Lineal National Championship

This is an original research project. In some sports, rather than have a playoff or a complex balloting method, the champion is deemed to be the competitor who defeated the preceding champion, e.g., boxing. What follows are the results of a college football national championship based on this method.
Date Champion Score Site Defenses Notes
11/28/2020 Alabama 42-13 Tuscaloosa, AL * Incumbent
10/31/2020 Auburn 48-11 Auburn, AL 2
10/24/2020 Louisiana State 52-24 Baton Rouge, LA 1
10/17/2010 South Carolina 30-22 Columbia, SC 1
10/10/2020 Auburn 30-28 Auburn, AL 1
10/3/2020 Arkansas 21-14 Starkville, MS 1
9/26/2020 Mississippi State 44-34 Baton Rouge, LA 1
1/13/2020 Louisiana State 42-25 New Orleans, LA 1 CFP Championship
12/28/2019 Clemson 29-23 Glendale, AZ 1 Fiesta Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
11/10/2018 Ohio State 26-6 East Lansing, MI 18
10/27/2018 Michigan State 23-13 East Lansing, MI 2
10/20/2018 Purdue 49-20 West Lafayette, IN 1
9/29/2018 Ohio State 27-26 State College, PA 3
9/8/2018 Penn State 51-6 Pittsburgh, PA 3
11/24/2017 Pittsburgh 24-14 Pittsburgh, PA 2
10/21/2017 Miami (FL) 27-19 Miami, FL 5
10/13/2017 Syracuse 27-24 Syracuse, NY 1
1/9/2017 Clemson 35-31 Tampa, FL 7 CFP Championship
10/22/2016 Alabama 33-14 Tuscaloosa, AL 7
9/24/2016 Texas A&M 45-24 Arlington, TX 3
9/10/2016 Arkansas 41-38 Fort Worth, TX 2 2OT
11/27/2015 Texas Christian 28-21 Fort Worth, TX 3 OT
11/21/2015 Baylor 45-35 Stillwater, OK 1
11/7/2015 Oklahoma State 49-29 Stillwater, OK 2
11/1/2014 Texas Christian 31-30 Morgantown, WV 14
10/18/2014 West Virginia 41-27 Morgantown, WV 2
10/11/2014 Baylor 61-58 Waco, TX 1
10/4/2014 Texas Christian 37-33 Fort Worth, TX 1
12/7/2013 Oklahoma 33-24 Stillwater, OK 6
11/23/2013 Oklahoma State 49-17 Stillwater, OK 1
11/17/2012 Baylor 52-24 Waco, TX 13
10/27/2012 Kansas State 55-24 Manhattan, KS 3
10/13/2012 Texas Tech 49-14 Lubbock, TX 2
1/4/2012 West Virginia 70-33 Miami, FL 6 Orange Bowl
12/3/2011 Clemson 38-10 Charlotte, NC 1 ACC Championship
11/10/2011 Virginia Tech 37-26 Atlanta, GA 3
10/29/2011 Georgia Tech 31-17 Atlanta, GA 1
9/17/2011 Clemson 38-24 Clemson, SC 6
12/4/2010 Auburn 56-17 Atlanta, GA 4 SEC Championship
11/13/2010 South Carolina 36-14 Gainesville, FL 3
10/30/2010 Florida 34-31 Jacksonville, FL 2 OT
10/23/2010 Georgia 44-31 Lexington, KY 1
10/16/2010 Kentucky 31-28 Lexington, KY 1
10/9/2010 South Carolina 35-21 Columbia, SC 1
12/6/2009 Alabama 32-13 Atlanta, GA 7 SEC Championship
1/8/2009 Florida 24-14 Miami, FL 13 BCS Championship
11/22/2008 Oklahoma 65-21 Norman, OK 3
11/1/2008 Texas Tech 39-33 Lubbock, TX 2
10/25/2008 Texas 28-24 Austin, TX 1
