Poling System

Richard Raymond Poling
Born(1908-03-01)March 1, 1908
Mansfield, Ohio
DiedAugust 2, 1994(1994-08-02) (aged 86)
Mansfield, Ohio
Known forCollege football ratings

The Poling System was a mathematical rating system used to rank college football teams. Its selections were published in the Football Review Supplement and several newspapers. The system was developed by Richard R. Poling (1908–1994), a native of Mansfield, Ohio who had played college football at Ohio Wesleyan University.

The Poling System is considered by the NCAA to have been a "major selector" of national championships for the years 1935–1984.: 108 

Champions

The Poling System named contemporary champions from 1935 to 1984 and retroactively named champions from 1924 to 1934.: 108–109, 111–114, 120 

SeasonChampion(s)RecordCoach
Retrospective selections
1924Notre Dame10–0Knute Rockne
1925Alabama10–0Wallace Wade
1926Alabama9–0–1Wallace Wade
1927Georgia9–1George Cecil Woodruff
1928Georgia Tech10–0William Alexander
1929Notre Dame9–0Knute Rockne
1930Notre Dame10–0Knute Rockne
1931USC10–1Howard Jones
1932USC10–0Howard Jones
1933Michigan7–0–1Harry Kipke
1934Alabama10–0Frank Thomas
Poling's Football Ratings
1935Minnesota8–0Bernie Bierman
1936Minnesota7–1Bernie Bierman
1937Pittsburgh9–0–1Jock Sutherland
1938Tennessee11–0Robert Neyland
1939Texas A&M11–0Homer Norton
1940Stanford10–0Clark Shaughnessy
1941Minnesota8–0Bernie Bierman
1942Georgia11–1Wally Butts
1943Notre Dame9–1Frank Leahy
1944Army9–0Earl Blaik
1945Army9–0Earl Blaik
1946Army9–0–1Earl Blaik
Notre Dame8–0–1Frank Leahy
1947Michigan10–0Fritz Crisler
1948Michigan9–0Bennie Oosterbaan
1949Notre Dame10–0Frank Leahy
1950Princeton9–0Charley Caldwell
1951Michigan State9–0Biggie Munn
1952Georgia Tech12–0Bobby Dodd
1953Notre Dame9–0–1Frank Leahy
1954Ohio State10–0Woody Hayes
1955Oklahoma11–0Bud Wilkinson
1956Oklahoma10–0Bud Wilkinson
1957Auburn10–0Ralph Jordan
1958LSU11–0Paul Dietzel
1959Syracuse11–0Ben Schwartzwalder
1960Missouri11–0Dan Devine
1961Ohio State8–0–1Woody Hayes
1962USC11–0John McKay
1963Texas11–0Darrell Royal
1964Arkansas11–0Frank Broyles
1965Michigan State10–1Duffy Daugherty
1966Notre Dame9–0–1Ara Parseghian
1967Oklahoma10–1Chuck Fairbanks
1968Ohio State10–0Woody Hayes
1969Texas11–0Darrell Royal
1970Arizona State11–0Frank Kush
1971Nebraska13–0Bob Devaney
1972USC12–0John McKay
1973Michigan10–0–1Bo Schembechler
Ohio State10–0–1Woody Hayes
1974Oklahoma11–0Barry Switzer
1975Ohio State11–1Woody Hayes
1976Pittsburgh12–0Johnny Majors
1977Notre Dame11–1Dan Devine
1978Oklahoma11–1Barry Switzer
1979Alabama12–0Paul "Bear" Bryant
1980Georgia12–0Vince Dooley
1981Clemson12–0Danny Ford
1982Penn State11–1Joe Paterno
1983Nebraska12–1Tom Osborne
1984BYU13–0LaVell Edwards

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2017). "National Poll Rankings" (PDF). NCAA Division I FBS Football Records. NCAA. pp. 108–109, 111–114. Retrieved December 7, 2017. Poling System (1935-84), a mathematical rating system for college football teams developed by Richard Poling from Mansfield, Ohio, a former football player at Ohio Wesleyan. Poling's football ratings were published annually in the Football Review Supplement and in various newspapers. Predated national champions from 1924 to 1934.
  2. ↑ Strode, George (April 21, 1985). "Dick Poling, a guy who really knows the score". Midland Reporter-Telegram. Midland, Texas. Associated Press. {{cite news}}: More than one of |place= and |publication-place= specified (help)
  3. ↑ Harris, Chriss (June 23, 1985). "Mr. Football: 77-year-old Mansfield native like walking encyclopedia". Mansfield News Journal.
  4. ↑ "Obituaries: Richard Poling". Mansfield News Journal. August 4, 1994.
  5. ↑ Poling, Richard R. (1941). "Top Teams of 1940". The 1940 Supplement of the Football Review. Mansfield, Ohio: Poling's Football Ratings. We predicted that STANFORD would beat NEBRASKA by from seven to ten points, and this game came home to us right – final score STANFORD 21 NEBRASKA 13. This game bore us out and thus made STANFORD NATIONAL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS OF 1940. [...] Top Teams of 1940: No. 1 Stanford 45.06, No. 2 Minnesota 43.13, No 3. Boston College 43.0
  6. ↑ Poling, Richard R. "Poling’s Football Review Supplement, 1940" (1941). John Gunn Sports Collection, Box: 422. Center for Southeast North Carolina Archives and History, William M. Randall Library, University of North Carolina Wilmington.
  7. 1 2 Poling, Richard R. (1981). "Poling's National Champions over the Years". Supplement for the 1981 Football Season. Mansfield, Ohio: Poling's Football Ratings — The 1981 Football Review.