FBS: CFP College Football National Winners by Year, All-Time Champions List Since 1869, history.

College football national championship history

For almost all of college football’s 150 years, there was no formal top-level championship. And now that there is, we still debate who gets to compete and how seriously to take it.

Lots of teams claim lots of old titles. In almost every year, that’s justifiable. But going all the way back to the beginning, historians and mathematicians have made their picks for each season’s closest thing to a champions.

They’ve been joined by media polls, coaches’ polls, more advanced computer systems, and so on. Many of those are listed as “selectors” by the NCAA, though the governing body has never been in charge of the top-level football title.

However, in 2014, the College Football Playoff introduced a four-team format to solve this problem. The CFP replaced the previous method of using media polls, coaches polls and computer systems.

List of FBS College Football National Champions by Year 1869-2025

The all-time ‘consensus’ national championships list.

The College Football Playoff era

YEAR -- CHAMPION - SELECTING ORGANIZATION - Record

To be crowned College Football National Champions is the ultimate prize of every 131 FBS program. Across the country, teams fight for one goal, a national championship. As only one team can win for a single year, these teams have the distinct honor of calling themselves national champions forever.

2024 -- Ohio State - 14-2 CFP

2023 -- Michigan, 15-0 - CFP

2022 -- Georgia, 15-0 - CFP

2021 -- Georgia 14-1 - CFP

2020 -- Alabama 13-0 - CFP

2019 -- LSU 15-0 - CFP

2018 -- Clemson 15-0 - CFP

2017 -- Alabama 13-1 - CFP -- ( Though Undefeated UCF’s claim is reasonable, with a No.1 ranking in one NCAA.)

2016 -- Clemson 14-1 - CFP

2015 -- Alabama 14–1 - CFP

2014 -- Ohio State 14–1 - CFP

The BCS era

2013 -- Florida State 14–0 - BCS

2012 -- Alabama 13-1 - BCS -- ( Ohio State was unbeaten, but bowl-banned.)

2011 -- Alabama 12-1 - BCS

2010 -- Auburn 14-0 - BCS

2009 -- Alabama 14-0 - BCS

2008 -- Florida 13-1 - BCS

2007 -- Louisiana State 12-1 - BCS

2006 -- Florida 13-1 - BCS

2005 -- Texas 13-0 - BCS

2004 -- Southern California - BCS - VACATED

2003 -- Louisiana State 13-1, Southern California 12-1 - BCS, AP, FWAA

2002 -- Ohio State 14-0 - BCS

2001 -- Miami (Fla.) 12-0 - BCS

2000 -- Oklahoma 13-0 - BCS

1999 -- Florida State 12-0 - BCS

1998 -- Tennessee 13-0 - BCS

The Bowl Coalition/Alliance era

1997 -- Michigan, 12-0; Nebraska, 13-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/ESPN

1996 -- Florida 12-1 -- AP, FWAA, NFF,USA/CNN

1995 -- Nebraska 12-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1994 -- Nebraska 13-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1993 -- Florida St. 12-1 -- AP, FWAA,NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1992 -- Alabama 13-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

The Polls Era

1991 -- Miami (FL), 12-0; Washington, 12-0 -- FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI,AP

1990 -- Colorado 11-1-1, Georgia Tech 11-0-1 -- FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, AP, UPI

1989 -- Miami (Fla.) 11-1 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1988 -- Notre Dame 12-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1987 -- Miami (Fla.) 12-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1986 -- Penn State 12-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1985 -- Oklahoma 11-1 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1984 -- Brigham Young 13-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1983 -- Miami (Fla.) 11-1 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1982 -- Penn State 12-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1981 -- Clemson 12-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1980 -- Georgia 12-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1979 -- Alabama 12-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1978 -- Alabama, 11-1; Southern California, 12-1 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1977 -- Notre Dame 11-1 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1976 -- Pittsburgh 12-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1975 -- Oklahoma 11-1 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1974 -- Oklahoma, 11-0; USC, 10-1-1 -- FWAA, NFF, UPI, AP

