View source for 1948 college football season

{{Short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college football season
| year = 1948
| image = <!-- Please put in a good 1948 image if you know of one -->
| image_caption = 
| number_of_teams = 
| preseason_ap = [[1948 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://collegepollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?appollid=102 |title=October 4, 1948 AP Football Poll |access-date=November 7, 2021 |website=CollegePollArchive.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902063047/http://collegepollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?appollid=102 |archive-date=September 2, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| regular_season = <!-- Please list date of first regular season game to date of last regular season game -->
| number_of_bowls = 14 
| bowl_start = <!-- Please list date of first bowl -->
| bowl_end = <!-- Please list date of last bowl -->
| champion = [[1948 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]] (AP)
| heisman = [[Doak Walker]] ([[Halfback (American football)|halfback]], [[1948 SMU Mustangs football|SMU]])
}}
The '''1948 college football season''' finished with [[1948 SMU Mustangs football|SMU]] [[Halfback (American football)|halfback]] [[Doak Walker]] as the [[Heisman Trophy]] winner and six teams in contention for the national championship:
# [[Bennie Oosterbaan]]'s [[1948 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]] compiled a 9–0 record, defeated six ranked opponents, and was the consensus national champion, receiving 192 of 333 first-place votes in the final [[1948 NCAA football rankings|AP Poll]]. It was Michigan's second consecutive undefeated season, extending the program's winning streak to 23 games.
# [[Frank Leahy]]'s [[1948 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame Fighting Irish]] compiled a 9–0–1 record and had  a 21-game winning streak dating back to the 1946 season before playing a 14–14 tie with [[1948 USC Trojans football team|USC]] in the final game of the 1948 season. Notre Dame was ranked No. 2 in the final AP Poll, receiving 97 of 333 first-place votes, with the same record as Michigan due to the final poll being taken prior to their season-ending tie.
# [[Carl Snavely]]'s No. 3 [[1948 North Carolina Tar Heels football team|North Carolina Tar Heels]], led by [[Heisman Trophy]] runner-up [[Charlie Justice (halfback)|Charlie Justice]], were undefeated in the regular season (9–0–1) but lost to [[1948 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma]] in the [[1949 Sugar Bowl]].
# [[Pappy Waldorf]]'s No. 4 [[1948 California Golden Bears football team|California Golden Bears]], led by [[Jackie Jensen]] who finished fourth in the 1948 Heisman Trophy voting, were undefeated in the regular season (10–0), but lost to [[1948 Northwestern Wildcats football team|Northwestern]] in the [[1949 Rose Bowl]].
# [[Bud Wilkinson]]'s No. 5 [[1948 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma Sooners]] compiled a 10–1 record, including a victory over No. 3 North Carolina in the [[1949 Sugar Bowl]].
# [[Earl Blaik]]'s No. 6 [[1948 Army Cadets football team|Army Cadets]] finished the season undefeated (8–0–1). They won the first eight games of the season and were ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll before playing [[1948 Navy Midshipmen football team|Navy]] to a tie in the annual [[Army–Navy Game]].

Eight other teams finished the season undefeated and untied:  [[1948 Southern Jaguars football team|Southern]] (12–0, black college national champion); [[1948 Clemson Tigers football team|Clemson]] (11–0, [[Southern Conference|SoCon]] and [[1949 Gator Bowl|Gator Bowl]] champion, AP No. 11); [[1948 Bloomsburg Huskies football team|Bloomsburg]] (9–0, [[Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference|PSTCC]] champion); [[1948 Heidelberg Student Princes football team|Heidelberg]] (9–0, [[Ohio Athletic Conference|OAC]] champion); [[1948 Occidental Tigers football team|Occidental]] (9–0 [[Southern California Conference|SCC]] and [[1949 Raisin Bowl (January)|Raisin Bowl]] champion); [[1948 Alma Scots football team|Alma]] (8–0 [[Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association|MIAA]] champion); and [[1948 Wesleyan Cardinals football team|Wesleyan]] (8–0, third consecutive perfect season); [[1948 Michigan Tech Huskies football team|Michigan Tech]] (7–0, independent).

