
* Southern Illinois, 7-2
* Northwestern State, 5-2

## Award season
### Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player
| Player | School | Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total |
| Pete Dawkins | Army | HB | 296 | 195 | 116 | 1,394 |
| Randy Duncan | Iowa | QB | 194 | 157 | 125 | 1,021 |
| Billy Cannon | LSU | HB | 198 | 140 | 101 | 975 |
| Bob White | Ohio State | FB | 40 | 88 | 69 | 365 |
| Joe Kapp | California | QB | 47 | 27 | 32 | 227 |
| Bill Austin | Rutgers | FB | 26 | 41 | 37 | 197 |
| Bob Harrison | Oklahoma | OL | 26 | 37 | 35 | 187 |
| Dick Bass | Pacific | HB | 14 | 17 | 20 | 96 |
| Don Meredith | SMU | QB | 10 | 12 | 21 | 75 |
| Nick Pietrosante | Notre Dame | FB | 8 | 14 | 18 | 70 |
Source:

### All-Americans

For the year 1958, the NCAA recognizes six published All-American teams as "official" designations for purposes of its consensus determinations. The following chart identifies the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans and displays which first-team designations they received.
| Name | Position | School | Number | Official | Other |
| Billy Cannon | Halfback | LSU | 6/6 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI | CP, Time, WC |
| Randy Duncan | Quarterback | Iowa | 6/6 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI | CP, WC |
| Pete Dawkins | Halfback | Army | 6/6 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI | CP, WC |
| Buddy Dial | End | Rice | 5/6 | AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI | Time, WC |
| Ted Bates | Tackle | Oregon State | 5/6 | AFCA, AP, NEA, SN, UPI | CP, WC |
| Bob Harrison | Center | Oklahoma | 5/6 | AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI | CP, WC |
| Bob White | Fullback | Ohio State | 4/6 | FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI | CP, Time, WC |
| John Guzik | Guard | Pittsburgh | 4/6 | FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI | Time, WC |
| Zeke Smith | Guard | Auburn | 3/6 | AP, FWAA, NEA | CP, Time, WC |
| George Deiderich | Guard | Vanderbilt | 3/6 | AP, AFCA, FWAA | -- |
| Sam Williams | End | Michigan State | 2/6 | AFCA, UPI | Time, WC |
| Brock Strom | Tackle | Air Force | 2/6 | AP, UPI | WC |

### Other awards

* Maxwell Award - Pete Dawkins, Army
* Outland Trophy (best lineman) - Zeke Smith, Auburn
* AFCA Coach of the Year Award - Paul Dietzel, LSU
* FWAA Coach of the Year Award - Paul Dietzel, LSU

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

The following players were the individual leaders in total offense during the 1958 season:
Major college
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Plays | Total Yds | PtR |
| 1 | Dick Bass | Pacific | 10 | 218 | 1440 | 128 |
| 2 | Randy Duncan | Iowa | 9 | 207 | 1406 | 92 |
| 3 | Buddy Humphrey | Baylor | 10 | 247 | 1391 | 70 |
| 4 | Charlie Milstead | Texas A&M | 10 | 279 | 1332 | 72 |
| 5 | Joe Kapp | California | 10 | 239 | 1231 | 60 |
| 6 | Bill Holsclaw | Virginia Tech | 10 | 230 | 1227 | 92 |
| 7 | Dick Longfellow | West Virginia | 10 | 242 | 1202 | 82 |
| 8 | Don Meredith | SMU | 10 | 190 | 1192 | 96 |
| 9 | Dwight Nichols | Iowa State | 10 | 277 | 1172 | 18 |
| 10 | Jack Cummings | North Carolina | 10 | 154 | 1148 | 72 |
Minor college
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Plays | Total Yds |
| 1 | Stan Jackson | Cal Poly Pomona | 10 | 324 | 2478 |
| 2 | Gary Campbell | Whittier | 9 | 224 | 1659 |
| 3 | Webb | St. Ambrose | 8 | 264 | 1592 |
| 4 | Brady | Baldwin-Wallace | 9 | 248 | 1534 |
| 5 | Gideon | Trinity | 9 | 209 | 1520 |

