1953 college football season

The 1953 college football season finished with the Maryland Terrapins capturing the AP, INS, and UPI national championship after Notre Dame held the top spot for the first nine weeks. The No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners defeated Maryland in the Orange Bowl, but there was no further polling after the November 30 results were released. However, Notre Dame was selected as the National Champions by 10 other polls and the Oklahoma Sooners received first in two polls.[2] However, despite the team receiving National Championship rings, the University of Notre Dame does not recognize this title due to their policy of only recognizing AP or coaches' poll titles during the polling era (1936–present). Maryland was also the first champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference, which had been formed earlier in 1953 by seven colleges formerly with the Southern Conference.[3] The year 1953 also saw the Michigan State Spartans, previously an independent, join the Big Nine Conference, which then became the Big Ten; MSU won the conference title in that first year and was the conference representative to the Rose Bowl, which it won 28–20 over UCLA.

1953 college football season
Preseason AP No. 1Notre Dame[1]
Number of bowls7
Champion(s)Maryland Terrapins (AP, Coaches)
HeismanJohnny Lattner (halfback, Notre Dame)
football seasons

During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for the college football teams that would later be described as "Division I-A". The NCAA did recognize a national champion based upon the final results of "wire service" (AP and UPI) polls. The extent of that recognition came in the form of acknowledgment in the annual NCAA Football Guide of the "unofficial" national champions. The AP poll in 1953 consisted of the votes of as many as 378 sportswriters.[4]

Though not all writers voted in every poll, each would give their opinion of the twenty best teams. Under a point system of 20 points for first place, 19 for second, etc., the "overall" ranking was determined. Although the rankings were based on the collective opinion of the representative sportswriters, the teams that remained "unbeaten and untied" were generally ranked higher than those that had not. A defeat, even against a strong opponent, tended to cause a team to drop in the rankings, and a team with two or more defeats was unlikely to remain in the Top 20. Generally, the top teams played on New Year's Day in the four major postseason bowl games: the Rose Bowl (near Los Angeles at Pasadena), the Sugar Bowl (New Orleans), the Orange Bowl (Miami), and the Cotton Bowl (Dallas).

Conference and program changes

Conference changes

Membership changes
School1952 Conference1953 Conference
Cincinnati BearcatsMACIndependent
Clemson TigersSoConACC
Duke Blue DevilsSoConACC
Erskine Flying FleetIndependentDropped Program
Evansville Purple AcesOhio ValleyIndiana Collegiate Conference
Marshall Thundering HerdIndependentMAC
Maryland TerrapinsSoConACC
Michigan State SpartansIndependentBig Ten (was Big Nine)
Middle Tennessee State Blue RaidersVSACOhio Valley
NYU VioletsIndependentDropped Program
North Carolina Tar HeelsSoConACC
NC State WolfpackSoConACC
South Carolina GamecocksSoConACC
Wake Forest Demon DeaconsSoConACC

September

In the preseason poll released on September 14, 1953, Notre Dame was rated first, followed by the defending champion, Michigan State, Georgia Tech, UCLA, and Alabama. As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games.

In a Friday night game at Los Angeles, No. 4 UCLA beat Oregon State 41–0. Meanwhile, at Montgomery, AL, No. 5 Alabama was shocked by Southern Mississippi, 25–19. The next day, September 19 No. 3 Georgia Tech beat Davidson, 53–0. Notre Dame and Michigan State began their seasons the following week.

On September 26 No. 1 Notre Dame won 28–21 at No. 6 Oklahoma. No. 2 Michigan State won at Iowa, 21–7. No. 3 Georgia Tech went to No. 15 Florida and was held to a 0–0 tie. No. 4 UCLA beat Kansas 19–7. Still at No. 5, Alabama, trying to salvage some respect against a second unranked opponent, went to 0–1–1 after a 7–7 tie against LSU in Mobile; in the poll that followed, the Crimson Tide fell completely out of the Top 20. No. 9 Maryland, which had won 52–0 at Washington and Lee, rose to third, and previously unranked Michigan (a 50–0 victor over Wisconsin, entered the poll at fourth.

