Evening star., 1946-12-03
Close Call in Battle
With Navy Knocks
Cadets OFF Perch
BY Sid FEEDER
Associated Press Sports Writer

In the final voting spree for the
campaign the Nations sports
writer's today knocked Arny's
Cadets of their throne as kings
of the gridiron for the first time
in three seasons, and named the
Irish of Notre Dame as the foot-
ball team of the year. for 1946.
Reversing their field as result
of Arny,s close call against Navy
last Saturday, while the Irish were
wrecking Southern California, the
sports writers depoSed the careen-
ing Cadets by the slim margin OF
II points in the largest vote ever
cast in the Associated Press weekly
poll.
Actually, however, 1t wasn't that
close. Of the 1874 scribes balloting
for their selections for the top 10
teams. as of the end of the season
last Saturday, an even 100 voted
for Notre Dame to head the parade,
as against only 48 for Army. Nine
others, unable to decide, split their
tickets and called it a tie between
the two outfits which battled to
q scoreless draw three weeks ago
the only blot on Army's otherwise
all-conquering three-year run.
Georgia in Third Place.
The rest of the first-place NOM
nations were cut up among four
other teams, with % going to un-
beaten, united Georgia, in third
place in the final voting for the
year; two to the all-winning Bruins
of the University of California at
Los Angeles, who held fourth place,
and one each to up-and- down
Texas and doughty Delaware, which,
like Army, has been unbeaten in
three years. Neither Texas nor
Delaware, however, made the first
10 in the, final ratings.
Only once before In their three
year romp have the Black knights
of West Point been out of first place.
That came the first week of, this
season, when Texas temporarily
ousted them for one week. In the
final voting of the last two years
they were far out in front.
This time, however, the Irish got
back on peacetime basis to bowl
over all their opponents except the
Cadets and roll up the best offen-
sive and defensive records of any
major team in the country-the first
time in history any one outfit has
been at the head of the class in
both departments.
Irish Get 1,730h Points.
The outpouring of votes that re-
suited counted on the usual basis
of 10 points for first-place selec-
tion, 8 for a second, s for third
and so forth gave the South Bend
ers a total of 1,7301z points dis
against 1884, for Army. For the
first time in history of the poll, too,
as many as four teams went over
the 1000 mark, with Georgia's Bull
dogs rolling up 1,448 and u. @. I. A,
1,141.
Both Army and Notre Dame were
voted no worse than fourth on 172
of the 1874 ballots, with the Irish
getting go second place nominations
to "a for Army, 10 third-place picks
to 26 for the Cadets and 2 fourth
place calls to 4 for the future gen
erals.
Just back of U. C. L. A., in fifth
place in the final standings, came
Illinois Big Nine champions, who
tangle with the Uclans in the Rose
Bowl January l. The Illini, polling
1893 points, beat out their Western
Conference rivals, the Wolverines OF
Michigan, whose fancy finale irl
crushing Ohio State by some nine
touchdowns to one, week ago last
Saturday. enabled them to wind ur
in sixth place, with 778.
Seven Teams in Bowl Games.
AS a matter Of fact, Z Of the
top 10 teams win compete in major
bowl battles on New Year Day
Georgia's Sugar Bowl rival, North
Carolina, came home in ninth place,
with 394 votes. Tennessee's Vols
wound up seventh with 507 points
and now head for the Orange Bowl
to take on the Rice Owls, who round
out the top 10 with 207 points
Louisiana State, finishing eighth
with 402 points, meets Arkansas In
the Cotton Bowl. The Razorbacks
finished 10Th in the final tabulation
The final standings (based on q
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system OF
points: Season won-lost-tied record
in parenthesis):