[[Air travel]] to away games (as opposed to rail travel) became increasingly popular with college football programs in the late 1940s.<ref name=gtuatrv>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Os8zAAAAIBAJ&sjid=v_UDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6370%2C2733285 
|work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Oregon) |title=Grid teams use air travel more for game dates |agency=Associated Press |date=November 5, 1948|page=15}}</ref>

The NCAA began permitting the use of small 1-inch rubber "tees" (not the same tee used for kickoffs) for extra point and field goal attempts beginning this year; they were outlawed in 1989.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-08-20-sp-1200-story.html |title=They're Not All Kicking and Screaming Over the Absence of Tee |last=Litke |first=Jim |agency=Associated Press |date=August 20, 1989 |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=October 3, 2019 |quote=It was 1948 before vague rumblings about putting the foot back into the game convinced NCAA officials to allow the use of a 1-inch rubberized tee. Eleven years later, they widened the goal posts to 23-feet-5 from 18-5, and seven years after that, let the tee rise an inch.}}</ref>

==Conference and program changes==
===Conference changes===
*One conferences began play in 1948:
**'''[[Ohio Valley Conference]]''' – an active NCAA Division I FCS conference; began play with six teams from [[Kentucky]] and [[Indiana]].
*One conference played its final season in 1948:
**''[[Dakota-Iowa Athletic Conference]]'' – conference active since the 1946 season
*Two conferences changed their names prior to the season:
**After the ''[[Big Six Conference]]'', still officially known as the ''Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association'', added Colorado, the conference's unofficial name became the ''[[Big Eight Conference|Big Seven Conference]]''.
**The ''Washington Intercollegiate Conference'' changed its name to the ''[[Evergreen Conference]]'', the name it would retain until the conference's demise after the 1984 season.

===Membership changes===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! School !! 1947 conference !! 1948 conference
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Bradley University|Bradley]] [[Bradley Braves football|Braves]] || Independent  || [[Missouri Valley Conference football|Missouri Valley]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Centenary College of Louisiana|Centenary]] [[Centenary Gentlemen football|Gentlemen]] || [[Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference|LIC]]  || Dropped program
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[University of Colorado, Boulder|Colorado]] [[Colorado Buffaloes football|Buffaloes]] || [[Mountain States Conference|Skyline]] (Mountain States) || [[Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association|Big Seven (MVIAA)]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Eastern Kentucky University|Eastern Kentucky State]] [[Eastern Kentucky Colonels football|Colonels]] || [[Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference|KIAC]] || [[Ohio Valley Conference|Ohio Valley]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[University of Evansville|Evansville]] [[Evansville Purple Aces football|Purple Aces]] || Independent  || [[Ohio Valley Conference|Ohio Valley]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[University of Louisville|Louisville]] [[Louisville Cardinals football|Cardinals]] || [[Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference|KIAC]] || [[Ohio Valley Conference|Ohio Valley]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Morehead State University|Morehead State]] [[Morehead State Eagles football|Eagles]] || [[Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference|KIAC]]  || [[Ohio Valley Conference|Ohio Valley]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Murray State University|Murray State]] [[Murray State Racers football|Racers]] || [[Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference|KIAC]] || [[Ohio Valley Conference|Ohio Valley]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Western Kentucky University|Western Kentucky State]] [[Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football|Hilltoppers]] || [[Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference|KIAC]] || [[Ohio Valley Conference|Ohio Valley]]
|}

==Season chronology==
===September===
The Associated Press did not poll the writers until the fourth week of the season.  Among the five teams that had been ranked highest in 1947 (Notre Dame, Michigan, SMU, Penn State, and Texas), all but Penn State began play on '''September 25'''.  Notre Dame edged Purdue 28–27, Michigan won at Michigan State, 13–7,  and SMU won at Pittsburgh, 33–14.  The Texas Longhorns lost at North Carolina, 34–7.  Northwestern beat UCLA, in Los Angeles, 19–0.  In Baltimore, California beat Navy, 21–7.  Army beat visiting Villanova 28–0.

===October===
'''October 2:''' In Pittsburgh, Notre Dame shut out Pitt, 40–0, while in Dallas, SMU defeated Texas Tech 41–6.  Penn State beat Bucknell 35–0, Michigan beat Oregon 14–0.  North Carolina won at Georgia 21–14.  Army beat Lafayette 54–7.  Northwestern beat Purdue 21–0.  When the first poll was issued, Notre Dame had fewer first place votes than North Carolina (50 vs. 55), but ten more points overall (1,200 to 1,190)  Northwestern was third, followed by SMU and Army.  Though unbeaten, Michigan was ranked 7th, after Georgia Tech.