The poll: 1.Notre Dame 2.Michigan State 3.Maryland 4.Michigan 5.UCLA

October

October 3 With the exception of No. 4 Michigan, which beat Tulane 26–7 at home, the other top teams won on the road, with No. 1 Notre Dame at Purdue, 37–7, No. 2 Michigan State at Minnesota 21–0, No. 3 Maryland at Clemson, 20–0, and No. 5 UCLA defeated Oregon 12–0 in an away game. No. 6 Ohio State, which won 33–19 at California, rose to third in the next poll, knocking UCLA out. The Big Ten had three of the spots in the top five:

  • 1. Notre Dame
  • 2. Michigan State
  • 3. Ohio State
  • 4. Maryland
  • 5. Michigan

October 10 No. 1 Notre Dame was idle, but stayed at No. 1 after No. 2 Michigan State's 26–19 win over TCU. No. 4 Maryland won 40–13 over Georgia and No. 5 Michigan edged Iowa 14–13. The night before, No. 3 Ohio State had lost 40–21 to Illinois, while No. 6 UCLA returned to the top bracket with a 13–0 win over visiting Wisconsin. The poll: 1.Notre Dame 2.Michigan State 3.Maryland 4.UCLA 5.Michigan

October 17 No. 1 Notre Dame beat Pittsburgh 23–14. No. 2 Michigan State defeated Indiana 47–18. No. 3 Maryland won 26–0 at North Carolina. No. 4 UCLA lost at Stanford, 21–20. No. 5 Michigan beat Northwestern 20–12. No. 6 Georgia Tech, which beat Auburn 36–6, took UCLA's place in the next poll: 1.Notre Dame 2.Michigan State 3.Maryland 4. Georgia Tech 5.Michigan.

October 24 No. 1 Notre Dame stayed unbeaten with a 27–14 win over No. 4 Georgia Tech. No. 2 Michigan State lost 6–0 at Purdue and No. 5 Michigan lost at Minnesota 22–0. No. 3 Maryland won a Friday game at Miami, 30–0. Coming into the Top Five were No. 6 Baylor (14–13 over Texas A&M), 7 Illinois (20–13 over Syracuse), and No. 8 West Virginia (52–20 over VMI). The poll: 1.Notre Dame 2.Maryland 3.Baylor 4.Illinois 5. West Virginia

October 31 No. 1 Notre Dame beat Navy 38–7. No. 2 Maryland beat South Carolina 24–6. No. 3 Baylor beat TCU 25–7. No. 4 Illinois defeated Purdue 21–0. beat Oregon State 34–6. No. 5 West Virginia won at Penn State 20–19. No. 6 Michigan State, which beat Oregon State 34–6, rose to fifth. The poll: 1.Notre Dame 2.Maryland 3.Baylor 4.Illinois 5.Michigan State

November

November 7 No. 1 Notre Dame won 28–20 at Penn. No. 2 Maryland beat George Washington University 27–6 at a game in Washington, DC. No. 3 Baylor lost at Texas, 21–20. No. 4 Illinois beat Michigan 9–3. No. 5 Michigan State won 28–13 at Ohio State, but still dropped in the poll. No. 6 Georgia Tech, which beat Clemson 20–7, rose to fifth.

November 14 No. 1 Notre Dame won at North Carolina, 34–14, and No. 2 Maryland beat Mississippi 38–0 as both stayed unbeaten and untied. No. 4 Michigan State beat Michigan 14–6. On the other hand, No. 3 Illinois lost to Wisconsin, 34–7 and No. 5 Georgia Tech fell 13–6 to Alabama in a game at Birmingham. Returning to the Top Five to take their place were No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 7 UCLA, which had defeated Iowa (47–0) and Washington (22–6), respectively.

November 21 Number one since the season began, No. 1 Notre Dame played to a 14–14 tie with Iowa. No. 2 Maryland closed its season with a 21–0 win over Alabama to finish the season unbeaten and untied, at 10–0–0, to take the top rung on the AP poll. No. 3 Michigan State closed with a 21–15 win over Marquette. No. 4 Oklahoma beat Nebraska 30–7, and No. 5 UCLA beat USC, 13–0.

