College Football

College Football National Champions: List of NCAA winners since 1869

Updated Oct. 9, 2024 11:29 a.m. ET

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Choosing a winner in college football has been a sometimes contentious topic of discussion for a long time. The sport did not have an official championship for most of its history, leading to many different groups of selectors choosing different teams as champions. 

However, in 2014, the College Football Playoff introduced a four-team format to solve this problem. Expanded to a 12 team playoff in 2024, the CFP replaced the previous method of using media polls, coaches polls and computer systems.

With all this in mind, let's check out the complete list of college football champions and their records, as recognized by the NCAA.

NCAA Football Champions 

2023: Michigan (15-0)
2022: Georgia (15–0)
2021: Georgia (14–1)
2020: Alabama (13–0)
2019: LSU (15–0)
2018: Clemson (15–0)
2017: Alabama (13–1)
2016: Clemson (14–1)
2015: Alabama (14–1)
2014: Ohio State (14–1)
2013: Florida State (14–0)
2012: Alabama (13–1)
2011: Alabama (12–1)
2010: Auburn (14–0)

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2009: Alabama (14–0)
2008: Florida (13–1)
2007: LSU (12–2)
2006: Florida (13–1)
2005: Texas (13–0)
2004: USC (11–0)
2003: LSU (13-1), USC (12–1)
2002: Ohio State (14–0)
2001: Miami (FL) (12–0)
2000: Oklahoma (13–0)
1999: Florida State (12–0)
1998: Tennessee (13–0)
1997: Michigan (12-0), Nebraska (13-0)
1996: Florida (12–1)
1995: Nebraska (12–0)
1994: Nebraska (13–0)
1993: Florida State (12–1)
1992: Alabama (13–0)
1991: Washington (12-0), Miami (FL) (12-0)
1990: Colorado (11–1–1), Georgia Tech (11–0–1)
1989: Miami (FL) (11–1)
1988: Notre Dame (12–0)
1987: Miami (FL) (12–0)
1986: Penn State (12–0)
1985: Oklahoma (11–1)
1984: BYU (13–0)
1983: Miami (FL) (11–1)
1982: Penn State (11–1)
1981: Clemson (12–0)
1980: Georgia (12–0)
1979: Alabama (12–0)
1978: Alabama (11–1), USC (12-1)
1977: Notre Dame (11–1)
1976: Pittsburgh (12–0)
1975: Oklahoma (11–1)
1974: USC (10–1–1), Oklahoma (11-0)
1973: Notre Dame (11-0), Alabama (11–1)
1972: USC (12–0)
1971: Nebraska (13–0)
1970: Nebraska (11–0–1), Texas (10-1), Ohio State (9–1)
1969: Texas (11–0)
1968: Ohio State (10–0)
1967: USC (10–1)
1966: Notre Dame (9–0–1), Michigan State (9–0–1)
1965: Michigan State (10-1), Alabama (9–1–1)
1964: Alabama (10–1), Arkansas (11-0), Notre Dame (9–1)
1963: Texas (11–0)
1962: USC (11–0)
1961: Alabama (11-0), Ohio State (8–0–1)
1960: Minnesota (8-2), Ole Miss (10–0–1)
1959: Syracuse (11–0)
1958: LSU (11-0), Iowa (8–1–1)
1957: Ohio State (9-1), Auburn (10-0)
1956: Oklahoma (10–0)
1955: Oklahoma (11–0)
1954: UCLA (9-0), Ohio State (10-0)
1953: Maryland (10–1)
1952: Michigan State (9–0)
1951: Tennessee (10–1)
1950: Oklahoma (10–1)
1949: Notre Dame (10–0)
1948: Michigan (9–0)
1947: Notre Dame (9–0)
1946: Notre Dame (8–0–1)
1945: Army (9–0)
1944: Army (9–0)
1943: Notre Dame (9–1)
1942: Ohio State (9–1)
1941: Minnesota (8–0)
1940: Minnesota (8–0)
1939: Texas A&M (11–0)
1938: TCU (11–0)
1937: Pittsburgh (9–0–1)
1936: Minnesota (7–1)
1935: Minnesota (8–0)
1934: Minnesota (8–0)
1933: Michigan (7–0–1)
1932: USC (10–0)
1931: USC (10–1)
1930: Alabama (10-0), Notre Dame (10-0)
1929: Notre Dame (9–0)
1928: Georgia Tech (10–0)
1927: Illinois (7–0–1), Yale (7-1)
1926: Alabama (9–0–1), Stanford (10-0-1)
1925: Alabama (10–0)
1924: Notre Dame (10–0)
1923: Illinois (8-0), Michigan (8-0)
1922: California (9-0), Cornell (8-0), Princeton (8-0)
1921: California (9–0–1), Cornell (8-0)
1920: California (9–0)
1919: Harvard (9–0–1), Illinois (6–1), Notre Dame (9-0), Texas A&M (10-0)
1918: Michigan (5-0), Pittsburgh (4-1)
1917: Georgia Tech (9–0)
1916: Pittsburgh (8–0)
1915: Cornell (9–0)
1914: Army (9–0)
1913: Harvard (9–0)
1912: Harvard (9-0), Penn State (8-0)
1911: Penn State (8–0–1), Princeton (8–0–2)
1910: Harvard (8–0–1), Pittsburgh (9-0)
1909: Yale (10–0)
1908: LSU (10-0), Penn (11–0–1)
1907: Yale (9–0–1)
1906: Princeton (9–0–1)
1905: Chicago (10–0)
1904: Michigan (13-0), Penn (12-0)
1903: Michigan (11–0–1), Princeton (11-0)
1902: Michigan (11–0)
1901: Michigan (11–0)
1900: Yale (12–0)
1899: Harvard (10–0–1)
1898: Harvard (11–0)
1897: Penn (15–0)
1896: Lafayette (11–0–1), Princeton (10–0–1)
1895: Penn (14–0)
1894: Yale (16–0)
1893: Princeton (11–0)
1892: Yale (13–0)
1891: Yale (13–0)
1890: Harvard (11–0)
1889: Princeton (10–0)
1888: Yale (13–0)
1887: Yale (9–0)
1886: Yale (9–0–1)
1885: Princeton (9–0)
1884: Yale (8–0–1)
1883: Yale (9–0)
1882: Yale (8–0)
1881: Yale (5–0–1)
1880: Princeton (4-0-1), Yale (4-0-1)
1879: Princeton (4–0–1)
1878: Princeton (6–0)
1877: Yale (3–0–1)
1876: Yale (3–0)
1875: Harvard (4–0)
1874: Yale (3–0)
1873: Princeton (2–0)
1872: Princeton (1–0)
1871: None selected
1870: Princeton (1–0)
1869: Princeton (1-1), Rutgers (1-1)

Who has the most college football championships?

Yale holds the title of most college football championships with 18. Alabama is second with 16, including the most during the College Football Playoff era, with three. Here are the top 10, as recognized by the NCAA.

• 18 - Yale
• 16 - Alabama
• 15 - Princeton
• 13 - Notre Dame
• 10 - Michigan, USC
• 8 - Harvard, Ohio State
• 7 - Oklahoma
• 6 - Minnesota

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