10/11/2008 Oklahoma State 28-23 Columbia, MO 2
1/1/2008 Missouri 38-7 Dallas, TX 6 Cotton Bowl
11/23/2007 Arkansas 50-48 Baton Rouge, LA 1 3OT
10/20/2007 Louisiana State 30-24 Baton Rouge, LA 4
9/29/2007 Auburn 20-17 Gainesville, FL 3
1/8/2006 Florida 41-14 Glendale, AZ 5 BCS Championship
9/9/2006 Ohio State 24-7 Austin, TX 11
1/4/2006 Texas 41-38 Pasadena, CA 2 Rose Bowl
1/1/2004 Southern California 28-14 Pasadena, CA 26 Rose Bowl
10/25/2003 Michigan 31-3 Ann Arbor, MI 4
10/18/2003 Purdue 26-23 Madison, WI 1
10/11/2003 Wisconsin 17-10 Madison, WI 1
1/3/2003 Ohio State 31-24 Tempe, AZ 6 Fiesta Bowl, 2OT
10/7/2000 Miami (FL) 27-24 Miami, FL 32
9/18/1999 Florida State 42-11 Tallahassee, FL 15
8/28/1999 North Carolina State 23-20 Austin, TX 3
11/27/1998 Texas 26-24 Austin, TX 2
10/10/1998 Texas A&M 28-21 College Station, TX 6
9/20/1997 Nebraska 27-14 Seattle, WA 16
9/6/1997 Washington 42-20 Provo, UT 2
10/19/1996 Brigham Young 55-30 Tulsa, OK 8
9/21/1996 Tulsa 27-20 Tulsa, OK 3
9/7/1996 Iowa 21-20 Iowa City, IA 2
11/24/1995 Arizona 31-28 Tempe, AZ 2
10/14/1995 Arizona State 29-21 Tempe, AZ 4
9/30/1995 Brigham Young 28-21 Fort Collins, CO 1
9/16/1995 Colorado State 27-20 Colorado Springs, CO 1
9/9/1995 Air Force 34-10 Colorado Springs, CO 1
11/12/1994 Wyoming 38-28 Laramie, WY 2
11/5/1994 New Mexico 23-21 Albuquerque, NM 1
10/22/1994 Utah 45-31 Fort Collins, CO 2
10/8/1994 Colorado State 21-16 Tucson, AZ 2
11/26/1993 Arizona 34-20 Tempe, AZ 6
11/13/1993 Arizona State 9-3 Pasadena, CA 1
10/16/1993 UCLA 39-25 Pasadena, CA 4
10/9/1993 Washington 24-23 Berkeley, CA 1
9/4/1993 California 27-25 Pasadena, CA 5
11/21/1992 UCLA 38-37 Pasadena, CA 1
11/14/1992 Southern California 14-7 Los Angeles, CA 1
11/7/1992 Arizona 16-3 Tucson, AZ 1
10/3/1992 Washington 17-10 Seattle, WA 5
9/19/1992 Southern California 20-10 Norman, OK 1
9/3/1992 Oklahoma 34-9 Lubbock, TX 2
11/16/1991 Texas Tech 31-24 Waco, TX 2
10/26/1991 Baylor 26-9 Waco, TX 2
10/19/1991 Texas Christian 39-28 Houston, TX 1
10/12/1991 Rice 20-17 Waco, TX 1
9/14/1991 Baylor 16-14 Boulder, CO 4
1/1/1991 Colorado 10-9 Miami, FL 2 Orange Bowl
11/24/1990 Notre Dame 10-6 Los Angeles, CA 1
11/17/1990 Southern California 45-42 Pasadena, CA 1
11/10/1990 UCLA 25-22 Seattle, WA 1
10/27/1990 Washington 46-7 Seattle, WA 2
9/29/1990 California 30-25 Tucson, AZ 4
9/8/1990 Arizona 28-16 Tucson, AZ 3
1/1/1990 Illinois 31-21 Orlando, FL 1 Florida Citrus Bowl
11/4/1989 Virginia 20-9 Raleigh, NC 3
10/28/1989 North Carolina State 20-10 Columbia, SC 1
9/30/1989 South Carolina 24-20 Athens, GA 3
9/23/1989 Georgia 23-6 Athens, GA 1
9/9/1989 Mississippi State 26-23 Hattiesburg, MS 1
9/2/1989 Southern Mississippi 30-26 Jacksonville, FL 1