November 28 The new No. 1, Maryland, had already finished its season. No. 2 Notre Dame, with a 48–14 win at USC, and No. 4 Oklahoma (42–7 over Oklahoma State) were the only Top Five members who hadn't closed their seasons. The following Saturday, December 5, Notre Dame beat visiting SMU 40–14.

In the Final AP poll, released November 30, No. 1 Maryland, the only unbeaten and untied team, received 187 first place votes, and unbeaten, but once-tied No. 2 Notre Dame had 141 votes. ACC member Maryland accepted a bid to the Orange Bowl to meet once-beaten (8–1–1), Big 7 champ, and No. 4 Oklahoma, while No. 3 Michigan State and No. 5 UCLA would meet in the Rose Bowl. Notre Dame declined to participate in a postseason game.

Postseason

After the AP National Champion Maryland lost in the Orange Bowl, there was a lot of controversy since the AP Poll had been finalized beforehand and could not be changed to take this result into account. This Maryland loss resulted in Notre Dame being ranked No. 1 by 10 polls, including Billingsley , Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, National Championship Foundation, Williamson, and several others. As a reward for beating the Terrapins, the Sooners received No. 1 from Berryman and Football Research.

Conference standings

Major conference standings
1953 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 1 Maryland + 3 –0 –0  10 –1 –0
No. 18 Duke + 4 –0 –0  7 –2 –1
South Carolina 2 –3 –0  7 –3 –0
North Carolina 2 –3 –0  4 –6 –0
Wake Forest 2 –3 –0  3 –6 –1
Clemson 1 –2 –0  3 –5 –1
NC State 0 –3 –0  1 –9 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll[5]
1953 Big Seven Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 4 Oklahoma $ 6 –0 –0  9 –1 –1
Missouri 4 –2 –0  6 –4 –0
Kansas State 4 –2 –0  6 –3 –1
Colorado 2 –4 –0  6 –4 –0
Nebraska 2 –4 –0  3 –6 –1
Kansas 2 –4 –0  2 –8 –0
Iowa State 1 –5 –0  2 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1953 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 3 Michigan State + 5 –1 –0  9 –1 –0
No. 7 Illinois + 5 –1 –0  7 –1 –1
No. 15 Wisconsin 4 –1 –1  6 –2 –1
Ohio State 4 –3 –0  6 –3 –0
Minnesota 3 –3 –1  4 –4 –1
No. 20 Michigan 3 –3 –0  6 –3 –0
No. 9 Iowa 3 –3 –0  5 –3 –1
Purdue 2 –4 –0  2 –7 –0
Indiana 1 –5 –0  2 –7 –0
Northwestern 0 –6 –0  3 –6 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
1953 Border Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 12 Texas Tech $ 5 –0 –0  11 –1 –0
Hardin–Simmons 4 –1 –0  6 –5 –0
Texas Western 4 –2 –0  8 –2 –0
Arizona 3 –2 –0  4 –5 –1
Arizona State 1 –3 –0  4 –5 –1
New Mexico A&M 1 –4 –0  2 –7 –0
West Texas State 0 –6 –0  1 –8 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1953 Middle Three Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Rutgers $ 1 –0 –0  2 –6 –0
Lafayette 1 –1 –0  5 –4 –0
Lehigh 0 –1 –0  4 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Oklahoma A&M + 3 –1 –0  7 –3 –0
Detroit + 3 –1 –0  5 –4 –0
Wichita 1 –2 –0  4 –4 –1
Houston 1 –2 –0  4 –4 –1
Tulsa 1 –3 –0  3 –7 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1953 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 5 UCLA $ 6 –1 –0  8 –2 –0
No. 19 Stanford 5 –1 –1  6 –3 –1
USC 4 –2 –1  6 –3 –1
California 2 –2 –2  4 –4 –2
Washington State 3 –4 –0  4 –6 –0
Oregon State 3 –5 –0  3 –6 –0
Washington 2 –4 –1  3 –6 –1
Oregon 2 –5 –1  4 –5 –1
Idaho 0 –3 –0  1 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1953 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Idaho State $ 5 –0 –0  6 –2 –0
Montana State 4 –1 –0  4 –4 –0
Western State (CO) 2 –2 –1  5 –2 –1
Colorado College 1 –2 –2  2 –4 –2
Colorado Mines 1 –3 –1  3 –4 –1
Colorado State–Greeley 0 –5 –0  2 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Skyline Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Utah $ 5 –0 –0  8 –2 –0
Utah State 5 –2 –0  8 –3 –0
Wyoming 4 –2 –1  5 –4 –1
New Mexico 3 –2 –1  5 –3 –1
Colorado A&M 3 –4 –0  4 –5 –0
Montana 2 –4 –0  3 –5 –0
Denver 1 –5 –1  3 –5 –2
BYU 1 –5 –1  2 –7 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 13 Alabama $ 4 –0 –3  6 –3 –3
No. 8 Georgia Tech 4 –1 –1  9 –2 –1
No. 16 Kentucky 4 –1 –1  7 –2 –1
Ole Miss 4 –1 –1  7 –2 –1
No. 17 Auburn 4 –2 –1  7 –3 –1
Mississippi State 3 –1 –3  5 –2 –3
Tennessee 3 –2 –1  6 –4 –1
LSU 2 –3 –3  5 –3 –3
Florida 1 –3 –2  3 –5 –2
Vanderbilt 1 –5 –0  3 –7 –0
Georgia 1 –5 –0  3 –8 –0
Tulane 0 –7 –0  1 –8 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1953 Southern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 10 West Virginia $ 4 –0 –0  8 –2 –0
Furman 2 –0 –0  7 –2 –0
George Washington 4 –2 –0  5 –4 –0
William & Mary 3 –2 –0  5 –4 –1
Richmond 3 –3 –0  5 –3 –1
VPI 3 –3 –0  5 –5 –0
VMI 3 –3 –0  5 –5 –0
Washington and Lee 2 –4 –0  4 –6 –0
The Citadel 1 –3 –0  2 –7 –0
Davidson 0 –5 –0  0 –9 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1953 Southwest Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 6 Rice + 5 –1 –0  9 –2 –0
No. 11 Texas + 5 –1 –0  7 –3 –0
Baylor 4 –2 –0  7 –3 –0
SMU 3 –3 –0  5 –5 –0
Arkansas 2 –4 –0  3 –7 –0
Texas A&M 1 –5 –0  4 –5 –1
TCU 1 –5 –0  3 –7 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

