The 1927 college football season ended with the Illini of the University of Illinois (7–0–1) being recognized as champion under the Dickinson System.

[1] In the Rose Bowl, the Pittsburgh Panthers (8–0–1) were invited to play against the Pacific Coast Conference champion.

The move was for both safety reasons and to de-emphasize the kicking game[2] September 17 Washington defeated Willamette 32–6.

Yale beat Bowdoin 41–0; The Western Conference (later the Big Ten) teams opened their seasons.

November 12 USC beat Colorado 46–7; (6–1–0) Army faced off against (5–0–1) Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium.

Drake, which played against Navy, Pitt, Minnesota, Notre Dame and UCLA, would finish at 3–6–0 Army beat Ursinus College 13–0; Yale closed its season hosting Harvard, and won 14–0; Illinois defeated Ohio State, 13–0 At Ann Arbor, (5–0–2) Minnesota visited (6–1–0) Michigan.

Pitt, with a record of 8–0–1, had outscored its opponents 283 to 20, with seven shutouts, and was selected to meet Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

November 26 Notre Dame (6–1–1) and USC (7–0–1) played before an estimated record crowd of 123,000[3] (Reported as 117,000 in the Chicago Tribune)[4] at Soldier Field in Chicago, with Notre Dame winning 7–6 (on the strength of a blocked extra point attempt) to hand the Trojans their first loss.

[5] In the Army–Navy Game, played before a crowd of 70,000 at the Polo Grounds in New York, Army came back from 9–0 at halftime to win 14–9.

In the Army–Navy Game, played before a crowd of 70,000 at the Polo Grounds in New York, Army came back from 9–0 at halftime to win 14–9.

The Yellow Jackets undid the Bulldogs' hopes for a perfect season, winning 12–0 As the only post-season college football game, the Rose Bowl sought an East-West matchup between the best available eastern team and the PCC champion.

In 1927, the Pitt Panthers had finished the season at 8–0–1, with seven shutouts against various levels of opposition, while Stanford had won the Pacific Coast Conference going 8–2–1.

Stanford Punter Frankie Wilton had been the "goat" of the 1927 Rose Bowl, after an Alabama defender broke through the line, blocked his kick, and set up the Tide's tying touchdown.

Wilton lost the ball after being hit on his own 20 yard line, and Pitt's Jimmy Hagan ran the fumble in for a touchdown.