| 1949 NCAA football rankings | |
|---|---|
| Season | 1949 |
| Bowl season | 1949–50 bowl games |
| End of season champions | Notre Dame |
One human poll comprised the 1949 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. The Coaches' Poll began operation in 1950; in addition, the AP Poll did not begin conducting preseason polls until that same year.
| Increase in ranking | ||
| Decrease in ranking | ||
| Not ranked previous week | ||
| National champion | ||
(#–#)
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Win–loss record | |
(Italics)
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Number of first place votes | |
т
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Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
The final AP Poll was released on November 28, at the end of the 1949 regular season, weeks before the major bowls. The AP would not release a post-bowl season final poll regularly until 1968.
| Week 1 Oct 3[1] | Week 2 Oct 10[2] | Week 3 Oct 17[3] | Week 4 Oct 24[4] | Week 5 Oct 31[5] | Week 6 Nov 7[6] | Week 7 Nov 14[7] | Week 8 Nov 21[8] | Week 9 (Final) Nov 28[9] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Michigan (2–0) (34) | Notre Dame (3–0) (67) | Notre Dame (4–0) (146) | Notre Dame (4–0) (120) | Notre Dame (5–0) (133) | Notre Dame (6–0) (137) | Notre Dame (7–0) (140) | Notre Dame (8–0) (113) | Notre Dame (9–0) (172) | 1. |
| 2. | Notre Dame (2–0) (15) | Army (3–0) (58) | Army (4–0) (10) | Army (5–0) (12) | Army (6–0) (10) | Army (7–0) (13) | Oklahoma (8–0) (15) | California (10–0) (24) | Oklahoma (10–0) (18) | 2. |
| 3. | Oklahoma (2–0) (17) | Oklahoma (3–0) (28) | Minnesota (4–0) (8) | Oklahoma (5–0) (10) | Oklahoma (6–0) (11) | Oklahoma (7–0) (9) | California (9–0) (5) | Oklahoma (9–0) (11) | California (10–0) | 3. |
| 4. | Tulane (2–0) (4) | Tulane (3–0) (1) | Oklahoma (4–0) (6) | California (6–0) | California (7–0) (4) | California (8–0) (3) | Army (8–0) (1) | Army (8–0) (1) | Army (9–0) (12) | 4. |
| 5. | Minnesota (2–0) (2) | Minnesota (3–0) (6) | California (5–0) | Rice (4–1) | Michigan (4–2) | Michigan (5–2) | Michigan (6–2) | Ohio State (6–1–2) | Rice (9–1) | 5. |
| 6. | North Carolina (2–0) (3) | North Carolina (3–0) (3) | North Carolina (4–0) (6) | Michigan (3–2) | Baylor (6–0) | Cornell (7–0) (1) | Rice (7–1) | Michigan (6–2–1) | Ohio State (6–1–2) | 6. |
| 7. | Army (2–0) (1) | Michigan (2–1) | Kentucky (5–0) (3) | Minnesota (4–1) | Cornell (6–0) (1) | Rice (6–1) | Ohio State (6–1–1) | Rice (8–1) | Michigan (6–2–1) | 7. |
| 8. | USC (2–0) | Kentucky (4–0) (8) | Cornell (4–0) | Cornell (5–0) | Rice (5–1) | Michigan State (5–2) | Minnesota (6–2) | Minnesota (7–2) | Minnesota (7–2) | 8. |
| 9. | SMU (2–0) | California (4–0) | Rice (3–1) | Penn (4–0) | SMU (4–1) | Minnesota (5–2) | Virginia (7–0) (1) | Baylor (8–1) | LSU (8–2) | 9. |
| 10. | California (3–0) | SMU (2–0) (1) | Texas (4–1) | Baylor (5–0) | Michigan State (5–1) (2) | Virginia (7–0) | SMU (5–1–1) | Tulane (7–1–1) | Pacific (10–0) (4) | 10. |
| 11. | Ohio State (2–0) | Ohio State (2–0–1) | Baylor (4–0) | SMU (3–1) | Ohio State (4–1–1) | Ohio State (5–1–1) | Kentucky (8–1) | Pacific (9–0) (2) | Kentucky (9–2) | 11. |
| 12. | Texas (3–0) | USC (2–0–1) | Michigan (2–2) | Michigan State (4–1) (1) | USC (4–1–1) | SMU (4–1–1) | Stanford (6–2–1) | Stanford (6–3–1) | Cornell (8–1) | 12. |
| 13. | Michigan State (2–0) | UCLA (4–0) | Northwestern (2–2) | North Carolina (4–1) | Kentucky (6–1) | Texas (5–3) | LSU (6–2) | LSU (7–2) | Villanova (8–1) (2) | 13. |
| 14. | Duke (2–0) (3) | Cornell (3–0) | Penn (3–0) | Kentucky (5–1) | Tennessee (4–1–1) | Kentucky (7–1) | Dartmouth (6–1) | Santa Clara (7–2–1) | Maryland (7–1) | 14. |