Independents
1953 Eastern college football independents records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 14 Army   –    7 –1 –1
Harvard   –    6 –2 –0
Franklin & Marshall   –    5 –2 –0
Hofstra   –    6 –3 –0
Penn State   –    6 –3 –0
Yale   –    5 –2 –2
Carnegie Tech   –    5 –3 –0
Boston College   –    5 –3 –1
Boston University   –    5 –3 –1
Syracuse   –    5 –3 –1
Princeton   –    5 –4 –0
Tufts   –    4 –3 –0
Cornell   –    4 –3 –2
Holy Cross   –    5 –5 –0
Temple   –    4 –4 –1
Colgate   –    3 –4 –2
Columbia   –    4 –5 –0
Fordham   –    4 –5 –0
Villanova   –    4 –6 –0
Drexel   –    2 –3 –1
Brown   –    3 –5 –1
Penn   –    3 –5 –1
Pittsburgh   –    3 –5 –1
Dartmouth   –    2 –7 –0
Buffalo   –    1 –5 –1
Bucknell   –    1 –8 –0
Rankings from AP Poll
1953 Midwestern college football independents records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 2 Notre Dame   –    9 –0 –1
Cincinnati   –    9 –1 –0
Carthage   –    8 –1 –0
Youngstown   –    7 –1 –0
John Carroll   –    7 –2 –0
Washington University   –    7 –2 –0
Rose Poly   –    6 –2 –0
Wabash   –    6 –2 –1
Marquette   –    6 –3 –1
Baldwin–Wallace   –    4 –4 –0
Wayne   –    3 –4 –1
Dayton   –    3 –5 –1
Xavier   –    2 –7 –1
Rankings from AP Poll
1953 Southern college football independents records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Delaware   –    7 –1 –0
Maryland State   –    7 –1 –0
Mississippi Southern   –    9 –2 –0
Western Maryland   –    4 –3 –1
Navy   –    4 –3 –2
Florida State   –    5 –5 –0
Tampa   –    6 –6 –0
Miami (FL)   –    4 –5 –0
Sewanee   –    3 –5 –0
Marshall   –    2 –5 –2
Chattanooga   –    3 –7 –0
Louisville   –    1 –7 –0
Virginia   –    1 –8 –0
1953 Western college football independents records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Pacific (CA)   –    4 –4 –2
San Jose State   –    4 –4 –1
Hawaii   –    5 –6 –0
Nevada   –    2 –3 –0
La Verne   –    3 –7 –0
Cal Poly San Dimas   –    2 –6 –0

