Mythical Football Natty’s

[EverythingOrange]

What’s up with these Universities just “claiming” National Championships?

You can GOOGLE this:

In 1988 Alabama claimed 8 National Championships in football. Then, in 1989 they just added / “claimed” THREE more: 1934; 1941; & 1973….
— Just by putting them in their annual football media guide.
OK - if you won it that year - list it that year!
Don’t wait until 20 - 40 - 50 years later to “claim” a Natty!

Then UCF claimed that they won the Natty in 2017. - NOT!

Now, Auburn (just out-of-the-blue) claimed four additional National Championships of their own: 1910; 1914; 1958; & 2004.

— None of them count for CRAP!!!!
It’s just teams / Universities saying: “We won it - Yay for us!!!??”

 

[Boca Vol]

A lot of teams do it...including UT.

UT didn't claim the '67 title until the early 90s. That's when it began appearing in the media guides.

I believe in the last decade or so aTm has claimed a retro natty or 2, as well.

 

[Hulavol]

The Auburn claim of 1958 is ABSURD.

LSU was the unanimous AP and Coaches Poll NC, went 11-0 and won the national championship game against number 2 Clemson in the Sugar Bowl in a blowout. The NCAA recognizes LSU as the 1958 national champ. The common opponents they played? LSU pulverized them compared to Auburn.

Auburn went 9-0-1 that year and finished number 4 in the AP. They tied Georgia Tech.


Auburn’s claim is based on the “Montgomery Full Season Championship…….” That’s about as credible as the Blount County Water Cooler Committee claiming the Vols are the 2024 Champs beacuse they had a nice season and were a pretty neat group of fellas.

Auburn has poked fun at Bama for such crap for decades…. But even Bama never squinted this hard to claim a retro NC. If I were an Auburn man, I’d be embarrassed by this. No one really cares these days of course, but the previous generation down in Baton Rouge sure as hell would.

May as well let Germany raise a banner for winning WWI.

 

[adam.vol]

There’s nothing wrong with claiming “national champions” when you were undefeated at the end of regular play. If anyone claiming was a problem, then they would have had a playoffs for all who were undefeated.

Doesn’t really make sense to print “champions” in a program when everyone remembers what happened last game. 20 years later is about when everyone needs a refresher.

The problem is that the AP has been the only recognized decider of national championships by the likes of EA and Disney. AP wasn’t always the all-seeing eye that it is today. At some point not too long ago, the world wasn’t as connected and programs who weren’t around major trade hubs were often overlooked.

 

[Big Orange Captain]

We have two official nattys that’s it. So does Auburn

 

[05_never_again]

What’s up with these Universities just “claiming” National Championships?

You can GOOGLE this:

In 1988 Alabama claimed 8 National Championships in football. Then, in 1989 they just added / “claimed” THREE more: 1934; 1941; & 1973….
— Just by putting them in their annual football media guide.
OK - if you won it that year - list it that year!
Don’t wait until 20 - 40 - 50 years later to “claim” a Natty!

Then UCF claimed that they won the Natty in 2017. - NOT!

Now, Auburn (just out-of-the-blue) claimed four additional National Championships of their own: 1910; 1914; 1958; & 2004.

— None of them count for CRAP!!!!
It’s just teams / Universities saying: “We won it - Yay for us!!!??”

Football is the only college sport where the NCAA doesn't crown a champion, and until the BCS there was no mechanism to specifically match up #1 and #2. If a poll voted you the #1 team at the end of the season (and until the 1970s, the final poll came out before the bowls), then you could claim a title. The AP Poll and Coaches Poll were (and still are) considered the best polls, so most claimed titles by schools are from when at least one of those polls ranked them #1, but you technically can claim a title if any poll ranked you #1. There were lots of split titles in the poll era because the AP and Coaches Polls had different teams #1.

What made UCF's 2017 title claim eyebrow raising is that 1) there was an established mechanism to determine a national champion in 2017 (the CFP) and 2) the Colley Matrix is a computer-generated rating system, not a poll. I don't think any other school claims a national title on the basis of the the Colley Matrix saying they were #1.

 

[Bearkat_Vol]

We were the SEC Western Division Champions in 2022!