Has USC ever won a national championship in football? Trojans' CFP national championship history explored 

USC is actually one of the most successful football programs in the history of the sport at the collegiate level. The Trojans are tied with Michigan as the sixth school with the most national titles with nine. They won it in 1931,1932,1962, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1978, 2003, and 2004.

However, there's some debate regarding whether the Trojans have nine or eleven national titles, as some claim they won the ultimate prize in 1928 and 1939 as well.

Between 1924 and 1940 there existed an alternate method to select the national champion called the Dickinson System, through which USC was claimed the national champion on those two occasions.

Most of their success came under legendary head coach John McKay, who led them to four national titles in a 16-year tenure between 1960 and 1975.

USC's first national title

The Trojans won their first official national title in 1931 when they were selected as the No. 1 overall team in the nation by the Dickinson System.

That year, for the first time, the top-ranked team of the Dickinson System played a postseason game. USC played against the Tulane Green Wave in the 1932 Rose Bowl, in an encounter marketed as the final between the best team on the East Coast versus the best team on the West Coast. USC defeated Tulane 21-12.

The Trojans had opened their season with a loss to St. Mary's, however, they ended the season as the Pacific Coast's champions with nine straight victories. They famously scored 69 points against Montana and 60 versus Georgia.

The Trojans' most recent national title

The Trojans last won the national title in 2004, under the leadership of Pete Carrol as head coach. Their star-studded offense was led by Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart at quarterback and next year's Heisman Reggie Bush as running back.

The team had an 11-0 record and were ranked No. 1 for every single week of the season. They easily won the Orange Bowl final versus the Oklahoma Sooners 55-19.

However, in 2010 the Trojans were forced to forfeit their two last wins of the season retroactively.

The school was investigated by the NCAA, and it was determined that the university's leadership had for a long time provided unnecessary support and benefits to their student-athletes. Not only was the football program affected, but their basketball and tennis teams were affected too.

The school was forced to disassociate itself from Reggie Bush, who was one of the focuses of the investigation.

Nonetheless, the AP still recognizes the school as the 2004 national champion and even some lists on the NCAA webpage include that year's championship for USC.