1937–38 NCAA football bowl games

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1937–38 NCAA football bowl games
Number of bowl games per state
Season1937
Number of bowls5
All-star gamesEast–West Shrine Game
Bowl gamesJanuary 1, 1938
ChampionsPittsburgh Panthers (AP, Dickinson)
California Golden Bears (Dunkel)
Bowl record by conference
Conference Bowls Record Final AP Poll
Independents 3 2–1 (0.667) 8
SEC 3 1–2 (0.333) 2
Pacific Coast 1 1–0 (1.000) 1
SWC 1 1–0 (1.000) 3
Border 1 0–1 (0.000) 0
Rocky Mountain 1 0–1 (0.000) 1
Big Six 0 0–0 (–) 1
Big Ten 0 0–0 (–) 2
Southern 0 0–0 (–) 2
Number of bowl teams per state

The 1937–38 NCAA football bowl games were the final games of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 1937 college football season and featured five bowl games, down one from the prior season, as the Bacardi Bowl was not held. All five bowls were played on January 1, 1938. Notably, the Orange Bowl was first held in Burdine Stadium, which was later renamed for the bowl game itself in 1959. The national championship, according to recognized selectors, was split by Pittsburgh and California.

Poll rankings[edit]

The below table lists top teams (per the AP Poll taken after the completion of the regular season), their win–loss records (prior to bowl games), and the bowls they later played in.[1][2]

AP Team W–L Conf. Bowl
1
Pittsburgh Panthers
9–0–1
Ind.
2
California Golden Bears
9–0–1
PCC Rose Bowl
3
Fordham Rams
7–0–1
Ind.
4
Alabama Crimson Tide
9–0
SEC Rose Bowl
5
Minnesota Golden Gophers
6–2
Big Ten — †
6
Villanova Wildcats
8–0–1
Ind.
7
Dartmouth Indians
7–0–2
Ind.
8
LSU Tigers
9–1
SEC Sugar Bowl
T9
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
6–2–1
Ind.
T9
Santa Clara Broncos
8–0
Ind. Sugar Bowl
11
Nebraska Cornhuskers
6–1–2
Big Six
12
Yale Bulldogs
6–1–1
Ind.
13
Ohio State Buckeyes
6–2
Big Ten — †
T14
Arkansas Razorbacks
6–2–2
SWC
T14
Holy Cross Crusaders
8–0–2
Ind.
16
TCU Horned Frogs
4–4–2
SWC
17
Colorado Buffaloes
8–0
RMAC Cotton Bowl Classic
18
Rice Owls
4–3–2
SWC Cotton Bowl Classic
19
North Carolina Tar Heels
7–1–1
Southern
20
Duke Blue Devils
7–2–1
Southern

† The Big Ten Conference did not allow its members to participate in bowl games until the 1947 Rose Bowl.

Bowl schedule[edit]

Rankings are from the final regular season AP Poll.

Date Game Site Teams Affiliations Results
Jan. 1 Rose Bowl Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
#2 California Golden Bears (9–0–1)
#4 Alabama Crimson Tide (9–0)
PCC
SEC
California 13
Alabama 0
Sugar Bowl Tulane Stadium
New Orleans, Louisiana
#9 Santa Clara Broncos (8–0)
#8 LSU Tigers (9–1)
Independent
SEC
Santa Clara 6
LSU 0
Orange Bowl Burdine Stadium
Miami, Florida
Auburn Tigers (5–2–3)
Michigan State Spartans (8–1)
SEC
Independent
Auburn 6
Michigan State 0
Sun Bowl Kidd Field
El Paso, Texas
West Virginia Mountaineers (7–1–1)
Texas Tech Red Raiders (8–3)
Independent
Border
West Virginia 7
Texas Tech 6
Cotton Bowl Classic Cotton Bowl
Dallas, Texas
#18 Rice Owls (5–3–2)
#17 Colorado Buffaloes (8–0)
SWC
Rocky Mountain
Rice 28
Colorado 14

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Writers Pick Pitt Grid Players for First Place". Courier News. Plainfield, New Jersey. December 1, 1937. p. 16. Retrieved December 17, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "1937 Final AP Football Poll". collegepollarchive.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2018 – via Wayback Machine.