The national championship in football is one of the most sought-after titles in American college sports. It is also one of the most controversial. Until the late 1990s, the winner was determined by various methods, most notably the AP and UPI polls. This often led to disputes as well as a number of shared titles due to conflicting polls. In 1998 a national championship game was introduced with the Bowl Championship Series. However, fans continued to agitate for a true playoff format, and in 2014 they got their wish with the debut of the College Football Playoff (CFP). Below is a list of CFP and other consensus Division I-A national champions since 1924.
| season | champion |
|---|---|
| *National champion determined by various polls until the introduction of the BCS system in 1998; BCS system replaced with the College Football Playoff system in 2014–15. | |
| **Southern California won the BCS championship but had its title stripped in 2011 because of rules violations committed during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. | |
| 1924 | Notre Dame |
| 1925 | Dartmouth |
| 1926 | Stanford |
| 1927 | Illinois |
| 1928 | Southern California |
| 1929 | Notre Dame |
| 1930 | Notre Dame |
| 1931 | Southern California |
| 1932 | Michigan |
| 1933 | Michigan |
| 1934 | Minnesota |
| 1935 | Southern Methodist |
| 1936 | Minnesota |
| 1937 | Pittsburgh |
| 1938 | Texas Christian |
| 1939 | Texas A&M |
| 1940 | Minnesota |
| 1941 | Minnesota |
| 1942 | Ohio State |
| 1943 | Notre Dame |
| 1944 | Army |
| 1945 | Army |
| 1946 | Notre Dame |
| 1947 | Notre Dame |
| 1948 | Michigan |
| 1949 | Notre Dame |
| 1950 | Oklahoma |
| 1951 | Tennessee |
| 1952 | Michigan State |
| 1953 | Maryland |
| 1954 | Ohio State (AP), UCLA (UP) |
| 1955 | Oklahoma |
| 1956 | Oklahoma |
| 1957 | Auburn (AP), Ohio State (UP) |
| 1958 | Louisiana State |
| 1959 | Syracuse |
| 1960 | Minnesota |
| 1961 | Alabama |
| 1962 | Southern California |
| 1963 | Texas |
| 1964 | Alabama |
| 1965 | Alabama (AP), Michigan State (UPI) |
| 1966 | Notre Dame |
| 1967 | Southern California |
| 1968 | Ohio State |
| 1969 | Texas |
| 1970 | Nebraska (AP), Texas (UPI) |
| 1971 | Nebraska |
| 1972 | Southern California |
| 1973 | Notre Dame (AP), Alabama (UPI) |
| 1974 | Oklahoma (AP), Southern California (UPI) |
| 1975 | Oklahoma |
| 1976 | Pittsburgh |
| 1977 | Notre Dame |
| 1978 | Alabama (AP), Southern California (UPI) |
| 1979 | Alabama |
| 1980 | Georgia |
| 1981 | Clemson |
| 1982 | Penn State |
| 1983 | Miami (Fla.) |
| 1984 | Brigham Young |
| 1985 | Oklahoma |
| 1986 | Penn State |
| 1987 | Miami (Fla.) |
| 1988 | Notre Dame |
| 1989 | Miami (Fla.) |
| 1990 | Colorado (AP), Georgia Tech (UPI) |
| 1991 | Miami (Fla.; AP), Washington (UPI) |
| 1992 | Alabama |
| 1993–94 | Florida State |
| 1994–95 | Nebraska |
| 1995–96 | Nebraska |
| 1996–97 | Florida |
| 1997–98 | Michigan (AP), Nebraska (USA Today/ESPN) |
| 1998–99 | Tennessee |
| 1999–2000 | Florida State |
| 2000–01 | Oklahoma |
| 2001–02 | Miami (Fla.) |
| 2002–03 | Ohio State |
| 2003–04 | Louisiana State (BCS), Southern California (AP) |
| 2004–05 | vacated** |
| 2005–06 | Texas |
| 2006–07 | Florida |
| 2007–08 | Louisiana State |
| 2008–09 | Florida |
| 2009–10 | Alabama |
| 2010–11 | Auburn |
| 2011–12 | Alabama |
| 2012–13 | Alabama |
| 2013–14 | Florida State |
| 2014–15 | Ohio State |
| 2015–16 | Alabama |
| 2016–17 | Clemson |
| 2017–18 | Alabama |
| 2018–19 | Clemson |
| 2019–20 | Louisiana State |
| 2020–21 | Alabama |
| 2021–22 | Georgia |
| 2022–23 | Georgia |
| 2023–24 | Michigan |