| 1923 college football season | ||
|---|---|---|
 Illinois Fighting Illini | ||
| Number of bowls | 1 | |
| Bowl games | January 1, 1924 | |
| Champion(s) | Illinois Michigan | |
| ||
The 1923 college football season saw several teams finish their seasons unbeaten and untied. As such, numerous schools claim a national championship for the 1923 season. Illinois (coached by Bob Zuppke) and Michigan (coached by Fielding "Hurry-Up" Yost), both members of what is now the Big Ten Conference, finished with records of 8–0 and were selected as national champion by multiple selectors. Illinois featured break-out star Red Grange.[1][2] Ivy League teams Yale and Cornell also had undefeated seasons. Cornell was selected as national champion by one selector.
Southern Methodist University (SMU) had a record of 9–0, thanks to coach Ray Morrison bringing the forward pass to the southwest.[3] Teams that had no defeats, but had been tied, were California (9–0–1), Texas (8–0–1), and Kansas (5–0–3).
In the 1924 Rose Bowl, Washington tied Navy 14–14.
- ^ "Ghost of Illinois". ESPN. Retrieved May 18, 2008.
- ^ Carroll, John M (2004). Red Grange and the Rise of Modern Football. ISBN 9780252071669.
- ^ Schmidt, Raymond (2007). Shaping College Football. ISBN 9780815608868.