 national champions were rewarded later in the 30s, 40s, and 50s, and then the polls were created, had somewhat credible rankings. In 1906 through 1924, that was when the game got dangerous, right? That's when they started learning more about this game, and the more they developed the game, the more dangerous it got. 19 high school players and college players died due to football injuries in 1905. Here's another interesting little factoid for you.