Who has won the most college football championships?
Which college football programs have won the most championship games? The response is somewhat complicated, as there’s some disagreement over the number of titles particular teams have actually won in the 154 years given that the very first national championship.For several years, a picking company (such as the Championship Game Structure) would crown the champ. Some seasons, there wasn’t a clear-cut champ, so numerous teams were deemed nationwide champs by the selectors. For instance, in 1919, there were 4 champs: Harvard, Illinois, Notre Dame and Texas A&M. The Billingsley Report retroactively crowned champions, which further complicated matters.Fortunately, a much better
method to identify the nationwide champion came along. The survey period began in 1936, with the significant wire services selecting the country’s top group. In 1998, the BCS Championship Game Video game was created to crown a champ. In 2014, the BCS was changed by the College Football Playoff, which has actually been a hit among fans.For the sake of this list, we’ll just count national championships that are recognized by the NCAA. In addition, we’ll focus on the highest department of college football, so teams that have won FCS champions won’t be listed below. These are the 10 college football programs with the most NCAA-recognized national championships:10. MINNESOTA, 6 Championships: 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960 The Golden Gophers won their very first championship game in 1934 and then continued to go back-to-back-to-back. Head coach Bernie Bierman, who formerly played halfback at Minnesota, led the group to 5 national championships thanks to extraordinary hurrying attack. In 1934, 90.7%of the Golden Gophers’lawns came on the ground, and they averaged 295 hurrying lawns per game.9. OKLAHOMA, 7 Championships: 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2000 Oklahoma is the only college football program with four 100-win head coaches
in the school’s
history: Bob Stoops(191 wins ), Barry Switzer(157), Bud Wilkinson (145)and Bennie Owen( 113). Switzer and Wilkinson each led the Sooners to three championship games. All of Oklahoma’s championship games have been throughout the poll age(considering that 1936).8. OHIO STATE, 8 Championships: 1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970, 2002, 2014 In 1942, Ohio State won its very first championship game in spite of the truth that 22 veteran players left the group to serve in World War
II and the lineup was mostly made up of sophomores. Like Oklahoma, all of Ohio State’s national titles
have been throughout the poll age. The Buckeyes have the second-most wins in NCAA history, and they won their newest title in 2014, beating Oregon in the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship game.7. HARVARD, 8 Champions: 1875, 1890, 1898, 1899, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1919 Harvard’s college football program is one of the oldest in the country, and they have the 10th-most wins in NCAA history. These days, Harvard and college football supremacy aren’t precisely associated. It’s
been more than 100 years since their last title, however the school’s achievements in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were definitely excellent.6. USC, 9 Championships: 1931, 1932, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1978, 2003, 2004 USC won back-to-back titles on two separate events. In 2003 and 2004, Pete Carroll’s squad won 25 of 26 games, consisting of a 28-14 success over Michigan in the 2003 Rose Bowl and a 55-19 blowout over Oklahoma in the 2004 Orange
Bowl. The Trojans were must-see television thanks to their high-octane offense led by Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, Lendale White and Dwayne Jarrett. They would have 10 championships, but their 2004 title was left by the NCAA.5. MICHIGAN, 10 Championships: 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1918, 1923, 1933, 1948, 1997, 2023 Michigan won the most recent college football championship game versus Washington. Michigan formerly won back-to-back-to-back-to-back national championships from 1901 through 1904, which is an unbelievable accomplishment. The Wolverines likewise hold the NCAA record for a lot of wins,
which is a testimony to
their consistency throughout the years. Their 1997 national championship was essential,
as it broke a 49-year drought and provided the Wolverines just their second title in the poll age(because 1936).4. NOTRE DAME, 13 Champions: 1919, 1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988 Notre Dame is one of the most reputable programs in all of college football. A huge factor for that credibility is their sustained success throughout the 1900s. Frank Leahy led Notre Dame to six of their championship games (2 as a player and 4 as a head coach). Their latest championship game remained in 1988, when the Battling Irish beat West Virginia 34-21 in the Feast Bowl.3. PRINCETON, 15 Champions: 1869, 1870, 1872, 1873, 1878
, 1879, 1880, 1885, 1889, 1893, 1896, 1903, 1906, 1911, 1922 Some would argue that Princeton belongs at No. 1 on this list, as the school claims 28 national championships (many of which were stated retroactively by the Billingsley Report ). Nevertheless, the NCAA only acknowledges 15 of those titles(including the first national championship in 1869). Princeton’s run of titles came during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
While they are presently
an FCS group, they won their titles at the highest level at the time. Without concern, you can’t tell the
story of college football without including Princeton.2. ALABAMA, 16 Championships: 1925, 1926, 1930, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1978, 1979, 1992, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020 When fans think of college football dominance, Alabama immediately enters your mind, as they have actually been a powerhouse across multiple ages. Bear Bryant led the Crimson Tide to 6 champions across the 1960s and 1970s. Recently, Nick Saban has actually matched Bryant’s 6 titles considering that taking over as head coach in 2007. The Crimson Tide are seasonal contenders and their lineup is a revolving door of future NFL stars.
Alabama has actually produced 422 NFL/AFL draft choices, including 21 top-five choices. They have won an NCAA-record 13 champions in the poll
era. It’s very possible they’ll sit atop this list in the near future.1. YALE, 18 Champions: 1874, 1876, 1877, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1891, 1892, 1894, 1900, 1907, 1909, 1927 While a lot of college football fans would guess that Alabama has won the most national championships, the appropriate response is really Yale with 18 NCAA-recognized titles. In the 1800s and early 1900s, Yale was a juggernaut, producing two Heisman winners, 100 All-Americans and 28 Hall of Famers. The Bulldogs have the seventh-most wins in college football history and while they haven’t won a championship because 1927, they had a legendary run and specified an age of college football.Be sure to check out
ESPN’s college football coverage, consisting of extensive analysis, newest rankings, breaking news, transfer reports, hiring updates and more!