History of Major College Football National Championship
Throughout its history, Major College Football (also known Football Bowl Subdivision or Division I-A) has used several different formats to supply a National Championship game; while the NCAA still does not officially sanction a National Championship Game and/or tournament (this includes the College Football Playoff), several different widely-accepted selectors have served this purpose.
No. 1 vs No. 2 in "The Old Bowl System"[edit]
Starting with the 1968 season, the Associated Press (AP) did not release its final rankings until after the bowl games had been played, effectively making the bowl games a significant factor in ranking the #1 team (i.e., the National Champion). While the Coaches Poll continued to release its final rankings before the bowl games (through the 1973 season), the precedent for using the bowl games had been set. However, there did not yet exist any system within the bowls to ensure a #1 vs #2-style postseason bowl game. Nonetheless, six of the 24 seasons from 1968 until 1991 saw a #1 vs #2 matchup (using the AP Poll) in a bowl game - 1968, 1971, 1978, 1982, 1986, and 1987.
| Year | Champion | Losing Team | Score | Venue | Location | Attendance | Winning Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Ohio State | Southern California | 27-16 | Rose Bowl | Pasadena, California | 102,063 | Woody Hayes |
| 1971 | Nebraska | Alabama | 38-6 | Orange Bowl | Miami, Florida | 78,151 | Bob Devaney |
| 1978 | Alabama | Penn State | 14-7 | Sugar Bowl | New Orleans, Louisiana | 76,824 | Bear Bryant |
| 1982 | Penn State | Georgia | 27-23 | Sugar Bowl | New Orleans, Louisiana | 78,127 | Joe Paterno |
| 1986 | Penn State | Miami | 14-10 | Fiesta Bowl | Tempe, Arizona | 73,098 | Joe Paterno |
| 1987 | Miami | Oklahoma | 20-14 | Orange Bowl | Miami, Florida | 74,760 | Jimmy Johnson |
Bowl Coalition / Bowl Alliance (1992 - 1997)[edit]
Beginning with the 1992 season, the SEC, Big 8, Southwest, ACC, and Big East), as well as Notre Dame had entered into the Bowl Coalition, which existed to better allow the top-ranked teams (i.e., #1 vs #2) to play each other in the postseason, using the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl,[1] as potential sites for such an event. Succeeding the Bowl Coalition was the Bowl Alliance, which served a similar purpose, but differed on how the bowl selections were made (among other changes).[2] However, with both systems, the major issue was that neither the Big Ten nor the Pacific-10 were involved in either system, which, in particular, excluded highly viable candidates in Penn State (1994), Arizona State (1996), and Michigan (1997).
| Year | Champion | Losing Team | Score | Venue | Location | Attendance | Winning Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Alabama | Miami | 34-13 | Sugar Bowl | New Orleans, Louisiana | 76,789 | Gene Stallings |
| 1993 | Florida State | Nebraska | 18-16 | Orange Bowl | Miami, Florida | 81,536 | Bobby Bowden |
| 1994 | Nebraska | Miami | 24-17 | Orange Bowl | Miami, Florida | 81,753 | Tom Osborne |
| 1995 | Nebraska | Florida | 62-24 | Fiesta Bowl | Tempe, Arizona | 79,864 | Tom Osborne |
| 1996 | Florida | Florida State | 52-20 | Sugar Bowl | New Orleans, Louisiana | 78,344 | Steve Spurrier |
| 1997 | Nebraska | Tennessee | 42-17 | Orange Bowl | Miami, Florida | 74,002 | Tom Osborne |
Bowl Championship Series (1998 - 2013)[edit]
In 1998, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was implemented with the specific purpose of matching the #1 ranked team vs the #2 ranked team in either the Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, or Rose Bowl.[3] This system was in place for 16 seasons until being replaced by the College Football Playoff.
| Year | Champion | Losing Team | Score | Venue | Location | Attendance | Winning Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Tennessee | Florida State | 23-16 | Fiesta Bowl | Tempe, Arizona | 80,470 | Phillip Fulmer |
| 1999 | Florida State | Virginia Tech | 46-29 | Sugar Bowl | New Orleans, Louisiana | 79,280 | Bobby Bowden |
| 2000 | Oklahoma | Florida State | 13-2 | Orange Bowl | Miami, Florida | 76,835 | Bob Stoops |
| 2001 | Miami | Nebraska | 37-14 | Rose Bowl | Pasadena, California | 93,781 | Larry Coker |
| 2002 | Ohio State | Miami | 31-24 | Fiesta Bowl | Tempe, Arizona | 77,502 | Jim Tressel |
| 2003 | LSU | Oklahoma | 21-14 | Sugar Bowl | New Orleans, Louisiana | 79,342 | Nick Saban |
| 2004 | Southern California | Oklahoma | 55-19 | Orange Bowl | Miami, Florida | 77,912 | Pete Carroll |
| 2005 | Texas | Southern California | 41-38 | Rose Bowl | Pasadena, California | 93,986 | Mack Brown |
| 2006 | Florida | Ohio State | 41-14 | Fiesta Bowl | Glendale, Arizona | 74,628 | Urban Meyer |
| 2007 | LSU | Ohio State | 38-24 | Sugar Bowl | New Orleans, Louisiana | 79,651 | Les Miles |
| 2008 | Florida | Oklahoma | 24-14 | Orange Bowl | Miami, Florida | 78,468 | Urban Meyer |
| 2009 | Alabama | Texas | 37-21 | Rose Bowl | Pasadena, California | 94,906 | Nick Saban |
| 2010 | Auburn | Oregon | 22-19 | Fiesta Bowl | Glendale, Arizona | 78,603 | Gene Chizik |
| 2011 | Alabama | LSU | 21-0 | Sugar Bowl | New Orleans, Louisiana | 78,237 | Nick Saban |
| 2012 | Alabama | Notre Dame | 42-14 | Orange Bowl | Miami, Florida | 80,120 | Nick Saban |
| 2013 | Florida State | Auburn | 34-31 | Rose Bowl | Pasadena, California | 94,208 | Jimbo Fisher |
College Football Playoff (2014 - Current)[edit]
Starting with the 2014 season, the College Football Playoff has determined the consensus National Champion, using the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl as semifinal games in the first season, the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl in the second season, and the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl in the third, with these sites on a rotating basis. The site for the College Football National Championship will change on an annual basis, but does not rotate among sites.
| Year | Champion | Losing Team | Score | Venue | Location | Attendance | Winning Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Ohio State | Oregon | 42-20 | AT&T Stadium | Arlington, Texas | 85,689 | Urban Meyer |
Most National Championship Games Won, 1992-Current[edit]
| Team | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 4 | 1992, 2009, 2011, 2012 |
| Florida | 3 | 1996, 2006, 2008 |
| Florida State | 3 | 1993, 1999, 2013 |
| Nebraska | 3 | 1994, 1995, 1997 |
| LSU | 2 | 2003, 2007 |
| Ohio State | 2 | 2002, 2014 |
| Auburn | 1 | 2010 |
| Miami | 1 | 2001 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 2000 |
| Tennessee | 1 | 1998 |
| Texas | 1 | 2005 |
| Southern California | 0 | 2004* |
- Southern California later vacated its claim to the 2004 National Championship
See also[edit]
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References[edit]
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