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 ranked national teams from 1924 to 1940. The 1924 ratings were made retroactively by Dickinson during the 1925 college football season, the first in which a number 1 team was designated at the end of the season. The retroactive choice on October 16, 1925, for the 1924 season was Notre Dame.
The system was originally designed to rank teams in the Big Nine 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.
The Dickinson System was the first to gain widespread national public and media acceptance as a "major selector" according to the NCAA prior to the establishment of the Associated Press poll in 1936.

Trophies

Rissman Trophy

The original Dickinson System prize was the Rissman Trophy, named after Chicago clothing manufacturer Jack F. Rissman, 'a trophy to go to the team which would be scientifically picked by the Dickensen system of rating '.
The Rissman Trophy was permanently awarded to Notre Dame following their third Dickinson title in 1930.

Rockne Trophy

Following the retirement of the Rissman Trophy and the death of Knute Rockne in early 1931, the second Dickinson trophy was named the Knute Rockne Intercollegiate Memorial Trophy.
Minnesota retired the Rockne Trophy after winning their third Dickinson title in 1940.

Methodology

An explanation for the mathematical calculations was usually given as part of the story of the season ending rankings. In 1927, an Associated Press story about the "national football championship" for that year noted that "Scores of 96 football teams were compiled by Dr. Dickinson in seven football conferences, including an Eastern group of 25 leading teams regarded for convenience as a conference... The Dickinson system awards 30 points for a victory over a strong team, and 20 for victory over a weak team. Defeats count half as much as victories , and ties are considered as games half won and half lost . Dividing this total by the number of games played gives the final rating." Professor Dickinson later added another variable, a "sectional rating" which provided for different points in games where the teams were from different sections of the country.

Annual rankings

SeasonNo. 1No. 2No. 3No. 4No. 5No. 6No. 7No. 8No. 9No. 10No. 11Source
1924Notre Dame California Yale Illinois Stanford Iowa USC Penn Dartmouth Missouri Chicago
1925Dartmouth Tie:
Michigan
Alabama 		--Colgate Missouri Tulane Washington Tie:
Wisconsin
Stanford 		--Pittsburgh Lafayette
1926Stanford Navy Tie:
Michigan
Notre Dame 		--Lafayette USC Alabama Ohio State Army 4-Way Tie:
Brown
Illinois
Northwestern
Penn 		--
1927Illinois Pittsburgh Minnesota Notre Dame Yale Army Michigan Georgia Nebraska USC Texas A&M
1928USC California Georgia Tech Tie:
Stanford 19.17
Wisconsin 		--3-way tie:
Carnegie Tech
Illinois
Iowa 		----Army NYU Penn
1929Notre Dame Purdue Pittsburgh California Illinois USC Nebraska TCU SMU Tulane Penn
1930Notre Dame Washington State Alabama Northwestern Michigan USC Stanford Dartmouth Army Tennessee Tulane
1931USC Tulane Tennessee Northwestern Saint Mary's Georgia Harvard Yale Pittsburgh Purdue Notre Dame
1932Michigan USC Pittsburgh Purdue Colgate Ohio State Notre Dame Army Tennessee TCU Wisconsin
1933Michigan Nebraska Minnesota Pittsburgh Ohio State USC Princeton Oregon Army Purdue Stanford
1934Minnesota Pittsburgh Navy Illinois Rice Alabama Columbia Ohio State Colgate Stanford Tulane
1935SMU Minnesota Princeton LSU Tie:
Stanford
California 		--Ohio State TCU Notre Dame UCLA Fordham
1936Minnesota LSU Pittsburgh Washington Alabama Northwestern Notre Dame Duke Penn Nebraska Duquesne
1937Pittsburgh Fordham Dartmouth Alabama Nebraska Yale California LSU Santa Clara Notre Dame Minnesota
1938Notre Dame Duke Tennessee USC Oklahoma Michigan Minnesota TCU Alabama Carnegie Tech Pittsburgh
1939USC Texas A&M Cornell Tulane Tennessee Notre Dame Michigan Duke Missouri UCLA Iowa
1940Minnesota Michigan Stanford Tennessee Texas A&M Penn Mississippi State SMU Texas Nebraska Northwestern