How many teams have won back-to-back college football championships? Exploring the NCAA record ahead of the 2023 season

College football championships, like any other team sports titles, are hard to win. And it's even harder to accomplish the feat twice in a row. With so much elite competition every year, no one defending champion is guaranteed to repeat - no matter how good they are.

That said, when one team does win, everybody takes notice. So in this list, we look at all the back-to-back college football championships in NCAA history.

'Uncontested' Back-to-Back College Football Championships

There are a total of seven teams with "uncontested" claims to back-to-back national football titles. "Uncontested" means they're the only ones who won it that year, and they weren't co-champions with other teams. Here they are:

• Minnesota - 1940, 1941
• Army - 1944, 1945
• Notre Dame - 1946, 1947
• Oklahoma - 1955, 1956
• Nebraska - 1994, 1995
• Alabama - 2011, 2012
• Georgia - 2021, 2022

'Contested' Championships

On the other hand, the contested (co-championship) titles are as follows:

• Alabama - 1964, 1965 (co-champions for both seasons)
• Michigan State - 1965, 1966 (co-champions for both seasons)
• Texas - 1969, 1970 (co-champions)
• Nebraska - 1970 (co-champions with two teams), 1971
• Oklahoma - 1974 (co-champions), 1975
• Alabama - 1978 (co-champions), 1979
• USC - 2003 (co-champions), 2004 (championship vacated)

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How hard is it to win two college football championships in a row?

Preseason Poll Picking Football

The short answer: pretty hard. Before the Georgia Bulldogs won two straight titles in 2021 and 2022, the most recent school to do so was Alabama in 2011 and 2012. In addition, Georgia's feat beat the second-longest drought between repeat championships in NCAA football.

Overall, only a total of 11 teams and eight college football programs have been repeat champions since the modern CFB era began in 1936. That is 86 years of history, with only 11 teams achieving the feat.

That is enough proof that any program that manages to defend its college football championship is a legendary team.

Out of all these repeat champion teams, the one most worth noting is Alabama. The Crimson Tide is the only team to have won back-to-back college football championships three times.

As a result, they've won the most titles in the so-called "modern era," which started in 1936 courtesy of the Associated Press (AP) polls. Not to mention fans also include Alabama's 1925 and 1926 victories, which were won before the AP polls. These titles, however, are often left out of the equation.

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Can the Bulldogs win three straight?

Now, onto something remotely related and even more challenging - can Georgia win it all again this year? The Bulldogs' back-to-back title run was already awe-inspiring in its own right. But if they want to three-peat, they are against some major history.

During the modern era, no team has ever won three straight college football championships. But there is one before 1936 that can be considered the only three-peat winner in CFB history: the University of Minnesota.

The Bulldogs, however, might have a good chance if their 2021 and 2022 title runs are any indication. They've gone an insane 29-1 during those two years, which gives their fans so much confidence heading into 2023-2024. But only time can tell.