Dunkel Index
 | |
| Abbreviation | DuS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1929 |
| Purpose | college football ratings, national championship selections |
| Website | https://www.dunkelindex.com/ |
The Dunkel Index, also known as the Dunkel College Football Index,[1][2] is a sports team rating system and pick service originally developed in 1929 by Richard C. "Dick" Dunkel, Sr. (1906–1975) to mathematically calculate the best college football teams.[3] Dunkel rated college football teams from 1929 until his death in 1975.[4] His ratings are recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in its Football Bowl Subdivision record book.[4] The NCAA describes Dunkel's methodology as a "power index system."[4] Dunkel described his system an index and claimed that "his difference by scores is scientifically produced."[5] It was cited as the first college football ratings system.[6]
From the late 1930s through the early 1960s, Dunkel also hosted a weekly radio program called "Dick Dunkel Football Forecasts".[7][8][9]
Dunkel died at age 69 in December 1975 at Daytona Beach, Florida.[10] From 1975 to 2002, Dunkel's son, Dick Dunkel, Jr., continued to issue ratings,[4] but the popularity of the syndicated service declined. Starting in 2002, the rankings were prepared jointly by Dick Dunkel, Jr., Bob Dunkel, and John Duck, executive producer of the Daytona Beach News Journal.[4]
Dunkel college football national champions
[edit]The following list identifies the college football national champions as selected by the Dunkel Index, according to the 2015 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records book.[4]
† Dunkel's archived official website gives USC as its 2007 selection,[11] while the 2017 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records book lists Dunkel's selection as LSU.[12]: 112
The July, 2023, website for the Dunkel Index displays revised rankings for seasons from 2002 to the present, based on "index rating for the season adjusted by won/loss record", which results in different top-ranked teams (compared to the Dunkel "pure index rating") for the 2005 through 2010 seasons.[13]
Other sports
[edit]Dunkel started continuously issuing college basketball ratings in 1935.[14] Weekly ratings were eventually distributed by Converse, Sears, and Pabst Brewing Company starting as early as 1939.[15][16][17][18][19] After Dick passed down duties to his son, Dick Jr. and his brother Bob began rating professional basketball and football teams. Today, sports include football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and soccer.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Simple, says Dunkel". Tucson Daily Citizen. November 11, 1976. p. 43.
- ^ "Dunkel rates Huskers fourth". Columbus Telegram. November 27, 1974. p. 50.
- ^ "About Us". Dunkel Index. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2015). "National Poll Rankings" (PDF). NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA. pp. 105–106. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 9, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ "Dick Dunkel". The Daily Standard (MO). September 9, 1966. p. 4.
- ^ Dunkel: Oldest Index in US, web: The Sacramento Bee, 31 August 1978, retrieved 13 March 2023
- ^ "Football Forecast on KRNR Program". The News-Review. October 20, 1938. p. 8.
- ^ "Spotlight Features". The Lincoln Star. October 17, 1939.
- ^ "Tonight". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. November 24, 1939.
- ^ "Dick Dunkel Dies". Cumberland Evening Times. December 5, 1975. p. 13.
- ^ a b Dunkel, Bob. "Final 2007: Trojans Finish Ranked No. 1". The Dunkel Index. Archived from the original on September 6, 2008. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
LSU was able to beat Ohio State (38-24) to claim its second BCS championship, but it was USC that finished with the top rating in the Index after dismantling Illinois in the Rose Bowl (49-17). The Trojans' domination of the Illini -- a team that had beaten Ohio State on the road during the final weeks of the regular season -- vaulted USC to the top spot while the Tigers finished No. 2.
- ^ 2017 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. July 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
- ^ Dunkel, Bob. "FBS 2023 Teams Rankings". The Dunkel Index. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "College B". The York Daily News-Times. York, Nebraska. October 26, 1943. p. 1. Retrieved March 4, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Short Shots from the Sidelines". Hattiesburg American. March 24, 1939. p. 7. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ Reid, Jack (March 22, 1940). "Just Stuff". The Springfield Daily News. Springfield, Ohio. p. 22. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ Walt Dobbins (January 5, 1944). "I May Be Wrong". The Nebraska State Journal. p. 7.
- ^ "Four New Teams Rated in Top Ten". Delaware County Daily Times. January 23, 1947. p. 31.
- ^ Figone, Albert J. (2012). Cheating the Spread: Gamblers, Point Shavers, and Game Fixers in College Football and Basketball. Sport and Society. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-03728-3.