9/7/1988 Florida State 24-21 Clemson, SC 10
1/1/1988 Clemson 35-10 Orlando, FL 3 Florida Citrus Bowl
11/21/1987 Penn State 21-20 State College, PA 1
11/14/1987 Notre Dame 37-6 South Bend, IN 1
11/7/1987 Alabama 22-10 Baton Rouge, LA 1
10/3/1987 Louisiana State 13-10 Baton Rouge, LA 4
9/19/1987 Florida 23-14 Birmingham, AL 2
9/12/1987 Alabama 24-13 State College, PA 1
10/25/1986 Penn State 23-3 Tuscaloosa, AL 7
12/28/1985 Alabama 24-3 Honolulu, HI 8 Aloha Bowl
11/23/1985 Southern California 17-13 Los Angeles, CA 2
11/9/1985 UCLA 24-19 Tucson, AZ 2
11/2/1985 Arizona 27-6 Corvallis, OR 1
10/19/1985 Oregon State 21-20 Seattle, WA 1
9/28/1985 Washington 21-14 Seattle, WA 3
11/17/1984 UCLA 29-10 Pasadena, CA 5
11/10/1984 Southern California 16-7 Los Angeles, CA 1
9/15/1984 Washington 20-11 Ann Arbor, MI 8
9/8/1984 Michigan 22-14 Ann Arbor, MI 1
8/27/1984 Miami (FL) 20-18 East Rutherford, NJ 2
10/29/1983 Auburn 28-21 Auburn, AL 5
10/1/1983 Florida 31-17 Baton Rouge, LA 3
9/24/1983 Louisiana State 40-14 Baton Rouge, LA 1
9/17/1983 Washington 25-24 Seattle, WA 1
9/10/1983 Michigan 20-17 Ann Arbor, MI 1
11/20/1982 Washington State 24-20 Pullman, WA 2
11/13/1982 Washington 17-13 Tempe, AZ 1
10/9/1982 Arizona State 21-17 Tempe, AZ 4
9/25/1982 Stanford 23-20 Columbus, OH 2
11/21/1981 Ohio State 14-9 Ann Arbor, MI 4
10/31/1981 Michigan 34-13 Minneapolis, MN 3
10/24/1981 Minnesota 12-10 Iowa City, IA 1
9/26/1981 Iowa 20-7 Iowa City, IA 4
9/19/1981 UCLA 31-13 Madison, WI 1
9/12/1981 Wisconsin 21-14 Madison, WI 1
1/1/1981 Michigan 23-6 Pasadena, CA 1 Rose Bowl
11/15/1980 Washington 20-10 Los Angeles, CA 2
11/11/1978 Southern California 28-10 Los Angeles, CA 25
10/28/1978 Washington 41-7 Seattle, WA 2
10/14/1978 Arizona State 20-7 Tempe, AZ 1
9/23/1978 Southern California 24-14 Birmingham, AL 2
10/8/1977 Alabama 21-20 Los Angeles, CA 10
11/20/1976 Southern California 24-14 Pasadena, CA 7
1/1/1976 UCLA 23-10 Pasadena, CA 11 Rose Bowl
10/4/1975 Ohio State 41-20 Pasadena, CA 8
9/20/1975 UCLA 34-28 Pasadena, CA 2
10/26/1974 Tennessee 29-28 Knoxville, TN 7
10/19/1974 Clemson 17-13 Clemson, SC 1
10/5/1974 Duke 16-14 Durham, NC 2
9/28/1974 Purdue 31-20 South Bend, IN 1
10/27/1973 Notre Dame 23-14 South Bend, IN 8
1/1/1973 Southern California 42-17 Pasadena, CA 7 Rose Bowl
11/25/1972 Ohio State 14-11 Columbus, OH 1
9/23/1972 Michigan 26-9 Pasadena, CA 9
9/9/1972 UCLA 20-17 Pasadena, CA 2
1/1/1972 Nebraska 38-6 Miami, FL 1 Orange Bowl
11/27/1971 Alabama 31-7 Birmingham, AL 1
11/13/1971 Auburn 35-20 Athens, GA 1
9/18/1971 Georgia 17-7 Athens, GA 8
12/12/1970 Tulane 17-3 Memphis, TN 2 Liberty Bowl
11/21/1970 Colorado 49-19 Colorado Springs, CO 1
