Wikipedia:WikiProject College football/Major vs small college compendium
1945
1946
In early September 1946, AP Newsfeatures published a "Major College Football Schedule". It included 99 schools.[1]
1947
AP Newsfeatures
In early September 1947, AP Newsfeatures published a "Major College Football Schedule". It identified 98 "major" teams as follows:[2]
Big Nine (9/9): Illinios, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Big Six (6/6): Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma
Ivy League (8/8): Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale
PCC (10/10): California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State
SEC (12/12): Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Tulane, Vanderbilt
Southwest (7/7): Arkansas, Baylor, Rice, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU
Southern (11/16): Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, NC State, Richmond, South Carolina, VMI, VPI, Wake Forest, William & Mary (Not included: The Citadel, Davidson, Furman, George Washington, Washington and Lee )
Middle Three (2/3): Lafayette, Rutgers (Not included: Lehigh)
Mountain States (5/7): Colorado, Denver, Utah, Utah State, Wyoming (Not included: BYU, Colorado A&M)
Missouri Valley (2/5): Oklahoma A&M, Tulsa (Not included: Drake, Saint Louis, Wichita)
Rocky Mountain (2/5): Colorado College, Montana State (Not included: Colorado State–Greeley, Colorado Mines, Western State (CO))
Border (3/9): Arizona, New Mexico, Texas Tech, (Not included: Arizona State, Arizona State-Flagstaff, Hardin-Simmons, New Mexico A&M, Texas Mines, West Texas State)
Eastern independents (13): Army, Boston College, Boston University, Bucknell, Colgate, Fordham, Holy Cross, Merchant Marine, NYU, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Temple, Villanova
Other (8): Georgetown, Marquette, Michigan State, Navy, Notre Dame, Saint Mary's (CA), Virginia, West Virginia
National Collegiate Athletic Bureau
The National Collegiate Athletic Bureau (predecessor to the NCAA Service Bureau?) maintained its own list of "major" colleges that appears to have been significantly more extensive than the AP Newsfeatures' list. For example, we have published articles indicating that the Athletic Bureau rated the following teams as within the "major college" category: Chattanooga, Colorado A&M, Drake, Furman, Nevada, Saint Louis,[3] Lehigh,[4] Texas Mines,[5] BYU, Davidson, Detroit, Hardin-Simmons, Nevada, San Francisco, and Wichita.[6]
1948
In August 1948, AP Newsfeatures published a "Major College Football Schedule" identifying the following 102 teams as "major". The team included are as follows:[7]
Big Nine (9/9): Illinios, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Big Seven (7/7): Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma
Ivy League (8/8): Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale
PCC (10/10): California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State
SEC (12/12): Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Tulane, Vanderbilt
Southwest (7/7): Arkansas, Baylor, Rice, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU
Southern (12/16): Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, NC State, Richmond, South Carolina, VMI, VPI, Wake Forest, Washington and Lee, William & Mary (Not included: The Citadel, Davidson, Furman, George Washington)
Skyline (4/6): Denver, Utah, Utah State, Wyoming (Not included: BYU, Colorado A&M)
Middle Three (2/3): Lafayette, Rutgers (Not included: Lehigh)
Missouri Valley (2/5): Oklahoma A&M, Tulsa (Not included: Drake, Saint Louis, Wichita)
Border (3/9): Arizona, New Mexico, Texas Tech, (Not included: Arizona State, Arizona State-Flagstaff, Hardin-Simmons, New Mexico A&M, Texas Mines, West Texas State)
Eastern independents (14): Army, Boston College, Boston University, Bucknell, Colgate, Fordham, Holy Cross, Merchant Marine, NYU, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Temple, Villanova,
Other (12): Colorado College, Georgetown, Marquette, Miami (FL), Michigan State, Montana State, Navy, Notre Dame, Santa Clara, Saint Mary's (CA), Virginia, West Virginia
The NCAA Service Bureau used its own classification system and included teams not listed by the AP Newsfeatures. E.g., Miami (OH), Nevada.[8] There are also newspaper accounts indicating other schools were classified as "major". E.g., Portland.[9]
1949
Source:[10]
East (27): Army, Boston College, Boston University, Brown, Bucknell, Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Fordham, Georgetown, Harvard, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Maryland, Navy, NYU, Pennsylvania, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Princeton, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Villanova, West Virginia, Yale
Midwest (21): Detroit, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Marquette, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma A&M, Purdue, Tulsa, Wisconsin
South (26): Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Duke, Florida, George Washington, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Mississippi, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Richmond, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Virginia, VMI, VPI, Wake Forest, Washington & Lee, William & Mary
Southwest (8): Arkansas, Baylor, Rice, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas Tech
Rocky Mountain (8): Arizona, Colorado A&M, Colorado, Denver, New Mexico, Utah, Utah State, Wyoming
Far West (13): California, Idaho, Montana, Montana State, Oregon, Oregon State, St. Mary's, Santa Clara, Southern California, Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Washington State
Total teams: 103
1950
Source:[11]
