NCAA Football National Champions


Following is the list of FBS football champions since 1869 according to sources recognized by the NCAA. It is regularly reviewed and updated. Please note that several schools claim championships by other polls and rankings which compiled data but are subject to debate on their comparative relevance or legitimacy for bestowing "national championship" status.

1869-1882: National Championship Foundation
1883-1935: Helms Athletic Foundation (H)
1924-1940: The Dickinson System (D)
1936-Present: Associated Press (AP)
1958-1990: United Press International (UPI)
1991-1996: CNN/USA Today (Coaches)
1997-2004: ESPN/USA Today (Coaches)
2005-Present: USA Today (Coaches)
2005-Present: Harris Interactive
1998-Present: Champion listed was also BCS champ unless otherwise noted in parenthesis.

*-1947 - Michigan is often credited with a 1947 title based on a No. 1 ranking in a post-Rose Bowl AP poll which the AP itself does not recognize as official, and is not recognized by the NCAA.

Since 1998, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) has conducted a bowl contest between it's two top-ranked teams to determine a national champion. A number of polling organizations also provide a final ranking of Division I-A football teams at the end of each season.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Year
Team
Record
Game
Coach
1869
Princeton
1-1-0
No bowl
William S. Gummere (Capt.)
1870
Princeton
1-0-0
No bowl
Alexander Van Rensselaer (Capt.)
1871
None
------
------
------
1872
Princeton
1-0-0
No bowl
David T. Marvel (Capt.)
1873
Princeton
1-0-0
No bowl
Cyrus O. Dershimer (Capt.)
1874
Yale
3-0-0
No bowl
?
1875
Harvard
4-0-0
No bowl
?
1876
Yale
3-0-0
No bowl
?
1877
Yale
3-0-1
No bowl
?
1878
Princeton
6-0-0
No bowl
Bland Ballard (Capt.)
1879
Princeton
4-0-1
No bowl
Bland Ballard (Capt.)
1880
Princeton
Yale
4-0-1
4-0-1
No bowl
No bowl
Francis Loney (Capt.)
?
1881
Yale
5-0-1
No bowl
?
1882
Yale
8-0-0
No bowl
?
1883
Yale
8-0-0
No bowl
Ray Tompkins (Capt.)
1884
Yale
9-0-0
No bowl
Eugene L. Richards (Capt.)
1885
Princeton
9-0-0
No bowl
Charles DeCamp (Capt.)
1886
Yale
9-0-1
No bowl
Robert N. Corwin (Capt.)
1887
Yale
9-0-0
No bowl
Harry W. Beecher (Capt.)
1888
Yale
13-0-0
No bowl
Walter Camp
1889
Princeton
10-0-0
No bowl
Edgar Poe (Capt.)
1890
Harvard
11-0-0
No bowl
George A. Stewart
George C. Adams
1891
Yale
13-0-0
No bowl
Walter Camp
1892
Yale
13-0-0
No bowl
Walter Camp
1893
Princeton
11-0-0
No bowl
Tom Trenchard (Capt.)
1894
Yale
16-0-0
No bowl
William C. Rhodes
1895
Pennsylvania
14-0-0
No bowl
George Woodruff
1896
Princeton
10-0-1
No bowl
Garrett Cochran
1897
Pennsylvania
15-0-0
No bowl
George Woodruff
1898
Harvard
11-0-0
No bowl
W. Cameron Forbes
1899
Harvard
10-0-1
No bowl
Benjamin H. Dibblee
1900
Yale
12-0-0
No bowl
Malcolm McBride
1901
Michigan
11-0-0
Rose: Beat Stanford 49-0
Season: Outscored opposition 550-0
Fielding Yost