11/14/1970 Air Force 31-14 Colorado Springs, CO 1
10/10/1970 Stanford 24-14 Palo Alto, CA 5
1/1/1970 Southern California 10-3 Pasadena, CA 5 Rose Bowl
11/22/1969 Michigan 24-12 Ann Arbor, MI 1
10/12/1968 Ohio State 13-0 Columbus, OH 16
9/28/1968 Purdue 37-22 South Bend, IN 2
9/21/1968 Notre Dame 45-21 South Bend, IN 1
1/1/1968 Oklahoma 26-24 Miami, FL 1 Orange Bowl
11/18/1967 Tennessee 20-7 Memphis, TN 3
10/14/1967 Mississippi 29-20 Jackson, MS 4
11/26/1966 Georgia 23-14 Athens, GA 5
10/8/1966 Georgia Tech 6-3 Atlanta, GA 6
10/1/1966 Tennessee 23-3 Knoxville, TN 1
9/24/1966 Rice 17-15 Houston, TX 1
1/1/1966 Louisiana State 14-7 Dallas, TX 2 Cotton Bowl
10/16/1965 Arkansas 27-24 Fayetteville, AR 6
1/1/1965 Texas 21-17 Miami, FL 5 Orange Bowl
1/1/1964 Alabama 12-7 New Orleans, LA 11 Sugar Bowl
11/3/1962 Mississippi 15-7 Baton Rouge, LA 14
11/4/1961 Louisiana State 10-7 Baton Rouge, LA 11
11/14/1959 Mississippi 37-7 Memphis, TN 20
11/7/1959 Tennessee 14-13 Knoxville, TN 1
11/1/1958 Louisiana State 14-0 Baton Rouge, LA 12
11/16/1957 Mississippi 14-7 Memphis, TN 9
10/26/1957 Tennessee 16-0 College Park, MD 3
10/19/1957 Maryland 21-7 College Park, MD 1
10/12/1957 North Carolina 20-13 Miami, FL 1
10/5/1957 Miami (FL) 13-7 Miami, FL 1
1/1/1957 Baylor 13-7 New Orleans, LA 3 Sugar Bowl
11/26/1955 Tennessee 20-14 Knoxville, TN 11
11/12/1955 Vanderbilt 20-7 New Orleans, LA 2
10/29/1955 Tulane 27-13 New Orleans, LA 2
11/6/1954 Auburn 14-13 Birmingham, AL 10
10/15/1954 Miami (FL) 27-13 Miami, FL 3
10/2/1954 Mississippi State 46-13 Starkville, MS 2
11/7/1953 Arkansas State 20-0 Memphis, TN 5
10/31/1953 Memphis 27-13 Memphis, TN 1
9/18/1953 Southern Mississippi 25-19 Montgomery, AL 5
1/1/1953 Alabama 61-6 Miami, FL 1 Orange Bowl
11/8/1952 Syracuse 25-7 Syracuse, NY 3
11/1/1952 Penn State 14-7 Philadelphia, PA 1
10/11/1952 Pennsylvania 13-7 Princeton, NJ 3
10/6/1950 Princeton 24-20 Annapolis, MD 18
12/2/1950 Navy 14-2 Philadelphia, PA 2
10/23/1948 Army 27-6 Ithaca, NY 22
10/9/1948 Cornell 40-6 Ithaca, NY 2
10/2/1948 Harvard 33-24 Cambridge, MA 1
10/25/1947 Columbia 21-20 New York, NY 6
12/1/1945 Army 32-13 Philadelphia, PA 15
10/6/1945 Navy 21-0 Durham, NC 7
11/4/1944 Duke 19-13 Durham, NC 7
10/14/1944 Georgia Tech 27-0 Atlanta, GA 3
11/21/1942 Auburn 27-13 Columbus, GA 4 [3]
10/31/1942 Georgia 21-10 Atlanta, GA 3
1/1/1942 Alabama 29-21 Dallas, TX 6 Cotton Bowl
12/6/1941 Texas A&M 7-0 Tacoma, WA 1 Evergreen Bowl
10/25/1941 Washington State 7-0 Pullman, WA 6
10/11/1941 Oregon State 10-0 Corvallis, OR 1
10/26/1940 Stanford 21-7 Palo Alto, CA 8
1/1/1940 Southern California 14-0 Pasadena, CA 5 Rose Bowl
1/2/1939 Tennessee 17-0 Miami, FL 11 Orange Bowl [2]