| 15. | Kentucky (3–0) (1) | Pittsburgh (3–0) | Michigan State (3–1) | USC (3–1–1) | Iowa (4–2) | Boston (6–0) | Baylor (7–1) | Maryland (6–1) | Santa Clara (7–2–1) | 15. |
| 16. | Villanova (3–0) | Texas (3–1) | Pittsburgh (4–0) | Missouri (3–2) | Duke (5–1) | LSU (5–2) | Maryland (6–1) | Villanova (8–1) | North Carolina (7–3) | 16. |
| 17. | Cornell (2–0) | Villanova (4–0) | SMU (2–1) | LSU (3–2) | LSU (4–2) | Stanford (5–2–1) | Cornell (7–1) | USC (5–2–1) | Tennessee (7–2–1) | 17. |
| 18. | UCLA (3–0) | Navy (2–1) | Missouri (2–2) | Ohio State (3–1–1) | Boston University (5–0) | Wake Forest (4–4) | Michigan State (5–3) | Tennessee (6–2–1) | Princeton (6–3) | 18. |
| 19. | Pittsburgh (2–0) | Michigan State (2–1) | USC (2–1–1) | Texas (4–2) | Virginia (6–0) | Pacific (7–0) | Santa Clara (7–1–1) т | North Carolina (6–3) | Michigan State (6–3) | 19. |
| 20. |
| Baylor (3–0) | Tulane (3–1) | UCLA (5–1) |
| Santa Clara (6–1–1) | Tulane (6–1–1) т |
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| 20. |
| Week 1 Oct 3[1] | Week 2 Oct 10[2] | Week 3 Oct 17[3] | Week 4 Oct 24[4] | Week 5 Oct 31[5] | Week 6 Nov 7[6] | Week 7 Nov 14[7] | Week 8 Nov 21[8] | Week 9 (Final) Nov 28[9] | ||
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The final Litkenhous Ratings released in December 1949 ranked the following as the top 100 teams:[10]
1. Notre Dame (10–0)
2. California (10–1)
3. Oklahoma (11–0)
4. Minnesota (7–2)
5. Stanford (7–3–1)
6. Army (9–0)
7. Michigan (6–2–1)
8. Ohio State (7–1–2)
9. Michigan State
10. USC (5–3–1)
11. Wisconsin (5–3–1)
12. Rice (10–1)
13. Kentucky (9–3)
14. LSU (8–3)
15. Texas (6–4)
16. UCLA (6–3)
17. SMU (5–4–1)
18. Baylor (8–2)
19. Tulane (7–2–1)
20. Illinois (3–4–2)
21. Maryland (9–1)
22. Purdue (4–5)
23. Missouri (7–4)
24. Northwestern (4–5)
25. Pacific (11–0)
26. Oregon State (7–3)
27. Tennessee (7–2–1)
28. Villanova (8–1)
29. Iowa (4–5)
30. Santa Clara (8–2–1)
31. Duke (6–3)
32. San Francisco (7–3)
33. TCU (6–3–1)
34. Oregon (4–6)
35. Georgia Tech (7–3)
36. Alabama (6–3–1)
37. Pittsburgh (6–3)
38. Arkansas (5–5)
39. North Carolina (7–4)
40. Miami (FL) (6–3)
41. Kansas (5–5)
42. Xavier (10–1)
43. Miami (OH) (5–4)
44. Penn (4–4)
45. Georgia (4–6–1)
46. Vanderbilt (5–5)
47. Boston University (6–2)
48. Washington (3–7)
49. Iowa State (5–3–1)
50. William & Mary (6–4)
51. Virginia (7–2)
52. Dayton (6–3)
53. Cincinnati (7–4)
54. Cornell (8–1)
55. Indiana (1–8)
56. Ole Miss (4–5–1)
57. Navy (3–5–1)
58. Wyoming (9–1)
59. Boston College (4–4–1)
60. Penn State (5–4)
61. Wake Forest (4–6)
62. St. Bonaventure (6–3)
63. Princeton (6–3)
64. San Jose State (9–4)
65. Washington State (3–6)
66. Nebraska (4–5)
67. Nevada (5–5)
68. Oklahoma A&M (4–4–2)
69. Texas A&M (1–8–1)
70. Auburn (2–4–3)
71. Florida (4–5–1)
72. Texas Tech (7–5)
73. Hardin Simmons (6–4–1)
74. Brown (8–1)
75. South Carolina (4–6)
76. Rutgers (6–3)
77. Texas Western (8–2–1)
78. Dartmouth (6–2)
79. McMurry
80. Louisville (8–3)
81. Hardin (10–1)
82. North Texas (8–4)
83. Saint Mary's (3–6–1)
84. Detroit (5–4)
85. Houston (5–4–1)
86. Fordham (5–3)
87. Tulsa (5–5–1)
88. Marquette (4–5)
89. Memphis State (9–1)
90. Loyola [Los Angeles] (6–4)
91. Tyler JC (10-1)
92. John Carroll
93. Kansas State (2–8)
94. West Texas (5–4)
95. Clemson (4–4–2)
96. Syracuse (4–5)
97. Mississippi Southern (0–8–1)
98. Bucknell (6–2)
99. Idaho (3–5)
100. Delaware (8–1)
The Pittsburgh Courier, a leading African American newspaper, ranked the top 1949 teams from historically black colleges and universities using the Dickinson System in an era when college football was largely segregated. The rankings were published on December 10.[11]