College football fans love to count championships, so I dug through the annals of history and compiled a list of every national champion to ever grace the sport.
You might not find college football odds for all these seasons, but at least there's a semi-definitive list of champions to argue about.'
College Football National Champions By Year
| Year | National Champion | Era |
| 2023 | Michigan | CFP Playoff |
| 2022 | Georgia | CFB Playoff |
| 2021 | Georgia | CFB Playoff |
| 2020 | Alabama | CFB Playoff |
| 2019 | LSU | CFB Playoff |
| 2018 | Clemson | CFB Playoff |
| 2017 | Alabama | CFB Playoff |
| 2016 | Clemson | CFB Playoff |
| 2015 | Alabama | CFB Playoff |
| 2014 | Ohio State | CFB Playoff |
| 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 | USC | BCS |
| 2003 | LSU/USC | BCS |
| 2002 | Ohio State | BCS |
| 2001 | Miami (FL) | BCS |
| 2000 | Oklahoma | BCS |
| 1999 | Florida State | BCS |
| 1998 | Tennessee | BCS |
| 1997 | Michigan/Nebraska | Associated Press |
| 1996 | Florida | Associated Press |
| 1995 | Nebraska | Associated Press |
| 1994 | Nebraska | Associated Press |
| 1993 | Florida State | Associated Press |
| 1992 | Alabama | Associated Press |
| 1991 | Washington/Miami | Associated Press |
| 1990 | Colorado/GT | Associated Press |
| 1989 | Miami (FL) | Associated Press |
| 1988 | Notre Dame | Associated Press |
| 1987 | Miami (FL) | Associated Press |
| 1986 | Penn State | Associated Press |
| 1985 | Oklahoma | Associated Press |
| 1984 | BYU | Associated Press |
| 1983 | Miami (FL) | Associated Press |
| 1982 | Penn State | Associated Press |
| 1981 | Clemson | Associated Press |
| 1980 | Georgia | Associated Press |
| 1979 | Alabama | Associated Press |
| 1978 | Alabama/USC | Associated Press |
| 1977 | Notre Dame | Associated Press |
| 1976 | Pittsburgh | Associated Press |
| 1975 | Oklahoma | Associated Press |
| 1974 | USC/Oklahoma | Associated Press |
| 1973 | Notre Dame/Alabama | Associated Press |
| 1972 | USC | Associated Press |
| 1971 | Nebraska | Associated Press |
| 1970 | Nebraska/Texas/Ohio State | Associated Press |
| 1969 | Texas | Associated Press |
| 1968 | Ohio State | Associated Press |
| 1967 | USC | Associated Press |
| 1966 | Notre Dame/Mich St | Associated Press |
| 1965 | Mich St/Alabama | Associated Press |
| 1964 | Alabama/Ark/Notre Dame | Associated Press |
| 1963 | Texas | Associated Press |
| 1962 | USC | Associated Press |
| 1961 | Alabama/Ohio State | Associated Press |
| 1960 | M innesota/Ole Miss | Associated Press |
| 1959 | Syracuse | Associated Press |
| 1958 | LSU/Iowa | Associated Press |
| 1957 | Ohio State/Auburn | Associated Press |
| 1956 | Oklahoma | Associated Press |
| 1955 | Oklahoma | Associated Press |
| 1954 | UCLA/Ohio State | Associated Press |
| 1953 | Maryland | Associated Press |
| 1952 | Mich St | Associated Press |
| 1951 | Tennessee | Associated Press |
| 1950 | Oklahoma | Associated Press |
| 1949 | Notre Dame | Associated Press |
| 1948 | Michigan | Associated Press |
| 1947 | Notre Dame | Associated Press |
| 1946 | Notre Dame | Associated Press |
| 1945 | Army | Associated Press |
| 1944 | Army | Associated Press |
| 1943 | Notre Dame | Associated Press |
| 1942 | Ohio State | Associated Press |
| 1941 | Minnesota | Associated Press |
| 1940 | Minnesota | Associated Press |
| 1939 | Texas A&M | Associated Press |
| 1938 | TCU | Associated Press |
| 1937 | Pittsburgh | Associated Press |
| 1936 | Minnesota | Associated Press |
| Year | National Champion | Era |
| 1935 | Minnesota | Pre-Modern |
| 1934 | Minnesota | Pre-Modern |
| 1933 | Michigan | Pre-Modern |
| 1932 | USC | Pre-Modern |
| 1931 | USC | Pre-Modern |
| 1930 | Alabama/Notre Dame | Pre-Modern |
| 1929 | Notre Dame | Pre-Modern |
| 1928 | Georgia Tech | Pre-Modern |
| 1927 | Illinois/Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1926 | Alabama/Stanford | Pre-Modern |
| 1925 | Alabama | Pre-Modern |
| 1924 | Notre Dame | Pre-Modern |
| 1923 | Illinois/Michigan | Pre-Modern |
| 1922 | Cal/Cornell/Princeton | Pre-Modern |
| 1921 | Cal/Cornell | Pre-Modern |
| 1920 | Cal | Pre-Modern |
| 1919 | Harvard/Illinois/ND/Texas A&M | Pre-Modern |
| 1918 | Michigan/Pittsburgh | Pre-Modern |
| 1917 | Georgia Tech | Pre-Modern |
| 1916 | Pittsburgh | Pre-Modern |
| 1915 | Cornell | Pre-Modern |
| 1914 | Army | Pre-Modern |
| 1913 | Harvard | Pre-Modern |
| 1912 | Harvard/Penn State | Pre-Modern |
| 1911 | Penn State/Princeton | Pre-Modern |
| 1910 | Harvard/Pittsburgh | Pre-Modern |
| 1909 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1908 | LSU/Penn | Pre-Modern |
| 1907 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1906 | Princeton | Pre-Modern |
| 1905 | Chicago | Pre-Modern |
| 1904 | Michigan/Penn | Pre-Modern |
| 1903 | Michigan/Princeton | Pre-Modern |
| 1902 | Michigan | Pre-Modern |
| 1901 | Michigan | Pre-Modern |
| 1900 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1899 | Harvard | Pre-Modern |
| 1898 | Harvard | Pre-Modern |
| 1897 | Penn | Pre-Modern |
| 1896 | Lafayette/Princeton | Pre-Modern |
| 1895 | Penn | Pre-Modern |
| 1894 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1893 | Princeton | Pre-Modern |
| 1892 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1891 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1890 | Harvard | Pre-Modern |
| 1889 | Princeton | Pre-Modern |
| 1888 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1887 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1886 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1885 | Princeton | Pre-Modern |
| 1884 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1883 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1882 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1881 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1880 | Princeton/Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1879 | Princeton | Pre-Modern |
| 1878 | Princeton | Pre-Modern |
| 1877 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1876 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1875 | Harvard | Pre-Modern |
| 1874 | Yale | Pre-Modern |
| 1873 | Princeton | Pre-Modern |
| 1872 | Princeton | Pre-Modern |
| 1871 | [None Selected] | Pre-Modern |
| 1870 | Princeton | |
| 1869 | Princeton/Rutgers | Pre-Modern |
College football might crown its modern champions via an exciting single-elimination tournament, but the historical processes that predated the playoff model are quite a bit weirder.
From 1998-2013, a computer algorithm drove the BCS system, declaring at the end of the season which two teams had the right to play for a championship. The system utilized the Coaches Poll, the Harris Poll, and several other mathematical models.