'''October 9:''' [[Notre dame football|No. 1 Notre Dame]] beat Michigan State 26–7.  [[North Carolina Tar Heels football|No. 2 North Carolina]] won at Wake Forest, 28–6, and was ranked first in the next poll.  [[Northwestern Wildcats football|No. 3 Northwestern]] beat No. 8 Minnesota 19–16.   [[SMU Mustangs football|No. 4 SMU]] lost at Missouri, 20–14.  [[Army Black Knights football|No. 5 Army]] won at Illinois, 26–21.  No. 7 Michigan, which had won at No. 15 Purdue, 40–0, rose to 4th.

'''October 16:''' [[North Carolina Tar Heels football|No. 1 North Carolina]] beat N.C. State 14–0, but dropped to third in the next poll.  [[Notre dame football|No. 2 Notre Dame]] won at Nebraska 44–13.  In Ann Arbor, Michigan, [[Northwestern Wildcats football|No. 3 Northwestern]] faced Big Nine rival [[Michigan Wolverines football|No. 4 Michigan]], and the home team Wolverines won 28–0.  [[Army Black Knights football|No. 5 Army]] defeated Harvard 20–7.  Michigan moved up to first place in the next poll, and No. 6 California (which beat Oregon State 42–0) moved to No. 4, with Northwestern dropping out of the Top Five.

'''October 23:''' In Minneapolis, [[Michigan Wolverines football|No. 1 Michigan]] beat No. 13 Minnesota 27–14, and [[Notre dame football|No. 2 Notre Dame]] won at Iowa 27–12.  [[North Carolina Tar Heels football|No. 3 North Carolina]] beat visiting LSU 34–7.  In Seattle, [[California Golden Bears football|No. 4 California]] blanked Washington 21–0, and [[Army Black Knights football|No. 5 Army]] won at No. 12 Cornell 27–6. The top five remained the same in the next poll.
 
'''October 30:'''  [[Michigan Wolverines football|No. 1 Michigan]] beat Illinois 28–20, while in Baltimore, [[Notre dame football|No. 2 Notre Dame]] beat Navy 41–7.  [[North Carolina Tar Heels football|No. 3 North Carolina]] won at Tennessee 14–7.  In Los Angeles, [[California Golden Bears football|No. 4 California]] beat USC, 13–7.  [[Army Black Knights football|No. 5 Army]] beat Virginia Tech 49–7.  In the next poll, Notre Dame was ranked at the new number one, followed by Michigan, North Carolina, Army, and California.

===November===
'''November 6:''' [[Notre dame football|No. 1 Notre Dame]] won at Indiana 42–6. [[Michigan Wolverines football|No. 2 Michigan]] beat visiting Navy 35–0.  [[North Carolina Tar Heels football|No. 3 North Carolina]] was tied by [[1948 William & Mary Tribe football team|William & Mary]], 7–7.  [[Army Black Knights football|No. 4 Army]] defeated Stanford at Yankee Stadium in New York, 43–0, while  
[[California Golden Bears football|No. 5 California]] beat visiting UCLA 28–13. Michigan was elevated to No. 1 in the next poll, followed by Notre Dame, Army, and California. No. 14 Penn State, which had shut out No. 7 Pennsylvania in Philadelphia 13–0, was moved up to No. 5.

'''November 13:'''  [[Michigan Wolverines football|No. 1 Michigan]] beat Indiana 54–0.  [[Notre dame football|No. 2 Notre Dame]] beat No. 8 Northwestern 12–7.  [[Army Black Knights football|No. 3 Army]] won at No. 17 Pennsylvania 26–20.  [[California Golden Bears football|No. 4 California]] beat Washington State 44–14.  [[Penn State football|No. 5 Penn State]] beat Temple 47–0, but still dropped in the next poll.  It switched spots with No. 6 North Carolina, which moved up after a win at Maryland 49–20.

'''November 20:''' [[Michigan Wolverines football|No. 1 Michigan]] closed its season with a 13–3 win at No. 18 Ohio State.  [[Notre dame football|No. 2 Notre Dame]] and [[Army Black Knights football|No. 3 Army]] were both idle.  [[California Golden Bears football|No. 4 California]] beat Stanford 7–6.  [[North Carolina Tar Heels football|No. 5 North Carolina]] beat Duke 20–0. The next poll switched North Carolina to No. 4 and California to No. 5, with the top three remaining the same.

