**Update 07/25/2024**: Discovered through some online digging that Texas A&M did in fact go through the BRC process and was awarded a retroactive AFCA Coaches Trophy for the 1939 team. Credit to Aggie fan/alumni Robert Villaronga for the trophy picture.

AFCA Blue Ribbon Commission Champion 1939

Teams named national champions by NCAA-designated selectors
(Underline: Claimed title for the season; +: co-champion selection)

	Cornell	Southern Cal	Tennessee	Texas A&M
Record	8-0	8-0-2	10-1	11-0
Opponent Win %	0.585	0.574	0.471	0.518
+.500 Opponent	4	4	4	7
Average PF-PA	24.6-6.5	18.1-3.3	19.3-1.3	19.3-2.8
FBS Record	8-0	8-0-2	8-1	11-0
FBS Opponent Win %	0.585	0.574	0.471	0.518
Average FBS PF-PA	24.6-6.5	18.1-3.3	18.6-1.6	19.3-2.8
Conference Record	Independent	5-0-2	6-0	7-0
Non-Home Games	3	4 ^	5	6
SOS (S-R/BR)	6/57	42/2	69/27	30/5

This is a pretty small pool of teams for this season. The easy one to cull from the herd is Tennessee. The Volunteers, who did have some support from a couple CFBDW selectors, went through the regular season unbeaten, untied, and unscored on en-route to a #2 ranking in the final AP Poll. However, their schedule is probably the easiest one to poke holes in, as they faced only 2 Top 25-caliber teams (Alabama, USC), 1 team pushing for consideration (Kentucky), 2 non-FBS teams, and only 4 teams with winning records. Add in a shutout loss at the Rose Bowl to USC, I believe that Tennessee will not have a great case for consideration from the BRC.

This leads me to USC, who did capture the Dickinson System’s title for this season. The Trojans faced 4 Top 25-caliber teams (Notre Dame, Oregon State, Tennessee, UCLA), the most of any of the contenders. All 4 of those games would take place away from the Trojans’ home field, although the Rose Bowl could be considered a de-facto home game due to location. Those 4 teams would also be the only teams on the schedule with winning records. The Bruins would play USC to a scoreless draw, and Oregon (the only other top 50 team faced despite a losing record) would manage to play USC to a draw at home in the season opener. In most instances, the win over the Volunteers in Pasadena would help strengthen USC’s case. However, that game was also not the only postseason matchup with unbeaten teams this year.

Cornell, who appeared in the contender lists for 1922 and 1923, find themselves in the BRC window for the final time thanks to an 8-0 record. The Big Red was named recipient of the Lambert Trophy as the best team of the East for this season. Their SOS is a hard one to get a read on as shown in the table above, as the math can range from being “really good” to “eh, not so much”. The Big Red did play the most home-heavy schedule based on percentage, as only 3 of their games were on the road. With 4 of their opponents sporting winning records, that helps them out compared to Tennessee and USC, who played the same number of opponents over more games. Cornell played 2 Top 25-caliber teams (Ohio State, Princeton) and 1 other team in pushing consideration (Penn State), with 2 of those 3 taking place on the road. Thanks to having the best scoring offense of the group, the Big Red ended up with the best average scoring margin in their games. 1 contemporary NCAA-designated selector (Litkenhous) went with Cornell as national champion for this year. Cornell had an opportunity to strengthen their case, as they apparently had been offered the Rose Bowl bid before Tennessee, but the school leadership turned down the bid.

Finally, we have Texas A&M, who posted a perfect record on the year as well. The Aggies played the least home-heavy schedule of the group, as only 5 of their games took place in College Station. They played 3 Top 25-caliber opponents (Santa Clara, SMU, Tulane) and 2 others pushing for Top 25 consideration (Baylor, Villanova) among an all-FBS schedule. While their opponent win percentages were bested only Tennessee, A&M also played the most teams with winning records. That fact there helps the case for having the best SOS of the contenders, as they’ve had the least amount of variance between ratings (as seen above). In another postseason matchup of unbeatens, the Aggies overcame SEC co-champ Tulane in their home stadium thanks to a blocked PAT and scoring drive in the 4th quarter to win the Sugar Bowl. Texas A&M received the overwhelming support of NCAA-designated selections, including the AP Poll and the 5 remaining selectors that didn’t go with Cornell and USC.

I think who has the best case with the Blue Ribbon Commission ultimately comes down to Cornell and Texas A&M. The Big Red had the best scoring offense and scoring margin, while the Aggies had the best scoring defense and most games away from home. Cornell’s schedule was half-full of top 50 caliber teams, while A&M’s was just over half-full of top 50 teams and faced more teams either Top 25-caliber or within consideration (5 for the Aggies compared to 3 for the Big Red). Cornell defeated their top 50 caliber competition by better margins than A&M did. However, Cornell struggled at home against 2 weaker teams, while A&M’s struggles were against Top 25-caliber teams. Texas A&M also played a more nationally impactful schedule, with their wins over Santa Clara, Tulane, and Villanova. Cornell’s only game out of the East region (which was no longer held in the regard it was up through the 1920s) was against Ohio State. I think the postseason game ends up providing the difference, as Cornell probably could’ve benefitted with another intersectional game over another ranked/rated opponent. I think with the amount of selector favor, Texas A&M will be the Tier 1 as having the best case for the retroactive Coaches Trophy. However, Cornell is firmly the Tier 2 team as the only other perfect team and because they do compare well in aspects to the Aggies; it wouldn’t surprise me if AFCA actually went with the Big Red over the Aggies or name both co-champions. Southern California is Tier 3 due to the blemishes on the record.

Tier 1 (Best case to be awarded AFCA Trophy): Texas A&M
Tier 2 (Legitimate case for champion/co-champion): Cornell
Tier 3 (Minor Contender, could make a case): Southern California
Tier 4 (Not Serious Contenders): Tennessee