1952 college football season

The 1952 college football season ended with the unbeaten Michigan State Spartans (9–0) and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (12–0) each claiming a national championship from different polls. Michigan State finished first according to two of the "wire service" (AP and UP) polls, which both placed Georgia Tech second. Georgia Tech was first in the (Hearst chain) International News Service poll. UP and INS merged in 1958 to form UPI. Although the Spartans became members of the Big Ten Conference in 1950, full participation did not come until 1953, and under the terms of their entry into the conference, they were not allowed to participate in postseason play. Georgia Tech won the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day in New Orleans.

1952 college football season
Preseason AP No. 1Michigan State[1]
Number of bowls7
Champion(s)Michigan State (AP, Coaches)
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (various)
HeismanBilly Vessels (halfback, Oklahoma)
football seasons

Conference and program changes

Conference changes

Membership changes
School1951 Conference1952 Conference
Arizona State–Flagstaff (NAU) LumberjacksBorderNMIC
Bowling Green FalconsIndependentMAC
Bradley BravesMissouri ValleyIndependent
Drake BulldogsMissouri ValleyIndependent
Toledo RocketsIndependentMAC

September

September 20 Maryland won at Missouri 13–10, and Texas won at LSU 35–14. In the preseason poll released on September 22, 1952, the Michigan State Spartans were rated first, followed by the Maryland Terrapins. Maryland actually had more first place votes 79 to 77, but MSU had an edge on points, 1720–1696. The remainder of the Top Five was No. 3 Georgia Tech (which beat The Citadel 54–6), No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 5 Illinois. Defending champion Tennessee was 6th. As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games.

On September 27 No. 1 Michigan State won at Michigan, 27–13. No. 2 Maryland beat Auburn 13–7 in Birmingham No. 3 Georgia Tech narrowly beat Florida 17–14 and fell to 6th place in the next poll. No. 4 Oklahoma visited Colorado and was tied, 21–21. No. 5 Illinois, which beat Iowa State 33–7, rose to second place in the next poll. No. 8 California, which was 2–0–0 after a 28–14 win over Missouri, and No. 11 Texas (which had won at North Carolina 28–7), took their places. The poll: 1.Michigan State 2.Illinois 3.Maryland 4.California 5.Texas

October

October 4 No. 1 Michigan State narrowly defeated Oregon State 17–14 at Portland. No. 2 Illinois lost at No. 8 Wisconsin, 20–6, and would end up finishing 1952 with a losing (4–5–0) record. Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Badgers were catapulted to first place in the next poll. No. 3 Maryland beat Clemson 28–0. No. 4 California won at Minnesota, 49–13. No. 6 Georgia Tech, which beat SMU 20–7 in Dallas, returned to the Top Five: 1.Wisconsin 2.Michigan State 3.California 4.Maryland 5. Georgia Tech

October 11 The new No. 1, Wisconsin, lost at Columbus to unranked Ohio State, 23–14. No. 2 Michigan State beat visiting Texas A&M 48–6. No. 3 California beat Oregon at Portland, 41–7. No. 4 Maryland won at Georgia, 37–0. No. 5 Georgia Tech beat Tulane 14–0. No. 6 Duke, which won at South Carolina 33–7, was fifth in the next poll: 1.Michigan State 2.Maryland 3.California 4. Georgia Tech 5.Duke

October 18 No. 1 Michigan State beat visiting Syracuse 48–7. No. 2 Maryland beat Navy 38–7. No. 3 California beat Santa Clara 27–7. No. 4 Georgia Tech beat Auburn 33–0. No. 5 Duke won at N.C. State, 57–0, but was still bounced out of the top five. No. 6 Oklahoma, which had won at No. 8 Kansas 42–20, was third in the next poll: 1.Michigan State 2.Maryland 3.Oklahoma 4.California 5.Georgia Tech

