College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS
NCAA Division 1A Football Champions
Each year since 1883 a college football champions has been declared. Although the method has evolved overthe years the tradition is carried on today with a NCAA Division 1A Football Champion being compiled by the BCS computers. The term Division 1A was not used until 1978 before that major college champion was often used. Division 1A football is the only sport (including the other levels of football) sponsored by the NCAA that does not have an offical championship game. Below are some of the selectors:
Helms Athletic Foundation (H) 1883–1935 The Dickinson System (D) 1924–40 The Associated Press (AP) 1936–present, United Press International (UPI) 1958–90, USA Today/CNN (CNN) 1991–96, USA Today/ESPN (ESPN) 1997–present BCS selection process
- Year
- Champion
- Record
- Bowl Game if one
- Head Coach
- 1883
- Yale
- 8-0-0
- No bowl
- Ray Tompkins (Captain)
- 1884
- Yale
- 9-0-0
- No bowl
- Eugene L. Richards (Captain)
- 1885
- Princeton
- 9-0-0
- No bowl
- Charles DeCamp (Captain)
- 1886
- Yale
- 9-0-1
- No bowl
- Robert N. Corwin (Captain)
- 1887
- Yale
- 9-0-0
- No bowl
- Harry W. Beecher (Captain)
- 1888
- Yale
- 13-0-0
- No bowl
- Walter Camp
1889
Princeton 10-0-0 No bowl Edgar Poe (Captain)
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 (Captain)
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 Won Rose Fielding Yost
1902
Michigan 11-0-0 No bowl Fielding Yost
1903
Princeton 11-0-0 No bowl Art 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 Pop Warner
1917
Georgia Tech 9-0-0 No bowl John Heisman
1918
Pittsburgh 4-1-0 No bowl Pop Warner
1919
Harvard 9-0-1 Won Rose Bob Fisher
1920
California 9-0-0 Won Rose 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 Won Rose Knute Rockne
1925
Alabama (H) 10-0-0 Won Rose Wallace Wade
Dartmouth (D) 8-0-0 No bowl Jesse Hawley
1926
Alabama (H) 9-0-1 Tied Rose Wallace Wade
Stanford (D)(H) 10-0-1 Tied Rose Pop Warner
1927
Illinois 7-0-1 No bowl Bob Zuppke
1928
Georgia Tech (H) 10-0-0 Won Rose Bill Alexander
USC (D) 9-0-1 No bowl 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 Won Rose Howard Jones
1932
USC (H) 10-0-0 Won Rose Howard Jones
Michigan (D) 8-0-0 No bowl Harry Kipke
1933
Michigan 7-0-1 No bowl Harry Kipke
1934
Minnesota 8-0-0 No bowl Bernie Bierman
1935
Minnesota (H) 8-0-0 No bowl Bernie Bierman
SMU (D) 12-1-0 Lost Rose Matty Bell
1936
Minnesota 7-1-0 No bowl Bernie Bierman
1937
Pittsburgh 9-0-1 No bowl Jock Sutherland
1938
TCU (AP) 11-0-0 Won Sugar Dutch Meyer
Notre Dame (D) 8-1-0 No bowl Elmer Layden
1939
USC (D) 8-0-2 Won Rose Howard Jones
Texas A&M (AP) 11-0-0 Won Sugar 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
Michigan* 10-0-0 Won Rose Fritz Crisler
1948
Michigan 9-0-0 No bowl Bennie Oosterbaan
1949
Notre Dame 10-0-0 No bowl Frank Leahy
