1939–40 NCAA football bowl games

The 1939–40 NCAA football bowl games were the final games of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 1939 college football season and featured five bowl games, each of which had been held the previous season. All five bowls were played on January 1, 1940. The national championship, according to recognized selectors, was split by Texas A&M and USC.

1939–40 NCAA football bowl games
Season1939
Number of bowls5
All-star gamesBlue–Gray Football Classic
East–West Shrine Game
Bowl gamesJanuary 1, 1940
ChampionsTexas A&M Aggies (AP, Dunkel)
USC Trojans (Dickinson)
Bowl record by conference
Conference Bowls Record Final AP Poll
SEC 3 1–2 (0.333) 3
Independents 2 0–1–1 (0.250) 6
PCC 1 1–0 (1.000) 2
Southern 1 1–0 (1.000) 2
SWC 1 1–0 (1.000) 1
Border 1 0–0–1 (0.500) 0
Big Six 1 0–1 (0.000) 3
Big Ten 0 0–0 (–) 3

Poll rankings

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The 1939 Clemson Tigers played in the 1940 Cotton Bowl Classic.

The below table lists top teams (per the AP Poll taken after the completion of the regular season), their win–loss records (prior to bowl games), and the bowls they later played in.[1]

AP Team W–L Conf. Bowl
1
Texas A&M Aggies
10–0
SWC Sugar Bowl
2
Tennessee Volunteers
10–0
SEC Rose Bowl
3
USC Trojans
7–0–2
PCC Rose Bowl
4
Cornell Big Red
8–0
Ind.
5
Tulane Green Wave
8–0–1
SEC Sugar Bowl
6
Missouri Tigers
8–1
Big Six Orange Bowl
7
UCLA Bruins
6–0–4
PCC
8
Duke Blue Devils
8–1
Southern
9
Iowa Hawkeyes
6–1–1
Big Ten — †
10
Duquesne Dukes
8–0–1
Ind.
11
Boston College Eagles
9–1
Ind. Cotton Bowl Classic
12
Clemson Tigers
8–1
Southern Cotton Bowl Classic
13
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
7–2
Ind.
14
Santa Clara Broncos
5–1–3
Ind.
15
Ohio State Buckeyes
6–2
Big Ten — †
16
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
8–2
SEC Orange Bowl
17
Fordham Rams
6–2
Ind.
18
Nebraska Cornhuskers
7–1–1
Big Six
19
Oklahoma Sooners
6–2–1
Big Six
20
Michigan Wolverines
6–2
Big Ten — †

† The Big Ten Conference did not allow its members to participate in bowl games until the 1947 Rose Bowl.

Bowl schedule

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Date Game Site Teams Affiliations Results
Jan. 1 Rose Bowl Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
#3 USC Trojans (7–0–2)
#2 Tennessee Volunteers (10–0)
PCC
SEC
USC 14
Tennessee 0
Sugar Bowl Tulane Stadium
New Orleans, Louisiana
#1 Texas A&M Aggies (10–0)
#5 Tulane Green Wave (8–0–1)
SWC
SEC
Texas A&M 14
Tulane 13
Orange Bowl Burdine Stadium
Miami, Florida
#16 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7–2)
#6 Missouri Tigers (8–1)
SEC
MVIAA
Georgia Tech 21
Missouri 7
Sun Bowl Kidd Field
El Paso, Texas
Catholic University (8–1)
Arizona State Bulldogs (8–2)
Independent
Border
Catholic 0
Arizona State 0
Cotton Bowl Classic Cotton Bowl
Dallas, Texas
#12 Clemson Tigers (8–1)
#11 Boston College Eagles (9–1)
Southern
Independent
Clemson 6
Boston College 3

Game recaps

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Rose Bowl

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1 2 3 4 Total
#3 USC 0 7 0 7 14
#2 Tennessee 0 0 0 0 0
Qtr. Team Scoring play Score
2 USC Schindler 1 yard rush, Jones kick good USC 7–0
4 USC Krueger 1 yard pass from Schindler, Gaspar kick good USC 14–0
Source:[2]

Sugar Bowl

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1 2 3 4 Total
#1 Texas A&M 7 0 0 7 14
#5 Tulane 0 0 7 6 13
Qtr. Team Scoring play Score
1 A&M Kimbrough 1 yard rush, Price kick good A&M 7–0
3 TUL Kellogg 75 yard punt return, Thibaut kick good TIED 7–7
4 TUL Baker 2 yard rush, kick failed TUL 13–7
A&M Kimbrough 18 yard pass from Smith, Price kick good A&M 14–13
Source:[2]

Orange Bowl

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1 2 3 4 Total
#6 Missouri 7 0 0 0 7
#16 Georgia Tech 7 7 7 0 21
Qtr. Team Scoring play Score
1 MO Christman 1 yard rush, Cunningham kick good MO 7–0
GT Ector 1 yard rush, Goree kick good TIED 7–7
2 GT Ison 31 yard rush, Goree kick good GT 14–7
3 GT Wheby 59 yard rush, Goree kick good GT 21–7
Source:[2]

Cotton Bowl Classic

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1 2 3 4 Total
#12 Clemson 0 6 0 0 6
#11 Boston College 0 3 0 0 3
Qtr. Team Scoring play Score
2 BC Lukachik 36 yard FG BC 3–0
CLEM Timmons 1 yard rush, kick failed CLEM 6–3
Source:[2]

Sun Bowl

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1 2 3 4 Total
Catholic 0 0 0 0 0
Arizona State 0 0 0 0 0
Qtr. Team Scoring play Score
No scoring
Source:[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "1939 Final AP Football Poll". collegepollarchive.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2018 – via Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ a b c d e MacCambridge, Michael (2005). ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. New York, N.Y.: ESPN Books. pp. 1442, 1454, 1466, 1478, 1490. ISBN 1-4013-3703-1.