East (27): Army, Boston College, Boston University, Brown, Bucknell, Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Fordham, Georgetown, Harvard, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Maryland, Navy, NYU, Pennsylvania, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Princeton, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Villanova, West Virginia, Yale
Midwest (21): Detroit, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Marquette, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma A&M, Purdue, Tulsa, Wisconsin
South (26): Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Duke, Florida, George Washington, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Mississippi, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Richmond, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Virginia, VMI, VPI, Wake Forest, Washington & Lee, William & Mary
Southwest (8): Arkansas, Baylor, Rice, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas Tech
Rocky Mountain (8): Arizona, Colorado A&M, Colorado, Denver, New Mexico, Utah, Utah State, Wyoming
Far West (13): California, Idaho, Montana, Montana State, Oregon, Oregon State, St. Mary's, Santa Clara, Southern California, Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Washington State
Total teams: 103
Changes from 1949: none
1951
Source:[12]
East (25): Army, Boston College, Boston University, Brown, Bucknell, Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Fordham, Harvard, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Maryland, Navy, NYU, Pennsylvania, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Princeton, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Villanova, Yale
Midwest (21): Detroit, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Marquette, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma A&M, Purdue, Tulsa, Wisconsin
South (28): Alabama, Auburn, Chattanooga, Clemson, Duke, Florida, George Washington, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Mississippi, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Richmond, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Virginia, VMI, VPI, Wake Forest, Washington & Lee, West Virginia, William & Mary
Southwest (8): Arkansas, Baylor, Rice, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas Tech
Rocky Mountain (8): Arizona, Colorado A&M, Colorado, Denver, New Mexico, Utah, Utah State, Wyoming
Far West (15): California, Idaho, Montana, Montana State, Oregon, Oregon State, Pacific, San Francisco, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Southern California, Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Washington State
Total teams: 105
Changes from 1950 (net +2): Georgetown dropped, West Virginia moved to South, Chattanooga added, Pacific added, San Francisco added, San Jose State added, St. Mary's dropped
1952
Source:[13]
East (24): Army, Boston College, Boston University, Brown, Bucknell, Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Fordham, Harvard, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Navy, NYU, Pennsylvania, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Princeton, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Villanova, Yale
Midwest (23): Detroit, Drake, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Marquette, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma A&M, Purdue, Tulsa, Wichita, Wisconsin
South (32): Alabama, Auburn, Chattanooga, Citadel, Clemson, Davidson, Duke, Florida, Furman, George Washington, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Mississippi, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Richmond, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Virginia, VMI, VPI, Wake Forest, Washington & Lee, West Virginia, William & Mary
Southwest (9): Arkansas, Baylor, Houston, Rice, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas Tech
Rocky Mountain (9): Arizona, Brigham Young, Colorado A&M, Colorado, Denver, New Mexico, Utah, Utah State, Wyoming
Far West (14): California, Idaho, Montana, Montana State, Oregon, Oregon State, Pacific, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Southern California, Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Washington State
Total teams (net +6): 111
Changes from 1951: Maryland moved to South, Drake added, Wichita added, Citadel added, Davidson added, Furman added, Houston added, Brigham Young added, San Francisco dropped
1953
Source:[14]
East (23): Army, Boston College, Boston University, Brown, Bucknell, Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Fordham, Harvard, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Navy, Pennsylvania, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Princeton, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Villanova, Yale
Midwest (24): Cincinnati, Detroit, Drake, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Marquette, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma A&M, Purdue, Tulsa, Wichita, Wisconsin
South (32): Alabama, Auburn, Chattanooga, Citadel, Clemson, Davidson, Duke, Florida, Furman, George Washington, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Mississippi, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Richmond, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Virginia, VMI, VPI, Wake Forest, Washington & Lee, West Virginia, William & Mary
Southwest (9): Arkansas, Baylor, Houston, Rice, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas Tech
Rocky Mountain (9): Arizona, Brigham Young, Colorado A&M, Colorado, Denver, New Mexico, Utah, Utah State, Wyoming
Far West (13): California, Idaho, Montana, Montana State, Oregon, Oregon State, Pacific, San Jose State, Southern California, Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Washington State
Total teams (net -1): 110
Changes from 1952: NYU dropped, Cincinnati added, Santa Clara dropped
1954
Note: discrepancies in the below need to be understood and/or resolved.
