The Williamson System was a mathematical system used to rank
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
teams. The system was created by Paul B. Williamson, a geologist and member of the
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
committee.
The
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
college football records book includes the Williamson System as a "major selector" of
national championships
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...
for the years 1932-1963.
Paul Williamson died in 1955. His son Mitch Williamson subsequently took up his father's syndicated column for the 1955–1963 seasons.
National champions
The following teams were ranked No. 1 by the Williamson System for the 1932–1963 college football seasons.
The NCAA ''Football Bowl Subdivision Records'' book contains five apparent errors in its listing of Williamson System champions. The following table contains the contemporary champions syndicated by Paul Williamson. The NCAA record book's errors are documented in the ''Notes'' column.
References
{{Reflist
College football rankings