The 1927 college football season ended with the Illini of the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

(7–0–1) being recognized as champion under the

Dickinson System The Dickinson System was a mathematical point formula that awarded national championships in college football. Devised by University of Illinois economics professor Frank G. Dickinson, the system crowned national champions from 1925 to 1940. Dicki ...

. At season's end, the Rissler Cup was awarded to the team that finished first in the "Dickinson ratings", which considered strength of schedule, in that a win, loss or tie against a "strong" opponent was worth more than one against a lesser team, and the results were averaged. In the final week,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

's "Dream and Wonder team" was upset by

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

. Georgia had upset Eastern power

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

14–10. Though most selectors retrospectively named either Illinois or Georgia as their 1927 national champions, over a half-century later

Jeff Sagarin Jeff Sagarin is an American sports statistician known for his development of a method for ranking and rating sports teams in a variety of sports. His ratings have been a regular feature in the ''USA Today'' sports section since 1985, have been us ...

, a computer-based selector, named Dana X. Bible's Texas Aggies as the No. 1 team. In the Rose Bowl, the

Pittsburgh Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facu ...

(8–0–1) were invited to play against the Pacific Coast Conference champion. Though USC and

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

had identical records in conference play, Stanford was given a chance to "avenge" its 7–7 tie against Alabama in the previous year's Rose Bowl. Stanford won 7–6.

Rule changes

The major rules change in 1927 was the moving of the goal posts from the goal line, to the end of the end zone, where they have been ever since. The move was for both safety reasons and to de-emphasize the kicking game

Conference and program changes

Conference changes

*Three conferences began play in 1927: **'' Arkansas Association'' – active through the 1929 season **''

Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference The Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC) was an athletic conference in existence from 1927 or 1928 to 1995 affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference membership consisted entirely of colleges ...

'' – an NAIA conference active through the 1994 season **''

Smoky Mountain Conference The Smoky Mountain Conference – officially the Smoky Mountain Athletic Conference – was an intercollegiate athletic conference that existed from December 1926 to October 1966. Most teams in the league were located in Tennessee, and there were at ...

'' – active through the 1957 season *One conference played its final season in 1927: **''

Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The KCAC is the oldest conference in the NAIA and the second oldest in the United Stat ...

'' – active since the 1890 season; previously known as the '' Kansas Collegiate Athletic Association'' and ''

Kansas College Athletic Conference The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is a List of college athletic conferences in the United States, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The KCAC is the oldest conf ...

''; replaced by a conference with the same name that is an active NAIA conference *Two conferences changed in their name in 1927: **The

Inter-Normal Athletic Conference of Wisconsin The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) is a college athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. In women's gymnastics, it competes alongside Division I and II members, as the NCAA sponsors a single champions ...

changed its name to the ''

Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) is a college athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. In women's gymnastics, it competes alongside Division I and II members, as the NCAA sponsors a single championsh ...

'', the name it would retain through the 1951 season **The

Nebraska Intercollegiate Conference The Nebraska College Conference (NCC), known as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Conference from 1916 to 1926 and later as the Nebraska College Athletic Conference (NCAC), was an intercollegiate athletic conference that existed from 1916 to 1976. The le ...

changed its name to the ''

Nebraska College Athletic Conference The Nebraska College Conference (NCC), known as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Conference from 1916 to 1926 and later as the Nebraska College Athletic Conference (NCAC), was an intercollegiate athletic conference that existed from 1916 to 1976. The le ...

'', the name it would retain until its dissolution after the 1976 season.

Program changes

* Bowling Green Normal College officially changed their nickname from the ''Normals'', adopting their present moniker, the

Falcons Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

. *After Oregon Agricultural College changed its name to

Oregon State Agricultural College Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...

, the Oregon Agricultural Aggies became the Oregon State Aggies.

September

September 17 Washington defeated Willamette 32–6. September 24 USC beat Occidental 33–0;

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

beat Boston University, 13–0;

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

beat Thiel College 42–0.

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

shut out Trinity 45–0.

October

October 1 USC beat Santa Clara 52–12. Notre Dame beat Iowa's Coe College 28–7;

beat Detroit Mercy 6–0.

beat Bowdoin 41–0; The Western Conference (later the Big Ten) teams opened their seasons.

