Who's #1 - 1957

[SWC75]

1955

We are now entering an era, lasting most of a decade, in which true controversies became more rare: there was usually a “team of the year” who was widely acknowledged to be the national champion. I’ll discuss those seasons briefly, just summarizing how things worked out so neatly in those years as a contrast to the others.

To start the 1955 season, UCLA was ranked #1, then Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State, Maryland, Notre Dame, Army, navy, U of Miami and Georgia Tech. In the first week, Georgia Tech beat Miami 14-6, (in the first college football game ever televised). Missouri and Maryland had played at Maryland to end the 1954 season and Maryland won, 74-13. They played in their first game for 1955 at Missouri and the Tigers had their claws out but lost on a muffed extra point, 12-13. It proved to be typical of Maryland’s season as they lacked the explosiveness of previous Terrapin teams but had a gritty defense that would allow them to run the table tin the regular season. Meanwhile, the Bruins strangled Bear Bryant’s Texas A&M “Junction Boys”, 21-0.

Then Maryland hosted UCLA, who had beaten in a titanic game in the LA Coliseum, 12-7 the year before on their way to a perfect record. Aided by a muddy field that negated the Bruin’s speed and a ball fumbled into the end zone as UCLA fullback Doug Peters was scoring, the Terps triumphed and went on to their own perfect regular season. The 1951, 1953 and 1955 Maryland teams all had perfect regular season but they out-scored their opposition 353-62 in 9 1951 games, 298-31 in ten 1953 games but only 221-57 in ten 1955 games. It was an indication the string was running out for them but they had one last great season before slipping back into their traditional mediocrity.

The other top teams kept rolling until week #4 when Army went down in a sea of fumbles, (8 lost) at Michigan in losing 2-26. The next week Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and newcomer Wisconsin all got beat, the Irish by Michigan State 21-7. The Spartans were making a strong comeback after Duffy Daugherty’s dismal 3-6 first season. They’d lost their second game to Michigan 7-14 but had launched what would become a 12 game winning streak. Notre Dame knocked off Navy 21-7 in week 7. And Michigan was shocked by Illinois 25-6 in week 8. That left Oklahoma and Maryland at the top of the standings. Michigan State would edge ahead of the Terps despite their loss because of Maryland’s penchant for keeping the other team in the game before they pulled it out. Michigan lost at Ohio State 0-17 with the crowd chanting “Unpack”, meaning that they were not going to the Rose Bowl

But it didn’t matter. Both Maryland and Oklahoma had not been in the 1954 bowl games, (they would have had to meet in the Orange Bowl, where they played after the 1953 season but that darned “no repeat” rule got in the way). So they were free to meet in the 1/1/56 Orange Bowl. Both teams were 10-0-0 and Oklahoma was ranked #1. Michigan State, 8-1-0, was back in the Rose Bowl against #4 UCLA 9-1-0. That was the same set up as both bowls had on 1/1/54 when the Sooners beat the Terrapins 7-0 and the Spartans beat the Bruins 28-20. But the real precedent was 1/1/52 when Maryland was #3 and Michigan State #2 but Maryland was playing #1 and if they beat them, they’d be the champs, (if you count the bowl games), despite the Spartans having been ranked ahead of them. But…

Oklahoma beat Maryland again:

And Michigan State beat UCLA again:
Big Ten Film Vault: 1955 Yearbook - Michigan State vs. UCLA Rose Bowl Game - YouTube

Oklahoma was the only team that wound up with a goose egg in the loss column and was the obvious national champion. And they beat teams like a national champion should: 11-0-0 (385-60). They scored 40 or more points 6 times and pitched 5 shut-outs. They led the nation in total offense, (411 ypg), rushing offense (329) scoring offense (36.5- regular season only) and were second in scoring defense (5.4). They had the 6th best total defense (186) and rushing defense (114).

The one quibble was their schedule. The Big Seven, (as they were until Oklahoma State joined in 1960), had one other team with a winning record, (Colorado was 6-4) and a non-conference record of 11-17 and no other ranked teams at the end of the season besides the Sooners. Overall, their opponents were 47-62-2 (.431) and that includes 10-1 Maryland. But they did have three games that year against teams that were ranked at the time: They beat #12 Pittsburgh 26-14 on October 1st, #14 Colorado 56-21 on 10/22 and #3 Maryland 20-6 in the Orange Bowl for a total of 110 ‘points’ vs. ranked teams, (26-ranking + margin of victory). By margin of victory they were the best team Colorado, Kansas State, Iowa State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Maryland played. They were the second best team Texas and Kansas played, the third best team Pittsburgh and Missouri played and the 6th best team North Carolina played, (and that was the opening game). That’s a point differential ranking of 2.00. The average national champion is 2.50. So they were a very solid choice as #1. And basically everybody was coming back the next year to play on one of the greatest teams of all time.

1956

The 1956 Sooners were like a machine that just gobbled up the opposition and shredded them. They had been national champions the previous year but opened the season by beating North Carolina 36-0 after beating them only 13-6 to open 1955. Let’s call that +29, (36-7 margin of victory). They were +33 vs. Kansas State, +25 vs. Texas, -16 to Kansas, -27 to Colorado, -8 to Iowa State, +33 to Missouri, +7 to Nebraska, and even to Oklahoma State, (the Sooners beat them 53-0 in both 1955 and 1956). That’s a net improvement of +76 in 9 games +8 points per game over a national championship team. This team beat Notre Dame 40-0 in South bend, Texas 45-0 and Nebraska 54-6. Overall they outscored 10 opponents 466-51. They set a national record for rushing offense that lasted 15 years, (until Oklahoma broke it themselves), with 391 yards per game. They were 1st in the nation in total offense with 482 yards per game, 1st in scoring with 47ppg and 2nd in total defense (194) and scoring defense (5.1). This is the only team I would consider a serious rival of the 1959 Syracuse team as the best team of the 1950’s.

The schedule was again a potential sore spot – if anybody looked at it, which they didn’t. They played 10 teams, (they again couldn’t repeat in the Orange Bowl) with a combined record of 32-63-4. (SU’s opponents in ’59 were 59-49-2 and only 3 of 11 opponents had losing records). The only team they played that didn’t have a losing record was Colorado, who was 8-2-1 after beating Clemson in the Orange Bowl in their place. Colorado was unranked in the writer’s poll when the Sooners played them but they were #20 in the coach’s poll. They actually led the Sooners at halftime before the Okies gutted it up and came back to win 27-19. That gets them 14 “against ranked teams” points. (SU ’59 had 99 points). Their PDR was an excellent 1.40. They were the best team six of their opponents had played and the second best team against the other four. (But SU ’59 was better: 1.18. They were the best team nine of their opponents had played and the second best for the other two- and beat the two teams that bested them.)

Those amazing routs of Notre Dame, Texas and Nebraska were less impressive at the time than they seem now. Those three teams were a combined 7-23 in 1956. It was an era when several historically great programs were at their lowest ebb, something that eventually resulted in their hiring some of their most famous coaches - and giving them the support they needed to bring them back to glory. Notre Dame, (2-8), eventually fired Terry Brennan and tried Joe Kuharich, (the coach of the legendary 1951 San Francisco team that went undefeated in their final year of the program) and Hugh Devore before finally hiring Ara Parseghian, who had been beating them at Northwestern. Texas, (1-9), immediately hired Darrell Royal, who had played quarterback at Oklahoma for Bud Wilkinson in the late 40’s. Nebraska (1-9 in 1957), eventually hired Bob Devaney, who had started out as a Michigan State assistant and then had success at Wyoming. Alabama had been an incredible 0-10 in 1955 and had losing records in 1956-57 under J. B. “Ears” Whitworth before they hired Bear Bryant away from Texas A&M. And Southern California was 1-9 in 1957, which eventually led to the hiring of John McKay.

