The Dickinson System was a mathematical point formula that awarded national championships in

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 in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

. Devised by

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Frank G. Dickinson, the system crowned national champions from 1925 to 1940. Dickinson also compiled retroactive rankings for 1924. 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. The Dickinson System was the first to gain widespread national public and media acceptance as a "major selector", according to the NCAA Football Records Book 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. 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 Knut ( Norwegian and Swedish), Knud ( Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic) is a Scandinavian, German, and Dutch first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany both "Knut" and "Knud" are used. In Spanish and Portuguese Canuto is used ...

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, the AP 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 5 pts vs. strong team, 10 pts vs. weak team and ties are considered as games half won and half lost 2.5 points vs. strong, 15 vs. weak 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

References

{{Sports rating systems College football championships College football awards organizations