| 1951 NCAA football rankings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 1951 | ||
| Preseason #1 | Tennessee | ||
| End of Season Champions | Tennessee | ||
| Conference with most teams in final AP poll |
Pacific Coast (4 teams) | ||
NCAA football rankings
| |||
| Increase in ranking | ||
| Decrease in ranking | ||
| Not ranked previous week | ||
| Selected AP National Champion | ||
| Italics | Number of first place votes | |
| (#-#) | Win-loss record | |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
AP Poll[]
| Preseason |
Week 1 Oct 1 |
Week 2 Oct 8 |
Week 3 Oct 15 |
Week 4 Oct 22 |
Week 5 Oct 29 |
Week 6 Nov 5 |
Week 7 Nov 12 |
Week 8 Nov 19 |
Week 9 Nov 26 |
Week 10 (Final) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tennessee (60) | Michigan State (2–0) (37) | Michigan State (3–0) (42) | California (4–0) (50) | Tennessee (4–0) (70) | Tennessee (5–0) (59) | Tennessee (6–0) (60) | Michigan State (7–0) (55) | Tennessee (8–0) (60) | Tennessee (9–0) (92) | Tennessee* (10–0) (139) | 1. |
| 2. | Michigan State (18) | California (2–0) (22) | California (3–0) (36) | Tennessee (3–0) (26) | Michigan State (5–0) (28) | Michigan State (6–0) (25) | Illinois (6–0) (29) | Tennessee (7–0) (42) | Michigan State (8–0) (38) | Michigan State (9–0) (34) | Michigan State (9–0) (104) | 2. |
| 3. | Ohio State (8) | Tennessee (1–0) (27) | Tennessee (2–0) (18) | Michigan State (4–0) (16) | Georgia Tech (5–0) (16) | Illinois (5–0) (15) | Maryland (6–0) (21) | Illinois (7–0) (20) | Stanford (9–0) (18) | Maryland (9–0) (18) | Maryland (9–9) (18) | 3. |
| 4. | Oklahoma (16) | Oklahoma (1–0) (18) | Texas A&M (2–0) (3) | Texas (4–0) (6) | Illinois (4–0) (12) | Maryland (5–0) (22) | Princeton (6–0) (6) | Stanford (8–0) (12) | Maryland (8–0) (26) | Illinois (8–0–1) (4) | Illinois (8–0–1) (10) | 4. |
| 5. | California (3) | Notre Dame (1–0) (9) | Notre Dame (2–0) (4) | Georgia Tech (4–0) (12) | Maryland (4–0) (13) | Georgia Tech (6–0) (9) | Michigan State (6–0) (12) | Maryland (7–0) (16) | Princeton (8–0) (8) | Princeton (9–0) (4) | Georgia Tech (10–0–1) (8) | 5. |
| 6. | Kentucky (1) | Texas (2–0) (6) | Texas (3–0) (4) | Texas A&M (3–0) (8) | USC (5–0) (13) | Princeton (5–0) (14) | USC (7–0) (6) | Princeton (7–0) (6) | Illinois (7–0–1) (3) | Georgia Tech (9–0–1) (1) | Princeton (9–0) (3) | 6. |
| 7. | Texas A&M | Ohio State (1–0) (1) | Illinois (2–0) | Maryland (3–0) (14) | Baylor (4–0) (2) | USC (6–0) (7) | Stanford (7–0) (8) | Georgia Tech (7–0–1) | Georgia Tech (8–0–1) (2) | Wisconsin (7–1–1) (5) | Stanford (9–1) (1) | 7. |
| 8. | Washington (3) | Illinois (1–0) | Georgia Tech (3–0) (3) | Illinois (3–0) (3) | Princeton (4–0) (2) | Baylor (4–0–1) | Georgia Tech (6–0–1) (1) | Wisconsin (5–1–1) (2) | Wisconsin (6–1–1) (3) | Stanford (9–1) (1) | Wisconsin (7–1–1) (10) | 8. |
| 9. | Alabama (2) | Maryland (1–0) (4) | Ohio State (1–1) | Princeton (3–0) (1) | California (4–1) (1) | California (5–1) | Wisconsin (4–1–1) (3) | Kentucky (6–3) (4) | Kentucky (7–3) (4) | Baylor (7–1–1) | Baylor (8–1–1) | 9. |
| 10. | Illinois (2) | Texas A&M (1–0) | Maryland (2–0) (1) | Baylor (3–0) | Texas (4–1) | Wisconsin (3–1–1) (2) | Texas (6–1) | Baylor (5–1–1) | Baylor (6–1–1) | Oklahoma (7–2) (2) | Oklahoma (8–2) (4) | 10. |