October 25 No. 1 Michigan State beat No. 17 Penn State 34–7. No. 2 Maryland beat LSU 34–6. No. 3 Oklahoma beat Kansas State 49–6. In Los Angeles, a matchup of unbeaten teams pitted No. 4 California (5–0–0) against the 5–0–0 and No. 7 USC Trojans. USC won 10–0. Cal would lose this and the next two games after its perfect start. No. 5 Georgia Tech beat Vanderbilt 30–0. The poll: 1.Michigan State 2.Maryland 3.Oklahoma 4.Georgia Tech 5.USC

November

November 1 No. 1 Michigan State narrowly won at No. 8 Purdue, 14–7. No. 2 Maryland won at Boston University, 34–7. No. 3 Oklahoma won at Iowa State 41–0. No. 4 Georgia Tech (6–0–0) faced unbeaten No. 6 Duke (also 6–0–0) and won 28–7. No. 5 USC was idle, and its place was taken by No. 7 UCLA, which handed No. 11 California a 28–7 defeat. The poll: 1.Michigan State 2.Maryland 3.Georgia Tech 4.Oklahoma 5.UCLA

November 8 No. 1 Michigan State won at Indiana 41–14. No. 2 Maryland was idle. No. 3 Georgia Tech beat Army 45–6. No. 4 Oklahoma lost at No. 10 Notre Dame, 27–21, and dropped back out of the Top Five. No. 5 UCLA beat visiting Oregon State 57–0. No. 6 USC rose to fifth after a 54–7 win at Stanford. The poll: 1.Michigan State 2.Georgia Tech 3. Maryland 4.UCLA 5.USC

November 15 Unbeaten No. 1 Michigan State hosted once-beaten (5–1–1) No. 6 Notre Dame and won 21–3. In Atlanta, unbeaten (8–0–0) No. 2 Georgia Tech faced once-beaten (7–1–0) No. 12 Alabama and won, 7–3. And on the road, unbeaten (7–0–0) No. 3 Maryland lost at unbeaten (6–0–2) No. 11 Mississippi, 21–14. No. 4 UCLA was idle. No. 5 USC beat No. 17 Washington 33–0. No. 8 Oklahoma, which had beaten Missouri 47–7, returned to the Top Five. The poll: 1.Michigan State 2.Georgia Tech 3.UCLA 4.USC 5.Oklahoma

November 22 No. 1 Michigan State won 62–13 over Marquette to close its season unbeaten. No. 2 Georgia Tech stayed unbeaten as it beat Florida State 30–0. Both unbeaten, No. 3 UCLA (8–0–0) and No. 4 USC (8–0–0) met in Los Angeles, with USC winning 14–12 to take the crown of the Pacific Coast Conference and a trip to the Rose Bowl. No. 5 Oklahoma beat Nebraska 34–13. The new poll: 1.Michigan State 2.USC 3.Georgia Tech 4.Oklahoma 5.UCLA

November 29 No. 1 Michigan State had closed its season. No. 2 USC hosted No. 7 Notre Dame and lost 9–0. No. 3 Georgia Tech finished its season unbeaten (11–0–0) and was invited to the Sugar Bowl to face unbeaten, but twice tied (8–0–2) and No. 6 Mississippi. No. 4 Oklahoma closed its season at Oklahoma State, winning 54–7 to finish 8–1–1. In the Final AP poll, released December 1, No. 1 Michigan State was the champion, followed by No. 2 Georgia Tech, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Oklahoma, and No. 5 USC.