#### Passing

The following players were the individual leaders in pass completions during the 1958 season:
Major college
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Compl. | Att. | Pct. Compl. | Yds. | Int. | TDs |
| 1 | Buddy Humphrey | Baylor | 10 | 112 | 195 | .574 | 1316 | 8 | 7 |
| 2 | Ralph Hunsaker | Arizona | 10 | 106 | 191 | .555 | 1129 | 13 | 5 |
| 3 | Randy Duncan | Iowa | 9 | 101 | 172 | .587 | 1347 | 9 | 11 |
| 4 | Rich Mayo | Air Force | 10 | 98 | 174 | .563 | 1019 | 6 | 11 |
| 5 | Charlie Milstead | Texas A&M | 10 | 88 | 167 | .527 | 1135 | 11 | 5 |
| 6 | Dick Longfellow | West Virginia | 10 | 79 | 156 | .506 | 943 | 12 | 6 |
| 7 | Bob Nicolet | Stanford | 10 | 77 | 146 | .527 | 724 | 5 | 3 |
| 8 | Dick Norman | Stanford | 10 | 76 | 133 | .571 | 717 | 7 | 3 |
| 9 | Arnold Dempsey | Virginia | 10 | 74 | 152 | .487 | 697 | 11 | 2 |
| 10 | Jack Lee | Cincinnati | 10 | 71 | 130 | .546 | 951 | 11 | 5 |
Minor college
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Compl. | Att. | Pct. Compl. | Yds. | Int. | TDs |
| 1 | Stan Jackson | Cal Poly Pomona | 10 | 123 | 256 | .480 | 1994 | 14 | 16 |
| 2 | Alvaro | College of Idaho | 10 | 112 | 225 | .498 | 1485 | 17 | 9 |
| 3 | Newhouse | St. Norbert | 9 | 104 | 211 | .493 | 1310 | 18 | 13 |
| 4 | Webb | St. Ambrose | 8 | 100 | 202 | .495 | 1494 | 7 | 10 |
| 5 | Johnson | New Mexico A&M | 10 | 97 | 179 | .542 | 1184 | 11 | 9 |
| 6 | Brady | Baldwin-Wallace | 9 | 89 | 183 | .486 | 1490 | 15 | 16 |
| 9 | Campbell | Whittier | 9 | 87 | 139 | .626 | 1237 | 7 | 13 |

#### Rushing

The following players were the individual leaders in rushing yards during the 1958 season: Major college
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Yds | Rushes | Avg |
| 1 | Dick Bass | Pacific | 10 | 1361 | 205 | 6.63 |
| 2 | Bob White | Ohio State | 9 | 859 | 218 | 3.94 |
| 3 | Dwight Nichols | Iowa State | 10 | 815 | 220 | 3.70 |
| 4 | Pete Hart | Hardin-Simmons | 10 | 785 | 163 | 4.81 |
| 5 | Bill Austin | Rutgers | 9 | 747 | 145 | 5.15 |
| 6 | Jake Crouthamel | Dartmouth | 9 | 722 | 123 | 5.86 |
| 7 | Weldon Jackson | BYU | 10 | 698 | 101 | 6.91 |
| 8 | Billy Cannon | LSU | 10 | 686 | 115 | 5.96 |
| 9 | Larry Hickman | Baylor | 10 | 670 | 151 | 4.43 |
| 10 | Johnny Saunders | South Carolina | 10 | 653 | 128 | 5.10 |
Minor college
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Yds | Rushes | Avg |
| 1 | Dale Mills | Northeast Missouri State | 9 | 186 | 1358 | 7.30 |
| 2 | Brad Hustad | Luther | 9 | 206 | 1354 | 6.57 |
| 3 | Elbert Dubenion | Bluffton | 9 | 151 | 1290 | 8.54 |
| 4 | George Dixon | Bridgeport | 9 | 155 | 1106 | 7.14 |
| 5 | Ed Meador | Arkansas Tech | 9 | 135 | 1096 | 8.12 |
| 14 | Finder | St. Benedict's | 10 | 100 | 917 | 9.17 |

