AP National Championship Trophy
Encyclopedia
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
(AP) to the team who finishes the season at the number one spot in the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
.
The trophy consists of a silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
or gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
football suspended above a base which contains the letters "AP" (for Associated Press), along with the information on who the recipient of the trophy was.
The Associated Press is not tied to the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
, and the trophy can be awarded to a team which did not win the BCS National Championship Game
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
. This has happened once after the 2003 season when LSU
2003 LSU Tigers football team
The 2003 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2003–2004. Coached by Nick Saban, the Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After a bit of controversy, LSU won the BCS National Championship, the first...
won the BCS title game, but USC
2003 USC Trojans football team
The 2003 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2003-2004 NCAA Division I-A college football season...
received a higher total of votes in the AP Poll, and therefore received the AP National Championship Trophy.
Winners
The following teams have finished in the #1 spot in the final AP PollAP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
of the season for college football:
| Season | School |
|---|---|
| 1936 | Minnesota Minnesota Golden Gophers football The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as... |
| 1937 | Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Panthers football Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football... |
| 1938 | TCU TCU Horned Frogs football The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football... |
| 1939 | Texas A&M Texas A&M Aggies football The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18... |
| 1940 | Minnesota |
| 1941 | Minnesota |
| 1942 | Ohio State Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state... |
| 1943 | Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an... |
| 1944 | Army |
| 1945 | Army |
| 1946 | Notre Dame |
| 1947 | Notre Dame, Michigan Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history... |
| 1948 | Michigan |
| 1949 | Notre Dame |
| 1950 | Oklahoma Oklahoma Sooners football The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association... |
| 1951 | Tennessee Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference .... |
| 1952 | Michigan State Michigan State Spartans football The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level... |
| 1953 | Maryland Maryland Terrapins football The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference... |
| 1954 | Ohio State |
| 1955 | Oklahoma |
| 1956 | Oklahoma |
| 1957 | Auburn Auburn Tigers football Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the... |
| 1958 | LSU LSU Tigers football The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as... |
| 1959 | Syracuse Syracuse Orange football The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision... |
| 1960 | Minnesota |
| 1961 | Alabama Alabama Crimson Tide football |TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team... |
| 1962 | USC |
| 1963 | Texas Texas Longhorns football The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National... |
| 1964 | Alabama |
| 1965 | Alabama |
| 1966 | Notre Dame |
| 1967 | USC |
| 1968 | Ohio State |
| 1969 | Texas |
| 1970 | Nebraska Nebraska Cornhuskers football The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A... |
| 1971 | Nebraska |
| 1972 | USC |
| 1973 | Notre Dame |
| 1974 | Oklahoma |
| 1975 | Oklahoma |
| 1976 | Pittsburgh |
| 1977 | Notre Dame |
| 1978 | Alabama |
| 1979 | Alabama |
| 1980 | Georgia Georgia Bulldogs football The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54... |
| 1981 | Clemson Clemson Tigers football The Clemson Tigers football team is an American football team from Clemson University in South Carolina. It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference... |
| 1982 | Penn State Penn State Nittany Lions football The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the... |
| 1983 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes football The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships... |
| 1984 | BYU |
| 1985 | Oklahoma |
| 1986 | Penn State |
| 1987 | Miami (FL) |
| 1988 | Notre Dame |
| 1989 | Miami (FL) |
| 1990 | Colorado Colorado Buffaloes football The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,... |
| 1991 | Miami (FL) |
| 1992 | Alabama |
| 1993 | Florida State Florida State Seminoles football The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference... |
| 1994 | Nebraska |
| 1995 | Nebraska |
| 1996 | Florida Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference... |
| 1997 | Michigan |
| 1998 | Tennessee |
| 1999 | Florida State |
| 2000 | Oklahoma |
| 2001 | Miami (FL) |
| 2002 | Ohio State |
| 2003 | USC |
| 2004 | USC |
| 2005 | Texas |
| 2006 | Florida |
| 2007 | LSU |
| 2008 | Florida |
| 2009 | Alabama |
| 2010 | Auburn |
By school
| School | Number | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | 8 | 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988 |
| Alabama | 7 | 1961, 1964, 1965, 1978, 1979, 1992, 2009 |
| Oklahoma | 7 | 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2000 |
| Miami (FL) | 5 | 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, 2001 |
| USC | 5 | 1962, 1967, 1972, 2003, 2004 |
| Minnesota | 4 | 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960 |
| Nebraska | 4 | 1970, 1971, 1994, 1995 |
| Ohio State | 4 | 1942, 1954, 1968, 2002 |
| Florida | 3 | 1996, 2006, 2008 |
| Texas | 3 | 1963, 1969, 2005 |
| LSU | 2 | 1958, 2007 |
| Michigan | 2 | 1948, 1997 |
| Army | 2 | 1944, 1945 |
| Auburn | 2 | 1957, 2010 |
| Florida State | 2 | 1993, 1999 |
| Penn State | 2 | 1982, 1986 |
| Pittsburgh | 2 | 1937, 1976 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 1951, 1998 |
| BYU | 1 | 1984 |
| Colorado | 1 | 1990 |
| Clemson | 1 | 1981 |
| Georgia | 1 | 1980 |
| Maryland | 1 | 1953 |
| Michigan State | 1 | 1952 |
| Syracuse | 1 | 1959 |
| TCU | 1 | 1938 |
| Texas A&M | 1 | 1939 |
See also
- AP PollAP PollThe Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
- Bowl game results were not included in the AP championship until the 1968 season (1974 season for the UP championship) - MacArthur TrophyMacArthur TrophyThe MacArthur Trophy is a trophy awarded annually by the National Football Foundation to the NCAA Division I-FBS college football team or teams determined to be the national champion. There is only one trophy itself, much like the Stanley Cup, and it is kept by the winning institution for one year...
- Grantland Rice AwardGrantland Rice AwardThe Grantland Rice Trophy is an annual award presented in the United States since 1954 to the college football team adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America to be "national champion". Named for the legendary sportswriter, Grantland Rice, the trophy was the first national...
- BCS National Championship GameBCS National Championship GameThe BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
- NCAA Division I FBS national football championshipNCAA Division I FBS National Football ChampionshipA college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...