1942 College Football Recap
Ohio State won its first national championship in Paul Brown's second year at the helm. The 34-year-old Brown, who would later become one of pro football's greatest coaches, guided the Buckeyes to a 6–1–1 record his first season, then improved it to 9–1.
OSU's only setback was a midseason 17–7 loss to Wisconsin. The Badgers, who had last won the Big Ten championship in 1912, finished the season ranked No.3, blowing their shot at the national and conference titles by dropping a 6–0 decision to Iowa a week after beating Ohio State.
No.2 Georgia also stumbled in the stretch. The Bulldogs, led by Heisman Trophy-winning fullback Frank Sinkwich, were 9–0 and heavily favored when they met 4–4–1 Auburn in their next to last game of the regular season. Auburn stunned the SEC champs, 27–13, but Georgia came back to finish with two shutouts, wrecking No.5 Georgia Tech, 34–0, then besting UCLA, 9–0, in the Rose Bowl.
Upset of the year? Holy Cross throttling Boston College, 55–12, on Thanksgiving at Fenway park. BC, the best team in the East, entered the game with an 8–0 record. The Eagles finished at No.8, then lost the Orange Bowl to No.10 Alabama.
Fourth-ranked Tulsa, the Missouri Valley champion, was the only Top 20 team to go undefeated over the regular season, but fell to No.7 Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl.
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