The Sooners were not without rivals in 1956. They just didn’t have peers. The biggest rival was Tennessee, who started the season ranked #12 and ran the table, including a dramatic but dull 6-3 victory over Georgia Tech, (it was a punting duel). They were the two best teams in the south. Tech lost only that game. Iowa finally broke through in the Big Ten, going 8-1 and winning their first title since the 20’s. Bryant’s Junction Boys also broke through, after going 1-9 their first year and 7-2-1 their second they were 9-0-1 but on probation. The Miami Hurricanes were 8-0-1. Texas A&M was ranked to start the season at #9 but Iowa and Miami were not. They all had a lot of climbing to do but Oklahoma, who was #1 wire to wire, did not. In the final ranking at the end of the regular season, it was Oklahoma #1, Tennessee #2, Iowa #3, Georgia tech #4, Texas A&M #5 and Miami #6.

In a dull bowl season, the Sooners had to stay home due to the ‘no repeat’ rule, Texas A&M due to the probation and Miami just because there were so few bowls nobody found a spot for them, even though they were undefeated. Iowa beat #10 Oregon State (7-2-1) 35-19 in the Rose Bowl. Georgia Tech beat #13 (6-2-1) Pittsburgh 21-14 in the Gator Bowl. But Tennessee was upset 7-13 by #11 Baylor (8-2-0) in the Cotton Bowl, ending the only real threat to the Sooners as national champion.
Football Bowl Games 1957

(Syracuse was 7-1-0 but ranked only 8th and lost in the Cotton Bowl to a 14th ranked TCU 7-3 team so we were never really in the national title picture after losing to Pittsburgh in the second game. They were playing Texas Christian instead of Texas A&M due to the latter’s probation.)

1957

Oklahoma came into the season riding a 40 game winning streak that was already a national record. They had some rebuilding to do but this was Oklahoma and they were the odds-on favorite to win a third straight national championship. And they came very close to doing it.

They were, of course, pre-season #1, with Texas A&M #2, Michigan State #3, then Minnesota, Tennessee, Michigan, Baylor, Pittsburgh, Iowa and Duke filling out the Top Ten. Auburn was #15 and Ohio State #17. Navy was #12 and Mississippi unranked. The Sooners looked every bit the national champ in blowing out Pitt 26-0 in their opener. In the second week SMU played a scoreless tie with Georgia Tech, (they used to have scoreless ties), Auburn beat Tennessee 7-0 and TCU knocked off Ohio State 18-14. Mississippi, becoming a new power, debuted at #19 that week. In week three, Navy lost to North Carolina 7-13 and Baylor lost to U. of Miami by the same score. Michigan State crushed Michigan 35-6 in week three and was thrust into first place by the publicity that created. Georgia Tech lost to LSU and fell completely out of the race.

Week #5: Newly minted #1 Michigan State loses to perennial spoiler Purdue 13-20, putting the Sooners back in 1st place. Illinois blew out Minnesota 34-13. Mississippi rose to #5 before Arkansas beat them 12-6 in week 6. Colorado gave Oklahoma another scare before falling 13-14. That was enough to put Texas A&M in first place.

Michigan tied Iowa 21-21 that week. Notre Dame, which had risen to 4-0-0 and a #5 ranking after their 1956 disaster, lost to Navy 6-20. The Middies then got tied by Duke, 6-6 in week 8. While the Spartans impressively dismantled the Irish 34-6. Texas A&M was #1, Oklahoma #2 and Auburn #3, all undefeated until Rice bumped off the Aggies 7-6 in week nine. A&M, after a bye week, then lost to Texas in their last game, 7-9 and lost a bowl game to Tennessee 0-3. Ouch! Ohio State had won 6 in a row and won a dramatic game with Iowa in which their fullback, Bob White carried the ball 7 times for 66 of 68 yards on the winning drive to close out a 17-13 Buckeye victory.

But it all paled compared to what happened that day in Norman, Oklahoma. Sports Illustrated had published a cover story that week called “Why Oklahoma is Unbeatable”:

Why Bud Wilkinson's Oklahoma Sooners were unbeatable

The Sooners had pounded 47 straight opponents by a combined 1620-280 (34-6). They’d beaten Notre Dame, their next opponent, 40-0 the last year in South Bend. They now had them in Norman. The Irish had lost their last two games and been destroyed by Michigan State the previous week. “Football’s Unforgettable Games” by Harold Classen has a chapter on this game called “Oklahoma’s Birthday Party”. It was their 50th anniversary as a state and all kinds of celebrations were going on, centered around the football game. The Irish stayed in a suburb called Chickasa, which was full of migratory workers from Mexico who were there to pick the cotton. Some of them came to the Notre dame players, knowing it was a Catholic school and begged them to beat the Sooners because they’d been treated so badly by the people of Oklahoma. From “The Undefeated” by Jim Dent: “Several Young Hispanic Girls carrying fresh-cut flowers approached the Notre Dame players Saturday morning, hours before kickoff, as they walked to the hotel’s dining room for breakfast. “Did you know Oklahomans hate Catholics?” the girls said. “They treat us like dirt. They really hate you, too.” The Irish players stopped and listened attentively.”

In the Irish locker room fullback Nick Pietrosante addressed the team. “I guess you know by now we’re in the land of the Catholic haters. These rednecks hate everybody- Negroes, Jews, Mexicans and Catholics. They gave us s--- last year about being Catholic. I say let’s whip their asses!” Their team bus and the blackboard in their locker room was covered with anti-Catholic diatribes. Dent wonders if they may have been put there by Notre Dame staff who also may have hired the girls. That seems really cynical - but not impossible.

The Sooners penetrated to the Irish 13, the 34 and 23 but lost the ball on downs twice and once from a fumble. Notre Dame marched to the Oklahoma 3 but the Sooners made a stand, took over and punted out of danger. The Irish came right back, driving to the Oklahoma 6 but Dave Baker intercepted a pass in the end zone. It was 0-0 to at halftime. Bud Wilkinson’s image is that of a clam, courteous gentleman but that’s not how he was a halftime. Tackle Bill Krisher “had been knocked around for two quarters by a guard about twenty pounds lighter”. Wilkinson ordered Krisher to take off his Oklahoma uniform because he didn’t deserve it. He was persuaded to back off but told the team “Lose today and people will talk about this one the rest of your lives, I promise you.” Meanwhile…”Over in the Irish locker room, Terry Brennan was having trouble controlling the Fighting Irish. His players were so anxious to play the second half that they wouldn’t sit down for a chalk talk. They now chanted “Beat the Rednecks! Beat the Rednecks!”

“In the third period, Oklahoma bottled up the Irish but couldn’t keep them there. (Clendon) Thomas punted to the Notre Dame 15 and 4, Baker to the 3 and the 7. The give-and-take combat continued. Late in the contest an Oklahoma punt sailed into the Irish end zone. Notre Dame launched a series of short, savage thrusts through the Sooner second unit. Pietrosante, who entered the game with a bad leg but didn’t play that way, got the crucial yardage when the chips were down. Oklahoma’s starting eleven was rushed into action as Notre dame reached the sooner 8. Pietrosante slammed over center for four yards. Lynch was stopped. (Quarterback Bob) Williams tried the center again for a yard. Fourth down, three long yards to go. Williams had noted the Oklahoma linebackers were keyed to the movements of Pietrosante and himself. Now, especially, the Sooners would be waiting for the fullback. Williams faked to Pietrosante hitting inside the tackle and pitched out to Lynch, who swept his right end for the score. (Monty) Stickles conversation kick made it 7-0. There were four minutes left. A desperation passing attack by the fresh Oklahoma third team was snuffed out by an interception just before the final gun.”