'''November 27:'''  [[Michigan Wolverines football|No. 1 Michigan]], which had completed its season, had 105 of 190 first place votes.  [[Notre dame football|No. 2 Notre Dame]] defeated Washington 46–0.  The annual [[Army–Navy Game]] in Philadelphia pitted unbeaten (8–0–0) and [[Army Black Knights football|No. 3 Army]] against winless (0–8–0) Navy, and 102,000 fans turned out to watch the mismatch, including President Truman.  It was a surprise when the Midshipmen scored first, but Army went ahead 21–14 after three quarters.  In the fourth quarter, Navy pushed the Cadets back to their own goal line, and took the punt at midfield.  In six plays, Navy drove down to the four yard line, and Bill Hawkins crashed into the end zone to make it 21–20.  Roger Drew added the point after to ruin Army's perfect record, 21–21.<ref>"Navy Deadlocks Mighty Army Eleven, 21 to 21", ''The Charleston (WV) Gazette'', Nov. 28, 1948, p19</ref>  [[North Carolina Tar Heels football|No. 4 North Carolina]] won at Virginia 34–12, and [[California Golden Bears football|No. 5 California]] had finished its season.  The final poll was released on November 29, although some colleges had not completed their schedules. Michigan, Notre Dame, North Carolina, and California were the top four, with Oklahoma (which had won its last nine games in a row after a narrow season-opening loss to Santa Clara) at No. 5.

On '''December 4''', [[Notre dame football|No. 2 Notre Dame]]'s perfect record was compromised in Los Angeles with a 14–14 tie against unranked USC.

==Conference standings==
===Major conference standings===
For this article, major conferences defined by [[Sports Reference]].

{| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Big Nine Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Big Seven Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Border Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Ivy Group football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Missouri Valley Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Pacific Coast Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Skyline Six Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Southeastern Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Southern Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Southwest Conference football standings}}
|}

===Major independents===
{| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Eastern major college football independents records}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Midwestern major college football independents records}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Southern major college football independents records}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Western major college football independents records}}
|}

===Minor conferences===
{| class="wikitable" width="60%"
!style="background:#0054B3; color:#FFFFFF;" |Conference
!style="background:#0054B3; color:#FFFFFF;" |Champion(s)
!style="background:#0054B3; color:#FFFFFF;" |Record
|- align="left"
|[[California Collegiate Athletic Association]]
| [[San Jose State Spartans football|San Jose State]]
| 5–0
|- align="left""
| [[Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association|Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association]]
| {{cfb link|year=1948|team=West Virginia State Yellow Jackets|title=West Virginia State}}
| 5–1
|- align="left"
| [[Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]]
| [[Emporia State Hornets football|Kansas State Teachers]] (Emporia State)
| 5–0
|- align="left"
| [[College Conference of Illinois]]
| [[Illinois Wesleyan Titans|Illinois Wesleyan]]
| 5–0
|- align="left"
| [[Dakota-Iowa Athletic Conference]]
| [[Buena Vista Beavers|Buena Vista]]
| 3–0–1
|- align="left"
| [[Evergreen Conference]]
| [[Eastern Washington Eagles football|Eastern Washington College]]<br>[[Puget Sound Loggers|Puget Sound]]
| 5–1
|- align="left"
| [[Far Western Conference]]
| [[Chico State Wildcats football|Chico State College]]<br>[[Southern Oregon Raiders|Southern Oregon College]]
| 3–1
|- align="left"
| [[Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]]
| [[Dubuque Spartans|Dubuque]]
| 5–0
|- align="left"
| [[Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference]]
| [[Ottawa Braves|Ottawa (KS)]]
| 6–0
|- align="left"
| [[Lone Star Conference]]
| [[Texas State Bobcats football|Southwest Texas State Teachers]]
| 6–0
|- align="left"
| [[Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association]]
| [[Alma Scots|Alma]]
| 5–0
|- align="left""
| [[Mid-American Conference]]
| [[Miami Redhawks football|Miami (OH)]]
| 4–0
|- align="left"
| [[Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference]]
| [[Ripon Red Hawks|Ripon]]
| 6–0
|- align="left"
| [[Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]]
| [[Saint Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies|Saint Thomas (MN)]]
| 5–0
|- align="left"
| [[Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association]]
| [[Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football|Northwest Missouri State]]<br>[[Missouri State Bears football|Southwest Missouri State]]
| 4–1
|- align="left"
| [[Nebraska College Conference]]
| [[Chadron State Eagles football|Charon State]]<br>[[Wayne State Wildcats football|Wayne State (NE)]]
| 6–1
|- align="left"
| [[New Mexico Intercollegiate Conference]]
| [[Sul Ross Lobos football|Sul Ross]]
| 5–0
|- align="left"
| [[North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]]
| [[Northern Iowa Panthers football|Iowa State Teachers]] (Northern Iowa)
| 5–0
|- align="left"
| [[North Dakota College Athletic Conference]]
| [[Minot State Beavers football|Minot State College]]<br>[[North Dakota Science Wildcats|North Dakota Science]]
| 5–0
|- align="left"
| [[Ohio Athletic Conference]]
| [[Heidelberg Student Princes|Heidelberg]]
| 7–0
|- align="left"
| [[Ohio Valley Conference]]
| [[Murray State Racers football|Murray State College]]
| 3–1
|- align="left"
| [[Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference]]
| [[Central Oklahoma Bronchos football|Central State College (OK)]]<br>[[Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm|Southeastern State College (OK)]]
| 4–1
|- align="left"
| [[Pacific Northwest Conference]]
| [[College of Idaho Coyotes football|College of Idaho]]
| 5–1
|- align="left"
| [[Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference]]
| [[Bloomsburg Huskies football|Bloomsburg State Teachers]]<br>[[California Vulcans football|California State Teachers]]
|6–0
|- align="left"
| [[Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference]]
| [[Northern Colorado Bears football|Colorado State College]]
| 3–0
|- align="left"
| [[South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference]]
| [[Northern State Wolves football|Northern State Teachers (SD)]]
| 6–0
|- align="left"
| [[Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]]
| [[Occidental Tigers|Occidental]]
| 4–0
|- align="left"
| [[Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]]
| [[Florida A&M Rattlers football|Florida A&M College]]
| 6–0
|- align="left"
| [[Southwestern Athletic Conference]]
| [[Southern Jaguars|Southern]]
| 7–0
|- align="left"
| [[State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota]]
| [[Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs football|Duluth State Teachers]]<br>[[Minnesota State Mavericks football|Mankato State Teachers]]<br>[[St. Cloud State Huskies football|St. Cloud State Teachers]]
| 4–1
|- align="left"
| [[Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference]]
| [[McMurry War Hawks|McMurry (TX)]]
| 4–1
|- align="left"
| [[Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference]]
| [[Wisconsin–Eau Claire Blugolds|Eau Claire State Teachers]]
| 5–1
|}

