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Can someone please explain this to me. I read it in this book written by SMU alum, Jim Dent. I also looked it up on several websites and Minnesota is listed as the National Champion in '35. Were we Div-IIA ??? Were we co-champions??? I don't get it. Here's a link to one site I found. This makes me think that our 1 national title isn't even legitimate although I feel that we got screwed in '82.

<A HREF="http://sharkfeet.tripod.com/pastnationalchamps.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://sharkfeet.tripod.com/pastnationalchamps.htm</A>

There were several different polls back then, I believe the AP poll started the next year in 1936 to help clear some of this up. Basically, editors and writers around the country had their own polls and posted who they thought was the national champ. There is a listing somewhere (maybe ncaa.com) of the polls from that year and who they ranked what. I think SMU was ranked no 1 in like 4 of them, Minnesota was no 1 in 3 of them, and other teams got some votes, example, TCU is listed by one poll as the 1935 champs so they claim it also. But the Frogs don't just "co-claim" it, they have this argument that their poll was better than the other 9 or whatever. As you can see it gets confusing and that's why in many years, there is no clear champ, just different teams listed under different polls.

S.M.U. was officially ranked #1 right after the T.C.U. game. We have a picture of the trophy being presented to prove it! However, right after we lost the Rose Bowl game, and T.C.U. won the Sugar Bowl, they were then ranked #1 and we were ranked #2. We also have a newsreel of the T.C.U. game highlights in which we are called the nation's #1 team.

Well, we don't really have any bigger claim than TCU...we were only selected in two polls. Seems to me like Minnesota had the most votes....or maybe I just can't count...hmm. Anyway, I'm still claiming it.
From the NCAA website (http://www.ncaa.org/champadmin/ia_footb ... hamps.html):

1935
LSU: Williamson*
Minnesota: Billingsley, Boand, Football Research, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling
Princeton: Dunkel
Southern Methodist: Dickinson, Houlgate
TCU: Williamson*

Go Mustangs! 1935 National Champions!

And if you all didn't know, the Dunkel system, one of the formulas used by the BCS, has ties to my hometown

It is currently run by John Duck (1996-present), systems director of the Daytona Beach News-Journal (FL), and some of the Dunkels.

Now you know...Hooray for Daytona Beach. Heh...