College football in the 1940s...

...started out pretty much where it left off from the 1930s. The first two years had Minnesota ranked number one, followed by all the usual suspects. Except that in 1940, Hardin-Simmons (who?), a Baptist College in Texas, joined the rankings at number 17. I guess they needed to show those northern Catholics that they could play this new-fangled sport, too, if only for one season. The Cowboys never returned to the top twenty.

1943 saw the Fighting Irish capture the top spot for the first time and Army took the next two titles, in 1944 and '45. But a closer look at the polls in 1943 and '44 reveal some teams I had never heard of: Iowa Pre-Flight, Great Lakes, Del Monte Pre-Flight, March Field, Bainbridge, Randolph Field, Norman Pre-Flight, El Toro Marines, Fort Pierce, and St. Mary's Pre-Flight. How come I had never heard of these schools? And how come they never made another ranking after 1944? Were they aliens just visiting this planet? It turns out they weren't schools after all. They were "service teams," i.e. flight schools and training centers for the various branches of the military. Apparently, several colleges, including almost the entire SEC, suspended football in 1943 and '44 due to the War. So the remaining schools played these service teams and they were included in the AP final rankings.

By 1945, things look normal again, except that St. Mary's of California (who?) finished the season at number seven, ahead of Notre Dame, Texas, USC, and Ohio State.

The rest of the 1940s saw Notre Dame and Michigan dominate the top spots, but it's worth mentioning some other schools that experienced their fifteen minutes of fame: Colorado College, the University of the Pacific (who?), Columbia, Rice, Delaware, and William & Mary.