Minor conferences
Conference Champion(s) Record
California Collegiate Athletic Association Cal Poly–San Luis Obispo 5–0
Central Church College Conference Dana 3–1
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association North Carolina College 5–1
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Saint Benedict's
Washburn		 4–1
College Conference of Illinois Wheaton (IL) 4–0
Evergreen Conference Puget Sound
Whitworth		 5–1
Far Western Conference Chico State College 1–0–1
Frontier Conference Carroll (MT) 4–0
Gulf Coast Conference Trinity (TX) 2–0
Indiana Collegiate Conference Butler 5–0
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Iowa Wesleyan 4–0
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference College of Emporia 7–0
Lone Star Conference East Texas State Teachers 5–0
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Hope 5–1
Mid-American Conference Ohio 5–0–1
Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference Saint Olaf 6–0
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Gustavus Adolphus 6–0
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association Northeast Missouri State 5–0
Nebraska College Conference Peru State Teachers 6–0
New Mexico Intercollegiate Conference Panhandle A&M 6–0
North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference South Dakota State College 5–0–1
North Dakota College Athletic Conference Valley City State 6–0
Ohio Athletic Conference Ohio Wesleyan 7–0
Ohio Valley Conference Tennessee Tech 5–0
Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference Northeastern State College (OK) 4–0–1
Oregon Collegiate Conference Unknown —
Pacific Northwest Conference College of Idaho 5–0
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Shippensburg State Teachers
West Chester State Teachers		 6–0
4–0
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Idaho State College 5–0
South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Northern State Teachers 6–0
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Pomona-Pitzer 3–1
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Florida A&M 6–0
Southwestern Athletic Conference Prairie View A&M College 6–0
State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota St. Cloud State Teachers 4–0
Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference Abilene Christian
McMurry (TX)
Texas A&I College		 3–1
Wisconsin State College Conference Wisconsin State–La Crosse
Wisconsin State–Platteville		 5–0
4–0

