The 1899 college football season rankings included a ranking by New York City newspaper The Sun.[1][2]
The Sun
In December 1899, New York City newspaper The Sun published a column detailing "how the leading elevens are impartially rated."[1]
Eastern teams
The Sun's top-seven list contained only Eastern teams, without stating that specifically.[1]
| Rank | Team[1] | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard | 10–0–1 |
| 2 | Princeton | 12–1 |
| 3 | Lafayette | 12–1 |
| 4 | Carlisle | 9–2 |
| 5 | Penn | 8–3–2 |
| 6 | Cornell | 7–3 |
| 7 | Columbia | 9–3 |
Western teams
The column in The Sun also separately ranked the top two teams in the West.[1]
| Rank | Team[1] | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago | 16–0–2 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 9–2 |
References
- ^ a b c d e f "In the Football World — How the Leading Elevens are Impartially Rated — Harvard, Princeton, Lafayette and the Indians Top the List". The Sun. December 4, 1899. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
With the football season at an end, the critics are busily engaged in reviewing the various big games and in rating the leading elevens according to merit. Impartial judges place Harvard at the top of the heap, for the simple reason that the Crimson did not suffer a defeat.
- ^ Jenkins, Dan (September 11, 1967). Laguerre, André (ed.). "This Year The Fight Will Be In The Open". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 27, no. 11. Chicago. pp. 28–34. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
Polls and systems to determine the No. 1 team are not nearly so ancient as the mere naming of the "intercollegiate champion" by a Casper Whitney or a J. Parmly Paret.