Conference standings

Major conference standings
1952 Big Seven Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 4 Oklahoma $ 5 –0 –1  8 –1 –1
Missouri 5 –1 –0  5 –5 –0
Nebraska 3 –2 –1  5 –4 –1
Kansas 3 –3 –0  7 –3 –0
Colorado 2 –2 –2  6 –2 –2
Iowa State 1 –5 –0  3 –6 –0
Kansas State 0 –6 –0  1 –9 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1952 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 11 Wisconsin + 4 –1 –1  6 –3 –1
No. 18 Purdue + 4 –1 –1  4 –3 –2
No. 17 Ohio State 5 –2 –0  6 –3 –0
Michigan 4 –2 –0  5 –4 –0
Minnesota 3 –1 –2  4 –3 –2
Illinois 2 –5 –0  4 –5 –0
Northwestern 2 –5 –0  2 –6 –1
Iowa 2 –5 –0  2 –7 –0
Indiana 1 –5 –0  2 –7 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
1952 Border Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Arizona State $ 4 –0 –0  6 –3 –0
Texas Tech 2 –1 –1  3 –7 –1
Arizona 3 –2 –0  6 –4 –0
Hardin–Simmons 2 –2 –1  5 –3 –2
Texas Western 2 –3 –1  5 –5 –1
New Mexico A&M 1 –2 –1  2 –6 –1
West Texas State 1 –4 –0  3 –6 –0
Arizona State–Flagstaff 0 –1 –0  3 –4 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Middle Three Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Lehigh + 1 –0 –0  5 –4 –0
Rutgers + 1 –0 –0  4 –4 –1
Lafayette 0 –2 –0  0 –9 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1952 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Houston $ 3 –0 –0  8 –2 –0
No. 12 Tulsa 3 –1 –0  8 –2 –1
Oklahoma A&M 2 –2 –0  3 –7 –0
Detroit 1 –3 –0  2 –7 –0
Wichita 0 –3 –0  3 –6 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1952 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 5 USC $ 6 –0 –0  10 –1 –0
No. 6 UCLA 5 –1 –0  8 –1 –0
Washington 6 –2 –0  7 –3 –0
California 3 –3 –0  7 –3 –0
Washington State 3 –4 –0  4 –6 –0
Stanford 2 –5 –0  5 –5 –0
Oregon 2 –5 –0  2 –7 –1
Idaho 1 –3 –0  4 –4 –1
Oregon State 1 –6 –0  2 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1952 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Idaho State $ 5 –0 –0  8 –0 –0
Colorado College 4 –1 –0  7 –2 –0
Colorado State–Greeley 3 –2 –0  5 –3 –0
Colorado Mines 2 –3 –0  4 –5 –0
Montana State 1 –4 –0  2 –5 –0
Western State (CO) 0 –5 –0  2 –6 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Skyline Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Utah $ 5 –0 –0  6 –3 –1
New Mexico 5 –1 –0  7 –2 –0
Colorado A&M 5 –2 –0  6 –4 –0
Wyoming 4 –3 –0  5 –4 –0
BYU 3 –4 –0  4 –6 –0
Utah State 3 –4 –0  3 –7 –1
Montana 1 –5 –0  2 –7 –1
Denver 0 –7 –0  3 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 2 Georgia Tech $ 7 –0 –0  12 –0 –0
No. 8 Tennessee 5 –0 –1  8 –2 –1
No. 7 Ole Miss 4 –0 –2  8 –1 –2
No. 9 Alabama 4 –2 –0  10 –2 –0
Georgia 4 –3 –0  7 –4 –0
No. 15 Florida 3 –3 –0  8 –3 –0
Mississippi State 3 –4 –0  5 –4 –0
Tulane 3 –5 –0  5 –5 –0
No. 20 Kentucky 1 –3 –2  5 –4 –2
LSU 2 –5 –0  3 –7 –0
Vanderbilt 1 –4 –1  3 –5 –2
Auburn 0 –7 –0  2 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1952 Southern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 16 Duke $ 5 –0 –0  8 –2 –0
Wake Forest 5 –1 –0  5 –4 –1
West Virginia 5 –1 –0  7 –2 –0
William & Mary 4 –1 –0  4 –5 –0
George Washington 4 –2 –1  5 –3 –1
VPI 4 –4 –0  5 –6 –0
Furman 2 –2 –1  6 –3 –1
Washington and Lee 3 –4 –0  3 –7 –0
VMI 2 –3 –1  3 –6 –1
NC State 2 –4 –0  3 –7 –0
South Carolina 2 –4 –0  5 –5 –0
North Carolina 1 –2 –0  2 –6 –0
The Citadel 1 –3 –1  3 –5 –1
Davidson 1 –6 –0  2 –7 –0
Richmond 0 –6 –0  1 –9 –0
Maryland †   –    7 –2 –0
Clemson †   –    2 –6 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
  • † League sanctions prevented Maryland and Clemson from conference participation
Rankings from AP Poll
1952 Southwest Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 10 Texas $ 6 –0 –0  9 –2 –0
Rice 4 –2 –0  5 –5 –0
SMU 3 –2 –1  4 –5 –1
TCU 2 –2 –2  4 –4 –2
Baylor 1 –3 –2  4 –4 –2
Texas A&M 1 –4 –1  3 –6 –1
Arkansas 1 –5 –0  2 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Independents
1952 Eastern college football independents records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Hofstra   –    8 –1 –0
No. 19 Princeton   –    8 –1 –0
Franklin & Marshall   –    7 –1 –0
Villanova   –    7 –1 –1
Holy Cross   –    8 –2 –0
Yale   –    7 –2 –0
Penn State   –    7 –2 –1
No. 14 Syracuse   –    7 –3 –0
Bucknell   –    6 –3 –0
Colgate   –    6 –3 –0
Pittsburgh   –    6 –3 –0
Carnegie Tech   –    4 –3 –0
Harvard   –    5 –4 –0
Boston University   –    5 –4 –1
Penn   –    4 –3 –2
Army   –    4 –4 –1
Boston College   –    4 –4 –1
Tufts   –    3 –4 –1
Drexel   –    3 –4 –0
Fordham   –    2 –5 –1
NYU   –    2 –5 –1
Columbia   –    2 –6 –1
Brown   –    2 –7 –0
Cornell   –    2 –7 –0
Dartmouth   –    2 –7 –0
Temple   –    2 –7 –1
Buffalo   –    1 –7 –0
Rankings from AP Poll
1952 Midwestern college football independents records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 1 Michigan State   –    9 –0 –0
No. 3 Notre Dame   –    7 –2 –1
Carthage   –    5 –2 –0
Youngstown   –    4 –3 –1
Wabash   –    5 –4 –0
Dayton   –    6 –5 –0
Baldwin–Wallace   –    4 –4 –0
Wayne   –    4 –4 –0
Bradley   –    4 –5 –0
John Carroll   –    4 –5 –0
Washington University   –    4 –5 –0
Rose Poly   –    3 –4 –1
Xavier   –    4 –6 –0
Marquette   –    3 –5 –1
Rankings from AP Poll
1952 Southern college football independents records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Maryland State   –    9 –1 –0
Mississippi Southern   –    10 –2 –0
Virginia   –    8 –2 –0
Sewanee   –    7 –2 –0
No. 17 Navy   –    6 –2 –1
Tampa   –    8 –3 –1
Chattanooga   –    7 –3 –0
Delaware   –    4 –4 –0
Western Maryland   –    4 –4 –0
Louisville   –    3 –5 –0
Miami (FL)   –    4 –7 –0
Marshall   –    2 –7 –2
Florida State   –    1 –8 –1
Rankings from AP Poll
1952 Western college football independents records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Pacific (CA)   –    7 –3 –1
San Jose State   –    6 –3 –0
La Verne   –    5 –3 –1
Hawaii   –    5 –5 –2
Cal Poly San Dimas   –    4 –4 –0
Nevada   –    2 –3 –0
Santa Clara   –    2 –6 –1

