Notre Dame won back-to-back national championships in 1946 and 1947, Oklahoma in 1955 and 1956, and again in 1974 and 1975, USC in 2003 and 2004, Minnesota in 1940 and 1941, Nebraska in 1970 and 1971, and again in 1994 and 1995, and the Army in 1944 and 1945.
Only three other schools have won back-to-back titles: Alabama in 1901 and 1902, Ohio State in 1930 and 1931, and Michigan St. in 1960 and 1961.
Nationally ranked teams have never won more than two consecutive titles. However, unranked teams have won three in a row twice - in 2001 and 2002 when they were Florida vs. Alabama vs. Miami (FL) in the BCS title game; and in 2008 and 2009 when they were Arizona St. vs. Southern California in the Pac-10/Rose Bowl.
Numerous factors come into play when deciding who will win the national championship, including strength of schedule, injury concerns, and even weather conditions. For example, no team has ever played in or won a title during or within one month of a major hurricane hitting the Gulf Coast. That's because all the games are played in Gulf Coast cities or towns that host NFL teams so they can use their stadiums for football purposes during the season. In addition, there is no conference championship game so the winner of the National Football League division winners will always go home with the trophy.
There are seven teams that have won two national championships, and four of those teams have done it consecutively. Oklahoma State, originally known as Oklahoma A&M, was the first team to win back-to-back championships in 1945 and 1946.
This is a list of universities and colleges in the United States that have won the most team sport national championships at the highest level of collegiate athletic competition, whether at the varsity or club level, as decided by the governing organization of each sport. NCAA regulation precedes intercollegiate competition.
Columbus, Ohio, in October Mississippi State has never won a national title in a team sport in its 123-year history of competing in collegiate athletics. Notre Dame, on the other hand, has 34 victories, 11 of which have come in football. The Fighting Irish are tied with Alabama for most national titles at four.
In addition to its No. 2 ranking in both the AP and Coaches' polls after its first 10 games, Mississippi State was also ranked No. 1 at one point this season. The Bulldogs fell out of the top spot when they lost to Auburn on Nov. 4.
Auburn went on to lose to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, while Mississippi State defeated South Carolina 24-7 to earn a berth in the Sugar Bowl against Florida Atlantic. The game was played on New Year's Day in Miami Gardens, Florida. It was the first time that the two teams had met on New Year's Day since 1989 when Mississippi State beat Auburn 31-30 in overtime.
Florida Atlantic won that game 42-36. Mississippi State then proceeded to lose to Miami (Fla.) in the 2013 Peach Bowl 28-27 in double overtime.
The Tigers finished the 2012 season 12-2 and were ranked No. 6 in both polls following their victory over Arkansas in the SEC Championship Game.
National championship schools
| Team | Number | Year won |
|---|---|---|
| Stanford | 9 | 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2016, 2018, 2019 |
| Penn State | 7 | 1999, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 |
| Nebraska | 5 | 1995, 2000, 2006, 2015, 2017 |
| UCLA | 4 | 1984, 1990, 1991, 2011 |
Every national championship-winning college football team was fantastic, but I've attempted to rate every title-winning squad over the last 50 years by asking the following questions: What was the strength of their schedule? What was their track record? How dominating were their victories? Did they come out on top in their conference? Did they triumph in their bowl game?
Here are my rankings:
1. Texas (2005); The Longhorns won their fifth national championship in nine seasons and did so with a strong offense and defense that ranked in the top 10. They played a non-conference schedule that included wins over Virginia and Ohio State and a loss to USC during the regular season. In the Big 12 Championship Game, Texas beat Nebraska 38-28 to claim its second consecutive and third overall title.
2. Florida State (1999); From 1990-1998, Florida State went 54-4 including four undefeated seasons. Their winning percentage was.926, which is third all time. The Seminoles claimed their first national title with a 34-7 win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Florida State's mark of 1.48 championships per decade is the most of any school.
3. Alabama (2009); The Crimson Tide finished the 2008 season with a 13-0 record and won their fourth national championship in five years. They defeated University of Georgia 31-21 in the 2009 Sugar Bowl. Alabama's victory over UGA was its 22nd straight win over a SEC opponent.
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