| 11. | Texas (1) | Georgia Tech (2–0) (4) | Oklahoma (1–1) | USC (4–0) | Stanford (5–0) (1) | Stanford (6–0) | Notre Dame (5–1) (1) | USC (7–1) | USC (7–2) | TCU (5–4) | TCU (6–4) | 11. |
| 12. | Nebraska | Washington (2–0) (2) | Baylor (2–0) | Villanova (3–0) | Cornell (4–0) (1) | Texas (5–1) | Kentucky (5–3) (3) | Oklahoma (5–2) (1) | Oklahoma (6–2) | California (8–2) (3) | California (8–2) (2) | 12. |
| 13. | Baylor | Georgia (2–0) (1) | Princeton (2–0) | Stanford (4–0) | Northwestern (4–0) | Notre Dame (4–1) | TCU (5–2) | TCU (5–2) | San Francisco (8–0) | Virginia (8–1) (1) | Virginia (8–1) (5) | 13. |
| 14. | Notre Dame (1) | Princeton (1–0) | USC (3–0) | Cornell (3–0) | Wisconsin (2–1–1) | Kentucky (4–3) (1) | Oklahoma (4–2) (1) | San Francisco (7–0) | Texas (7–2) | San Francisco (9–0) | San Francisco (9–0) (2) | 14. |
| 15. | Wisconsin | Oregon State (1–1) (1) | Holy Cross (2–0) | SMU (3–1) | Notre Dame (3–1) | Michigan (3–2) | San Francisco (7–0) | Texas (6–2) | Virginia (7–1) (1) | UCLA (5–3–1) | Kentucky (7–4) | 15. |
| 16. | Maryland | Duke (2–0) | Clemson (3–0) | Pacific (4–0) (1) | Texas A&M (3–1) (1) | Washington State (4–2) | Baylor (4–1–1) | California (5–3) | Holy Cross (7–1) (1) | Texas (7–2) | Boston University (6–4) (2) | 16. |
| 17. | Michigan | Kentucky (1–2) | Cornell (2–0) | Ohio State (1–1–1) | Kentucky (3–3) (1) | Oklahoma (3–2) (1) | California (5–2) т | Washington State (5–3) | Washington State (6–3) | Kentucky (7–4) | UCLA (5–3–1) | 17. |
| 18. | Princeton | Clemson (2–0) (1) | Oregon State (2–1) | Northwestern (3–0) | Washington State (3–2) | Texas A&M (3–1–1) | Washington State (5–2) т | UCLA (4–3) | Rice (5–3) | Washington State (7–3) | Washington State (7–3) | 18. |
| 19. | Pennsylvania | Baylor (1–0) | Stanford (3–0) | Oklahoma (1–2) | Arkansas (3–2) | Miami (FL) (4–1) | Pacific (6–1) (1) | Rice (4–3) | California (7–2) | Holy Cross (8–1) | Clemson (7–2) т | 19. |
| 20. | Cornell | Kansas (2–0) | Pacific (3–0) (1) | Washington (3–1) | San Francisco (5–0) | San Francisco (6–0) | Arkansas (4–3) т | Cincinnati (8–0) | Bucknell (9–0) | USC (7–3) | Holy Cross (9–1) (1) т | 20. |
| 21. | — | — | — | — | — | — | Ohio State (3–2–1) т | — | — | — | — | 21. |
| 22. | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22. |
| 23. | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 23. |
| 24. | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 24. |
| 25. | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25. |
| Preseason |
Week 1 Oct 1 |
Week 2 Oct 8 |
Week 3 Oct 15 |
Week 4 Oct 22 |
Week 5 Oct 29 |
Week 6 Nov 5 |
Week 7 Nov 12 |
Week 8 Nov 19 |
Week 9 Nov 26 |
Week 10 (Final) |
||
| Dropped: Alabama Nebraska Wisconsin Michigan Pennsylvania Cornell |
Dropped: Washington Georgia Duke Kentucky Kansas |
Dropped: Notre Dame Holy Cross Clemson Oregon State |
Dropped: Villanova SMU Pacific Ohio State Oklahoma Washington |
Dropped: Cornell Northwestern Arkansas |
Dropped: Michigan Texas A&M Miami (FL) |
Dropped: Notre Dame Pacific Arkansas Ohio State |
Dropped: TCU UCLA Cincinnati |
Dropped: Rice Bucknell |
Dropped: Texas USC |
References[]
| ||||||||||||||||||||