Alabama’s National Championships: The Definitive Guide

Alabama Crimson Tide fans have often heard the claims from rival fans that Alabama doesn’t have a legitimate claim to all of their football national championships.

Auburn Tigers fans in particular have gone so far as to call Alabama’s championships “mythical,” in an attempt to cast doubt on their legitimacy. Ironically, Auburn now claims championships it clearly has no right to claim, such as the 1993 national championship. Outrageous, considering Auburn was under NCAA sanctions at the time, barring them from any postseason play.

We’ve looked at the history of Alabama’s championships – claimed and otherwise – in an attempt to clear things up. In our estimation, not only does Alabama have the 15 claimed championships, but the NCAA recognizes four other years as well.

The NCAA does not name an official national champion in football. It instead has a list of publications, polls and rankings over the years which have named national champions that the NCAA recognizes. There have been many polls over the years, but after the Associated Press poll – and later the Coaches poll  – came into existence, the others became less necessary, and then completely irrelevant after the implementation of the BCS.

The following pages should serve as a starting point for readers looking for an overview of Alabama’s championship history.