10/1/1938 Oklahoma 7-6 Norman, OK 10
1/1/1938 Rice 28-14 Dallas, TX 1 Cotton Bowl
10/2/1937 Colorado 14-6 Boulder, CO 8
11/7/1936 Missouri 13-7 St. Louis, MO 4
10/31/1936 St. Louis 25-7 St. Louis, MO 1
10/9/1936 Wichita State 6-0 Lubbock, TX 1
9/26/1936 Texas Tech 7-0 Lubbock, TX 2
1/1/1936 Texas Christian 3-2 New Orleans, LA 2 Sugar Bowl
11/9/1935 Louisiana State 28-13 Baton Rouge, LA 4
10/12/1935 Mississippi State 20-7 Tuscaloosa, AL 4
1/1/1935 Alabama 29-13 Pasadena, CA 3 Rose Bowl
11/10/1934 Stanford 24-0 Palo Alto, CA 3
10/13/1934 Washington 16-6 Portland, OR 3
11/30/1933 Oregon 13-7 Moraga, CA 3
11/4/1933 St. Mary's (CA) 13-6 New York, NY 4
11/5/1932 Fordham 14-0 New York, NY 8
11/26/1931 St. Mary's (CA) 16-0 Moraga, CA 7
11/21/1931 Oregon 13-6 Pasadena, CA 1
11/11/1931 UCLA 12-0 Pasadena, CA 1
11/15/1930 St. Mary’s (CA) 20-12 New York, NY 8 [2]
11/23/1929 Fordham 14-0 New York, NY 8
11/9/1929 Bucknell 9-0 Scranton, PA 2
11/17/1928 Villanova 14-13 Philadelphia, PA 8
11/3/1928 Grove City 12-6 Unknown 2 [1]
10/27/1928 Geneva 7-0 Washington, PA 1
10/13/1928 Duquesne 12-6 Washington, PA 2
10/15/1927 Washington & Jefferson 20-6 Pittsburgh, PA 8
11/27/1926 Carnegie Tech 19-0 Pittsburgh, PA 4
10/16/1926 Notre Dame 28-0 South Bend, IN 6
10/2/1926 Penn State 27-0 State College, PA 2
9/25/1926 Lebanon Valley 30-12 Harrisburg, PA 1
11/21/1925 Villanova 23-9 Muhlenberg, PA 1
10/31/1925 Muhlenberg 9-7 Lehigh, PA 3
10/17/1925 Lehigh 3-0 Bethlehem, PA 2
11/8/1924 West Virginia Wesleyan 7-3 Syracuse, NY 3
11/24/1923 Syracuse 7-0 Lincoln, NE 7
11/10/1923 Nebraska 14-7 Lincoln, NE 2
10/20/1923 Notre Dame 25-2 Princeton, NJ 3
10/28/1922 Princeton 21-18 Chicago, IL 6
11/19/1921 Chicago 3-0 Chicago, IL 4
11/13/1920 Wisconsin 14-9 Madison, WI 8
11/22/1919 Illinois 9-7 Columbus, OH 6
10/25/1919 Ohio State 13-3 Ann Arbor, MI 3
11/16/1918 Michigan 15-0 Ann Arbor, MI 5
11/3/1917 Syracuse 6-0 Providence, RI 8
10/27/1917 Brown 7-6 Providence, RI 1
11/25/1916 Colgate 28-0 Providence, RI 3
11/18/1916 Brown 21-0 Cambridge, MA 1
10/28/1916 Harvard 23-0 Cambridge, MA 3
10/23/1915 Cornell 10-0 Cambridge, MA 8
11/2/1912 Harvard 16-6 Cambridge, MA 26
11/4/1911 Princeton 8-6 Princeton, NJ 9
10/29/1910 Harvard 6-0 West Point, NY 9
10/15/1910 Army 9-3 West Point, NY 2
11/20/1909 Yale 8-0 Cambridge, MA 5
11/7/1908 Harvard 17-0 Cambridge, MA 11
11/9/1907 Carlisle 23-15 Cambridge, MA 10
10/19/1907 Harvard 6-0 Annapolis, MD 3
11/10/1906 Navy 5-4 Annapolis, MD 9
10/13/1906 Swarthmore 4-0 Philadelphia, PA 4
10/7/1905 Pennsylvania 11-4 Philadelphia, PA 15
10/29/1904 Swarthmore 9-0 Annapolis, MD 3
10/15/1904 Navy 10-9 Annapolis, MD 3
11/14/1903 Princeton 11-6 New Haven, CT 6
