College Football National Championships in NCAA Division I FBS - National Championship Claims By School

National Championship Claims By School

The following is a table of known schools' claims on national championships at the highest level of play in college football. Several of these schools no longer compete at the highest level, which is currently NCAA Division I FBS, but nonetheless maintain claims to titles from when they did compete at the highest level.

Because there is no one governing or official body that regulates, recognizes, or awards national championships in college football, and because many independent selectors of championships exist, many of the claims by the schools listed below are shared, contradict each other, or are controversial. In addition, because there is no one body overseeing national championships, no standardized requirements exist in order for a school to make a claim on a national championship, as any particular institution is free to make any declaration it deems to be fit. However, all known national championship claims are for seasons in which a National Championship, or share of a championship, was believed to be awarded to that particular school by at least one independent third-party selector. The majority of these claims, but not all, are based on championships awarded from selectors listed as "major" in the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records. Not all championships awarded by third party selectors, nor those listed in the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records, are necessarily claimed by each school. Therefore, these claims represent how each individual school sees their own history on the subject of national championships.

This table below includes only national championship claims originating from each particular school and therefore represents the point-of-view of each individual institution. Each total number of championships, and the years for which they are claimed, are documented by the particular school on its official website, in its football media guide, or in other official publications or literature (see Source). If a championship is not mentioned by a school for any particular season, regardless of whether it was awarded by a selector or listed in a third-party publication such as the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records, it is not considered to be claimed by that institution.

a In Yale's Media Guide Year-By-Year Results section, the 1887 is listed as National Champs; however, this title is not referred to elsewhere and is not included in the list of 26 National Championships that are claimed in the media guide or on Yale's athletic website.
bUSC's January 4, 2005 win over Oklahoma in the BCS Championship Game was vacated as mandated by the NCAA, its 2004 BCS National Championship vacated by the BCS, and its AFCA Coaches' Trophy returned. NCAA sanctions mandate that "any reference to the vacated results, including championships, shall be removed." USC still retains the 2004 Associated Press National Championship and has not abandoned its claim to a 2004 National Championship.
c In an on-line list of the university's national championships, Georgia lists only two for football (1942 and 1980). However, in Georgia's football media guide, although those years are highlighted as consensus championships, each of the five championships are described separately and those seasons are highlighted as national championships in the year-by-year results.
d Washington's 2012 official record book notes four National Championships awarded from selectors in 1960, 1984, 1990, and 1991, while the school has claimed the 1960 and 1991 National Championship seasons.
e Iowa lists the awarding of the 1958 Grantland Rice National Championship in various publications, but does not appear to directly comment on a claim.