Championships

National Championships

The national championship in NCAA Division I FBS is the subject of much debate. The University of Alabama has won 15 National Championships in football, most recently in 2009. This is to say nothing for the numerous other split-championships.   No other team has this many, and no other team has at least one victory in each of the major bowls. Bama also has more bowl appearances and bowl wins than any other team. Below is a list of all the unanimous  national championship teams the Tide has won. Alabama claims 13 national championships, of the 17 documented by the NCAA in its list of Past Division I National Champions. Championships prior to 1945 were determined by numerous organizations and associations (some retroactively); these organizations include the National Championship Foundation (NCF), Helms Athletic Foundation, Dunkel Index, Houlgate, Litkenhaus, and the College Football Research Association (CFRA). Since 1936, the AP Poll has been the most widely-circulated national championship selector. The AFCA Coaches Poll has also been widely recognized since 1950. Since 1998, the national championship has been bestowed by the Bowl Championship Series.

The NCAA does not officially name a national champion, but does provide listing of national champion selections they recognize, often noting several teams in the same year. In addition to the 15 championships claimed by the Alabama program, the NCAA records lists four additional Alabama championships: 1945, 1966, 1975 and 1977.  These championships, however, are not claimed by the university.

The following table lists the 15 national championships claimed by Alabama:

Abbreviations:^[2]

• CFRA - College Football Research Association (retroactive)
• H - Helms Athletic Foundation (retroactive 1883-1941)
• NCF - National Championship Foundation (retroactive)
• D - Dunkel Index (since 1929)
• HG - Houlgate's Football Thesaurus
• FA - Football Annual
• W - Williamson

The University of Alabama has won 15 National Championships in football, most recently in 1992. This is to say nothing for the numerous other split-championships.   No other team has this many, and no other team has at least one victory in each of the major bowls. Bama also has more bowl appearances and bowl wins than any other team. Below is a list of all the unanimous  national championship teams the Tide has won.

Southeastern Conference

The Southeastern Conference begins its 74th season of play in 2006. The league began play in 1933 with 13 schools - Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Sewanee, Tennessee, Tulane and Vanderbilt.

Alabama won the league's first conference title in 1933 by virtue of its 5-0-1 conference record, and has since amassed a record 22 SEC Championships.