1950
Oklahoma 10-1-0 Lost Sugar Bud Wilkinson
1951
Tennessee 10-1-0 Lost Sugar Bob Neyland
1952
Michigan State 9-0-0 No bowl Biggie Munn
1953
Maryland 10-1-0 Lost Orange Jim Tatum
1954
Ohio State 10-0-0 Won Rose Woody Hayes
UCLA (UPI) 9-0-0 No bowl Red Sanders
1955
Oklahoma 11-0-0 Won Orange Bud Wilkinson
1956
Oklahoma 10-0-0 No bowl Bud Wilkinson
1957
Auburn 10-0-0 No bowl Shug Jordan
Ohio State (UPI) 9-1-0 Won Rose Woody Hayes
1958
LSU 11-0-0 Won Sugar Paul Dietzel
1959
Syracuse 11-0-0 Won Cotton Ben Schwartzwalder
1960
Minnesota 8-2-0 Lost Rose Murray Warmath
1961
Alabama 11-0-0 Won Sugar Bear Bryant
1962
USC 11-0-0 Won Rose John McKay
1963
Texas 11-0-0 Won Cotton Darrell Royal
1964
Alabama 10-1-0 Lost Orange Bear Bryant
1965
Alabama 9-1-1 Won Orange Bear Bryant
Michigan State (UPI) 10-1-0 Lost Rose Duffy Daugherty
1966
Notre Dame 9-0-1 No bowl Ara Parseghian
1967
USC 10-1-0 Won Rose John McKay
1968
Ohio State 10-0-0 Won Rose Woody Hayes
1969
Texas 11-0-0 Won Cotton Darrell Royal
1970
Nebraska 11-0-1 Won Orange Bob Devaney
Texas (UPI) 10-1-0 Lost Cotton Darrell Royal
1971
Nebraska 13-0-0 Won Orange Bob Devaney
1972
USC 12-0-0 Won Rose John McKay
1973
Notre Dame 11-0-0 Won Sugar Ara Parseghian
Alabama (UPI) 11-1-0 Lost Sugar Bear Bryant
1974
Oklahoma 11-0-0 No bowl Barry Switzer
USC (UPI) 10-1-1 Won Rose John McKay
1975
Oklahoma 11-1-0 Won Orange Barry Switzer
1976
Pittsburgh 12-0-0 Won Sugar Johnny Majors
1977
Notre Dame 11-1-0 Won Cotton Dan Devine
1978
Alabama 11-1-0 Won Sugar Bear Bryant
USC (UPI) 12-1-0 Won Rose John Robinson
1979
Alabama 12-0-0 Won Sugar Bear Bryant
1980
Georgia 12-0-0 Won Sugar Vince Dooley
1981
Clemson 12-0-0 Won Orange Danny Ford
1982
Penn State 11-1-0 Won Sugar Joe Paterno
1983
Miami (FL) 11-1-0 Won Orange Howard Schnellenberger
1984
BYU 13-0-0 Won Holiday LaVell Edwards
1985
Oklahoma 11-1-0 Won Orange Barry Switzer
1986
Penn State 12-0-0 Won Fiesta Joe Paterno
1987
Miami (FL) 12-0-0 Won Orange Jimmy Johnson
1988
Notre Dame 12-0-0 Won Fiesta Lou Holtz
1989
Miami (FL) 11-1-0 Won Sugar Dennis Erickson
1990
Colorado 11-1-1 Won Orange Bill McCartney
Georgia Tech (UPI) 11-0-1 Won Citrus Bobby Ross
1991
Miami (FL) 12-0-0 Won Orange Dennis Erickson
Washington (CNN) 12-0-0 Won Rose Don James
1992
Alabama 13-0-0 Won Sugar Gene Stallings
1993
Florida State 12-1-0 Won Orange Bobby Bowden
1994
Nebraska 13-0-0 Won Orange Tom Osborne
1995
Nebraska 12-0-0 Won Fiesta Tom Osborne
1996
Florida 12–1 Won Sugar Steve Spurrier
1997
Michigan 12–0 Won Rose Lloyd Carr
Nebraska (ESPN) 13–0 Won Orange Tom Osborne
1998
Tennessee 13–0 Won Fiesta Phillip Fulmer
1999
Florida State 12-0 Won Sugar Bobby Bowden
2000
Oklahoma 13-0 Won Orange Bob Stoops
2001
Miami (FL) 12-0 Won Rose Larry Coker
2002
Ohio State 14-0 Won Fiesta Jim Tressel
2003
LSU (BCS) 13-1 Won Sugar Nick Saban USC (AP) 12-1 Won Rose Pete Carroll