The college football national champions list goes from the original championships through the BCS and college football playoff games. All of the winners and the organization in charge of choosing the champion are included for you below. 2024 marks an exciting year in the current playoff model with the number of teams competing in the championship expanding from four to 12 teams this postseason. This list includes the FBS division winners. The FCS champions will be listed separately.
College Football National Champions – College Football Playoff Era
The College Football Playoff (CFP) is the current organization in charge of crowning the college football national champions. Starting in the 2024 college football season, the CFP expands from four to 12 teams. We can expect to see additional expansion after the 2025 college football season as well. Here are the winners from 2014 to date. You can checkout the current college football playoff schedule and bowl games that will be played in the 2024 season here.
| SEASON | CHAMPION | SELECTING ORGANIZATION |
| 2024 | TBA | |
| 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 |
College Football National Champions – BCS
Prior to the college football playoff, the BCS was the mechanism that the college football national champion was selected. USC’s championship from 2004 remains vacated by the NCAA (though we could see this change in the future). The BCS selected college football national champions from 1998 through 2013.
| SEASON | CHAMPION | SELECTING ORGANIZATION |
| 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 |
College Football National Champions – Poll Era
From 1936 through 1997, the college football national champion was determined by the final polls at the conclusion of the end of season bowl games. Throughout this time, we saw a number of seasons where there were co-champions based on teams being voted #1 by different polls. These results are from 1936 through 1997.
| SEASON | CHAMPION | SELECTING ORGANIZATION |
| 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 St. | 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 St. | 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 St. | 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 St. | AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI, NFF |
| 1969 | Texas | AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI |
| 1968 | Ohio St. | AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI |
| 1967 | Southern California | AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI |
| 1966 | Notre Dame, Michigan St. | AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI, NFF |
| 1965 | Michigan St., 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 St. | 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 St., Auburn | FWAA, UPI, AP |
| 1956 | Oklahoma | AP, FWAA, UPI |
| 1955 | Oklahoma | AP, FWAA, UPI |
| 1954 | UCLA, Ohio St. | FWAA, UPI, AP |
| 1953 | Maryland | AP, UPI |
| 1952 | Michigan St. | 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 St. | AP |
| 1941 | Minnesota | AP |
| 1940 | Minnesota | AP |
| 1939 | Texas A&M | AP |
| 1938 | Texas Christian | AP |
| 1937 | Pittsburgh | AP |
| 1936 | Minnesota | AP |
College Football National Champions – Pre 1935
The college football champions from 1869 through 1935 are listed below. The early years of college football were limited in the number of teams and games played. The list uses the largest football division in place at the time (i.e. you’ll see some teams no longer in FBS in the current college football landscape).
| SEASON | CHAMPION | SELECTING ORGANIZATION |
| 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 St. | HAF, NCF, NCF |
| 1911 | Penn St., 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 | NCF, 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 selected | NCF |
| 1870 | Princeton | NCF |
| 1869 | Princeton, Rutgers | NCF |