Minor conferences
Conference Champion(s) Record
California Collegiate Athletic Association Cal Poly–San Luis Obispo 4–0
Central Church College Conference Concordia (NE) 3–0
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Virginia State 7–0
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Kansas State Teachers (Emporia State) 5–0
College Conference of Illinois Lake Forest
Millikin		 3–0–1
Evergreen Conference Pacific Lutheran 5–0–1
Far Western Conference Humboldt State College 3–0
Frontier Conference Carroll (MT) 4–0
Gulf Coast Conference North Texas State 2–0
Indiana Collegiate Conference Butler
Valparaiso		 3–1
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Buena Vista 2–1
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference McPherson 6–0
Lone Star Conference East Texas State Teachers 5–0
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Albion 5–0
Mid-American Conference Cincinnati 3–0
Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference Coe 6–0
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Gustavus Adolphus
Concordia–Moorhead		 6–0
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association Northeast Missouri State
Northwest Missouri State		 4–1
Nebraska College Conference Peru State 7–0
New Mexico Intercollegiate Conference Eastern New Mexico
Panhandle A&M		 4–1
North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Iowa State Teachers (Northern Iowa) 5–1
North Dakota College Athletic Conference Jamestown College
Minot State Teachers
Valley City State		 5–1
Ohio Athletic Conference Heidelberg 5–1
Ohio Valley Conference Tennessee Tech
Western Kentucky State		 4–1
Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference Northeastern State College (OK) 5–0
Oregon Collegiate Conference Oregon College —
Pacific Northwest Conference College of Idaho
Pacific (OR)		 4–0–1
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Chester State Teachers 5–0
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Idaho State College 5–0
South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Northern State Teachers 4–1
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Whittier 4–0
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Bethune–Cookman
Florida A&M		 5–1
4–1
Southwestern Athletic Conference Prairie View A&M College 6–0
State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota Mankato State Teachers
Moorhead State Teachers
St. Cloud State Teachers		 3–1
Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference Abilene Christian 4–0
Wisconsin State College Conference North: Wisconsin State–La Crosse
South: Wisconsin State–Platteville		 5–0
4–0

