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NCAA Division I-A Football Champions
Until 1998, the NCAA did not conduct an official national title game for Division I-A football. Instead over the years various polls and formulas were used to determine a "mythical champion". For champions prior to 1936, retro polls and research were used to determine the champion of major college football. The method has evolved over the years, as have the polls being used.
The tradition, and the controversy, is carried on today with the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), created for the 1998 season. The AP and coaches' polls, computer rankings, strength of schedule and performance against other top teams were combined into a formula, and the top two teams played in a championship game. In 2003, LSU won the BCS title game, giving them the BCS title and #1 in the coaches poll, while the sports writers voted Southern Cal #1 in their AP poll. Consequently, for the 2004 season, the BCS formula was once again tweaked. For more detail, see the Bowl Championship Series article.
The term Division I-A was not used until 1978, and before that the term 'major college champion' was often used. Below are some of the selectors:
| Year | Champion | Record | Bowl Game (if one) | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1869 | Princeton (NCF) | 1-1-0 | ||
| 1870 | Princeton (NCF) | 1-0 | ||
| 1871 | None selected | |||
| 1872 | Princeton (NCF) | 1-0 | ||
| 1873 | Princeton (NCF) | 1-0 | ||
| 1874 | Yale (NCF) | 3-0 | ||
| 1875 | Harvard (NCF) | 4-0 | ||
| Princeton (CRFA) | 2-0 | |||
| 1876 | Yale (NCF) | 3-0 | ||
| 1877 | Yale (NCF) | 3-0-1 | ||
| 1878 | Princeton (NCF) | 6-0-0 | ||
| 1879 | Princeton (NCF) | 4-0-1 | ||
| 1880 | Princeton (NCF) | 4-0-1 | ||
| Yale (CFRA) | 4-0-1 | |||
| 1881 | Yale (NCF) | 5-0-1 | ||
| 1882 | Yale (NCF) | 8-0-0 | ||
| 1883 | Yale | 8-0-0 | Ray Tomkins (Captain) | |
| 1884 | Yale | 9-0-0 | Eugene L. Richards (Captain) | |
| 1885 | Princeton | 9-0-0 | Charles DeCamp (Captain) | |
| 1886 | Yale | 9-0-1 | Robert N. Corwin (Captain) | |
| 1887 | Yale | 9-0-0 | Harry W. Beecher (Captain) | |
| 1888 | Yale | 13-0-0 | Walter Camp | |
| 1889 | Princeton | 10-0-0 | Edgar Poe (Captain) | |
| 1890 | Harvard | 11-0-0 | George A. Stewart/George C. Adams | |
| 1891 | Yale | 13-0-0 | Walter Camp | |
| 1892 | Yale | 13-0-0 | Walter Camp | |
| 1893 | Princeton | 11-0-0 | Tom Trenchard (Captain) | |
| 1894 | Yale | 16-0-0 | William C. Rhodes | |
| 1895 | Pennsylvania | 14-0-0 | George Woodruff | |
| 1896 | Princeton | 10-0-1 | Garrett Cochran | |
| 1897 | Pennsylvania | 15-0-0 | George Woodruff | |
| 1898 | Harvard | 11-0-0 | W. Cameron Forbes | |
| 1899 | Harvard | 10-0-1 | Benjamin H. Dibblee | |
| 1900 | Yale | 12-0-0 | Malcolm McBride | |
| 1901 | Michigan | 11-0-0 | Won Rose | Fielding Yost |
| 1902 | Michigan | 11-0-0 | Fielding Yost | |
| 1903 | Princeton | 11-0-0 | Art Hillebrand | |
| 1904 | Pennsylvania | 12-0-0 | Carl Williams | |
| 1905 | Chicago | 11-0-0 | Amos Alonzo Stagg | |
| 1906 | Princeton | 9-0-1 | Bill Roper | |
| 1907 | Yale | 9-0-1 | Bill Knox | |
| 1908 | Pennsylvania | 11-0-1 | Sol Metzger | |
| 1909 | Yale | 10-0-0 | Howard Jones | |