1957 vs. Oklahoma - Ending The Streak - 125 Years of Notre Dame Football - Moment #064

Wilkinson calmed down enough to tell his team in the locker room “Men, the only people who never lose are the ones who never play the game. You men are very much a part of this winning streak. Always remember that. It ended here. But there’s nothing to be ashamed of…A football team is like a person. When people encounter misfortune or defeat, they react in one of two ways. Some can’t take it and cash in their chips. Others have the character to come back strong.” Oklahoma did, beating Nebraska 32-7 and poor Oklahoma State 53-6, (the Sooners scored 53 points on them three years in a row. Then they swamped Duke in the Orange Bowl 48-21 to finish 10-1-0.

Michigan State moved to the #1 spot at 7-1-0 ahead of Auburn (8-0-0) and Ohio State (7-1-0), with the last two reversed in the coach’s poll. The Spartans beat Kansas State 27-9. The War Eagles did the same to Florida State 29-7. The Buckeyes beat arch-rival Michigan 31-14. Somehow that scrambled the rankings in the November 25th poll. Now Auburn was #1, Ohio State #2 and Michigan State #3. In the coach’s poll, Ohio State was #1, the Spartans #2 and Auburn #3. Auburn then capped off the regular seaosn with a 40-0 thrashing of Ears Whitworth’s sorry Alabama team.

Auburn was on probation so the coaches refused to vote them #1 and they could not go to a bowl game. Ohio State was undefeated in the Big Ten and went to the Rose Bowl to face Oregon, (7-3-0 and unranked by the writers but #17 in the coach’s poll. Michigan State had to stay home. #4 Oklahoma, as noted, went to the Orange Bowl and crushed #16 Duke, (6-2-2), 48-21.

Ohio State’s win is on You-Tube from the original broadcast, presented two broadcasting legends, Mel Allen of the Yankees and Chick Hearn of the Lakers.
1958 rose bowl ohio state vs oregon film

That left us with a split title between Auburn, the only undefeated team at 10-0-0 but on probation and Ohio State at 9-1-0, having won their last 9 games. But there doesn’t seem to have been any real reason why Michigan State was removed from the #1 positon they held on November 18th. Anyway why would Oklahoma be ranked behind the Buckeyes or Spartans? There was the usual issue of racism: Auburn played no black players or anyone who did. Oklahoma had their first ever black player in Prentice Gautt, a reserve fullback. Both Ohio State and Michigan State pioneered the use of black players, as did the Big Ten in general. But the big issue was: can a team on probation be national champion?

 

[SWC75]

But first let’s compare the teams.

Auburn was 10-0-0 and outscored their opponents 207-28 (20.7-2.8). They played 9 major college opponents with a combined 41-42 -6 record and out-scored them 167-21 (18.6-2.3). The Tigers swept the three defensive titles: they were #1 in total defense (133.0ypg), rushing defense (67.4) and scoring defense (2.8). They didn’t give up a rushing touchdown all season, in an era when that’s how the vast majority of touchdowns were scored.

Ohio State was 9-1, all against major college opponents with a combined record of 43-47-4 who they out-scored 267-92 (26.7-9.2). They lost 14-18 to a 5-4-1 Texas Christian team. The Buckeyes were third in the nation in rushing with 297.9 ypg.

Michigan State was 8-1, all against major college opponents with a combined record of 36-46-2, who they out-scored 264-75 (29.3-8.3). They lost 13-20 to a 5-4 Purdue team. The Spartans were #5 in the nation in total offense and total defense (383.9-191.6) and #8 in rushing offense and rushing defense (263.0-117.2).

Oklahoma was 10-1, all against major college opponents with a combined record of 53-50-9 (the Big Seven got off the canvas this year with Kansas, Colorado and Missouri all posting winning records), who they out-scored 333-89 (30.3-8.1). They lost 0-7 to a 7-3 Notre Dame team. The Sooners were #7 in total offense (375.1)and #5 in rushing offense (297.0).

Selectors

The NCAA record book lists 6 selectors who picked Auburn: Associated Press, Football Research, Helms, Naitonal Championship Foundation, Poling and Williamson. They also have 6 choosing Ohio State: Boand, DeVold, Football Writers Association, International News Service, Litkenhous and United Press. Three went for Michigan State: Billingsley, Dunkel and Sagarin. One went for Oklahoma: Berryman.

Of the non-NCAA selectors I found on the internet, all 8 chose Auburn: Time Travel, Dolphin, Howell, Sorenson, Square gear, Taylor, Waits and Wilson, although Taylor had Auburn and Ohio State as co-champs.

College Football Warehouse has these selectors and many others I’ve never heard of:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160331142947/http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/national_championships/yearly_results.php?year=1957
I count 26 for Auburn, 10 for Ohio State, 3 for Michigan State and 2 for Oklahoma.

Let’s look at the Top 5’s from sources that listed them:
AP: 1-Auburn 2- Ohio State 3- Michigan State 4- Oklahoma 5- Navy
UPI: 1- Ohio State 2- Auburn 3- Michigan State 4- Oklahoma 5- Iowa
Time Travel: 1- Auburn 2- Ohio State 3- Mississippi 4- Iowa 5- Tennessee (Oklahoma was #6, Michigan State #7)
Dolphin: 1- Auburn 2- Ohio State 3- Michigan State 4- Mississippi 5- Iowa (Oklahoma was #6)
Howell: 1- Auburn 2- Oklahoma 3- Mississippi 4- Navy 5- Ohio State (Howell, who tends to under-value Midwestern teams had Michigan State at #10)
Sorenson: 1- Auburn 2- Michigan State 3- Mississippi 4- Ohio State 5- Tennessee (Oklahoma was #9)
Square Gear: 1- Auburn 2- Oklahoma 3- Navy 4- Ohio State 5- Mississippi (Michigan State was #6)
Waits: 1- Auburn 2- Ohio State 3- Michigan State 4- Navy 5- Mississippi (Iowa and Oklahoma were tied at #6)
Wilson: 1- Auburn 2- Oklahoma 3- Navy 4- Ohio State and Mississippi, tied (Michigan State and Tennessee were tied at #6)
Navy, Iowa and Mississippi each had a loss and a tie while Tennessee had 3 losses so they aren’t really national championship contenders. If you give 5 points for first, 4 for second, 3 for third, 2 for fourth and 1 for fifth, Auburn has 44 points, Ohio State 28 and both Michigan State and Oklahoma have 16.

Richard Vautravers:
1957 College Football National Championship

He makes some good points. I wondered why Oklahoma didn’t get more respect, having won the last two national championships and being “unbeatable” until Notre Dame nipped them by a touchdown. They would lose one game by one point in 1958 so a point and a touchdown were the only things between the Sooners and a 62 game winning streak! They were surely the 50’s equivalent of what Alabama did now. Vautravers points out the weakness of their schedule, using ranked teams as his metric, although the Big 7 was beginning to show some life. But he uses an interesting phrase: “Oklahoma fatigue”. Maybe the selectors were tired of the Sooners winning all the time.

He points out the incongruity of Michigan State losing its #1 positon after dominating Kansas State in their final game, 27-9. Ohio State’s 31-14 win over Michigan was impressive, but the Spartans had beaten them 35-6. He concludes the fact that the Buckeyes won the conference title was the difference but that their 14-18 loss to 5-4-1 TCU and Michigan State’s 13-20 loss to 5-4 Purdue are basically a wash, regardless of what conference the opponents were in. Vautravers also points out that Michigan State had a touchdown called back in the Purdue game that should not have been and that the conference later apologized for it when it was too late. The Spartans seem to have been snake-bit.

