Undefeated College Football Teams That Didn’t Win National Titles

Going undefeated in college football doesn't guarantee a national title or even getting a shot to play for one.

This alternate history of college football features a good helping of teams who have been the most “tough luck” stories in the sport’s history. These are the teams who went unbeaten and untied but didn’t end up with a national championship. They never even got a chance to play for one.

Here’s a look at the 20 college football teams from the modern era — 1970 until now — that went unbeaten and untied without winning a national championship. That includes three programs who have done it twice.

Warning: For fans of these teams, this might sting a little.

20. Arkansas State (1975)

Arkansas State

Record: 11-0

Head coach: Bill “Bull” Davidson

Key players: RB Dennis Bolden, QB David Hines, RB Leroy Harris

Final AP poll: Not ranked

Bottom line: Arkansas State had two big tests in 1975 (its first year in NCAA Division I), and they passed both of them, winning 14-9 at Cincinnati and closing out the season with a 30-13 road win over Southland Conference runner-up Louisiana Tech.

Head coach Bill “Bull” Davidson was also part of another Arkansas State unbeaten season as an assistant coach in 1970 when the Wolves won the NCAA Division II national championship. Davidson retired because of health problems following the 1978 season and after winning another Southland Conference championship, but he eventually returned to the school as an associate athletic director in the early 1980s.

19. Rutgers (1976)

Rutgers Athletics

Record: 12-0

Head coach: Frank R. Burns

Key players: QB Bert Kosup, RB Glen Kehler, WR Mark Twitty

Final AP poll: No. 17

Bottom line: Rutgers was playing as an independent in 1976 and didn’t play any teams west of the Mississippi River — Louisville and Tulane were the only teams they played that weren’t on the East Coast. Rutgers didn’t play any ranked teams and was only ranked for one game when they defeated Colgate 17-9 in the regular-season finale at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Head coach Frank R. Burns actually played quarterback for Rutgers from 1945 to 1948 and was the Rutgers head coach from 1973 to 1983. His best moment as head coach probably wasn’t the 1976 unbeaten season but a 13-7 upset at No. 17 Tennessee in 1979.

18. Tulane (1998)

Tulane University Alumni Association / Facebook

Record: 12-0

Head coach: Tommy Bowden and Chris Scelfo (one game)

Key players: QB Shaun King, OL Dennis O’Sullivan, K Brad Palazzo, RB Toney Converse

Final AP poll: No. 7

Bottom line: Tulane had one of the weakest schedules in college football on the way to going unbeaten in 1998. The Green Wave was the only team in Conference USA with less than five losses, and their only regular-season game against a team playing in one of the major conferences was a 52-24 win over Rutgers, which finished tied for sixth in the Big East.

Head coach Tommy Bowden left the team before its Liberty Bowl win over BYU to become the head coach at Clemson. Tulane quarterback and two-time Conference USA MVP Shaun King had over 3,700 yards of total offense and accounted for 46 touchdowns — 36 passing and 10 rushing. King went on to play six seasons in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl as the backup for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003.

17. Marshall (1999)

Al Behrman / AP Photo

Record: 13-0

Head coach: Bob Pruett

Key players: QB Chad Pennington, WR Nate Poole, DT Giradie Mercer, RB Doug Chapman, LB John Grace, DB Rogers Beckett, WR James Williams

Final AP poll: No. 10

Bottom line: Marshall became just the second team outside of the non-automatic qualifying teams to finish in the Top 10 in the final AP poll thanks to a huge season from senior quarterback Chad Pennington, who threw for 3,799 yards and 37 touchdowns on the way to being named MAC Most Valuable Player.

While Marshall didn’t get a chance to play any ranked teams, they won all but two games by more than 12 points and capped the season with a 21-3 win over BYU in the Motor City Bowl.

16. Arizona State (1970)

Frank Kush / Facebook

Record: 11-0

Conference: WAC

Head coach: Frank Kush

Key players: WR J.D. Hill, K Jim McCann, DE Mike Fanucci, E Bob Thomas, QB Joe Spagnola

Final AP poll: No. 6

Bottom line: This is the first of two undefeated teams for legendary Arizona State head coach Frank Kush in the 1970s. The 1970 Sun Devils started off the season ranked No. 20 then dropped out of the polls after an opening win over Colorado State before returning in Week 3 at No. 18.