Minor conference standings
1953 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Cal Poly $ 5 –0 –0  9 –0 –0
San Diego State 3 –1 –1  5 –3 –1
Fresno State 2 –2 –1  4 –4 –2
Pepperdine 2 –3 –0  3 –6 –0
Santa Barbara 1 –4 –0  2 –6 –1
Los Angeles State 1 –4 –0  2 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Central Church College Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Dana $ 3 –1 –0  4 –3 –1
Concordia (NE) 2 –1 –1  7 –1 –1
Tarkio 0 –3 –1  2 –5 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Washburn + 4 –1 –0  7 –1 –0
St. Benedict's + 4 –1 –0  7 –2 –0
Pittsburg State 2 –2 –1  6 –3 –1
Fort Hays State 2 –2 –1  3 –4 –1
Emporia State 2 –3 –0  2 –5 –1
Southwestern (KS) 0 –5 –0  1 –8 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
1953 College Conference of Illinois football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Wheaton (IL) $ 4 –0 –0  8 –1 –0
Lake Forest 4 –1 –0  5 –3 –0
Augustana (IL) 3 –2 –0  5 –4 –0
Millikin 2 –3 –0  3 –5 –0
North Central (IL) 2 –4 –0  2 –6 –0
Illinois Wesleyan 1 –3 –1  1 –7 –1
Elmhurst 1 –3 –0  3 –4 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Evergreen Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Puget Sound + 5 –1 –0  7 –1 –0
Whitworth + 5 –1 –0  7 –1 –0
Eastern Washington 4 –2 –0  6 –2 –0
Pacific Lutheran 3 –3 –0  3 –6 –0
Western Washington 2 –4 –0  3 –4 –2
Central Washington 2 –4 –0  2 –6 –0
UBC 0 –6 –0  ? –? –?
  • + – Conference co-champions
1953 Far Western Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Chico State $ 4 –0 –1  6 –3 –1
Humboldt State 2 –1 –0  6 –2 –0
Cal Aggies 1 –2 –1  1 –6 –1
San Francisco State 0 –1 –0  5 –3 –0
Southern Oregon 0 –3 –0  3 –4 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Conference record includes both Chico State vs. Northern Branch games
1953 Hoosier Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Indiana Central $ 6 –0 –0  8 –0 –0
Earlham 4 –2 –0  6 –2 –0
Hanover 4 –2 –0  4 –4 –1
Anderson (IN) 3 –3 –0  3 –5 –0
Taylor 3 –3 –0  4 –4 –0
Franklin (IN) 1 –5 –0  1 –7 –0
Manchester (IN) 0 –6 –0  0 –9 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Gulf Coast Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Trinity (TX) $ 2 –0 –0  8 –1 –0
North Texas State 1 –1 –0  3 –6 –1
Midwestern State 0 –2 –0  2 –8 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Gulf States Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Northwestern State + 5 –1 –0  6 –2 –0
Louisiana Tech + 5 –1 –0  6 –3 –0
Southeastern Louisiana + 5 –1 –0  6 –3 –0
Southwestern Louisiana 2 –4 –0  4 –7 –0
McNeese State 2 –4 –0  3 –6 –0
Louisiana College 1 –5 –0  4 –6 –0
Northeast Louisiana State 1 –5 –0  1 –9 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1953 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Butler $ 5 –0 –0  6 –2 –0
Valparaiso 3 –2 –0  5 –2 –1
Ball State 3 –2 –0  5 –2 –1
Indiana State 2 –3 –0  5 –3 –0
Evansville 2 –3 –0  3 –7 –0
Saint Joseph's (IN) 0 –5 –0  2 –6 –0
DePauw 0 –0 –0  0 –7 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Central Michigan $ 5 –0 –1  7 –1 –1
Western Illinois 5 –1 –0  8 –2 –0
Michigan State Normal 4 –1 –1  7 –1 –1
Illinois State 3 –3 –0  5 –4 –0
Southern Illinois 2 –4 –0  2 –7 –0
Northern Illinois State 1 –5 –0  1 –8 –0
Eastern Illinois 0 –6 –0  1 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
North Division
Wartburg xy 3 –0 –0  4 –5 –0
Luther 2 –1 –0  5 –3 –0
Upper Iowa 1 –2 –0  3 –4 –0
Buena Vista 0 –3 –0  2 –6 –1
South Division
Iowa Wesleyan xy$ 4 –0 –0  9 –1 –0
Central (IA) 3 –1 –0  4 –3 –1
Dubuque 2 –2 –0  4 –3 –0
Parsons 1 –3 –0  3 –5 –0
Simpson 0 –4 –0  0 –8 –0
Championship: Iowa Wesleyan 33, Wartburg 14
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