Per various sources
Per the NCAA Service Bureau, there were 103 "major college" teams in 1954.[15] Per 1954 newspaper accounts, the majors included:
ACC (8): Clemson,[16] Duke,[16] Maryland,[16] North Carolina,[16] NC State,[16] South Carolina,[16] Virginia,[16] Wake Forest[16]
Big Seven (7): Colorado, Iowa State,[16] Kansas,[16] Kansas State,[16] Missouri,[16] Nebraska,[16] Oklahoma[16]
Big Ten (10): Illinois,[16] Indiana,[16] Iowa,[16] Michigan,[16] Michigan State,[16] Minnesota,[16] Northwestern,[16] Ohio State,[16] Purdue,[16] Wisconsin[16]
Border Conference (7): Arizona,[15] Arizona State, Hardin–Simmons,[16] New Mexico A&M, Texas Tech,[15] Texas Western, West Texas State
Ivy (8): Brown,[16] Columbia,[15][16] Cornell,[16] Dartmouth,[15][16] Harvard,[16] Penn,[16] Princeton,[16] Yale[16]
Missouri Valley Conference (5): Detroit,[16] Houston,[16] Oklahoma A&M,[16] Tulsa,[16] Wichita[15][16]
PCC (9): California,[16] Idaho,[16] Oregon,[16] Oregon State,[16] Stanford,[16] UCLA,[15][16] USC,[16] Washington,[16] Washington State[16]
Skyline (8): BYU, Colorado A&M, Denver, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Utah State, Wyoming
SEC (12): Alabama,[16] Auburn,[16] Florida,[16] Georgia,[16] Georgia Tech,[16] Kentucky,[16] LSU,[16] Mississippi State,[16] Ole Miss,[16] Tennessee,[16] Tulane,[16] Vanderbilt[16]
Southern (9): Citadel,[16] Davidson,[16] Furman,[16] George Washington,[16] Richmond,[16] VMI,[16] VPI,[16] West Virginia,[16] William & Mary[16]
Southwest Conference (7): Arkansas,[16] Baylor,[16] Rice,[16] SMU,[16] Texas,[16] Texas A&M,[16] TCU[16]
Other: Army,[15][16] Boston College,[16] Boston University,[15][16] Bucknell,[16] Chattanooga,[16] Cincinnati[15][16] Colgate,[16] Drake,[16] Fordham,[15][16] Holy Cross,[15][16] Lafayette,[16] Marquette,[16] Miami (FL),[15][16] Navy,[15][16] Notre Dame,[15] Pacific,[16] Penn State,[15][16] Pittsburgh,[16] Rutgers,[16] San Jose State,[16] Syracuse,[16] Temple,[16] Villanova[15][16]
Total teams:
Per preseason "major college" schedule
As published in August in various newspapers.
Source:[17]
East (23): Army, Boston College, Boston University, Brown, Bucknell, Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Fordham, Harvard, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Navy, Pennsylvania, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Princeton, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Villanova, Yale
Midwest (24): Cincinnati, Detroit, Drake, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Marquette, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma A&M, Purdue, Tulsa, Wichita, Wisconsin
South (31): Alabama, Auburn, Chattanooga, Citadel, Clemson, Davidson, Duke, Florida, Furman, George Washington, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Mississippi, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Richmond, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Virginia, VMI, VPI, Wake Forest, West Virginia, William & Mary
Southwest (10): Arkansas, Baylor, Hardin-Simmons, Houston, Rice, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas Tech
Rocky Mountain (12): Arizona, Arizona State, Brigham Young, Colorado A&M, Colorado, Denver, Montana, Montana State, New Mexico, Utah, Utah State, Wyoming
Far West (11): California, Idaho, Oregon, Oregon State, Pacific, San Jose, Southern California, Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Washington State
Total teams (net +1): 111
Changes from 1953: Washington & Lee dropped, Hardin-Simmons added, Arizona State added, Montana moved to Rocky Mountain, Montana State moved to Rocky Mountain, San Jose State now listed as San Jose
1955
1956
1962
This article from October states there are 119 "major" teams, with the determination of major being made by "the NCAA delegates to the Football Writers Association of America".
