Mythical National Championship
Encyclopedia
A mythical national championship (sometimes abbreviated MNC) is a colloquial term used to question the validity of national championship recognition that is not explicitly competitive. The term is commonly used in reference to American college football because the NCAA does not sponsor a playoff-style tournament or recognize official national champions for the Football Bowl Subdivision. The term is typically applied to recognition from various entities, including coach polls and media ballots, which have attempted to recognize their own national champions for decades.
, especially for titles won before the current Bowl Championship Series
(BCS) system began in 1998
. Before the BCS, polls in which coaches and/or sportwriters voted, such as the AP
, UPI
, and USA Today
polls, awarded championships. This led to seasons in which two or even more teams could claim to have won a national championship.
The BCS attempts to eliminate uncertainty by ranking college teams and inviting the top two teams at the end of the regular season to play in a championship game
. These teams are determined by the BCS ranking formula, which itself uses a combination of human voter polls and computer rankings. The process of selecting the two best teams for the BCS championship game has, nonetheless, resulted in controversy
almost every season of its existence.
in 1937, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT)
in 1938 and the NCAA Tournament
in 1939, various third-party organizations awarded college basketball national championships in a manner similar to the selection of national champions for college football described above. The most notable of the pre-tournament era selections, and the only ones listed in the Official NCAA Men's Basketball Records Book, are those from the Helms Athletic Foundation
. However, only the champions of its own post-season tournament are counted towards official NCAA National Championship totals.
The Helms Athletic Foundation named a college basketball national champion from 1901 to 1982, with its selections from 1901-1941 being awarded retroactively. The Helms Champion, for the years in which a national post-season tournament was played, matched the winner of the 1938 NIT and the winners for all years of the NCAA Tournament except for 1939, 1940, 1944 and 1954. However, despite these discrepancies, as well as the arguable notion that the NIT was equivalently regarded to, or more prestigious than, the NCAA Tournament during some of its early years, the NCAA Tournament Champions are often regarded as National Champions. However, it must be noted that, until 1954, the NIT had more ranked teams, or a higher percentage of participating teams that were ranked (or both), in every single season. In both 1944 and 1949, the NCAA champion (Utah in 1944 and Kentucky in 1949) suffered elimination in the NIT before going on to win the NCAA. Until at least 1954, there is no clear separation between the NIT and NCAA tournaments. The 1946 NIT winning Kentucky team has as much a claim to the National Championship as the 1949 NCAA winning Kentucky team.
officially claims the 1935 championship awarded to them by winning the American Legion Bowl National Championship game against Pittsburgh
. In addition, Butler University
, who won the AAU's collegiate tournament, and a 26-0 North Carolina team who was named Helms Athletic Foundation National Champion, both claim national titles for 1924.
The following table is a partial list of schools that officially claim a national championship from the pre-NCAA Tournament era of college basketball. See also Helms Athletic Foundation Basketball National Champions. Not all schools officially recognize third-party national championships that they were selected for.
and basketball are state
-centered sports involving thousands of schools, it would be almost impossible to have a national championship playoff. A single-game playoff for football, however, was attempted in 1938 and 1939, particularly difficult at that time due to many states' prohibition of postseason games. Nearly all states crown several champions in different classifications, which are not uniform from state to state, based upon school enrollments.
Some publications and internet sites release nationwide rankings for high school sports based on polls or mathematical formulas which take into account various factors like average margin of victory and strength of schedule. Schools that finish atop these rankings, particularly the USA Today poll, often claim to be national champions, and the press calls them "mythical national champions".
, the NFL championship was determined by a formula and by the votes of the NFL owners. In two instances, 1921
and 1925
, this led to disputed titles. In 1932
, two teams tied atop the standings led to a one-game playoff
for the championship, which was made permanent the next year. There has been some sort of NFL playoff ever since, and as the league grew, so too did the tournament, which eventually took form as the single-elimination tournament
it is today.
College football
"Mythical national champion" is a term used since at least 1923 for a championship won by a NCAA Division I football teamNCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A 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...
, especially for titles won before the current 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...
(BCS) system began in 1998
1998 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first of the Bowl Championship Series, which saw Tennessee win the national championship, one year after star quarterback Peyton Manning left for the NFL...
. Before the BCS, polls in which coaches and/or sportwriters voted, such as the AP
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...
, UPI
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
, and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
polls, awarded championships. This led to seasons in which two or even more teams could claim to have won a national championship.
The BCS attempts to eliminate uncertainty by ranking college teams and inviting the top two teams at the end of the regular season to play in a 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...
. These teams are determined by the BCS ranking formula, which itself uses a combination of human voter polls and computer rankings. The process of selecting the two best teams for the BCS championship game has, nonetheless, resulted in controversy
BCS controversies
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system designed to force a "national championship game" between the top-ranking teams in American college football's top division, the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
almost every season of its existence.
College basketball
The national championship of collegiate basketball that is officially recognized by the main governing body for collegiate athletics in the United States, the NCAA, has been awarded to the champion of an annual national post-season tournament run by the NCAA since 1939. Prior to advent of national post-season college basketball tournaments beginning with the NAIA national men's basketball championshipNAIA national men's basketball championship
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship has been held annually since 1937 . The tournament was established by James Naismith to crown a national champion for smaller colleges and universities...
in 1937, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT)
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
in 1938 and the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
in 1939, various third-party organizations awarded college basketball national championships in a manner similar to the selection of national champions for college football described above. The most notable of the pre-tournament era selections, and the only ones listed in the Official NCAA Men's Basketball Records Book, are those from the Helms Athletic Foundation
Helms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...