1953 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
College of Emporia $ 7 –0 –0  8 –0 –0
McPherson 6 –1 –0  8 –1 –0
Bethany (KS) 4 –3 –0  4 –4 –0
Kansas Wesleyan 3 –3 –1  3 –5 –1
Baker 3 –4 –0  4 –5 –0
Friends 2 –5 –0  4 –5 –0
Ottawa 2 –5 –0  3 –6 –0
Bethel (KS) 0 –6 –1  1 –7 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Lone Star Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
East Texas State $ 5 –0 –0  10 –0 –1
Sam Houston State 4 –1 –0  9 –1 –0
Southwest Texas State 3 –2 –0  5 –4 –0
Lamar Tech 2 –3 –0  3 –7 –0
Sul Ross 1 –4 –0  4 –7 –0
Stephen F. Austin 0 –5 –0  1 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Hope $ 5 –1 –0  7 –2 –0
Albion 4 –1 –1  5 –2 –1
Alma 4 –2 –0  7 –2 –0
Hillsdale 3 –1 –2  4 –2 –2
Olivet 2 –4 –0  4 –5 –0
Adrian 1 –4 –1  2 –5 –1
Kalamazoo 0 –6 –0  1 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Ohio $ 5 –0 –1  6 –2 –1
Miami (OH) 3 –0 –1  7 –1 –1
Kent State 3 –1 –0  7 –2 –0
Toledo 2 –3 –0  3 –6 –0
Western Reserve 1 –2 –1  5 –3 –1
Western Michigan 0 –4 –1  1 –6 –1
Bowling Green 0 –4 –0  1 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Mid-Ohio League football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Defiance $ 4 –0 –0  8 –0 –0
Findlay 2 –2 –0  3 –4 –0
Bluffton 2 –2 –0  3 –4 –0
Ohio Northern 1 –3 –0  1 –7 –1
Ashland 1 –3 –0  1 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Gustavus Adolphus + 5 –1 –0  6 –2 –0
Saint John's (MN) + 5 –1 –0  6 –2 –0
Concordia (MN) 4 –2 –0  5 –3 –0
Macalester 4 –2 –0  5 –3 –0
Minnesota–Duluth 3 –3 –0  3 –4 –0
Hamline 3 –3 –0  4 –3 –0
St. Thomas (MN) 2 –4 –0  3 –5 –0
Augsburg 1 –5 –0  3 –5 –0
Saint Mary's (MN) 0 –6 –0  0 –7 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1953 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
William Jewell $ 4 –0 –0  9 –1 –0
Missouri Valley 3 –1 –0  7 –1 –1
Tarkio 2 –2 –0  2 –5 –1
Central Methodist 1 –3 –0  3 –6 –0
Culver–Stockton 0 –4 –0  0 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
NE Missouri State $ 5 –0 –0  6 –2 –0
SW Missouri State 3 –2 –0  3 –6 –0
NW Missouri State 2 –2 –1  3 –4 –1
Missouri–Rolla 2 –3 –0  3 –5 –0
SE Missouri State 1 –2 –2  4 –3 –2
Central Missouri State 0 –4 –1  0 –7 –2
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Montana Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Carroll (MT) $ 4 –0 –0  5 –2 –1
Rocky Mountain 3 –1 –0  ? –? –?
Eastern Montana 1 –2 –1  2 –3 –1
Montana Mines 1 –2 –1  ? –? –?
Western Montana 0 –4 –0  ? –? –?
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Nebraska College Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Peru State $ 6 –0 –0  8 –0 –0
Wayne State (NE) 4 –2 –1  5 –3 –1
Kearney State 3 –2 –1  3 –5 –1
Doane 3 –2 –2  4 –3 –2
Midland 4 –3 –0  5 –4 –0
Hastings 3 –4 –0  4 –5 –0
Nebraska Wesleyan 1 –4 –2  2 –4 –3
Chadron State 0 –7 –0  1 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 New Mexico Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Panhandle A&M $ 6 –0 –0  8 –1 –1
New Mexico Military 4 –2 –0  4 –3 –0
Arizona State–Flagstaff 3 –3 –0  4 –5 –0
Eastern New Mexico 3 –3 –0  4 –7 –0
Adams State 3 –3 –0  3 –6 –0
New Mexico Western 2 –4 –0  3 –5 –0
New Mexico Highlands 0 –6 –0  0 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 North Central Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
South Dakota State $ 5 –0 –1  5 –3 –1
Iowa State Teachers 5 –1 –0  6 –3 –0
North Dakota 4 –1 –1  6 –1 –1
Morningside 2 –4 –0  3 –5 –0
North Dakota State 2 –4 –0  3 –5 –0
South Dakota 2 –4 –0  2 –6 –0
Augustana (SD) 0 –6 –0  1 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 North Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Valley City State $ 6 –0 –0  7 –2 –0
