NCAAF teams
Alex Kennedy 120d

College football championship winners by year: NCAA list

College Football, Michigan Wolverines, Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers, Clemson Tigers, Ohio State Buckeyes, Auburn Tigers, Florida State Seminoles, USC Trojans, Oklahoma Sooners, Miami Hurricanes, Tennessee Volunteers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Washington Huskies, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Penn State Nittany Lions, Colorado Buffaloes, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, BYU Cougars, Pittsburgh Panthers, Texas Longhorns, Michigan State Spartans, Yale Bulldogs, Harvard Crimson, Princeton Tigers, California Golden Bears, Illinois Fighting Illini

On Jan. 20, Ohio State and Notre Dame faced off in the 2025 CFP National Championship, where Ohio State won 34-23.

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.

2024: Ohio State (CFP)

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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