The 1935 college football season was the last one before the Associated Press (AP) writers' poll was used in selecting the national champion.

There were seven contemporary math system selectors that year who are informally recognized by the NCAA as "nationwide in scope".

In a game against visiting Franklin & Marshall, the Rams were losing until they scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter for a 14–7 win.

Notre Dame (3–0) and Pittsburgh, both 3–0–0, met at South Bend, with the Fighting Irish handing Pitt its first loss, 9–6.

Minnesota beat Northwestern at home 21–13 and Ohio State won at Indiana 28–6 Fordham defeated Lebanon Valley College 15–0.

With 90 seconds left, Andy Pilney passed to Mike Layden for a touchdown, but the extra point failed and the Irish trailed 13–12.

With only one play left in the game, reserve quarterback Bill Shakespeare passed to Wayne Milner for the 18–13 win.

With William Shakespeare at left halfback for the Irish, and Henry Wardsworth Longfellow playing right end for the Wildcats, the game looked like no more than a meeting of literary namesakes.

Fordham beat Muhlenberg College 45–0 at the Polo Grounds, while Notre Dame and Army played to a 6–6 tie at Yankee Stadium.

UCLA beat Loyola Marymount 14–6 Notre Dame closed its season with a 20–13 win over USC.

On Thanksgiving Day, November 28 a crowd of 78,000 turned out at Yankee Stadium to watch Fordham (5–1–2) face New York University (7–1–0).

Fordham shut out NYU 21–0, but not before a fight broke out with the spectators crowding the field,[8] Pittsburgh (6–1–0) and Carnegie Tech (2–5–0) played to a 0–0 tie.

November 30 The most eagerly watched game of the season matched two unbeaten (10–0–0) teams, with Texas Christian (10–0–0) hosting Southern Methodist.

December 14 In San Francisco, UCLA closed its season with a 13–7 win over St. Mary's, while in Los Angeles, Pittsburgh beat USC 12–7.

[10] Alan J. Gould, creator of the AP writer's poll that would begin in the following year, named Minnesota, Princeton, and SMU co-champions.

In New Orleans, the second annual Sugar Bowl pitted TCU (11–1) against Southeastern Conference champion LSU (9–1) before a crowd of 38,000.

TCU's Sammy Baugh was forced out of the end zone on a pass attempt, and the safety gave LSU a 2–0 lead.

Two minutes later, Baugh drove the Frogs to the 17-yard line, setting up Taldon Malton's field goal.

The final score was TCU 3, LSU 2 [12] In Miami, the second annual Orange Bowl matched Ole Miss (9–2) against unheralded Catholic University (8–1).

In 1935, it was presented by the Downtown Athletic Club (DAC) in Manhattan, New York, a privately owned recreation facility near the site of the former World Trade Center.

Larry Kelley, the second winner of the award was the first man to win it officially named as the "Heisman Trophy.