Arizona State was still playing in the WAC and ran the table there before closing the regular season with a 10-6 win in a rivalry game against Arizona and then beating North Carolina by 22 points in the Peach Bowl.

This was the first year NCAA teams were allowed to play 11 regular-season games, but Arizona State only managed to schedule 10, so who knows how much another game could have helped the Sun Devils in the polls. Arizona State was actually one of four Division I teams — then known as the University Division — to go unbeaten in 1979 along with Dartmouth, Toledo and eventual national champion Nebraska, which went 11-0-1.

15. Miami of Ohio (1973)

Miami Athletics

Record: 11-0

Conference: MAC

Head coach: Bill Mallory

Key players: QB Steve Sanna, RB Bob Hitchens, RB Chuck Varner

Final AP poll: No. 15

Bottom line: This was the fourth time a MAC team went unbeaten in a five-year stretch after Toledo didn’t lose for three consecutive seasons from 1969 to 1971.

Unlike some other teams on this list, Miami absolutely put itself to the test during the 1973 season with three consecutive road wins over Dayton, Purdue and South Carolina to open the season and closing the year with a road win over No. 19 Kent State, a rivalry win over Cincinnati and a 16-7 win over Florida in the Tangerine Bowl. Miami’s defense was key to the unbeaten season, leading the nation in total defense and rushing defense.

Miami’s 1973 season kicked off a three-year stretch in which the school went 32-1-1 — head coach Bill Mallory left after 1973 to become the head coach at Colorado.

14. Central Florida (2017)

Central Florida linebacker Shaquem Griffin

Willie J. Allen Jr. / AP Photo

Record: 13-0

Head coach: Scott Frost

Key players: QB McKenzie Milton, TE Jordan Akins, RB Adrian Killins, OT Aaron Evans, C Jordan Johnson, LB Shaquem Griffin, CB Mike Hughes, S Kyle Gibson

Final AP poll: No. 6

Bottom line: Few teams in college football history have proven as insufferable as UCF’s unbeaten team in 2017 — mainly because of their headache-inducing national championship claims following the season. UCF faced just two ranked opponents, No. 20 Memphis and No. 7 Auburn, which finished the season 10-4.

UCF’s 2017 team did feature one of the more amazing stories in college football history with All-American linebacker Shaquem Griffin, who dominated during his college years and played three seasons in the NFL despite having just one hand.

13. Toledo (1971)

AP Photo

Record: 12-0

Head coach: Jack Murphy

Key players: DT Mel Long, QB Chuck Ealey, RB Joe Schwartz, TE Al Baker, DE Bob Rose, LB John Niezgoda, DB Gary Hinson, DB John Saunders

Final AP poll: No. 14

Bottom line: The final season of Toledo’s three-year stretch of unbeaten seasons concluded with quarterback Chuck Ealey and defensive tackle Mel Long both being named All-Americans, with Long earning the honors for the second consecutive year and becoming the first consensus All-American in MAC history.

Toledo’s winning streak reached 35 games with a third consecutive Tangerine Bowl victory — the second-longest win streak in the modern era. Even more impressive was Toledo did it in 1971 with a first-year head coach in Jack Murphy, who took over after Frank Lauterbur left to become the head coach at Iowa following the 1970 season.

12. Boise State (2006)

Matt York / AP Photo

Record: 13-0

Head coach: Chris Petersen

Key players: QB Jared Zabransky, RB Ian Johnson, LB Korey Hall

Final AP poll: No. 5

Bottom line: The first undefeated and untied season in Boise State history was capped by perhaps the greatest finish to a bowl game in college football history.

Boise State didn’t face a single ranked team during the regular season and were heavy underdogs against No. 7 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Trailing late in the fourth quarter, Boise State tied the game on a 50-yard, hook-and-ladder play for a touchdown and then went for the win on a two-point conversion in overtime, using a Statue of Liberty-esque play to running back Ian Johnson for the win.

After Florida’s blowout win over Ohio State in the BCS Championship Game, Boise State was the only unbeaten FBS team in the nation.