Minor conference standings
1952 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Cal Poly $ 4 –0 –0  7 –3 –0
Santa Barbara 3 –1 –0  8 –2 –0
San Diego State 2 –2 –0  4 –5 –0
Los Angeles State 1 –3 –0  4 –4 –0
Pepperdine 0 –4 –0  2 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Central Church College Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Concordia (NE) $ 3 –0 –0  6 –3 –0
Dana 2 –1 –0  3 –4 –0
Tarkio 1 –2 –0  1 –7 –0
York (NE) 0 –3 –0  2 –6 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Emporia State $ 5 –0 –0  7 –3 –0
St. Benedict's 3 –2 –0  5 –4 –0
Washburn 3 –2 –0  4 –5 –0
Pittsburg State 2 –2 –1  5 –4 –1
Fort Hays State 0 –3 –2  1 –6 –2
Southwestern (KS) 0 –4 –1  1 –7 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1952 College Conference of Illinois football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Lake Forest + 3 –0 –1  6 –1 –1
Millikin + 3 –0 –1  6 –1 –1
Wheaton (IL) 4 –1 –0  7 –1 –0
Augustana (IL) 3 –2 –0  3 –5 –0
Illinois Wesleyan 2 –2 –0  8 –0 –0
Elmhurst 1 –3 –0  3 –4 –0
Illinois College 1 –4 –0  2 –5 –0
North Central (IL) 0 –5 –0  0 –6 –1
  • + – Conference co-champions
1952 Evergreen Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Pacific Lutheran $ 5 –0 –1  5 –2 –1
Western Washington 4 –1 –1  5 –2 –1
Puget Sound 4 –2 –0  5 –3 –1
Whitworth 4 –2 –0  4 –3 –1
Central Washington 2 –4 –0  4 –4 –0
Eastern Washington 1 –5 –0  1 –7 –0
UBC 0 –6 –0  0 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Far Western Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Humboldt State $ 3 –0 –0  7 –1 –0
Cal Aggies 2 –1 –0  2 –7 –0
San Francisco State 1 –0 –0  3 –6 –0
Chico State 1 –3 –0  1 –6 –0
Southern Oregon 0 –3 –0  3 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Hoosier Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Hanover $ 6 –0 –0  6 –1 –2
Earlham 4 –2 –0  6 –2 –0
Franklin (IN) 4 –2 –0  5 –3 –0
Indiana Central 3 –3 –0  5 –3 –0
Anderson (IN) 2 –4 –0  3 –5 –1
Manchester (IN) 2 –4 –0  4 –4 –0
Taylor 0 –6 –0  0 –9 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Gulf Coast Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
North Texas State $ 2 –0 –0  7 –3 –0
Midwestern State 1 –1 –0  6 –5 –0
Trinity (TX) 0 –2 –0  4 –6 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Gulf States Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Louisiana Tech + 3 –0 –2  6 –1 –2
Southeastern Louisiana + 3 –0 –2  6 –1 –2
Southwestern Louisiana + 3 –0 –2  5 –2 –2
McNeese State 2 –3 –0  7 –3 –0
Louisiana College 0 –4 –1  3 –7 –1
Northwestern State 0 –4 –1  1 –7 –1
  • + – Conference co-champions
1952 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Butler + 3 –1 –1  5 –3 –1
Valparaiso + 3 –1 –1  5 –3 –1
Indiana State 2 –1 –2  4 –1 –3
Ball State 3 –2 –0  3 –5 –1
Evansville 2 –3 –0  2 –7 –0
Saint Joseph's (IN) 0 –5 –0  0 –8 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1952 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Central Michigan $ 6 –0 –0  7 –2 –0
Western Illinois 5 –1 –0  7 –2 –0
Michigan State Normal 3 –2 –1  5 –3 –1
Northern Illinois State 2 –4 –0  3 –6 –0
Southern Illinois 2 –4 –0  2 –6 –0
Illinois State 1 –4 –1  1 –6 –2