1902
Michigan
11-0-0
No bowl
Fielding Yost
1903
Princeton
11-0-0
No bowl
Hart Hillebrand
1904
Pennsylvania
12-0-0
No bowl
Carl Williams
1905
Chicago
11-0-0
No bowl
Amos Alonzo Stagg
1906
Princeton
9-0-1
No bowl
Bill Roper
1907
Yale
9-0-1
No bowl
Bill Knox
1908
Pennsylvania
11-0-1
No bowl
Sol Metzger
1909
Yale
10-0-0
No bowl
Howard Jones
1910
Harvard
8-0-1
No bowl
Percy Houghton
1911
Princeton
8-0-2
No bowl
Bill Roper
1912
Harvard
9-0-0
No bowl
Percy Houghton
1913
Harvard
9-0-0
No bowl
Percy Houghton
1914
Army
9-0-0
No bowl
Charley Daly
1915
Cornell
9-0-0
No bowl
Al Sharpe
1916
Pittsburgh
8-0-0
No bowl
Glenn "Pop" Warner
1917
Georgia Tech
9-0-0
No bowl
John Heisman
1918
Pittsburgh
4-1-0
No bowl
Glenn "Pop" Warner
1919
Harvard
9-0-1
No bowl
Bob Fisher
1920
California
9-0-0
No bowl
Andy Smith
1921
Cornell
8-0-0
No bowl
Gil Dobie
1922
Cornell
8-0-0
No bowl
Gil Dobie
1923
Illinois
8-0-0
No bowl
Bob Zuppke
1924
Notre Dame 
10-0-0
Rose: Beat Stanford 27-10
Knute Rockne
1925
Alabama (H)
Dartmouth (D)
10-0-0
8-0-0
Rose: Beat Washington 20-19
No bowl
Wallace Wade
Jesse Hawley
1926
Alabama (H)
Stanford (H, D)
9-0-1
10-0-1
Rose: Alabama and Stanford tied 7-7
Wallace Wade
Glenn "Pop" Warner
1927
Illinois
7-0-1
No bowl
Bob Zuppke
1928
Georgia Tech (H)
USC (D)
10-0-0
9-0-1
Rose: Beat Cal 8-7
No bowl
Bill Alexander 
Howard Jones
1929
Notre Dame
9-0-0
No bowl
Knute Rockne
1930
Notre Dame
10-0-0
No bowl
Knute Rockne
1931
USC
10-1-0
Rose: Beat Tulane 21-12
Howard Jones
1932
USC (H)
Michigan (D)
10-0-0
8-0-0
Rose: Beat Pitt 35-0
No bowl
Howard Jones
Harry Kipke
1933
Michigan
7-0-1
No bowl
Harry Kipke
1934
Minnesota
8-0-0
No bowl
Bernie Bierman
1935
Minnesota (H)
SMU (D)
8-0-0
12-1-0
No bowl
Bowl: Lost Stanford 7-0
Bernie Bierman
Matty Bell
1936
Minnesota
7-1-0
No bowl
Bernie Bierman
1937
Pittsburgh
9-0-1
No bowl
Jock Sutherland
1938
TCU (AP)
Notre Dame (D)
11-0-0
8-1-0
Sugar: Beat Carnegie Tech 15-7
No bowl
Dutch Meyer
Elmer Layden
1939
USC (D)
Texas A&M (AP)
8-0-2
11-0-0
Rose: Beat Tennessee 14-0
Sugar: Beat Tulane 14-13
Howard Jones
Homer Norton
1940
Minnesota
8-0-0
No bowl
Bernie Bierman
1941
Minnesota
8-0-0
No bowl
Bernie Bierman
1942
Ohio State
9-1-0
No bowl
Paul Brown
1943
Notre Dame
9-1-0
No bowl
Frank Leahy
1944
Army
9-0-0
No bowl
Red Blaik
1945
Army
9-0-0
No bowl
Red Blaik
1946
Notre Dame
8-0-1
No bowl
Frank Leahy
*-1947
Notre Dame
9-0-0
No bowl
Frank Leahy
1948
Michigan
9-0-0
No bowl
Bennie Oosterbaan
1949
Notre Dame
10-0-0
No bowl
Frank Leahy
1950
Oklahoma
10-1-0
Sugar: Lost Kentucky 13-0
Bud Wilkinson
1951
Tennessee
10-1-0
Sugar: Lost Maryland 28-13
Bob Neyland
1952
Michigan State
9-0-0
No bowl
Biggie Munn
1953
Maryland
10-1-0
Orange: Lost Oklahoma 7-0
Jim Tatum
1954
Ohio State (AP)
UCLA (UPI)
10-0-0
9-0-0
Rose: Beat USC 20-7
No bowl
Woody Hayes
Red Sanders
1955
Oklahoma
11-0-0
Orange: Beat Maryland 20-6
Bud Wilkinson
1956
Oklahoma
10-0-0
No bowl
Bud Wilkinson
1957
 