He also talks about Auburn “gaming the AP poll”: “Auburn did not want to take any chances. At this time, any media outlet with an AP subscription could vote in the AP poll, so Auburn sports information director Bill Beckwith contacted newspapers and radio stations throughout the South, lobbying them to send in a ballot with Auburn at the top. As a result, the last AP poll saw 135 more ballots than the previous poll, and most of them went for Auburn, giving them a gargantuan lead of nearly 500 poll points over #2 Ohio State in the final rankings. And that is why the AP poll started limiting the number of ballots and apportioning them by region.” That helps explain why a newcomer on the national scene suddenly vaulted past more highly regarded programs to #1.

He questions the idea that the Big Ten teams played a superior schedule to the SEC teams but ignores the fact that the Big Ten was integrated while the SEC was not. And with all those southern writers, the AP poll tended to ignore that as well, thus giving Auburn some ranked opponents that might not have bene ranked had they played in the Big Ten. But historically, the Big Ten had been the more prestigious conference to this point, winning 8 AP titles since the poll started in 1936, (Minnesota in 1936, 1940 and 1941, Ohio State in 1942 and 1954, Michigan in that post bowl poll in 1947 and in 1948 and Michigan State in 195) to 1 for the SEC, (Tennessee in 1951 and they wouldn’t have been #1 in a poll after the bowls). The SEC is the most prestigious conference today but it wasn’t in 1957. But Vautravers has another point: “And there is another schedule issue here. Auburn played 3 games at home, 4 on their opponents' home fields, and 3 on neutral fields. Ohio State played 6 home games, 3 on opponents' fields, and 1 at a neutral site, and Michigan State played 6 home games and 3 away. And that's the final nail in the coffin of the "tougher schedule" argument for the Big 10 teams here.”

Finally, he argues that Auburn’s lack of offensive production was actually the result of their fabulous defense. They relied so much on it that they went with a very conservative “no mistakes” offense that produced so many close, low-scoring games. The problem is, he’s describing Woody Hayes’ M.O. and that of nearly every other coach of the time. He says that “performance” can be skewed: “One team might be ball control and defense oriented, while the other runs a no-huddle passing offense through all four quarters regardless of score.” Nobody ran a no-huddle passing offense in 1957. But one wonders, with that Auburn defense, if games against Ohio State, Michigan State or Oklahoma might not have just been another one of those 7-0 Auburn wins. Vautravers obviously thinks so and feels that Auburn is the legitimate national champion for 1957.

Streaks

Nobody could be compared to Oklahoma who won 47 in a row from October 10, 1953 to November 2, 1957, then lost that Notre Dame game, then won 5 more in a row until Texas beat them 15-14 in 1958, then won 8 more in a row, ending with their victory over Syracuse in the 1/1/59 Orange Bowl. They had a 44 game conference winning streak from 1952-59 and a 81 game conference undefeated string from 1946-59 which produced a dozen consecutive conference championships. They had also scored in a national record 123 straight games until the Irish shut them out. None of the other contenders could come close to matching that. But then they were in tougher conferences.

Ohio State had lost their last two games of 1956 after a 6-1 start and then they lost their first game of 1957. Then they ripped off 9 consecutive wins to close the 1957 season and 4 more to open the 1958 season before being tied by Wisconsin. They were then shocked by Northwestern, who shocked a lot of people in 1958. But a 13 game winning streak in the Big Ten was nothing to sneeze at. Michigan State had won its last game of 1956, then won their first three games of 1957. Purdue knocked them off but they closed out the year with five straight wins. They opened 1958 by beating California. Then they tied Michigan and beat Pittsburgh before an avalanche of injuries destroyed their season. They wound up 3-5-1 that year but at least they had an 8 game undefeated streak in there.

Auburn had a great run in the late 50’s, one which established them as the SEC and national power. They won their last four games of 1956, all ten in 1957 and their first three of 1958. Then they were tied by Georgia Tech, 7-7, (the price of playing all those low scoring games). They then won six more in a row for their second straight undefeated season (also their second straight without a bowl, since they were still on probation). Tennessee finally beat them 3-0 to open the 1959 season to end their undefeated streak at 24 games, the first 17 of which were wins. In that stretch they had wins of 7-0, 6-0, 3-0, 6-0, 8-0 and 6-5 as well as the 7-7 tie and finally the 0-3 defeat. It wasn’t exciting but it worked.

What was said about them

Auburn’s defense was described as ‘impregnable’. Vautravers calls it ‘phenomenal’. “Have I mentioned Auburn's defense yet? They led the nation with 133 yards allowed per game, the lowest such figure any team had posted in the previous 10 years. They shut out 6 opponents and only gave up 28 points all season, and naturally they also led the nation in defensive scoring. They did not give up a rushing touchdown all season. Furthermore, in practice they would hold a scrimmage where the ball was placed on the 2 yard line, and the backups were given 4 downs to try and score on the starters, and the starters gave up a touchdown in that drill just once all season. This line was simply a brick wall.” They gave up four TDs all year, none on the ground and one due to an interception return on the offense. Center Jackie Burkett said "If it's not a record, it should be." End Jerry Wilson: "It wasn't just one or two football players. It was a group of great athletes." Offensive coach Buck Bradberry: “We weren’t picked very high but we had a lot of character and dedication among our players…We ran a relatively simple offense. It was the straight full house T-formation backfield…We didn’t through much.” Basically they were in their goal-line package the whole game. The Associated Press after a 3-0 win over Georgia Tech: "A lumbering, punchless giant on offense, but the nation's best defense." Duffy Daugherty: “It was a great accomplishment for Auburn to go undefeated when they knew all along there would be no reward in a bowl game. Jordan did a magnificent job of keeping up team morale and its bound to be a close-knit group that allows so few touchdowns.” Woody Hayes: "But whom have they played?"
Auburn’s highlight film:
Bill Libby calls Ohio State “a good Woody Hayes team, not a great one”. Street and Smiths in their 1958 preview, declared Woody Hayes to be “Football’s finest exponent of the much-criticized but highly efficient “ball control” style of play and the game’s bitterest opponent of the forward pass.” Hayes: The other team can’t score as long as you hold onto the ball. Football games are lost by teams that beat themselves with mistakes. We operate on a plan that attempts to keep the errors at a minimum.” In other words, Ohio State’s style of play wasn’t really that much different from Auburn’s. The Buckeyes just had a better offense and Auburn a better defense. More Woody: “We had more stars before but all of these fellows have worked hard, not only on the playing field but in their attitude toward training.” Woody insisted on calling the TCU game and “exhibition game”, since it was not a conference game.

Street and Smiths on the Spartans: “Michigan State employs one of the most intricate offenses in intercollegiate football.” Duffy Daugherty called it the best team had coached- better than the 1955 team that went 9-1 and won the Rose Bowl.

Per S&S, Oklahoma uses the ‘running spread’ formation. (Nothing new under the sun?) “Much maligned for their ‘easy’ schedule the Sooners do their best to line up top opponents over and above their league commitments and remain in in the 10 game limit. It isn’t always easy.” Sounds almost like- ironically- Boise State in this era. Line coach Gomer Jones on the 48-21 win over Duke in the Orange Bowl, where the Blue devils out-gained the Sooners and were in the game until the 4th quarter when a series of turnovers blew the game open: “”We just put our defensive men in gaps and shot them through. This is a pretty chancy sort of thing. You either throw them for a loss or they go by you. They got by us on their three long touchdown drives. But it took a lot of steam out of them. Meanwhile we forced them into other errors with the penetrating defense. We got every score the easy way- after two fumbles, a blocked punt, poor snap from center, two pass interceptions and a good punt return. We never had to grind them out.” Oklahoma was not only out-gained 279-328 but had 150 yards in penalties but still won decisively.

Comparative Scores
(I’ve decided to add a wrinkle here: I’ll divide the total by the number of scores so that the most direct score lines can have more weight.)