===Minor conference standings===
{| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Badger-Illini Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 College Conference of Illinois football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Dakota-Iowa Athletic Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Dixie Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Evergreen Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Far Western Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Gulf States Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Hoosier Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Iowa Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Lone Star Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Mason–Dixon Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Midlands Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Midwest Athletic Association football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Midwest Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Minnesota Teachers College Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Mid-American Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Nebraska College Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 New Mexico Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 North Central Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 North Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 North State Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Northwest Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Ohio Valley Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Pioneer Conference (Illinois) football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Smoky Mountain Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Southern California Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Texas Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Volunteer State Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference football standings}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Yankee Conference football standings}}
|}

===Non-major independents===
{| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Eastern non-major college football independents records}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Midwestern non-major college football independents records}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Southern non-major college football independents records}}
|-
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1948 Western non-major college football independents records}}
|}

==Rankings==
{{Main|1948 NCAA football rankings}}

==Bowl games==
===Major bowls===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Bowl game
! colspan="2" | Winning team
! colspan="2" | Losing team
|-
| [[1949 Rose Bowl|Rose Bowl]]
| No. 7 [[1948 Northwestern Wildcats football team|Northwestern]] 
| 20
| No. 4 [[1948 California Golden Bears football team|California]]
| 14
|-
| [[1949 Sugar Bowl|Sugar Bowl]]
| No. 5 [[1948 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma]]
| 14
| No. 3 [[1948 North Carolina Tar Heels football team|North Carolina]]
| 6
|-
| [[1949 Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl]]
| [[1948 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]]
| 41
| No. 8 [[1948 Georgia Bulldogs football team|Georgia]]
| 28
|-
| [[1949 Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton Bowl]]
| No. 10 [[1948 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]
| 21
| No. 9 [[1948 Oregon Webfoots football team|Oregon]]
| 13
|}