Auburn (AP)
Ohio State (UPI)
10-0-0
9-1-0
No bowl
Rose: Beat Oregon 10-7
Shug Jordan
Woody Hayes
1958
LSU
11-0-0
Sugar: Beat Clemson 7-0
Paul Dietzel
1959
Syracuse
11-0-0
Cotton: Beat Texas 23-14
Ben Schwartzwalder
1960
Minnesota
8-2-0
Rose: Lost Washington 17-7
Murray Warmath
1961
Alabama
11-0-0
Sugar: Beat Arkansas 10-3
Bear Bryant
1962
USC
11-0-0
Rose: Beat Wisconsin 42-37
John McKay
1963
Texas
11-0-0
Cotton: Beat Navy 28-6
Darrell Royal
1964
Alabama
10-1-0
Orange: Lost Texas 21-17
Bear Bryant
1965
Alabama (AP)
Michigan State (UPI)
9-1-1
10-1-0
Orange: Beat Nebraska 39-28
Rose: Lost UCLA 14-12
Bear Bryant
Duffy Daugherty
1966
Notre Dame
9-0-1
No bowl
Ara Parseghian
1967
USC
10-1-0
Rose: Beat Indiana 14-3
John McKay
1968
Ohio State
10-0-0
Rose: Beat USC 27-16
Woody Hayes
1969
Texas
11-0-0
Cotton: Beat Notre Dame 21-17
Darrell Royal
1970
Nebraska (AP)
Texas (UPI)
11-0-1
10-1-0
Orange: Beat LSU 17-12
Cotton: Lost Notre Dame 24-11
Bob Devaney
Darrell Royal
1971
Nebraska
13-0-0
Orange: Beat Alabama 38-6
Bob Devaney
1972
USC
12-0-0
Rose: Beat Ohio State 42-17
John McKay
1973
Notre Dame (AP)
Alabama (UPI)
11-0-0
11-1-0
Sugar: Beat Alabama 24-23
Sugar: Lost Notre Dame 24-23
Ara Parseghian
Bear Bryant
1974
Oklahoma (AP)
USC (UPI)
11-0-0
10-1-1
No bowl
Rose: Beat Ohio State 18-17
Barry Switzer
John McKay
1975
Oklahoma
11-1-0
Orange: Beat Michigan 14-6
Barry Switzer
1976
Pittsburgh
12-0-0
Sugar: Beat Georgia 27-3
Johnny Majors
1977
Notre Dame
11-1-0
Cotton: Beat Texas 38-10
Dan Devine
1978
Alabama (AP)
USC (UPI)
11-1-0
12-1-0
Sugar: Beat Penn State 14-7
Rose: Beat Michigan 17-10
Bear Bryant
John Robinson
1979
Alabama
12-0-0
Sugar: Baylor 30-2
Bear Bryant
1980
Georgia
12-0-0
Sugar: Beat Notre Dame 17-10
Vince Dooley
1981
Clemson
12-0-0
Orange: Beat Nebraska 22-15
Danny Ford
1982
Penn State
11-1-0
Sugar: Beat Georgia 27-23
Joe Paterno
1983
Miami, Fla.
11-1-0
Orange: Beat Nebraska 31-30
Howard Schnellenberger
1984
Brigham Young
13-0-0
Holiday: Beat Michigan 24-17
LaVell Edwards
1985
Oklahoma
11-1-0
Orange: Beat Penn State 25-10
Barry Switzer
1986
Penn State
12-0-0
Fiesta: Beat Miami 14-10
Joe Paterno
1987
Miami, Fla.
12-0-0
Orange: Beat Oklahoma 20-14
Jimmy Johnson
1988
Notre Dame
12-0-0
Fiesta: Beat West Virginia 34-21
Lou Holtz
1989
Miami, Fla.
11-1-0
Sugar: Beat Alabama 33-25
Dennis Erickson
1990
Colorado (AP)
Georgia Tech (UPI)
11-1-1
11-0-1
Orange: Beat Notre Dame 10-9
Citrus: Beat Nebraska 45-21
Bill McCartney
Bobby Ross
1991
Miami, Fla. (AP)
Washington (Coaches)
12-0-0
12-0-0
Orange: Beat Nebraska 22-0
Rose: Beat Michigan 34-14
Dennis Erickson
Don James
1992
Alabama
13-0-0
Sugar: Beat Miami 34-13
Gene Stallings
1993
Florida State
12-1-0
Orange: Beat Nebraska 18-16
Bobby Bowden
1994
Nebraska
13-0-0
Orange: Beat Miami, Fla. 24-17
Tom Osborne
1995
Nebraska
12-0-0
Fiesta: Beat Florida 62-24
Tom Osborne
1996
Florida
12-1
Sugar: Beat Florida St. 52-20
Steve Spurrier
1997
Michigan (AP)
Nebraska (Coaches)
12-0
13-0
Rose: Beat Wash. St. 21-16
Orange: Beat Tennessee 42-17
Lloyd Carr
Tom Osborne
1998
Tennessee
13-0
Fiesta: Beat Florida St. 23-16
Phillip Fulmer
1999
Florida State
12-0
Sugar: Beat Va. Tech 46-29
Bobby Bowden
2000
Oklahoma
13-0
Orange: Beat Florida St. 13-2
Bob Stoops
2001
Miami, Fla.
12-0
Rose: Beat Nebraska 37-14
Larry Coker
2002
Ohio State
14-0
Fiesta: Beat Miami, Fla. 31-24 (2 ot)
Jim Tressel
2003
LSU (National Champs)
USC (#1 in AP Poll)
13-1
12-1
Sugar: Beat Oklahoma 21-14
Rose: Beat Michigan 28-14
Nick Saban
Pete Carroll
2004
USC
13-0
Orange: Beat Oklahoma 55-19
Pete Carroll
2005
Texas
13-0
Rose: Beat USC 41-38
Mack Brown
2006
Florida
13-1
BCS Championship Game:
Beat Ohio State 41-14
Urban Meyer
2007
LSU
12-2
BCS Championship Game:
Beat Ohio State 38-24
Les Miles