Auburn vs. Ohio State
Auburn beat Tennessee 7-0 who beat Texas A&M 3-0 who beat Texas Christian 7-0 who beat Ohio State 18-14 = +21 for Auburn / 4 scores = 5.25
Auburn beat Chattanooga 40-7 who beat Memphis State 7-0 who lost to Kentucky 7-53 who lost to Vanderbilt 7-12 who tied Missouri 7-7 who beat Colorado 9-6 who tied Washington 6-6 who lost to Ohio State 7-35 = +36 for Ohio State / 8 scores = 4.5
Auburn beat Kentucky 6-0 who beat Xavier 27-0 who lost to Miami U. 19-39 who lost to Purdue 6-37 who lost to Ohio State 7-20 = +31 for Ohio State / 5 scores = 6.2
Auburn beat Georgia Tech 3-0 who beat Duke 13-0 who tied Navy 6-6 who beat Notre Dame 20-6 who beat Indiana 26-0 who lost to Ohio State 0-56 = Even
Auburn beat Houston 48-7 who beat Cincinnati 7-0 who beat Marquette 14-0 who lost to Wisconsin 6-60 who lost to Ohio State 13-16 = +5 for Auburn / 5 scores = 1.0
Auburn beat Florida 13-0 who beat U of Miami 14-0 who beat Pittsburgh 28-13 who beat Oregon 6-3 who lost to Ohio State 7-10 = +42 for Auburn / 5 scores = 8.4
Auburn beat Mississippi State 15-7 who beat Memphis State 10-6 who lost to Southern Mississippi 6-14 who lost to Houston 12-27 who beat Cincinnati 7-0 who beat Indiana 21-0 who lost to Iowa 7-47 who lost to Ohio State 13-17 = +27 for Ohio State / 8 scores = 3.375
Auburn beat Georgia 6-0 who lost to Michigan 0-26 who lost to Ohio State 14-31 = +37 for Ohio State / 3 scores = 12.3
Auburn beat Florida State 29-7 who lost to Villanova 7-21 who lost to Indiana 7-14 who lost to Minnesota 0-34 who lost to Illinois 13-34 who lost to Ohio State 7-21 = +68 for Ohio State / 6 scores = 11.333
Auburn beat Alabama 40-0 who lost to Texas Christian 0-28 who tied Kansas 13-13 who lost to Oregon State 6-34 who beat Northwestern 22-13 who lost to Ohio State 6-47 = +48 for Ohio State / 6 scores = 8.0
NET RESULT: +31.058 for Ohio State who won 6 comparisons, lost 3 and had 1 even.

Auburn vs. Michigan State
Auburn beat Tennessee 7-0 who beat Texas A&M 3-0 who beat Southern Methodist 14-6 who lost to Notre Dame 21-54 who lost to Michigan State 6-34 = +43 for Michigan State / 5 scores = 8.6
Auburn beat Kentucky 6-0 who beat Xavier 27-0 who lost to Miami U. 19-39 who lost to Purdue 6-37 who beat Michigan State 20-13 = +11 for Michigan State / 5 scores = 2.2
Auburn beat Georgia Tech 3-0 who beat Duke 13-0 who tied Navy 6-6 who beat Notre Dame 20-6 who beat Indiana 26-0 who lost to Michigan State 0-54 = +2 for Auburn / 6 = 0.333
Auburn beat Houston 48-7 who beat Cincinnati 7-0 who beat Marquette 14-0 who lost to Wisconsin 6-60 who lost to Michigan State 7-21 = +6 for Michigan State / 5 scores = 1.2
Auburn beat Florida 13-0 who beat U of Miami 14-0 who beat Pittsburgh 28-13 who beat Oregon 6-3 who beat California 24-6 who lost to Michigan State 0-19 = +44 for Auburn / 5 scores = 8.8
Auburn beat Mississippi State 15-7 who beat Memphis State 10-6 who lost to Southern Mississippi 6-14 who lost to Houston 12-27 who beat Cincinnati 7-0 who beat Indiana 21-0 who lost to Minnesota 0-34 who lost to Michigan State 13-42 = +46 for Michigan State / 8 scores = 5.75
Auburn beat Georgia 6-0 who lost to Michigan 0-26 who lost to Michigan State 6-35 = +49 for Michigan State / 3 scores = 16.333
Auburn beat Florida State 29-7 who lost to Villanova 7-21 who lost to Indiana 7-14 who lost to Minnesota 0-34 who lost to Illinois 13-34 who lost to Michigan State 14-19 = +59 for Michigan State / 6 scores = 9.833
Auburn beat Alabama 40-0 who lost to Texas Christian 0-28 who tied Kansas 13-13 who beat Kansas State 13-7 who lost to Michigan State 9-27 = Even
(Michigan State had only 9 opponents so there are only 9 score lines)
NET RESULT: +34.783 for Michigan State who won 6 comparisons to 2 for Auburn with 1 even.

Auburn vs. Oklahoma
Auburn beat Tennessee 7-0 who beat Texas A&M 3-0 who lost to Texas 7-9 who lost to Oklahoma 7-21 = +6 for Oklahoma / 4 scores = 1.5
Auburn beat Chattanooga 40-7 who beat Memphis State 7-0 who lost to Kentucky 7-53 who lost to Vanderbilt 7-12 who tied Missouri 7-7 who lost to Oklahoma 14-39 = +36 for Oklahoma / 6 scores = 6.0
Auburn beat Kentucky 6-0 who lost to Georgia 14-33 who lost to Michigan 0-26 who beat Southern California 16-6 who beat Washington 19-12 who tied Colorado 6-6 who lost to Oklahoma 13-14 = +23 for Oklahoma / 7 scores = 3.286
Auburn beat Georgia Tech 3-0 who beat Duke 13-0 who lost to Oklahoma 21-48 = +11 for Oklahoma / 3 scores = 3.667
Auburn beat Houston 48-7 who beat Tulsa 13-7 who lost to Arkansas 14-41 who beat Oklahoma State 12-0 who lost to Oklahoma 6-53 = +15 for Oklahoma / 5 scores = 3.0
Auburn beat Florida 13-0 who beat U of Miami 14-0 who beat Pittsburgh 28-13 who lost 0-26 to Oklahoma = +16 for Auburn / 4 scores = 4.0
Auburn beat Mississippi State 15-7 who tied Mississippi 7-7 who beat Texas 39-7 who beat Arkansas 17-0 who beat Oklahoma State 12-0 who lost to Kansas 7-13 who beat Kansas State 13-7 who lost to Oklahoma 0-13 = +56 for Auburn / 8 = 7.0
Auburn beat Georgia 6-0 who lost to Navy 14-27 who beat Notre Dame 20-6 who beat Oklahoma 7-0 = +14 for Auburn / 4 scores = 3.5
Auburn beat Florida State 29-7 who lost to Boston College 7-20 who beat Boston University 27-2 who lost to Syracuse 20-27 who tied Iowa State 7-7 who lost to Oklahoma 14-40 = +1 for Auburn / 6 scores = 0.167
Auburn beat Alabama 40-0 who lost to Texas Christian 0-28 who tied Kansas 13-13 who lost to Oklahoma 0-47 = +35 for Oklahoma / 4 scores = 8.75
(Oklahoma played 11 games so only 10 of them are used since that’s how many Auburn played)
NET RESULT: +11.536 for Oklahoma who won 6 comparisons, lost 4 and had none even.