Eastern Illinois 1 –5 –0  2 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
McPherson $ 6 –0 –0  8 –0 –1
Ottawa 5 –1 –0  8 –1 –0
Bethany (KS) 3 –3 –0  5 –4 –0
College of Emporia 2 –3 –1  3 –5 –1
Baker 2 –3 –1  2 –5 –1
Kansas Wesleyan 2 –4 –0  5 –4 –0
Bethel (KS) 0 –6 –0  2 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Lone Star Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
East Texas State $ 5 –0 –0  11 –0 –0
Southwest Texas State 4 –1 –0  7 –2 –0
Sam Houston State 2 –3 –0  6 –4 –0
Sul Ross 2 –3 –0  4 –6 –0
Lamar Tech 1 –4 –0  3 –6 –0
Stephen F. Austin 1 –4 –0  2 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Albion $ 5 –0 –0  7 –1 –0
Hope 4 –1 –0  4 –5 –0
Alma 2 –3 –0  4 –4 –0
Kalamazoo 2 –3 –0  3 –4 –1
Adrian 1 –4 –0  3 –5 –1
Hillsdale 1 –4 –0  3 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Cincinnati $ 3 –0 –0  8 –1 –1
Miami (OH) 4 –1 –0  8 –1 –0
Ohio 5 –2 –0  6 –2 –2
Bowling Green 2 –2 –0  7 –2 –0
Kent State 2 –2 –0  5 –4 –0
Western Michigan 1 –4 –0  4 –4 –0
Western Reserve 1 –4 –0  5 –4 –0
Toledo 1 –4 –0  4 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Mid-Ohio League football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Ohio Northern $ 5 –0 –0  7 –2 –0
Findlay 4 –1 –0  6 –1 –0
Bluffton 3 –2 –0  5 –4 –0
Defiance 2 –3 –0  4 –4 –0
Cedarville 1 –4 –0  ? –? –?
Ashland 0 –5 –0  0 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Gustavus Adolphus + 6 –0 –0  7 –1 –0
Concordia (MN) + 6 –0 –0  7 –2 –0
Hamline 4 –2 –0  6 –2 –0
Saint John's (MN) 3 –3 –0  5 –3 –0
St. Thomas (MN) 3 –3 –0  3 –5 –0
Macalester 2 –2 –1  2 –4 –1
Augsburg 2 –4 –0  3 –5 –0
Saint Mary's (MN) 0 –5 –1  1 –5 –1
Minnesota–Duluth 0 –6 –0  0 –7 –1
  • + – Conference co-champions
1952 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Missouri Valley $ 4 –0 –0  6 –4 –0
William Jewell 3 –1 –0  10 –1 –1
Culver–Stockton 2 –2 –0  2 –5 –0
Central Methodist 1 –3 –0  1 –7 –0
Tarkio * 0 –4 –0  1 –6 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – Forfeited to Missouri Valley and William Jewell
1952 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
NE Missouri State + 4 –1 –0  7 –1 –0
NW Missouri State + 4 –1 –0  6 –3 –0
Missouri–Rolla 3 –2 –0  3 –5 –0
SE Missouri State 2 –3 –0  4 –4 –0
SW Missouri State 1 –4 –0  3 –6 –0
Central Missouri State 1 –4 –0  1 –6 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1952 Montana Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Carroll (MT) $ 4 –0 –0  8 –2 –0
Rocky Mountain 3 –1 –0  ? –? –?
Montana Mines 2 –2 –0  ? –? –?
Western Montana 1 –3 –0  ? –? –?
Eastern Montana 0 –4 –0  0 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Nebraska College Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Peru State $ 7 –0 –0  10 –0 –0
Hastings 5 –2 –0  6 –2 –0
Doane 4 –3 –0  4 –5 –0
Nebraska Wesleyan 4 –3 –0  5 –5 –0
Kearney State 3 –4 –0  5 –4 –0
Wayne State (NE) 3 –4 –0  4 –5 –0
Chadron State 2 –5 –0  3 –6 –0
Midland 0 –7 –0  2 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 New Mexico Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Eastern New Mexico + 4 –1 –0  7 –1 –1
Panhandle A&M + 4 –1 –0  7 –3 –0
New Mexico Military 2 –2 –1  ? –? –?