===Other bowls===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Bowl game
! colspan="2" | Winning team
! colspan="2" | Losing team
|-
| [[1949 Sun Bowl|Sun Bowl]]
| [[1948 West Virginia Mountaineers football team|West Virginia]]
| 21
| [[1948 Texas Mines Miners football team|Texas Mines]]
| 12
|-
| [[1949 Gator Bowl|Gator Bowl]]
| No. 11 [[1948 Clemson Tigers football team|Clemson]]
| 24
| [[1948 Missouri Tigers football team|Missouri]]
| 23
|-
| [[1949 Tangerine Bowl|Tangerine Bowl]]
| [[1948 Murray State Thoroughbreds football team|Murray State]]
| 21
| [[1948 Sul Ross Lobos football team|Sul Ross]]
| 21
|-
| [[1949 Dixie Bowl|Dixie Bowl]]
| [[1948 Baylor Bears football team|Baylor]]
| 20
| No. 20 [[1948 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team|Wake Forest]]
| 7
|-
| [[1949 Raisin Bowl (January)|Raisin Bowl]]
| [[1948 Occidental Tigers football team|Occidental]]
| 21
| [[1948 Colorado A&M Aggies football team|Colorado A&M]]
| 20
|-
| [[1949 Harbor Bowl|Harbor Bowl]]
| [[1948 Villanova Wildcats football team|Villanova]]
| 27
| [[1948 Nevada Wolf Pack football team|Nevada]]
| 7
|-
| [[1949 Salad Bowl|Salad Bowl]]
| [[1948 Drake Bulldogs football team|Drake]]
| 14
| [[1948 Arizona Wildcats football team|Arizona]]
| 13
|-
| [[1949 Delta Bowl|Delta Bowl]]
| No. 17 [[1948 William & Mary Indians football team|William & Mary]]
| 20
| [[1948 Oklahoma A&M Cowboys football team|Oklahoma A&M]]
| 0
|-
| [[Fruit Bowl]]
| [[1948 Southern Jaguars football team|Southern]]
| 30
| [[1948 San Francisco State Gators football team|San Francisco State]]
| 0
|-
| [[Grape Bowl]]
| [[1948 Hardin–Simmons Cowboys football team|Hardin–Simmons]]
| 35
| [[1948 Pacific Tigers football team|Pacific]]
| 35
|-
| [[Shrine Bowl]]
| [[1948 Hardin–Simmons Cowboys football team|Hardin–Simmons]]
| 40
| [[Ouachita Baptist Tigers football|Ouachita Baptist]]
| 12
|-
| [[Camellia Bowl (1948)|Camellia Bowl]]
| [[1948 Hardin–Simmons Cowboys football team|Hardin–Simmons]]
| 49
| [[1948 Wichita Shockers football team|Wichita]]
| 12
|}

==Heisman Trophy voting==
''The [[Heisman Trophy]] is given to the year's most outstanding player''

{| class="wikitable"
! Player !! School !! Position !! Total
|-
| '''[[Doak Walker]]''' || '''[[1948 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]''' || '''HB''' || '''778'''
|-
| [[Charlie Justice (halfback)|Charlie Justice]] || [[1948 North Carolina Tar Heels football team|North Carolina]] || HB || 443
|-
| [[Chuck Bednarik]] || [[1948 Penn Quakers football team|Penn]] || C || 336
|-
| [[Jackie Jensen]] || [[1948 California Golden Bears football team|California]] || HB || 143
|-
| [[Stan Heath (gridiron football)|Stan Heath]] || [[1948 Nevada Wolf Pack football team|Nevada]] || QB || 113
|-
| [[Norm Van Brocklin]] || [[1948 Oregon Webfoots football team|Oregon]] || QB || 83
|-
| [[Emil Sitko]] || [[1948 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] || FB/HB || 73
|-
| [[Jack Mitchell (American football)|Jack Mitchell]] || [[1948 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma]] || QB || 68
|}
'''Source:''' <ref name=stptapht>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6C5PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EU4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4246%2C5160937 |work=St. Petersburg Times |location=(Florida) |agency=United Press |title=Heisman Trophy to be awarded to Doak Walker |date=December 1, 1948 |page=21}}</ref><!--<ref name=pplnsmu>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hWYcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Jk4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5813%2C5606332
|work=Pittsburgh Press |agency=United Press |title=SMU star to get Heisman award |date=November 30, 1948 |page=30}}</ref>--><ref name=hagth>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lS1WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hOUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6801%2C186699  |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Heisman trophy given to Doak Walker |date=December 1, 1948 |page=14}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[1948 College Football All-America Team]]
<!--* [[1948 NCAA football rankings]]-->

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{NCAA football season navbox}}

[[Category:1948 college football season| ]]