Ohio State vs. Michigan State
Ohio State lost to Texas Christian 14-18 who tied Kansas 13-13 who beat Kansas State 13-7 who lost to Michigan State 9-27 = +16 for Michigan State / 4 scores 4.0
Ohio State beat Washington 35-7 who beat California 35-27 who lost to Michigan State 0-19 = +17 for Ohio State / 3 scores = 5.667
Ohio State beat Illinois 21-7 who lost to Michigan State 14-19 = +9 for Ohio State / 2 scores = 4.5
Ohio State beat Indiana 56-0 who lost to Michigan State 0-54 = +2 for Ohio State / 2 scores = 1.0
Ohio State beat Wisconsin 16-13 who lost to Michigan State 7-21 = +11 for Michigan State / 2 scores = 5.5
Ohio State beat Northwestern 47-6 who lost to Minnesota 6-41 who lost to Michigan State 13-42 = +23 for Michigan State / 3 scores = 7.667
Ohio State beat Purdue 20-7 who beat Michigan State 20-13 = +20 for Ohio State / 2 scores = 10.0
Ohio State beat Iowa 17-13 who beat Notre Dame 21-13 who lost to Michigan State 6-34 = +16 for Michigan State / 3 scores = 5.333
Ohio State beat Michigan 31-14 who lost to Michigan 6-35 = +12 for Michigan State / 2 scores = 6.0
(Michigan State played only 9 games so there are only 9 lines of scores.)
NET RESULT: +7.333 for Michigan State who won 5 comparisons and lost 4.

Ohio State vs. Oklahoma
Ohio State lost to Texas Christian 14-18 who lost to Texas 2-14 who lost to Oklahoma 7-21 = +30 for Oklahoma / 3 scores = 10.0
Ohio State beat Washington 35-7 who beat Oregon State 19-6 who beat Kansas 34-6 who lost to Oklahoma 0-47 = +22 for Ohio State / 4 scores = 5.5
Ohio State beat Illinois 21-7 who lost to UCLA 6-16 who beat Air Force 47-0 who lost to Denver 14-26 who lost to Iowa State 0-10 who lost to Oklahoma 14-40 = +3 for Ohio State / 6 scores = 0.5
Ohio State beat Indiana 56-0 who lost to Cincinnati 0-21 who beat Marquette 14-0 who lost to Arizona 14-17 who lost to Colorado 14-34 who lost to Oklahoma 13-14 = +25 for Ohio State / 6 scores = 4.167
Ohio State beat Wisconsin 16-13 who beat Marquette 60-6 who lost to Cincinnati 0-24 who lost to Tulsa 7-12 who lost to Oklahoma State 13-28 who lost to Oklahoma 6-53 = +34 for Oklahoma / 6 scores = 5.667
Ohio State beat Northwestern 47-6 who lost to Stanford 6-26 who lost to Washington State 18-21 who beat Nebraska 34-12 who lost to Oklahoma 7-32 = +15 for Ohio State / 5 scores = 3.0
Ohio State beat Purdue 20-7 who beat Michigan State 20-13 who beat Kansas State 27-9 who lost to Oklahoma 0-13 = +25 for Ohio State / 4 scores = 6.25
Ohio State beat Iowa 17-13 who beat Notre Dame 21-13 who beat Oklahoma 7-0 = +19 for Ohio State / 3 scores = 6.333
Ohio State beat Michigan 31-14 who beat Georgia 26-0 who beat Georgia Tech 7-0 who beat Duke 13-0 who lost to Oklahoma 21-48 = +36 for Ohio State / 5 scores = 7.2
Ohio State beat Oregon 10-7 who lost to Pittsburgh 3-6 who lost to Oklahoma 0-26 = +26 for Oklahoma / 3 scores = 8.667
(Ohio State played only 10 games to Oklahoma’s 11 so there are only 10 comparisons)
NET RESULT: +8.616 for Ohio State who won 7 comparisons and lost 3.

Michigan State vs. Oklahoma
Michigan State beat Indiana 54-0 who lost to Cincinnati 0-21 who lost to Tulsa 7-12 who lost to Oklahoma State 13-28 who lost to Oklahoma 6-53 = +34 for Oklahoma / 5 scores = 6.8
Michigan State beat California 19-0 who lost to Southern Methodist 6-13 who lost to Missouri 6-7 who lost to Oklahoma 14-39 = +14 for Oklahoma / 4 scores = 3.5
Michigan State beat Michigan 35-6 who beat Georgia 26-0 who lost to Texas 7-26 who lost to Oklahoma 7-21 = +22 for Michigan State / 4 scores = 5.5
Michigan State lost to Purdue 13-20 who lost to Notre Dame 0-12 who beat Pittsburgh 13-7 who beat Nebraska 34-0 who lost to Oklahoma 7-32 = +4 for Oklahoma / 4 scores = 1.0
Michigan State beat Illinois 19-14 who beat Colgate 40-0 who lost to Army 7-53 who beat Pittsburgh 29-13 who lost to Oklahoma 0-26 = +11 for Oklahoma / 5 scores = 2.2
Michigan State beat Wisconsin 21-7 who beat West Virginia 45-13 who beat Syracuse 7-0 who tied Iowa State 7-7 who lost to Oklahoma 14-40 = +27 for Michigan State / 5 scores = 5.4
Michigan State beat Notre Dame 34-6 who beat Oklahoma 7-0 = +35 for Michigan State / 2 scores = 17.5
Michigan State beat Minnesota 42-13 who beat Washington 46-7 who tied Colorado 6-6 who lost to Oklahoma 13-14 = +67 for Michigan State / 4 scores = 16.75
Michigan State beat Kansas State 27-9 who lost to Oklahoma 0-13 = +5 for Michigan State / 2 scores = 2.5
(Michigan State played only 9 games to Oklahoma’s 11 so there are only 9 comparisons)
NET RESULT: +34.15 for Michigan State, who won 5 comparisons to 4.

END RESULTS:
Michigan State was 3-0 and 16-10-1 in winning lines with a net +76.266 points
Ohio State was 2-1 and 17-11-1 in winning lines with a net +32.341 points
Oklahoma was 1-2 and 13-16 in wining lines with a net -31.23 points.
Auburn was 0-3 and 9-18-2 in winning lines with a net -77.377 points

Against Ranked Teams
(You get from 1-25 points for playing a ranked opponent: 25 for a #1 ranked team, 24 for #2, etc. then you add the point differential of the actual game to that.)

Auburn
…beat #8 Tennessee 7-0 = +25 points
…beat #19 Florida 13-0 = +20 points
...beat #17 Mississippi State 15-7 = +17 points
TOTAL: +62 points

Ohio State
…beat #5 Iowa 17-13 = +25 points
…beat #19 Michigan 31-14 = +24 points
…beat #17 (in the coach’s poll) Oregon 10-7 = +12 points
TOTAL: +61 points

Michigan State
…beat #6 Michigan 35-6 =+49 points
…beat #16 Illinois 19-14 = +15 points
…beat #15 Notre Dame 34-6 = +39 points
TOTAL: +103 points

Oklahoma
…beat #8 Pittsburgh 26-0 = +44 points
…beat #19 Missouri 39-14 = +32 points
…beat #16 Duke 48-21 = +37 points
TOTAL: +113 points
What do you know: “weak schedule” Oklahoma did the best against ranked teams.

Point Differential Rankings
(If no one did better, your team gets ‘1’. If one team did better, they get a ‘2’. If two teams did better, they get a ‘3’, etc.)

Auburn
…beat Tennessee by 7. Kentucky beat them by 14 = 2 points
(Tennessee-Chattanooga was not a major college team)
…beat Kentucky by 6. Georgia Tech beat them by 13, Mississippi by 15, Florida by 7, LSU by 21 and Georgia by 19 = 6 points
…beat Georgia Tech 3-0. LSU beat them by 7, Tennessee by 15 and Georgia by 7 = 4 points
…beat Houston 48-7. Nobody did better. = 1 point (Texas A&M beat them by 22)
…beat Florida 13-0. Nobody did better. = 1 point (Mississippi State beat them by 9)
…beat Mississippi State 15-7. Nobody did better. = 1 point (Tennessee beat them by 5)
…beat Georgia 6-0. Texas beat them by 19, Michigan by 26, Navy by 13 and Florida by 22 = 5 points
…beat Florida State 29-7. U of Miami beat them by 27 = 2 points
…beat Alabama 40-0. Nobody did better. = 1 point (LSU beat them by 28)
TOTAL: 23 points in 9 games against major college opponents = 2.56. They were, on average between the 2nd or 3rd best opponent their opposition faced. They were the best opponent 4 times. They were 38 points better than the second best opponent those teams faced. They needed 64 points to be the best team all of their opponents played.