1973 -- Notre Dame, 11-0; Alabama, 11-1 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1972 -- Southern California 12-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1971 -- Nebraska 13-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1970 -- Nebraska 11–0–1, Texas 10-1, Ohio St. 9-1 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI, NFF

1969 -- Texas 11-1 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1968 -- Ohio State 10-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1967 -- Southern California 10-1 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1966 -- Notre Dame (9–0–1), Michigan State (9–0–1) -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI, NFF

1965 -- Michigan State (10-1), Alabama (9–1–1) -- FWAA, NFF, UPI, AP

1964 -- Alabama (10–1), Arkansas (11-0), Notre Dame (9–1) -- AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF

1963 -- Texas 11-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1962 -- Southern California 11-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1961 -- Alabama (11-0), Ohio State (8–0–1) -- AP, NFF, UPI, FWAA

1960 -- Minnesota (8-2), Ole Miss (10–0–1) -- AP, NFF, UPI, FWAA

1959 -- Syracuse 11-0 -- AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1958 -- LSU, Iowa -- AP, UPI, FWAA

1957 -- Ohio St., Auburn -- FWAA, UPI, AP

1956 -- Oklahoma -- AP, FWAA, UPI

1955 -- Oklahoma -- AP, FWAA, UPI

1954 -- UCLA, Ohio St. -- FWAA, UPI, AP

1953 -- Maryland -- AP, UPI

1952 -- Michigan State -- AP, UPI

1951 -- Tennessee -- AP, UPI

1950 -- Oklahoma -- AP, UPI

1949: Notre Dame (10–0) -- AP

1948: Michigan (9–0) -- AP

1947: Notre Dame (9–0) -- AP

1946: Notre Dame (8–0–1) -- AP

1945: Army (9–0) -- AP

1944: Army (9–0) -- AP

1943: Notre Dame (9–1) -- AP

1942: Ohio State (9–1) -- AP

1941: Minnesota (8–0) -- AP

1940: Minnesota (8–0) -- AP

1939: Texas A&M (11–0) -- AP

1938: TCU (11–0) -- AP

1937: Pittsburgh (9–0–1) -- AP

1936: Minnesota (7–1) -- AP

The era before the AP Poll

1935 -- Minnesota -- CFRA, HAF, NCF

1934 -- Minnesota -- CFRA, HAF, NCF

1933 -- Michigan -- CFRA, HAF, NCF

1932 -- Southern California -- CFRA, HAF, NCF

1931 -- Southern California -- CFRA, HAF, NCF

1930 -- Alabama, Notre Dame -- CFRA, HAF, NCF

1929 -- Notre Dame -- CFRA, HAF, NCF

1928 -- Georgia Tech. -- CFRA, HAF, NCF

1927 -- Illinois, Yale -- HAF, NCF, CFRA

1926 -- Alabama, Stanford -- CFRA, HAF, NCF, HAF

1925 -- Alabama -- CFRA, HAF, NCF

1924 -- Notre Dame -- CFRA, HAF, NCF

1923 -- Illinois, Michigan -- CFRA, HAF, NCF, NCF

1922 -- California, Cornell, Princeton -- NCF, HAF, CFRA, NCF

1921 -- California, Cornell -- CFRA, NCF, HAF

1920 -- California -- CFRA, HAF, NCF

1919 -- Harvard, Illinois, Notre Dame, Texas A&M -- CFRA, HAF, NCF, CFRA, NCF, NCF