1963
In the 1963 Official Collegiate Football Record Book, published by the NCAA, 136 teams were included in the NCAA University Division, as follows:[18]
AAWU (6/6): California, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State
ACC (8/8): Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, NC State, South Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest
Big Eight (8/8): Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
Big Ten (10/10): Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin
SEC (12/12): Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Tulane, Vanderbilt
Southwest Conference (8/8): Arkansas, Baylor, Rice, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas Tech
Ivy League (8/8): Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale
Mid-American Conference (7/7): Bowling Green, Kent State, Marshall, Miami (OH), Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan
Middle Atlantic Conference, University Division (6/6): Bucknell, Delaware, Gettysburg, Lafayette, Lehigh, Temple
Missouri Valley (5/5): Cincinnati, Louisville, North Texas State, Tulsa, Wichita
Western Athletic Conference (6/6): Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming
Southern Conference (8/9): The Citadel, Furman, George Washington, Richmond, VMI, VPI, West Virginia, William & Mary (Not included: Davidson)
Middle Three Conference (1): Rutgers [Lehigh and Lafayette counted in Middle Atlantic]
Big Sky (1/4): Montana State (Not included: Idaho State, Montana, Weber State)
Eastern independents (11): Army, Boston College, Boston University, Buffalo, Colgate, Holy Cross, Muhlenberg, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Villanova
Western independents (9): Air Force, Colorado State, Idaho, New Mexico State, Oregon, Oregon State, Pacific, San Jose State, Utah State
Southern independents (8): Florida State, Hardin-Simmons, Houston, Memphis State, Miami (FL), Navy, Texas Western, West Texas State
Midwestern independents (4): Dayton, Detroit, Notre Dame, Xavier
There are four University Division teams without 1963 season articles: Dayton, Gettysburg, Muhlenberg, West Texas State
1964
In the 1964 Official Collegiate Football Record Book, published by the NCAA, 116 teams were included in the NCAA University Division, as follows:
AAWU (8/8): California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State
ACC (8/8): Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, NC State, South Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest
Big Eight (8/8): Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
Big Ten (10/10): Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin
SEC (11/11): Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Tulane, Vanderbilt
Southwest Conference (8/8): Arkansas, Baylor, Rice, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas Tech
Ivy League (8/8): Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale
Mid-American Conference (7/7): Bowling Green, Kent State, Marshall, Miami (OH), Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan
Missouri Valley (5/5): Cincinnati, Louisville, North Texas State, Tulsa, Wichita State
Western Athletic Conference (6/6): Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming
Southern Conference (8/9): The Citadel, Furman, George Washington, Richmond, VMI, VPI, West Virginia, William & Mary (Not included: Davidson)
Middle Three Conference (1/3): Rutgers [Not included: Lehigh and Lafayette]
Eastern independent (10): Army, Boston College, Boston University, Buffalo, Colgate, Holy Cross, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Villanova
Midwest independent (4): Dayton, Detroit, Notre Dame, Xavier
Southern independent (7): Florida State, Houston, Memphis State, Miami (FL), Navy, Texas Western, West Texas
Western independent (7): Air Force, Colorado State, Idaho, New Mexico State, Pacific, San Jose State, Utah State
Changes from 1963: Middle Atlantic-University Division, Hardin-Simmons, Montana State, Muhlenberg, moved to College Division
References
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Statistics Show Kicking Class Of Rivals In Delta Bowl Game". The Commercial Appeal. December 16, 1947.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ https://www.newspapers.com/article/rocky-mount-telegram-1949-major-college/146754996/
- ^ https://www.newspapers.com/article/san-angelo-evening-standard-1950-major-c/146755753/
- ^ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-press-democrat-1951-major-college-fo/146756207/
- ^ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-spokesman-review-1952-major-college/146757342/
- ^ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-knoxville-news-sentinel-1953-major-c/146757843/
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ https://www.newspapers.com/article/pittsburgh-sun-telegraph-major-college-f/146758122/
- ^ Official Collegiate Football Record Book. NCAA. 1963. pp. 93–124.