Ohio State
…lost to Texas Christian 14-18. Arkansas beat them by 13, Texas A&M by 7, Texas by 12, Rice by 20 and Kansas tied them. = 6 points
…beat Washington 35-7. Minnesota beat them by 39 = 2 points
…beat Illinois 21-7. Purdue beat them by 15 = 2 points
…beat Indiana 56-0. Nobody did better. = 1 point (Michigan State beat them by 54)
…beat Wisconsin 16-13. Iowa and Michigan State beat them by 14 = 3 points
…beat Northwestern 47-6. Nobody did better. = 1 point (Minnesota beat them by 35)
…beat Purdue 20-7. Nobody did better. = 1 point (Notre Dame beat them by 12)
…beat Iowa 17-13. Nobody did better = 1 point (Michigan tied them 21-21)
…beat Michigan 31-14. Michigan State beat them by 29 = 2 points
…beat Oregon 10-7. Washington beat them by 7 = 2 points
TOTAL: 21 points in 10 games = 2.10. They were on average the second beat team their opponents played. They were the best team 4 times. They were 11 points better than the second best opponent those teams had. They needed 68 more points to be the best team all of their opponents faced.

Michigan State
…beat Indiana 54-0. Ohio State beat them by 56 = 2 points
…beat California 19-0. The Bears were 1-9 but nobody beat them by more than that. = 1 point (Oregon beat them by 18)
…beat Michigan 35-6. Nobody did better = 1 point (Ohio State beat them by 17)
…lost to Purdue 13-20. Notre Dame, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio State all beat them, Ohio State by the most- 13 points. = 5 points
…beat Illinois 19-14. UCLA beat them by 10, Ohio State by 14, Purdue by 15 and Wisconsin by 11 = 5 points
…beat Wisconsin 21-7. Nobody did better = 1 point (Iowa beat them by the same margin)
…beat Notre Dame 34-6. Nobody did better. = 1 point (Navy beat them by 14)
…beat Minnesota 42-13. Nobody did better = 1 point (Iowa beat them by 24)
…beat Kansas State 27-9. Colorado beat them by 28 = 2 points
TOTAL: 19 points in 9 games = 2.11, basically the same as Ohio State. They were the best team 5 times. They were 32 points ahead of the next best teams against those opponents. They needed 46 points to be the best team each opponent played.

Oklahoma
…beat Pittsburgh 26-0. Nobody did better. = 1 point (Army beat them by 16)
…beat Iowa State 40-14. Nobody did better. = 1 point (Missouri beat them by 22)
…beat Texas 21-7. Mississippi beat them by 32 = 2 points
…beat Kansas 47-0. Nobody did better = 1 point (U of Miami beat them by 42)
…beat Colorado 14-13. Missouri beat them by 3 = 2 points
…beat Kansas State 13-0. Colorado beat them by 28 and Michigan State by 18 = 3 points
…beat Missouri 39-14. Texas A&M beat them by 28 = 2 points
…lost to Notre Dame 0-7. Michigan State, Iowa and Navy all beat them, the Spartans by 28 points. Army lost to them by 2 and Pittsburgh by 6 = 6 points
…beat Nebraska 32-7. Army beat them by 42 and Colorado by 27 = 3 points
…beat Oklahoma State 53-6. Nobody did better. = 1 point (Arkansas beat them by 12)
…beat Duke 48-21. Nobody did better. = 1 point (Georgia Tech beat them by 13)
TOTAL: 23 points in 11 games = 2.09, also virtually the same as Ohio State. They were the best team 5 of their opponents faced. They were 58 points ahead of the second best opponent those teams faced. The Sooners needed another 96 points to be the best team all of their opponents played.

Based on the last three metrics, I’d say Michigan State had the best team. They were 3-0 in comparative scores with 16 wins, 10 losses and 1 tie and a total of 76 points ahead, all three of them #1 in that metric. They were second to Oklahoma against ranked teams with +103, 10 points less than the Sooners but 40+ better than the Tigers and the Buckeyes. Their PDR was virtually the same as Ohio State and Oklahoma and clearly better than Auburn. They tied Oklahoma for the most #1 performances and needed the fewest additional points to be #1 against everybody.

Auburn seems like the weakest team. They were last in comparative scores: 0-3, 9-18-2 and -77 points, one point out of last place against ranked teams and last in point differential ranking. Ohio State seems better than Oklahoma: they were better in comparative scores, virtually the same in PDR and needed far fewer points for a perfect record, (68 vs. 96). The Sooners did have an advantage against ranked teams and were #1 against 5 opponents rather than 4.

 

[SWC75]

Let’s look at the players

Awards: John David Crow of Texas A&M easily won the Heisman with 1183 points to 643 for second place Alex Karras of Iowa. Michigan State’s halfback Walt Kowalczyk was third with 630. Auburn’s end Jimmy Phillips was 6th with 216. Dan Currie, the Spartan’s center/linebacker, was 8th with 197 points. Clendon Thomas, Oklahoma’s halfback, was 9th with 185 point. Bob White, Ohio State Csonka-like fullback, was 4th in 1958 with 365 points. Bob Harrison, Oklahoma’s center was 7th that year with 187. Dean Look, Michigan State back-up running back in 1957 switched to QB as a senior in 1959 and finished 6th for the Heisman with 176 points. Karras won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best lineman but the next year Auburn guard Zeke Smith won that award. That’s three Spartans who contended for awards in their careers, two Sooners, two Tigers and one Buckeye.

Halls of Fame: Auburn and Michigan State had no college hall of famers. Ohio State had two: guard Aurealius Thomas and end/linebacker Jim Houston. Clendon Thomas is in for Oklahoma. All four coaches- Ralph “Shug” Jordan of Auburn, Woody Hayes of Ohio State, Duffy Daugherty of Michigan State and Bud Wilkinson of Oklahoma are in the CFHOF. Ohio State’s Dick LeBeau is in the Pro Football, (NFL) HOF. How Jim Marshall is not in the Hall of Fame is one of life’s great mysteries. Buckeye Don Sutherin is in the CFL Hall of Fame as a DB as is Spartan Ellison Kelly as a G/T.

All-Americans: Jimmy Phillips was an end on the 1957 consensus AA team for Auburn and guard Zeke Smith was on the 1958 team. Michigan State’s Walt Kowalczyk was a halfback and Dan Currie a center on the 1957 AA team. End Sam Williams made the 1958 team. Bob White was fullback on the 1958 team. Clendon Thomas was the AA halfback in 1957 for the Sooners. Bill Kisher was on the 1957 as a guard. Bob Harrison was center on the 1958 team, giving the Sooners and the Spartans three each to two for Auburn and one for the Buckeyes.

Pros:

Auburn
Billy Atkins played defensive back and punter for the 1958-59 49ers, the 1960-61 Bills, the 1963 Jets and Bills and the 1964 Broncos. (6 seasons)
Rich Kreitling played wide receiver for the Browns 1959-63 and the Bears in 1964 (6 seasons)
Jim “Red” Phillips had an outstanding career as a split end for the Rams (1958-64) and the Vikings 1965-67) (10 seasons). He was the NFL’s leading receiver in 1961.
Zeke Smith played guard for the Colts in 1960 and the Giants in 1961. (2 seasons)
Jerry Wilson played defensive end for the Eagles 1959-60, the 49ers 1960 and the Toronto Argonauts 1962-64. (5 seasons)
That’s 5 players who played a total of 27 seasons, (5.4 per player).

