The College Football Playoff championship game has arrived, and it’s a matchup that features two of college football’s most storied, decorated and well-known programs.
But Monday night’s championship game between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 8 Ohio State also features two programs looking to snap notable national championship droughts: the Irish at 36 years and the Buckeyes at 10 years.
With a win on Monday, Notre Dame would move into a tie with Michigan for the second-most claimed national championship titles in college football. Ohio State, meanwhile, would claim its ninth title all-time.
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However, there is no universal consensus among college football programs and the NCAA on national championship titles, as there are claimed and unclaimed championship titles. The Associated Press began the modern era of college football in 1936, when it tabbed Minnesota as its first national champion. The UPI, precursor to the Coaches Poll, awarded its first title to Oklahoma in 1950.
College football did not have its first official championship game until the 1998 season, when Tennessee beat Florida State in the 1999 BCS championship game — and still the sport saw a split national championship in 2003, when Nick Saban-led LSU won the Coaches Poll national championship by way of winning the BCS championship game. USC, meanwhile, was awarded the AP title. The highest division of the sport didn’t see a playoff until 16 years later, with the advent of the CFP.
With that said, ahead of Monday’s CFP championship game here’s what you need to know on who has the most claimed national championships in college football and more:
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Which college football team has most national championships?
Among Division I FBS teams, Alabama holds the record for most claimed national championship titles: 18.
The Crimson Tide won its first national championship in 1925 under Wallace Wade in the Rose Bowl against Washington, and repeated the year after. Alabama would win 12 combined national championship games under Paul “Bear” Bryant (1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978 and 1979) and Nick Saban (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020).
However, if you were to include NCAA-recognized titles, Yale, an Ivy League school that plays in the FCS, would claim the most national championship titles in college football, at 18 (compared to Alabama’s 16).
Most college football national championships
When Notre Dame and Ohio State meet in Monday’s CFP national championship game, they will represent the programs with the third- and sixth-most claimed national championships, respectively.
The Irish will play for their first national championship trophy since 1988, while the Buckeyes will play for their first since 2014 — the first year of the College Football Playoff.
Here’s a breakdown of the current Division I FBS teams with the most claimed national titles:
Seasons listed in parentheses
- 1. Alabama: 18 (1925, 1926, 1930, 1934, 1941, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1992, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020)
- 2. Michigan: 12 (1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1918, 1923, 1932, 1933, 1947, 1948, 1997, 2023)
- T-3. Notre Dame: 11 (1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988)
- T-3. USC: 11 (1928, 1931, 1932, 1939, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1978, 2003, 2004)
- 5. Pitt: 9 (1915, 1916, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1976)
- 6. Ohio State: 8 (1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970, 2002, 2014)
- T-7. Oklahoma: 7 (1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2000)
- T-7. Minnesota: 7 (1903, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960)
- T-9. Tennessee: 6 (1938, 1940, 1950, 1951, 1967, 1998)
- T-9 Michigan State: 6 (1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1965, 1966)
Past College Football Playoff champions
Here’s a look at past College Football Playoff champions dating back to the start of the CFP era in 2014:
- 2014: Ohio State
- 2015: Alabama
- 2016: Clemson
- 2017: Alabama
- 2018: Clemson
- 2029: LSU
- 2020: Alabama
- 2021: Georgia
- 2022: Georgia
- 2023: Michigan
Click here to view all past college football national champions dating back to 1869.
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