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

beat North Dakota, 57–10,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

beat Ohio Wesleyan, 33–0, and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

beat Bradley, 19–0.

beat Grove City College, 33–0;

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

beat Iowa State, 6–0;

beat Virginia, 32–0; and

beat Southwest Texas 31–0. October 8 USC edged Oregon State 13–12; Detroit Mercy, fresh from its 6–0 loss at West Point, played at Notre Dame and lost 20–0;

beat Marquette 21–12; In a battle of Bulldogs,

beat

14–10 in New Haven.

won another shutout, over West Virginia, 49–0;

beat Oklahoma State, 40–0,

beat Michigan State, 21–0, and

beat Butler 58–0. At Columbia, Missouri, Missouri beat

, 7–6, and

recorded its third shutout, an 18–0 win over Sewanee. October 15 USC played at Stanford University in Palo Alto, to a 13–13 tie. Notre Dame and Navy played at Baltimore, with the Irish winning 19–6.

beat Davis & Elkins College, 27–6

beat Brown 19–0; In Western Conference play,

and Indiana played to a 14–14 tie

won at Wisconsin, 14–0,

and Iowa State played to a 12–12 tie,

beat Drake 32–0;

beat Grinnell College 58–0

Furman v. Georgia ''Furman v. Georgia'', 408 U.S. 238 (1972), was a landmark criminal case in which the United States Supreme Court invalidated all then existing legal constructions for the death penalty in the United States. It was 5–4 decision, with each memb ...

took place in Athens, Ga., as the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

hosted the Paladins of Furman University and won, 32–0.

surrendered its first points in a 40–6 win over Arkansas. October 22 USC beat

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

51–0 ; Notre Dame beat Indiana 19–6 (4–0)

and (2–1)

met at New Haven, with Yale winning 10–6

beat Iowa, 38–0

beat Ohio State, 21–0,

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model us ...

was upset by Lebanon Valley, 13–12

edged Northwestern, 7–6

beat crosstown team Carnegie Tech, but not in a shutout (23–7).

was idle;

beat Auburn, 33–3

played at Texas Christian, and was tied, 0–0. October 29

(4–0–0) and

(3–0–1) faced off at Champaign, Ill. The Illini won 14–0. USC beat California, 13–0 Notre Dame beat Georgia Tech, 26–7

beat Bucknell 34–0;

beat Dartmouth, 19–0;

beat Wisconsin, 13–7;

beat Allegheny 62–0;

beat visiting Syracuse, 21–0;

beat Tulane, 31–0

had beaten Texas Tech, 47–6, in a Friday game.

November

November 5 USC was idle, while (5–1–1) Stanford and (7–0–0) Washington met in Seattle for a conference game, with Stanford winning 13–7. In a meeting of unbeatens, (5–0–0) Notre Dame hosted (4–0–1)

. The teams played to a 7–7 tie.

beat Franklin & Marshall, 45–0;

beat Maryland 30–6

won at Chicago, 14–0 and

beat Iowa 14–0

and Washington & Jefferson, both (6–0–0), played to a 0–0 tie

beat Kansas, 47–13;

defeated Florida at Jacksonville, 28–0;

beat SMU, 39–13 On Armistice Day, November 11,

defeated Rice University in Houston, 14–0. November 12 USC beat Colorado 46–7; (6–1–0)

faced off against (5–0–1) Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium. The Cadets handed Rockne's team its first defeat, 18–0

beat Princeton 14–6;

beat Drake 27–6;

beat Navy 27–12;

beat Chicago 15–6;

beat Clemson, 32–0 (6–0–1)

and (4–1–0)

faced off in Pittsburgh, with the Panthers winning 21–13 November 19 USC defeated Washington State, 27–0, while Stanford beat visiting California, 13–6 to close their season at 8–2–1. Though USC, at 8–1–1, had the better overall record, Stanford's two losses at been outside the conference, to St. Mary's and to Santa Clara, and they had tied USC. In PCC play, Stanford and USC both finished 4–0–1, and either could have been invited to play in the 1928 Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl committee went with Stanford, which had been tied by Alabama in the 1927 New Year's Day game. Notre Dame beat Drake University in Des Moines, 32–0. Drake, which played against Navy, Pitt, Minnesota, Notre Dame and UCLA, would finish at 3–6–0

beat Ursinus College 13–0;

closed its season hosting Harvard, and won 14–0;

defeated Ohio State, 13–0 At Ann Arbor, (5–0–2)

visited (6–1–0)

