Who won the most national championships in college football?

Last Modified Jan 15, 2025 18:29 GMT
Michigan National Championship Celebration
College Football National Championship. Source: Getty Images

College football in the United States is represented by the national championship at the sport's highest level, called the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The College Football Playoffs serve as a medium leading to the the National Championship Game that crowns the National Champions for that season. Throughout a series of Bowl Games, four teams reach the semi-finals out of which two teams compete for the National Championship Trophy.

College Football Team With Most National Championships

Yale Bulldogs the record for most national championships in college football records with a total of 18 titles. Their first national championship came in 1874, and their maximum last win came in 1927. Those championships were earned before the AP Poll began in 1936. However, after the establishment of AP poll, the Alabama Crimson Tide has won the most national championships with a total of 13 titles. Alabama's success in college football is widely recognized and their championships were well deserved. The NCAA officially recognizes Yale as the college football team with the most national titles with 18 championships. After Yale, Alabama holds 16 titles and the Princeton Tigers football crew comes in third place with 15 championships.

The history of college football is rich with successful teams and notable moments throughout the years. Here is a look at which team has won how many championships:

College Football TeamNo. of championship won
Yale Bulldogs18
Alabama Crimson Tide16
Princeton Tigers15
Notre Dame Fighting Irish13
Michigan10
USC Trojans9
Harvard Crimson8
Ohio State Buckeyes8
Oklahoma Sooners7
Minnesota Golden Gophers6

Highest Win Percentage in College Football

As of January 2025, Ohio State hold the honors for the highest win percentage in college football with 73.5%. Whereas Michigan and Alabama are placed second with 73.3%. In the third position we have the University of Alabama, also with a winning percentage of 73.3%, tied with Michigan. This information shows the continued success and competitiveness of these valuable football groups.

Here is the list of top 10 football teams with highest win percentage as of January 2025:

TeamWin Percentage
Ohio State73.5%
Michigan73.3%
Alabama73.3%
Notre Dame73.2%
Oklahoma72.3%
St John's72.3%
Linfield70.5%
Texas70.4%
Wisconsin–Whitewater70.3%
Yale69.8%
USC 69.4%
Penn State69.1%

FAQs on Who won the most national championships in college football?

A. The University of Alabama won 16 National Championships in college football. 

A. The most recent college football playoff championship was won by the Michigan Wolverines football team in the 2023 season.

A. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) holds the record for the most national championship wins by a conference in college football.

A: The University of Notre Dame has won a total of 13 national championships in college football.

A. Michigan won 10 National Championships in college football.

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