| 1947 college football season | ||
|---|---|---|
| First AP No. 1 of season | Notre Dame[1] | |
| Number of bowls | 13 | |
| Champion(s) | Notre Dame (AP) Michigan (various[2]) | |
| Heisman | Johnny Lujack (quarterback, Notre Dame) | |
| ||
The 1947 college football season finished with Notre Dame, Michigan, and Penn State all unbeaten and untied, but the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame were the first place choice for 107 of the 142 voters in the final AP Poll in early December, and repeated as national champions.[3] Michigan was selected for the top spot by six contemporary math systems.[4]
Second-ranked Michigan met #8 USC in the Rose Bowl and won 49–0, while fourth-ranked Penn State was tied 13–13 by #3 SMU in the Cotton Bowl; Notre Dame didn't participate in the postseason for over four decades (until the 1969 season). An unofficial post-bowl AP poll was conducted with Michigan and Notre Dame as the only options, and Michigan won by a vote of 226 to 119.[5]
During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for the college football teams that would later be described as "Division I-A". The NCAA did recognize a national champion based upon the final results of the Associated Press poll of sportswriters (the United Press Coaches Poll started in 1950). The extent of that recognition came in the form of acknowledgment in the annual NCAA Football Guide of the "unofficial" national champions.[6]