College football championship winners by year
On Jan. 8, the Michigan Wolverines won their 10th college football national championship at NRG Stadium in Houston.
This season, Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama were selected for perhaps the most controversial College Football Playoff of all-time, as Florida State became the first undefeated Power 5 conference champion to be left out by the committee.
With this year’s grand finale wrapped up, let’s take a look at NCAA football champions throughout history.
It’s worth noting that before the CFP and BCS, a champion was determined by a selecting organization. Sometimes, multiple teams were deemed the national champions if there wasn’t a clear-cut No. 1. This list features only the championships recognized by the NCAA.
2023: Michigan (CFP)
2022: Georgia (CFP)
2021: Georgia (CFP)
2020: Alabama (CFP)
2019: LSU (CFP)
2018: Clemson (CFP)
2017: Alabama (CFP)
2016: Clemson (CFP)
2015: Alabama (CFP)
2014: Ohio State (CFP)
2013: Florida State (BCS)
2012: Alabama (BCS)
2011: Alabama (BCS)
2010: Auburn (BCS)
2009: Alabama (BCS)
2008: Florida (BCS)
2007: LSU (BCS)
2006: Florida (BCS)
2005: Texas (BCS)
2004: Southern California* (BCS)
2003: LSU, Southern California (BCS, AP, FWAA)
2002: Ohio State (BCS)
2001: Miami (Fla.) (BCS)
2000: Oklahoma (BCS)
1999: Florida State (BCS)
1998: Tennessee (BCS)
1997: Michigan, Nebraska (AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/ESPN)
1996: Florida (AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN)
1995: Nebraska (AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI)
1994: Nebraska (AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI)
1993: Florida State (AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI)
1992: Alabama (AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI)
1991: Washington, Miami (Fla.) (FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI,AP)
1990: Colorado, Georgia Tech (FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, AP, UPI)
1989: Miami (Fla.) (AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI)
1988: Notre Dame (AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI)
1987: Miami (Fla.) (AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI)
1986: Penn State (AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI)
1985: Oklahoma (AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI)
1984: Brigham Young (AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI)
1983: Miami (Fla.) (AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI)
1982: Penn State (AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI)
1981: Clemson (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1980: Georgia (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1979: Alabama (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1978: Alabama, Southern California (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1977: Notre Dame (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1976: Pittsburgh (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1975: Oklahoma (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1974: Southern California, Oklahoma (FWAA, NFF, UPI, AP)
1973: Notre Dame, Alabama (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1972: Southern California (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1971: Nebraska (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1970: Nebraska, Texas, Ohio State (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI, NFF)
1969: Texas (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1968: Ohio State (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1967: Southern California (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1966: Notre Dame, Michigan State (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI, NFF)
1965: Michigan State, Alabama (FWAA, NFF, UPI, AP)
1964: Alabama, Arkansas, Notre Dame (AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF)
1963: Texas (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1962: Southern California (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1961: Alabama, Ohio State (AP, NFF, UPI, FWAA)
1960: Minnesota, Mississippi (AP, NFF, UPI, FWAA)
1959: Syracuse (AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI)
1958: LSU, Iowa (AP, UPI, FWAA)
1957: Ohio State, Auburn (FWAA, UPI, AP)
1956: Oklahoma (AP, FWAA, UPI)
1955: Oklahoma (AP, FWAA, UPI)
1954: UCLA, Ohio State (FWAA, UPI, AP)
1953: Maryland (AP, UPI)
1952: Michigan State (AP, UPI)
1951: Tennessee (AP, UPI)
1950: Oklahoma (AP, UPI)
1949: Notre Dame (AP)
1948: Michigan (AP)
1947: Notre Dame (AP)
1946: Notre Dame (AP)
1945: Army (AP)
1944: Army (AP)
1943: Notre Dame (AP)
1942: Ohio State (AP)
1941: Minnesota (AP)
1940: Minnesota (AP)
1939: Texas A&M (AP)
1938: Texas Christian (AP)
1937: Pittsburgh (AP)
1936: Minnesota (AP)
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 State, 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 (HAF, NCF)
1902: Michigan (HAF, NCF)
1901: Michigan (HAF, NCF)
1900: Yale (HAF, NCF)
1899: Harvard (HAF, NCF)
1898: Harvard (HAF, NCF)
1897: Pennsylvania (HAF, NCF)
1896: Lafayette, Princeton (NCF, HAF, NCF)
1895: Pennsylvania ( HAF, NCF)
1894: Yale (HAF, NCF)
1893: Princeton (HAF, NCF)
1892: Yale (HAF, NCF)
1891: Yale (HAF, NCF)
1890: Harvard (HAF, NCF)
1889: Princeton (HAF, NCF)
1888: Yale (HAF, NCF)
1887: Yale (HAF, NCF)
1886: Yale (HAF, NCF)
1885: Princeton (HAF, NCF)
1884: Yale (HAF, NCF)
1883: Yale (HAF, NCF)
1882: Yale (NCF)
1881: Yale ( NCF)
1880: Princeton, Yale (NCF, NCF)
1879: Princeton (NCF)
1878: Princeton (NCF)
1877: Yale (NCF)
1876: Yale (NCF)
1875: Harvard (NCF)
1874: Yale (NCF)
1873: Princeton (NCF)
1872: Princeton (NCF)
1871: None (NCF)
1870: Princeton (NCF)
1869: Princeton, Rutgers (NCF)
*Vacated by NCAA because of infractions
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