8 greatest NFL quarterbacks who never won a CFB national championship ft. Peyton Manning, Patrick Mahomes and more

College success doesn’t always translate to NFL success, as many of the greatest NFL quarterbacks never won a national championship in college. Even those who did, like Troy Aikman (for Oklahoma in 1985, although he was injured early in the season) and Joe Montana, are few and far between.

Perhaps that will change with the future success of Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts and Trevor Lawrence. Only time will tell.

The greatest NFL quarterbacks who didn't win a college national title

#8, Jim Kelly

Jim Kelly led the Buffalo Bills to four Super Bowls in a row but also lost all four of those. Before becoming a Pro Football Hall of Famer, Kelly starred for the University of Miami, helping the small school ascend into a national powerhouse. He finished his four-year collegiate career (1979-82) with a record of 30-15 and 5,228 passing yards with 33 touchdowns.

The Hurricanes won the first of their five national championships in 1983.

#7, Dan Marino

The greatest quarterback to never win the Super Bowl, Dan Marino, is a legendary Miami Dolphin with NFL records that last long after his playing career.

At the University of Pittsburgh, he showcased his big arm. In 1981, Pitt was ranked No. 1 for most of the season but dropped after a loss in the final regular season game to Penn State. Marino led the Panthers over the Georgia Bulldogs in an epic Sugar Bowl.

Marino’s collegiate stats foreshadowed his legendary NFL stats, as in four seasons the College Football Hall of Famer and Pro Football Hall of Famer threw for 8,597 yards and 79 touchdowns.

#6, Ben Roethlisberger

Ben “Big Ben'' Roethlisberger towered over NFL opponents, and he got that swagger at tiny Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

He redshirted his first year but then played three years after that. In his final season, Big Ben led the RedHawks to a record of 13-1 and defeated Louisville in the 2003 GMAC Bowl. In just three seasons, Roethlisberger threw for 10,829 yards and 80 touchdowns.

#5, Drew Brees

Similar to his NFL career, Drew Brees' collegiate career would be solid stats- and performance-wise. The main difference is that Brees won a Super Bowl with the Saints.

At Purdue, showed his ability to break records as in 1998 against Wisconsin, Brees tied an NCAA single-game record with 55 completions and set the NCAA record for pass attempts in a single game with 83. He went on to lead the Boilermakers to the Big 10 championship and the Rose Bowl by upsetting Ohio State and Michigan with fourth-quarter comebacks.

#4, Aaron Rodgers

While Aaron Rodgers will go down in NFL history, his collegiate career did not match his latter success. He boasted an impressive high school record, but his smaller stature led to recruits forgoing a young Rodgers.

He went on to a junior college, Butte College, which was 15 miles away from his hometown of Chico, California. After lighting it up at Butte, he transferred to the California Bears. By his junior year in 2004, Rodgers led Cal to an impressive 10-1 and a top four ranking, but not a college championship.

#3, Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning’s collegiate years in Tennessee are memorable, but, surprisingly, the Volunteers didn’t win a national championship.

The Vols came close in 1997 in an Orange Bowl matchup against Nebraska, but they lost 42-17 and Manning’s defense allowed over 400 rushing yards. Tennessee also would have needed Michigan to lose the Rose Bowl as well, but the Wolverines didn’t as they defeated Washington State 21-16.

#2, Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes, the best current quarterback in the NFL and a two-time Super Bowl champion, shows how college football has changed over time, and how players can showcase themselves for the NFL. Mahomes had solid individual performances at Texas Tech, but the Red Raiders had average records as a team.

In a Big 12 matchup against Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners, the FBS record was demolished with the Texas Tech offense recording 819 yards in a single game. He tied the NCAA record for single-game passing yards with 734. Mahomes and Mayfield set NCAA records for most combined yards of total offense with 1,708 passing yards, and total offense by two players.

#1, John Elway

John Elway’s football life is a tapestry of perseverance and commitment. In his NFL career, he lost his first three Super Bowls but then won two.

His college career at Stanford showed hints of overcoming the odds. He began at Stanford in 1979 but excelled in his senior season in 1982. Elway's 24 touchdown passes in 1982 led the nation. By the end of his career, he held nearly every Pac-10 record for passing and total offense.

He finished second in Heisman Trophy balloting as a senior. Stanford lost its final regular-season game to the California Bears in the historic lateral-filled kickoff return known as “The Play.” In 2000, Elway was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.