#### Scoring

The following players were the individual leaders in scoring during the 1958 season:
Major college
| Rank | Player | Team | Pts | TD | PAT | FG |
| 1 | Dick Bass | Pacific | 116 | 18 | 8 | 0 |
| 2 | Bill Austin | Rutgers | 106 | 16 | 10 | 0 |
| 3 | Ron Burton | Northwestern | 76 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | Billy Cannon | LSU | 74 | 11 | 8 | 0 |
| 5 | Frank Finney | Brown | 74 | 10 | 14 | 0 |
| 6 | Pete Dawkins | Army | 74 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| 7 | Bob White | Ohio State | 72 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Leon Burton | Arizona State | 70 | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| 9 | Calvin Bird | Kentucky | 65 | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| 10 | Bob Simms | Rutgers | 64 | 9 | 10 | 0 |
Minor college
| Rank | Player | Team | Pts | TD | PAT | FG |
| 1 | Carl Herakovich | Rose Poly | 168 | 25 | 18 | 0 |
| 2 | Corky Bridges | Central Washington | 148 | 21 | 22 | 0 |
| 3 | Bill Shockley | West Chester | 132 | 15 | 42 | 0 |
| 4 | Dale Mills | Northeast Missouri | 122 | 20 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | Claire Boroff | Kearney State | 121 | 14 | 37 | 0 |

### Team
#### Total offense

The following teams were the leaders in total offense during the 1958 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Games played | Total plays | Yards gained | Yards per game |
| 1 | Iowa | 9 | 649 | 3653 | 405.9 |
| 2 | Pacific | 10 | 657 | 3804 | 380.4 |
| 3 | Arizona State | 10 | 694 | 3795 | 379.5 |
| 4 | Army | 9 | 630 | 3380 | 375.6 |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 10 | 710 | 3697 | 369.7 |
| 6 | Air Force | 10 | 732 | 3605 | 360.5 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | 10 | 762 | 3517 | 351.7 |
| 8 | Baylor | 10 | 715 | 3356 | 335.6 |
| 9 | Brown | 9 | 622 | 3019 | 335.4 |
| 10 | West Virginia | 10 | 720 | 3319 | 331.9 |

#### Rushing offense

The following teams were the leaders in rushing offense during the 1958 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Yards per game |
| 1 | Pacific | 259.6 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 257.4 |
| 3 | Arizona State | 253.9 |
| 4 | BYU | 249.7 |
| 5 | Colorado | 249.5 |

#### Passing offense

The following teams were the leaders in passing offense during the 1958 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Yards per game |
| 1 | Army | 172.2 |
| 2 | Iowa | 170.0 |
| 3 | San Jose State | 169.8 |
| 4 | Baylor | 168.7 |
| 5 | SMU | 165.2 |

#### Total defense

The following teams were the leaders in total defense during the 1958 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Games played | Total plays | Yards gained | Yards per game |
| 1 | Auburn | 10 | 521 | 1575 | 157.5 |
| 2 | Purdue | 9 | 485 | 1590 | 176.7 |
| 3 | Army | 9 | 561 | 1643 | 182.6 |
| 4 | Harvard | 9 | 512 | 1720 | 191.1 |
| 5 | LSU | 10 | 624 | 1934 | 193.4 |
| 6 | Boston College | 10 | 558 | 1942 | 194.2 |
| 7 | Pittsburgh | 10 | 569 | 1961 | 196.1 |
| 8 | North Texas State | 10 | 542 | 2017 | 201.7 |
| 9 | Georgia Tech | 10 | 552 | 2018 | 201.8 |
| 10 | Tulsa | 10 | 595 | 2030 | 203.0 |

#### Rushing defense

The following teams were the leaders in rushing defense during the 1958 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Yards per game |
| 1 | Auburn | 79.6 |
| 2 | Tulsa | 82.5 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh | 91.3 |
| 4 | Army | 93.0 |
| 5 | Syracuse | 94.3 |

#### Passing defense

The following teams were the leaders in passing defense during the 1958 season:
Major college
| Rank | Team | Yards per game |
| 1 | Iowa State | 39.0 |
| 2 | Brown | 44.8 |
| 3 | Georgia Tech | 57.1 |
| 4 | Harvard | 58.4 |
| 5 | Colorado | 59.0 |