11/22/1902 Yale 23-0 New Haven, CT 11
11/23/1901 Harvard 22-0 Cambridge, MA 12
11/24/1900 Yale 28-0 New Haven, CT 13
11/5/1898 Harvard 10-0 Cambridge, MA 24
10/23/1897 Pennsylvania 46-0 Philadelphia, PA 16
10/24/1896 Lafayette 6-4 Philadelphia, PA 13
11/10/1894 Pennsylvania 12-0 Trenton, NJ 25
11/30/1893 Princeton 6-0 New York, NY 8
11/27/1890 Yale 32-0 Brooklyn, NY 36
11/28/1889 Princeton 10-0 New York, NY 13
11/24/1887 Yale 17-8 New York, NY 29
11/12/1887 Harvard 12-0 Cambridge, MA 2
11/21/1885 Princeton 6-5 New Haven, CT 17
11/25/1882 Yale 1-0 Cambridge, MA 26
11/18/1882 Harvard 3-0 Cambridge, MA 1
11/28/1878 Princeton 1-0 Hoboken, NJ 26
11/30/1876 Yale 2-0 Hoboken, NJ 11
11/13/1869 Princeton 8-0 Princeton, NJ 11
11/6/1869 Rutgers 6-4 New Brunswick, NJ 1 First game
​[1] – The evidence for the site of the game is unclear. Newspaper evidence suggest both the 1926 and 1927 games were played at Geneva, which would suggest Geneva hosted the game annually. On the other hand, one site which previously attempted this project claims Grove City hosted the game in 1928.
[2] – Lost to non-college team, Olympic Club, in Moraga, CA on 11/7/1931. Paul Davidson has shown that if the lineal championship is traced through Olympic Club (and thereby allowing the lineal championship to pass to non-college teams) then the path would be as follows (ultimately merging into the main line with Tennessee's reign which is listed above as beginning on 1/2/1939):
Date Champion Score Site Defenses Notes
11/8/1931 Olympic Club 10-0 San Franciso, CA 1
11/21/1931 Loyola (CA) 13-0 Los Angeles, CA 1
11/29/1931 San Diego Marines 7-0 San Diego, CA 3
9/24/1932 Fresno State 12-0 Fresno, CA 1
10/1/1932 West Coast Army 7-6 Fresno, CA 2
10/15/1932 Stanford 26-0 Stanford, CA 1
10/27/1932 Southern California 13-0 Stanford, CA 13
11/11/1933 Stanford 13-7 Stanford, CA 3
1/1/1934 Columbia 7-0 Pasadena, CA 3 Rose Bowl
10/20/1934 Navy 18-7 New York, NY 4
11/17/1934 Pittsburgh 31-7 Annapolis, MD 5
10/19/1935 Notre Dame 9-6 South Bend, IN 3
11/9/1935 Northwestern 14-7 South Bend, IN 10
11/21/1936 Notre Dame 26-6 South Bend, IN 4
10/16/1937 Carnegie Tech 9-7 Pittsburgh, PA 1
10/23/1937 Temple 7-0 Philadephia, PA 2
11/6/1937 Michigan State 13-6 Philadephia, PA 3
1/1/1938 Auburn 6-0 Miami, FL 3 Orange Bowl
10/8/1938 Tennessee 7-0 Knoxville, TN 19 [Merges into Tennessee, 1/2/1939]
  [3] – Did not play in 1943.
Sources for Game Data: James Howell, various college media guides
Special thanks to the following individuals who have pointed out a need for corrections:
Matt Walcoff, Derrick Rivers, Colby Barton, ShadowNightLion (on Reddit), Paul Davidson
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