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College Football National Champions
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Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh holds up the CFP National Championship trophy surrounded by cheering players and staff as gold confetti falls around them.
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β€œHail to the Victors”
β€œHail to the Victors” Coach Jim Harbaugh and members of Michigan's football team celebrating their victory in the College Football Playoff national championship game, January 8, 2024; Michigan defeated Washington, 34–13.

College Football National Champions

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History
Top Questions

What college football team has won the most national championships?

The national championship in football is one of the most sought-after titles in American college sports. It is also one of the most controversial. Until the late 1990s, the winner was determined by various methods, most notably the AP and UPI polls. This often led to disputes as well as a number of shared titles due to conflicting polls. In 1998 a national championship game was introduced with the Bowl Championship Series. However, fans continued to agitate for a true playoff format, and in 2014 they got their wish with the debut of the College Football Playoff (CFP). Below is a list of CFP and other consensus Division I-A national champions since 1924.

College football national champions*
seasonchampion
*National champion determined by various polls until the introduction of the BCS system in 1998; BCS system replaced with the College Football Playoff system in 2014–15.
**Southern California won the BCS championship but had its title stripped in 2011 because of rules violations committed during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
1924 Notre Dame
1925 Dartmouth
1926 Stanford
1927 Illinois
1928 Southern California
1929 Notre Dame
1930 Notre Dame
1931 Southern California
1932 Michigan
1933 Michigan
1934 Minnesota
1935 Southern Methodist
1936 Minnesota
1937 Pittsburgh
1938 Texas Christian
1939 Texas A&M
1940 Minnesota
1941 Minnesota
1942 Ohio State
1943 Notre Dame
1944 Army
1945 Army
1946 Notre Dame
1947 Notre Dame
1948 Michigan
1949 Notre Dame
1950 Oklahoma
1951 Tennessee
1952 Michigan State
1953 Maryland
1954 Ohio State (AP), UCLA (UP)
1955 Oklahoma
1956 Oklahoma
1957 Auburn (AP), Ohio State (UP)
1958 Louisiana State
1959 Syracuse
1960 Minnesota
1961 Alabama
1962 Southern California
1963 Texas
1964 Alabama
1965 Alabama (AP), Michigan State (UPI)
1966 Notre Dame
1967 Southern California
1968 Ohio State
1969 Texas
1970 Nebraska (AP), Texas (UPI)
1971 Nebraska
1972 Southern California
1973 Notre Dame (AP), Alabama (UPI)
1974 Oklahoma (AP), Southern California (UPI)
1975 Oklahoma
1976 Pittsburgh
1977 Notre Dame
1978 Alabama (AP), Southern California (UPI)
1979 Alabama
1980 Georgia
1981 Clemson
1982 Penn State
1983 Miami (Fla.)
1984 Brigham Young
1985 Oklahoma
1986 Penn State
1987 Miami (Fla.)
1988 Notre Dame
1989 Miami (Fla.)
1990 Colorado (AP), Georgia Tech (UPI)
1991 Miami (Fla.; AP), Washington (UPI)
1992 Alabama
1993–94 Florida State
1994–95 Nebraska
1995–96 Nebraska
1996–97 Florida
1997–98 Michigan (AP), Nebraska (USA Today/ESPN)
1998–99 Tennessee
1999–2000 Florida State
2000–01 Oklahoma
2001–02 Miami (Fla.)
2002–03 Ohio State
2003–04 Louisiana State (BCS), Southern California (AP)
2004–05 vacated**
2005–06 Texas
2006–07 Florida
2007–08 Louisiana State
2008–09 Florida
2009–10 Alabama
2010–11 Auburn
2011–12 Alabama
2012–13 Alabama
2013–14 Florida State
2014–15 Ohio State
2015–16 Alabama
2016–17 Clemson
2017–18 Alabama
2018–19 Clemson
2019–20 Louisiana State
2020–21 Alabama
2021–22 Georgia
2022–23 Georgia
2023–24 Michigan
2024–25 Ohio State
2025–26 Indiana
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.