1960 college football season

The 1960 college football season was the 92nd season of intercollegiate football in the United States. Five teams have a claim to the 1960 major college national championship:

• Minnesota (8–2) tied for the Big Ten championship and was ranked No. 1 in the final AP and UPI polls. Minnesota lost to Washington in the Rose Bowl, but the final polls were issued prior to the bowl games, leaving intact Minnesota's claim as AP and UPI national champion.

• Ole Miss (10–0–1) won the SEC championship and defeated Rice in the Sugar Bowl. After the bowl games, Ole Miss was selected by the Football Writers Association of America as national champion. Ole Miss has also been recognized as national champion by six other selectors, including the National Championship Foundation and College Football Researchers Association.

• Missouri lost their final game of the regular season 7–23 to rival Kansas on November 19, but on December 8 the Big Eight faculty committee ruled a Kansas player ineligible and ordered the Jayhawks to forfeit their last two victories. Missouri, therefore, officially ended the season 11–0 rather than 10–1 after defeating No. 5 Navy in the Orange Bowl. They were recognized by the Poling System as the national champion.

• Iowa (8–1) tied for the Big Ten championship, was ranked No. 2 in the final UPI poll, and was recognized as national champion in the Litkenhous Ratings.

• Washington (10–1) was ranked No. 5 in the final UPI poll. After the final polls, Washington defeated No. 1 Minnesota in the Rose Bowl and was declared national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation.

Other major college teams compiling undefeated and untied records were Yale (9–0, AP No. 14) and New Mexico State (11–0, AP No. 17, top scoring offense [37.4 points per game]). At the small college level, Ohio (10–0) was recognized as the small college national champion by both the AP and UPI; Southern (9–1) was recognized as the black college national champion; and Lenoir Rhyne (11–0–1) defeated Humboldt State in the Holiday Bowl to win the NAIA national championship.

Navy halfback Joe Bellino won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award. Statistical leaders in major college football in 1960 included UCLA quarterback Billy Kilmer with 1,889 yards of total offense, Wake Forest quarterback Norm Snead with 1,676 passing yards, Washington State end Hugh Campbell with 66 receptions for 881 yards, and New Mexico State halfback Bob Gaiters with 1,338 rushing yards and 145 points scored.