Adams State 2 –2 –1  2 –5 –1
New Mexico Western 2 –3 –0  4 –3 –0
New Mexico Highlands 0 –5 –0  1 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 North Central Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Iowa State Teachers $ 5 –1 –0  6 –2 –0
North Dakota State 4 –2 –0  5 –4 –0
South Dakota 3 –2 –1  4 –3 –1
South Dakota State 3 –2 –1  4 –4 –1
Morningside 3 –3 –0  5 –3 –0
North Dakota 2 –4 –0  3 –6 –0
Augustana (SD) 0 –6 –0  0 –9 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 North Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Minot State + 5 –1 –0  6 –2 –0
Jamestown + 5 –1 –0  5 –2 –0
Valley City State + 5 –1 –0  5 –3 –0
Ellendale 4 –1 –1  4 –2 –1
Dickinson State 3 –3 –0  5 –3 –0
Mayville State 2 –3 –1  2 –3 –1
Wahpeton Science 1 –5 –0  2 –5 –0
Bismarck JC 1 –5 –0  1 –5 –0
Bottineau 0 –6 –0  0 –6 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1952 North State Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Lenoir–Rhyne $ 6 –0 –0  8 –1 –0
East Carolina 4 –1 –1  6 –3 –2
Catawba 4 –1 –1  4 –5 –1
Appalachian State 2 –4 –0  2 –6 –1
Western Carolina 1 –4 –0  2 –8 –0
Guilford 1 –4 –0  1 –7 –0
Elon 1 –5 –0  3 –6 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Western Kentucky + 4 –1 –0  9 –1 –0
Tennessee Tech + 4 –1 –0  9 –2 –0
Murray State 3 –2 –0  4 –4 –0
Middle Tennessee 2 –2 –0  6 –5 –0
Eastern Kentucky 0 –3 –1  3 –4 –1
Morehead State 0 –4 –1  1 –6 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Northeastern State $ 5 –0 –0  9 –1 –0
Central State (OK) 3 –2 –0  4 –4 –0
East Central 3 –2 –0  4 –5 –0
SE Oklahoma State 2 –3 –0  4 –4 –0
SW Oklahoma State 2 –3 –0  3 –6 –0
NW Oklahoma State 0 –5 –0  3 –6 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Oregon Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Oregon College $ 3 –0 –0  3 –3 –0
Oregon Tech 2 –1 –0  5 –2 –0
Eastern Oregon 1 –2 –0  3 –5 –0
Portland State 0 –3 –0  0 –9 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Smoky Mountain Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Emory and Henry $ 1 –0 –0  8 –2 –0
Carson–Newman 0 –1 –0  3 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Northern State $ 4 –1 –0  6 –1 –0
Huron 6 –2 –0  6 –2 –0
Yankton 4 –2 –0  5 –2 –0
Black Hills 3 –2 –0  5 –3 –0
Southern State 4 –3 –0  4 –3 –0
Dakota Wesleyan 3 –3 –0  3 –4 –0
South Dakota Mines 2 –4 –0  2 –5 –0
General Beadle 1 –4 –0  1 –4 –0
Sioux Falls 0 –6 –0  0 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Whittier $ 4 –0 –0  9 –1 –0
Occidental 3 –1 –0  4 –4 –0
Pomona 2 –2 –0  2 –5 –0
Redlands 1 –3 –0  2 –7 –0
Caltech 0 –4 –0  0 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Prairie View A&M $ 6 –0 –0  7 –2 –0
Southern 5 –1 –0  9 –2 –0
Texas College 3 –2 –1  4 –3 –1
Arkansas AM&N 2 –2 –2  3 –6 –2
Wiley 2 –4 –0  4 –5 –0
Langston 1 –4 –1  2 –6 –1
Bishop 0 –6 –0  2 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1952 Yankee Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Connecticut + 3 –1 –0  5 –3 –0
Maine + 3 –1 –0  4 –3 –0
Rhode Island + 3 –1 –0  7 –1 –0
UMass 1 –2 –0  4 –3 –1
Vermont 0 –1 –0  2 –5 –0
New Hampshire 0 –4 –0  2 –4 –1
  • + – Conference co-champions