Minot State 5 –1 –0  6 –2 –0
Wahpeton Science 4 –2 –0  5 –2 –0
Mayville State 4 –2 –0  4 –2 –0
Jamestown 3 –3 –0  3 –4 –0
Bismarck JC 2 –4 –0  2 –4 –0
Dickinson State 2 –4 –0  2 –5 –0
Ellendale 1 –5 –0  1 –6 –0
Bottineau 0 –6 –0  0 –6 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 North State Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
East Carolina $ 6 –0 –0  8 –2 –0
Catawba 4 –1 –1  4 –5 –1
Appalachian State 3 –3 –0  6 –4 –0
Lenoir–Rhyne 3 –3 –0  4 –5 –0
Guilford 2 –3 –0  3 –5 –0
Elon 1 –4 –1  1 –6 –1
Western Carolina 0 –5 –0  1 –9 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Tennessee Tech $ 5 –0 –0  7 –4 –0
Eastern Kentucky 4 –1 –0  8 –2 –0
Middle Tennessee 3 –2 –0  7 –4 –0
Western Kentucky 2 –3 –0  6 –4 –0
Murray State 1 –4 –0  3 –6 –0
Morehead State 0 –5 –0  0 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Northeastern State $ 4 –0 –1  7 –1 –1
SE Oklahoma State 3 –1 –1  3 –4 –1
Central State (OK) 3 –2 –0  6 –3 –0
East Central 2 –3 –0  2 –7 –0
SW Oklahoma State 1 –4 –0  4 –6 –0
NW Oklahoma State 1 –4 –0  3 –6 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Oregon Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Oregon College $ 3 –0 –0  4 –4 –0
Portland State 2 –1 –0  5 –2 –0
Oregon Tech 1 –2 –0  1 –4 –0
Eastern Oregon 0 –3 –0  1 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Northern State $ 6 –0 –0  8 –0 –0
Huron 5 –2 –0  6 –3 –0
Southern State 4 –2 –0  6 –2 –0
South Dakota Mines 4 –2 –0  4 –4 –1
Dakota Wesleyan 3 –3 –0  5 –3 –0
Yankton 3 –4 –0  3 –5 –0
Sioux Falls 1 –4 –0  2 –5 –0
Black Hills 1 –5 –0  2 –7 –0
General Beadle 0 –5 –0  0 –6 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Pomona-Claremont + 3 –1 –0  7 –1 –0
Occidental + 3 –1 –0  6 –2 –0
Whittier 2 –2 –0  6 –3 –1
Redlands 2 –2 –0  6 –4 –0
Caltech 0 –4 –0  0 –7 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • Caltech played Pomona-Claremont and Redlands each two times; each game counted as one-half in the standings.
1953 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Prairie View A&M $ 6 –0 –0  12 –0 –0
Southern 5 –1 –0  9 –2 –0
Texas College 4 –2 –0  5 –4 –0
Arkansas AM&N 2 –3 –1  3 –5 –2
Langston 2 –4 –0  3 –6 –0
Bishop 1 –4 –1  2 –6 –1
Wiley 0 –6 –0  2 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Texas Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
McMurry + 3 –1 –0  8 –1 –1
Abilene Christian + 3 –1 –0  7 –3 –0
Texas A&I + 3 –1 –0  4 –5 –0
Howard Payne 1 –3 –0  2 –7 –0
Austin 0 –4 –0  5 –4 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1953 Yankee Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
New Hampshire + 3 –1 –0  6 –2 –0
Rhode Island + 3 –1 –0  6 –2 –0
Connecticut 2 –1 –1  3 –4 –1
Maine 1 –2 –1  4 –2 –1
Vermont 0 –1 –0  3 –3 –1
UMass 0 –3 –0  1 –7 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions

Rankings
Main article: 1953 NCAA football rankings

Bowl games
Bowl game Winning team Losing team
Cotton Bowl Classic No. 6 Rice 28 No. 13 Alabama 6
Gator Bowl No. 12 Texas Tech' 35 No. 17 Auburn 13
Orange Bowl No. 4 Oklahoma 7 No. 1 Maryland 0
Rose Bowl No. 3 Michigan State 28 No. 5 UCLA Bruins 20
Sugar Bowl No. 8 Georgia Tech 42 No. 10 West Virginia 19
Sun Bowl Texas Western 37 Mississippi Southern 14
Tangerine Bowl Arkansas State 7 East Texas State 7

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. http://collegefootball.about.com/od/nationalchampions/a/champions-list_3.htm
  3. ESPN Sports Almanac (2000), p181
  4. appollarchive.com/football/ap
  5. "1953 Atlantic Coast Conference Year Summary". sports-reference.com. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
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