Ohio State
Joe Cannavino played defensive back for the 1960-61 Raiders and 1962 Bills (3 years)
(Olympic Sprinter Glenn Davis- no relation to Army’s Glenn Davis- was a wide receiver for the 1960-61 Lions but never played college football).
Jim Houston played linebacker for the Cleveland Browns from 1960-72. (13 seasons)
Dan James played tackle for the 1960-66 Steelers and the 1967 Bears (8 years)
Bill Jobko played linebacker for the Rams from 1958-62, the Vikings 1963-65 and the Falcons in 1966 (9 seasons)
Dick LeBeau played d-back for 1959 Browns and the 1959-72 Lions (14 seasons)
Jim Marshall played defensive end for 1959 Saskatchewan Roughriders, the 1960 Cleveland Browns and the 1961-79 Minnesota Vikings (an incredible 21 seasons!)
Rich Michael played tackle for the 1960-66 Oilers (7 seasons)
Dick Schafrath played offensive guard and tackle for the Browns from 1959-71 (13 years)
Jack Scott played defensive tackle for the 1960-61 Bills. (2 seasons)
Don Sutherin played d-back and place-kicker for the 1958 Hamilton Tiger-cats, the 1959 Giants, the 1959-60 Steelers, the 1960-66 Tiger-cats, the 1967-69 Ottawa Rough Riders and the 1970 Toronto Argonauts. (13 seasons)
Bob White was Csonka-like but wasn’t Csonka. He played one year for the 1960 Houston Oilers.
Ernie Wright played defensive tackle for the 1960-67 Chargers, the 1968-71 Bengals and the 1972 Chargers (13 years)
That’s 12 players who played a total of 117 seasons (9.75 per player)

Michigan State
Bob Bercich played safety for the 1960 Giants and the 1960-61 Cowboys. (2 seasons)
Dan Currie played linebacker for the Packers 1958-64 and the Rams 1965-66 (9 seasons)
Tony Discenzo played tackle for the 1960 Bills and Patriots (1 season)
Roger Donnahoo played d-back for the 1960 New York Titans (1 season)
Bob Jewett played end for the 1958 bears. (1 season)
Ellison Kelly played offensive guard and tackle for the 1959 Giants, the 1960-70 Hamilton Tiger-cats and the 1971-72 Toronto Argonauts (14 years)
Walt Kowalczyk played fullback and d-back for the 1958-59 Eagles, the 1960 Cowboys and the 1961 Raiders. (4 seasons)
Dean Look played quarterback for the 1962 New York Titans (1 season)
Blanche Martin played fullback for the 1960 Chargers and New York Titans. (1 season)
Archie Matsos played linebacker for the 1960-62 Bills, the 1963-65 Raiders and the 1966 Broncos and Chargers. (7 seasons)
Jim Ninowski played quarterback for the 1958-59 Browns, the 1960-61 Lions, the Browns again 1962-66, the Redskins 1967-68 and the 1969 Saints (12 years)
Frank (Fran) O’Brien played tackle for the 1959 Browns, the 1960-66 Redskins and the 1966-69 Steelers (11 points)
Palmer Pyle played guard for the 1960-63 Colts, the 1964 Vikings and the 1966 Raiders. (6 seasons)
Paul Rochester played defensive tackle for the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs from 1960-63 and the 1964-69 Jets (10 years)
Sam Williams played for the 1959 Rams, the 1960-65 Lions and the 1965-67 Falcons. (9 seasons)
Jim Wulff played HB/DB for the 1960-61 Redskins (2 seasons)
That’s 15 players who played a total of 77 seasons (5.1 per player)

Oklahoma
Dave Baker played d-back for the 1959-61 49ers (3 seasons)
Bobby Boyd played cornerback for the 1960-68 Colts (9 seasons- ended his career losing to the Jets in SB3)
Gene Cockrell played offensive tackle for the 1957 Saskatchewan Roughriders and the 1960-62 New York Titans (4 seasons)
Jack Davis played guard for the 1958 Redskins and 1960 Broncos. (2 seasons)
Prentice Gautt played running back for the 1960 Browns and 1961-67 Cardinals. (8 seasons)
Bob Harrison played defensive tackle for the 1959-61 49ers, the 1962-63 Eagles, 1964 Steelers and 1965-67 49ers. (9 seasons)
Billy Krisher played guard for the 1958 Steelers and 1960-61 Dallas Texans (3 seasons)
Wahoo McDaniel played linebacker and guard for the 1960 Oilers, 1961-63 Broncos, 1964-65 Jets and the 1966-68 Dolphins (9 seasons)
Dennit Morris played linebacker for the 1958 49ers and 1960-61 Oilers. (3 seasons)
Dave Rolle played fullback for the 1960 Broncos (1 season)
Clendon Thomas played HB/DB for the 1958-61 Rams and the 1962-68 Steelers (10 seasons)
That’s 10 players who played a total of 61 seasons (6.1 per player)

Ohio State seems to have had the most talented roster and Auburn the least. Michigan State had the most players but 5 of their guys played only 1 season, (Dean Look played only 1 game). Oklahoma had a solid group but not as star-studded as in previous years. Really, none of these teams were star-driven. It was more about the overall talent and how they played as a team.

Auburn has the undefeated record, the #1 ranking and the support of most of the selectors, (although they found a way to manipulate the AP Poll to give themselves a larger lead). They also have an historically great defense. At this point they didn’t have much of a history of competing for the national title but they have several times since. But they were the weakest of the four teams in overall performance as measured by comparative scores, against ranked teams and point differentials and had the fewest future pros. On top of that they were a segregated team that played only segregated teams and they were on probation.

I have always been against probation as a means of policing the sport. Typically the players and coaches who were involved in the infractions have long since left the school by the time any punishment is levied. They are often coaching or playing at other schools. I prefer fines, suspensions and banishments that follow the perpetrators. Auburn’s suspension was due to allegations of giving money to a hot quarterback prospect named Don Fuell, who was on campus in 1957. He was on the freshman team and transferred to Mississippi Southern, (now Southern Mississippi), where he became their star before a career in the CFL. But he never played for Auburn’s 1957 varsity. The alleged was reported to the conference by Alabama coach “Ears” Whitworth. It was then reported to the NCAA. Fuell was quoted as saying that he’d been offered “thousands of dollars” by other schools. He said that Auburn only offered “a college education if I passed my grades didn’t get into any trouble and tried real hard”. There were allegations that Fuell was provided with “an air conditioner for his home, a $1700 motorboat and a new car or $2200 in cash”. A reporter found he did, indeed have an air conditioner and had owned a motorboat, the financing for which Fuell said was arranged from his father but he’d lost it when he could not keep up the payments. He claimed to have been offered money to transfer to Tennessee or Mississippi Southern.
Interesting article about Auburn going on probation in the 1950's
It seems like a case of the old powers that been resenting the new kid on the block and nailing them for something that was commonplace. My instinct is to not exclude Auburn because of their probation but I’ll let everybody make up their own mind on this subject.

Ohio State and Michigan State came from the best conference. Ohio State seems to have had the most talent but Michigan State seems to have performed the best overall of the four teams. The Spartans had been ranked #1 even ahead of Auburn with its spotless record when they were pulled out of the #1 spot for no apparent reason.

Oklahoma was the dominant power in college football at the time, although not quite as dominant as they had been. But some of that was that their conference was “waking up” to become more competitive. You would think that they are like Alabama now: in the hunt for #1 even if they get beat somewhere along the way. All three of these teams did get beat, by small margins by teams with winning records. And teams with a loss don’t normally take national championships away from power conference teams with unblemished records.


So….Who’s #1 for 1957?