1918 -- Michigan, Pittsburgh -- NCF, HAF, NCF

1917 -- Georgia Tech. -- HAF, NCF

1916 -- Pittsburgh -- HAF, NCF

1915 -- Cornell -- HAF, NCF

1914 -- Army -- HAF, NCF

1913 -- Harvard -- HAF, NCF

1912 -- Harvard, Penn State -- HAF, NCF, NCF

1911 -- Penn St., Princeton -- NCF, HAF, NCF

1910 -- Harvard, Pittsburgh -- HAF, NCF, NCF

1909 -- Yale -- HAF, NCF

1908 -- LSU, Pennsylvania -- NCF, HAF, NCF

1907 -- Yale -- HAF, NCF

1906 -- Princeton -- HAF, NCF

1905 -- -- Chicago -- HAF, NCF

1904 -- Michigan, Pennsylvania -- NCF, HAF, NCF

1903 -- Michigan, Princeton -- NCF, HAF, NCF

1902 -- Michigan -- HAF, NCF

1901 -- Michigan -- HAF, NCF

1900 -- Yale -- HAF, NCF

1899: Harvard (10–0–1) -- HAF, NCF

1898: Harvard (11–0) -- HAF, NCF

1897: Penn (15–0) -- HAF, NCF

1896: Lafayette (11–0–1), Princeton (10–0–1) -- HAF, NCF

1895: Penn (14–0) -- HAF, NCF

1894: Yale (16–0) -- HAF, NCF

1893: Princeton (11–0) -- HAF, NCF

1892: Yale (13–0) -- HAF, NCF

1891: Yale (13–0) -- HAF, NCF

1890: Harvard (11–0) -- HAF, NCF

1889: Princeton (10–0) -- HAF, NCF

1888: Yale (13–0) -- HAF, NCF

1887: Yale (9–0) -- HAF, NCF

1886: Yale (9–0–1) -- HAF, NCF

1885: Princeton (9–0) -- HAF, NCF

1884: Yale (8–0–1) -- HAF, NCF

1883: Yale (9–0) -- HAF, NCF

1882: Yale (8–0) -- NCF

1881: Yale (5–0–1) -- NCF

1880: Princeton (4-0-1), Yale (4-0-1) -- NCF

1879: Princeton (4–0–1) -- NCF

1878: Princeton (6–0) -- NCF

1877: Yale (3–0–1) -- NCF

1876: Yale (3–0) -- NCF

1875: Harvard (4–0) -- NCF

1874: Yale (3–0) -- NCF

1873: Princeton (2–0) -- NCF

1872: Princeton (1–0) -- NCF

1871: None selected -- NCF

1870: Princeton (1–0) -- NCF

1869: Princeton (1-1), Rutgers (1-1) -- NCF

Who won the Most College Football national championships

The national title count listed below is a culmination of all championship awarded since 1869, regardless of "consensus"[51] or non-consensus status, as listed in the table above according to the selectors deemed to be "major" as listed in the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records.

Championships Schools

28 -- Princeton

27 -- Yale

24 -- Alabama

22 -- Notre Dame

19 -- Michigan

17 -- Oklahoma, USC

17 -- Ohio State (2024)

12 -- Harvard, Nebraska

11 -- Pittsburgh

9 -- Florida State, Miami (FL), Minnesota, Texas

8 -- Georgia, LSU

7 -- Georgia Tech, Penn, Penn State, Tennessee

6 - Auburn, Michigan State

5 -- Army, California, Cornell, Florida, Illinois, Iowa

4 -- Vanderbilt, Washington

3 -- Clemson, Lafayette, Ole Miss, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M

2 -- Arizona State, Arkansas, Chicago, Maryland, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Wisconsin

1 -- BYU, Centre, Colgate, Colorado, Columbia, Dartmouth, Detroit, Duke, Kentucky, Navy, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, UCF, UCLA, Utah, Washington & Jefferson

What Conference Claims the Most National Championships?

The Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) is composed of 11 different conferences, each of which have between 10 and 14 teams. Here is how each of those conferences have performed in the national championship.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the ACC made a big impact, winning 40% of national championships. Since then, the SEC has dominated, winning over 60% of national titles.Note Reference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC), home to the Alabama Crimson Tide (13 championships), the LSU Tigers (4 championships), the Florida Gators (3 championships), and other championship winners has collected 30 titles since 1936.
The SEC also has the most teams to receive a national title (9), followed closely by the Big Ten (8) and the ACC (6)
Five conferences — the Sun Belt, the Mid-Atlantic Conference, Conference-USA, the Mountain West Conference, and the American Conference — have yet to win a national title.
FBS Independent is also on the leaderboard with nine titles from Notre Dame, two from Army, and one from Brigham Young University.

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