Rankings
Main article: 1952 NCAA football rankings

Bowl games

As late as 1952, many colleges, and some football conferences, did not participate in postseason bowl games. No. 1 Michigan State had joined the Big Ten conference in 1950 for football, but as part of the terms of membership, was ineligible to play in a bowl game until the 1953 season. No. 3 Notre Dame had a policy against playing in postseason games.[2] No. 4 Oklahoma was a member of the Big 7 conference (which later, as the Big 8 and Big 12, would send its best team to the Orange Bowl), and that conference banned post-season games. The Oklahoma University Board of Regents considered a motion to allow the team to accept an invitation from the Orange Bowl, and passed a resolution that stated that "Oklahoma belongs to the Big Seven Conference and has followed its rules in the past and should follow them in the future.".[3] Thus, three of the nation's four "top teams" did not play in a bowl game. The exception was Georgia Tech, which played as the SEC champ in the Sugar Bowl. In a forerunner of the SEC championship game, the two best teams in the conference met, with No. 7 Ole Miss accepting the invitation to play against Tech.

Bowl game Winning team Losing team
Sugar Bowl No. 2 Georgia Tech 24 No. 7 Ole Miss 7
Rose Bowl No. 5 USC 7 No. 11 Wisconsin 0
Cotton Bowl No. 8 Tennessee 0 No. 10 Texas 16
Orange Bowl No. 9 Alabama 61 No. 14 Syracuse 6
Gator Bowl No. 15 Florida 14 No. 12 Tulsa 13

See also

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-02-29. Retrieved 2009-01-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Bowl Scramble Underway Across Nation Today," Las Cruces (N.M.) Sun-News, Nov. 8, 1952, p8
  3. "Oklahoma U. Regents Turn Down Bowl Offer," Albuquerque Journal, Nov. 21, 1952, p14
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