It's challenging to win just one college football national title. As you may imagine, winning two straight is considerably more difficult. That's why, since the AP started selecting champions in 1936, just seven teams—the most recent being the Georgia Bulldogs—have been able to win consecutive uncontested titles.
Up until the BCS emerged in 1998, the AP was, of course, the main ranking system used to determine the genuine winner. However, several other organizations also had a say, which is why college football occasionally had co-champions.
One can understand that it is difficult to win consecutive college football national titles. But it is nearly impossible to win three titles in a row. Not a single program has succeeded in doing so since 1936.
But, as previously stated, the AP started naming a college football national champion in 1936. The University of Minnesota, which had also won the championship without a doubt in 1934 and 1935, took first place that season, granting the Golden Gophers their only uncontested three-peat since 1900.
Three-Time National Championship Winner in a row
After Minnesota, Yale is the only other institution that can make such a claim, having won four consecutive indisputable national championships from 1881–1884 and then three straight from 1886–1888.
Although they were tied for the 1880 championship with Princeton, who previously won in 1878 and 1879, they achieved their first-ever three-peat during that initial run of victories.
From 1901 to 1904, the University of Michigan shared two titles but won four in a row. The University of California, Berkeley, shared two titles but won three in a row from 1920 to 1922.
| Teams | Years |
| Princeton | 1978, 1979, 1880 (co-champs in 1880) |
| Yale | 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884 (co-champs in 1880) |
| Yale | 1886, 1887, 1888 |
| Michigan | 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904 (co-champs in 1903, 1904) |
| Cal-Berkeley | 1920, 1921, 1922 (co-champs in 1921, 1922) |
| Minnesota | 1935, 1935, 1936 |
Two-Time National Championship Winner in a row
There have been seven two-time national championship winners in a row and seven more, but they have shared titles with other programs. Of course, with the College Football Playoffs being established before the 2014 season, sharing a national championship is no longer an option.
| Teams | Years |
| Minnesota | 1940, 1941 |
| Army | 1944, 1945 |
| Notre Dame | 1946, 1947 |
| Oklahoma | 1955, 1956 |
| Nebraska | 1994, 1995 |
| Alabama | 2011, 2012 |
| Georgia | 2021, 2022 |
Shared Two-Time Champions in a row
| Teams | Years |
| Alabama | 1964, 1965 (co-champs both seasons) |
| Michigan State | 1965, 1966 (co-champs both seasons) |
| Texas | 1969, 1970 (co-champs with two teams in 1970) |
| Nebraska | 1970, 1971 (co-champs with two teams in 1970) |
| Oklahoma | 1974, 1975 (co-champs in 1974) |
| Alabama | 1978, 1979 (co-champs in 1978) |
| USC | 2003, 2004 (co-champs in 2003, 2004 title was vacated) |
FAQs
A. No, winning three consecutive national championships in college football has not been achieved by any team since 1936.
A. The University of Minnesota achieved an uncontested three-peat, winning national championships in 1934, 1935, and 1936.
A. The AP started selecting college football national champions in 1936, replacing other ranking systems used before the BCS era.
A. Yale won four consecutive national championships from 1881–1884 and three straight from 1886–1888, making them the only other team with such a claim.
A. Seven teams have won two consecutive national championships, including Minnesota, Army, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Alabama, and Georia.