. However, only the champions of its own post-season tournament are counted towards official NCAA National Championship totals.
The Helms Athletic Foundation named a college basketball national champion from 1901 to 1982, with its selections from 1901-1941 being awarded retroactively. The Helms Champion, for the years in which a national post-season tournament was played, matched the winner of the 1938 NIT and the winners for all years of the NCAA Tournament except for 1939, 1940, 1944 and 1954. However, despite these discrepancies, as well as the arguable notion that the NIT was equivalently regarded to, or more prestigious than, the NCAA Tournament during some of its early years, the NCAA Tournament Champions are often regarded as National Champions. However, it must be noted that, until 1954, the NIT had more ranked teams, or a higher percentage of participating teams that were ranked (or both), in every single season. In both 1944 and 1949, the NCAA champion (Utah in 1944 and Kentucky in 1949) suffered elimination in the NIT before going on to win the NCAA. Until at least 1954, there is no clear separation between the NIT and NCAA tournaments. The 1946 NIT winning Kentucky team has as much a claim to the National Championship as the 1949 NCAA winning Kentucky team.
Schools that officially claim pre-NCAA Tournament basketball championships
Various schools officially claim or recognize national championships selected by the Helms Athletic Foundation. However, some schools claim pre-tournament era national championships awarded from different selectors resulting in seasons that have multiple schools claiming championships. For instance, LSULSU Tigers basketball
The Louisiana State Tigers basketball team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. The team is currently coached by Trent Johnson and has enjoyed recent success, including a Final Four run in the 2005–2006 season. Past coaches include John Brady, Press...
officially claims the 1935 championship awarded to them by winning the American Legion Bowl National Championship game against Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball
Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt men's basketball team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games in...
. In addition, Butler University
Butler University
Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
, who won the AAU's collegiate tournament, and a 26-0 North Carolina team who was named Helms Athletic Foundation National Champion, both claim national titles for 1924.
The following table is a partial list of schools that officially claim a national championship from the pre-NCAA Tournament era of college basketball. See also Helms Athletic Foundation Basketball National Champions. Not all schools officially recognize third-party national championships that they were selected for.
| Year | School | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1912 | Wisconsin | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1914 | Wisconsin | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1915 | Illinois | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1916 | Utah Wisconsin |
AAU Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1917 | Washington State | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1918 | Syracuse | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1922 | Kansas | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1923 | Kansas | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1924 | North Carolina Butler |
Helms Athletic Foundation AAU |
| 1926 | Syracuse | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1927 | Notre Dame | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1928 | Pittsburgh | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1929 | Butler Montana St. |
Veteran Athletes of Philadelphia Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1930 | Pittsburgh | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1931 | Northwestern | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1932 | Purdue | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1934 | Wyoming | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1935 | LSU | American Legion |
| 1936 | Notre Dame | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1937 | Xavier | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| 1941 | Southern | National Invitational Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament |
High school sports
Because high school sports in the United States such as footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
and basketball are state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
-centered sports involving thousands of schools, it would be almost impossible to have a national championship playoff. A single-game playoff for football, however, was attempted in 1938 and 1939, particularly difficult at that time due to many states' prohibition of postseason games. Nearly all states crown several champions in different classifications, which are not uniform from state to state, based upon school enrollments.
Some publications and internet sites release nationwide rankings for high school sports based on polls or mathematical formulas which take into account various factors like average margin of victory and strength of schedule. Schools that finish atop these rankings, particularly the USA Today poll, often claim to be national champions, and the press calls them "mythical national champions".
National Football League
In the earliest days of the National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, the NFL championship was determined by a formula and by the votes of the NFL owners. In two instances, 1921
1921 NFL season
The 1921 APFA season was the 2nd regular season of the National Football League, which was then called the American Professional Football Association....
and 1925
1925 NFL Championship controversy
The 1925 National Football League Championship, officially held by the Chicago Cardinals, has been the subject of controversy since it was awarded. The controversy centers around the suspension of the Pottsville Maroons by NFL commissioner Joseph Carr, which prevented them from taking the title.The...
, this led to disputed titles. In 1932
NFL Playoff Game, 1932
The 1932 NFL Playoff Game was the first ever playoff game held by the National Football League , the major professional American football sports league in the United States. Due to extremely cold weather, the game was played indoors on December 18, 1932 at Chicago Stadium in Chicago...
, two teams tied atop the standings led to a one-game playoff
One-game playoff
A one-game playoff, sometimes known as a pennant playoff or play-in game, is a tiebreaker in certain sports—usually but not always professional—to determine which of two teams, tied in the final standings, will qualify for a post-season tournament...
for the championship, which was made permanent the next year. There has been some sort of NFL playoff ever since, and as the league grew, so too did the tournament, which eventually took form as the single-elimination tournament
Single-elimination tournament
A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
it is today.
See also
- Undisputed ChampionUndisputed ChampionIn professional boxing, the undisputed champion of a weight class is a boxer who is recognized as the world champion at that class by each boxing organization.-History:...
(boxing)