. The Gophers beat the Wolverines 13–7 to close their seasons.

won at Kansas State, 33–0

beat Mercer, 26–7 November 24 On Thanksgiving Day,

beat Penn State, 30–0. Pitt, with a record of 8–0–1, had outscored its opponents 283 to 20, with seven shutouts, and was selected to meet Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

beat visiting New York University, 27–18;

closed its season with a 28–7 win over Texas. November 26 Notre Dame (6–1–1) and USC (7–0–1) played before an estimated record crowd of 123,000 (Reported as 117,000 in the Chicago Tribune) at Soldier Field in Chicago, with Notre Dame winning 7–6 (on the strength of a blocked extra point attempt) to hand the Trojans their first loss. In the

Army–Navy Game The Army–Navy Game is an American college football rivalry game between the Army Black Knights of the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York, and the Navy Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy (USNA) at Annapo ...

, played before a crowd of 70,000 at the Polo Grounds in New York,

came back from 9–0 at halftime to win 14–9. In Birmingham,

beat Alabama, 20–6. In the

, played before a crowd of 70,000 at the Polo Grounds in New York,

came back from 9–0 at halftime to win 14–9. In Birmingham,

beat Alabama, 20–6. (9–0–0)

faced off against (7–1–1) Georgia Tech in Atlanta to close the season. The Yellow Jackets undid the Bulldogs' hopes for a perfect season, winning 12–0

Rose Bowl

As the only post-season college football game, the Rose Bowl sought an East-West matchup between the best available eastern team and the PCC champion. In 1927, the Pitt Panthers had finished the season at 8–0–1, with seven shutouts against various levels of opposition, while Stanford had won the Pacific Coast Conference going 8–2–1. Since January 1, 1928, fell on a Sunday, the game was played on Monday, January 2. Stanford Punter Frankie Wilton had been the "goat" of the 1927 Rose Bowl, after an Alabama defender broke through the line, blocked his kick, and set up the Tide's tying touchdown. Wilton lost the ball after being hit on his own 20 yard line, and Pitt's Jimmy Hagan ran the fumble in for a touchdown. Walter Heinecke of Stanford blocked the point attempt, holding Pitt's lead to 6–0. Wilton's chance at redemption came later, when his teammate Spud Lewis fumbled a yard from goal. Wilton scooped up the ball and crashed through for the tying touchdown. The Stanford kick was good, and the Indians held on for a 7–6 win.

National championship

was awarded the 1927 national championship. Georgia's " Dream and Wonder team" was also chosen a national champion. They defeated

, another choice for national champion.

Conference standings

Major conference standings

Independents

Minor conferences

Minor conference standings

Dickinson System

The AP sportswriters' poll would not begin continuously until 1936. (although, the first time was a one instance publishing in 1934) Frank G. Dickinson, an economics professor at the University of Illinois, had invented the

to rank colleges based upon their records and the strength of their opposition. The system was originally designed to rank teams in the Big Nine (later the

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

) conference. Chicago clothing manufacturer Jack Rissman then persuaded Dickinson to rank the nation's teams under the system, and awarded the Rissman Trophy to the winning university. Although Dickinson retroactively applied the system to the 1924 and 1925 seasons, the year 1926 was the first in which the trophy was awarded at season's end. The system awarded 30 points for a win over a "strong team", and 20 for a win over a "weak team". Losses were awarded points (15 for loss to a strong team, 10 for loss to a weak team). Ties were treated as half a win and half a loss (22.5 for a tie with a strong team, 15 for a tie with a weak team). An average was then derived by dividing the points by games played.

Final Dickinson rankings

"Illinois Best Football Team Of Year," ''The Syracuse Herald'', December 4, 1927, p23

Awards and honors

All-Americans

The consensus

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

team included:

Statistical leaders

*Player scoring most points:

Jimmy Armistead James Cate Armistead (August 29, 1905 – March 1984) was an American college football player. Early years James Cate Armistead was born on August 29, 1905 in Nashville, Tennessee to Wirt Mayo Armistead and Sarah Adeline Cate. High school Ar ...

, Vanderbilt, 138 *Total offense leader:

Bill Spears William Douglas Spears (August 31, 1906 – December 31, 1992) known as "Bounding Bill Spears" was an American football player and stand-out quarterback for Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt Commodores football teams from 1925 to 1927. Spears was elected ...

, Vanderbilt, 2001

References

{{NCAA football season navbox