| 1910 | Harvard | 8-0-1 | Percy Houghton | |
| 1911 | Princeton | 8-0-2 | Bill Roper | |
| 1912 | Harvard | 9-0-0 | Percy Houghton | |
| 1913 | Harvard | 9-0-0 | Percy Houghton | |
| 1914 | Army | 9-0-0 | Charley Daly | |
| 1915 | Cornell | 9-0-0 | Al Sharpe | |
| 1916 | Pittsburgh | 8-0-0 | Pop Warner | |
| 1917 | Georgia Tech | 9-0-0 | John Heisman | |
| 1918 | Pittsburgh | 4-1-0 | 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 | Gil Dobie | |
| 1922 | Cornell | 8-0-0 | Gil Dobie | |
| 1923 | Illinois | 8-0-0 | 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 | 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 | Bob Zuppke | |
| 1928 | Georgia Tech (H) | 10-0-0 | Won Rose | Bill Alexander |
| USC (D) | 9-0-1 | Howard Jones | ||
| 1929 | Notre Dame | 9-0-0 | Knute Rockne | |
| 1930 | Alabama | 10-0-0 | Won Rose | Wallace Wade |
| Notre Dame | 10-0-0 | 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 | Harry Kipke | ||
| 1933 | Michigan | 7-0-1 | Harry Kipke | |
| 1934 | Alabama | 10-0-0 | Won Rose | Frank Thomas |
| Minnesota | 8-0-0 | Bernie Bierman | ||
| 1935 | Minnesota (H) | 8-0-0 | Bernie Bierman | |
| SMU (D) | 12-1-0 | Lost Rose | Matty Bell | |
| 1936 | Minnesota | 7-1-0 | Bernie Bierman | |
| 1937 | Pittsburgh | 9-0-1 | Jock Sutherland | |
| 1938 | TCU (AP) | 11-0-0 | Won Sugar | Dutch Meyer |
| Notre Dame (D) | 8-1-0 | 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 | Bernie Bierman | |
| 1941 | Alabama | 9-2-0 | Frank Thomas | |
| Minnesota | 8-0-0 | Bernie Bierman | ||
| 1942 | Ohio State | 9-1-0 | Paul Brown | |
| 1943 | Notre Dame | 9-1-0 | Frank Leahy | |
| 1944 | Army | 9-0-0 | Red Blaik | |
| 1945 | Army | 9-0-0 | Red Blaik | |
| 1946 | Notre Dame | 8-0-1 | Frank Leahy | |
| 1947 | Notre Dame | 9-0-0 | Frank Leahy | |
| Michigan* | 10-0-0 | Won Rose | Fritz Crisler | |
| 1948 | Michigan | 9-0-0 | Bennie Oosterbaan | |
| 1949 | Notre Dame | 10-0-0 | Frank Leahy | |
| 1950 | Oklahoma | 10-1-0 | Lost Sugar | Bud Wilkinson |
| 1951 | Tennessee | 10-1-0 | Lost Sugar | Bob Neyland |
| 1952 | Georgia Tech (INS) | 12-0-0 | Won Sugar | Bobby Dodd |
| Michigan State | 9-0-0 | 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 | Red Sanders | ||
| 1955 | Oklahoma | 11-0-0 | Won Orange | Bud Wilkinson |
| 1956 | Oklahoma | 10-0-0 | Bud Wilkinson | |
| 1957 | Auburn | 10-0-0 | 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 | Paul 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 | Paul Bryant |
| 1965 | Alabama | 9-1-1 | Won Orange | Paul Bryant |
| Michigan State (UPI) | 10-1-0 | Lost Rose | Duffy Daugherty | |
| 1966 | Notre Dame | 9-0-1 | 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 | Paul Bryant | |
| 1974 | Oklahoma | 11-0-0 | 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 | Paul Bryant |
| USC (UPI) | 12-1-0 | Won Rose | John Robinson | |
| 1979 | Alabama | 12-0-0 | Won Sugar | Paul 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 | Georgia Tech (UPI) | 11-0-1 | Won Citrus | Bobby Ross |
| Colorado (AP) | 11-1-1 | Won Orange | Bill McCartney | |
| 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 (AP) | 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, ESPN) | 13-1 | Won Sugar | Nick Saban |
| USC (AP) | 12-1 | Won Rose | Pete Carroll |