11. Penn State (1973)

AP Photo

Record: 12-0

Head coach: Joe Paterno

Key players: RB John Cappelletti, LB Ed O’Neil, LB Doug Allen, OT Charlie Getty, C Mark Markovich, RB Gary Hayman, DT Randy Crowder, OT Phil LaPorta, LB Tom Hull

Final AP poll: No. 5

Bottom line: Penn State went unbeaten in 1973 — the first year of NCAA Division I classification — in large part thanks to running back John Cappelletti, who rushed for 1,526 yards and 17 touchdowns on the way to winning the first Heisman Trophy in Penn State history along with the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award.

Playing as an independent, Penn State crisscrossed the nation with road games at Stanford, Air Force and Syracuse before capping the season with back-to-back wins over No. 20 Pittsburgh and No. 13 LSU in the Orange Bowl.

This was a wild year for college football. The top six teams in the final regular-season poll were undefeated as well as No. 15 Miami (Ohio), with No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Notre Dame meeting in the Sugar Bowl for the national championship and with No. 2 Oklahoma banned from the postseason for NCAA violations.

10. Utah (2004)

Douglas C. Pizac / AP Photo

Record: 12-0

Head coach: Urban Meyer

Key players: QB Alex Smith, OL Chris Kemoeatu, DB Morgan Scalley, CB Ryan Smith, WR Steve Savoy, WR Paris Warren

Final AP poll: No. 4

Bottom line: The original BCS Buster, Utah’s unbeaten team was the first outside the Power Five Conference teams to receive an invitation to a BCS bowl game, where they smashed No. 19 Pittsburgh, 35-7. It was also Utah’s only win over a ranked team.

This Utah squad had a couple of formidable leaders in head coach Urban Meyer, who left to coach Florida after the season, and quarterback Alex Smith, who threw for 2,952 yards and 32 touchdowns while also rushing for 632 yards and 10 touchdowns. Smith was selected No. 1 overall in the 2005 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.

This was yet another crazy year for college football — Utah was one of three FBS teams to finish the season undefeated alongside national champion USC and Auburn, with only USC actually getting to play for the national championship.

9. Dartmouth (1970)

DartmouthFTBL / Twitter

Record: 9-0

Head coach: Bob Blackman

Key players: OT Bob Peters, RB John Short, LB Murry Bowden, DT Barry Brink, DB Willie Bogan, QB Jim Chasey

Final AP poll: No. 14

Bottom line: This was the second of five consecutive Ivy League titles and third undefeated team in a decade for Dartmouth, and head coach Bob Blackman was his very best, bringing home the Lambert Trophy as the best college football team on the East Coast.

Dartmouth outscored opponents 311-42 in 1970 and never trailed in a single game, including six shutouts from the defense. Dartmouth was led by 26 seniors and had 17 players earn All-Ivy League along with five who were named All-East. Dartmouth finished the season No. 14 in the AP poll — the last time a team from the Ivy League finished in the Top 25.

Dartmouth’s alumni magazine did a masterful job of telling a deep-dive story on the team, which many think of as the last Ivy League team that could compete on the national level. Read that and tell me you wouldn’t want to have played for Blackman.

8. Toledo (1970)

MACSports / Twitter

Record: 12-0

Conference: MAC

Head coach: Frank Lauterbur

Key players: DT Mel Long, QB Chuck Ealey, FB Charlie Cole, OT Ken Wilson, DE Bob Rose, LB John Niezgoda, DB Tom Duncan, DB Gary Hinkson

Final AP poll: No. 12

Bottom line: This was the second of three consecutive undefeated seasons for Toledo and the last under head coach Frank Lauterbur, who left after the season to become the head coach at Iowa.

The leader of Toledo’s 1970 team and the best player during its three-season run was 6-foot-1, 230-pound defensive tackle Mel Long, a decorated Vietnam veteran who earned both a Navy Cross and Bronze Star before he enrolled at Toledo following his service. Led by Long, a two-time All-American, Toledo’s defense set records in 1970 that still stand to this day, including giving up just 44 yards of total offense, zero rushing first downs and zero passing yards in a win over Dayton as well as forcing seven turnovers in a win over Marshall.

Like each year in its three-year unbeaten stretch, Toledo capped the season with a win in the Tangerine Bowl, this time defeating William & Mary and their 33-year-old head coach, Lou Holtz.

7. Auburn (1993)

Jay Sailors / AP Photo

Record: 11-0

Head coach: Tommy Bowden

Key players: RB James Bostic, RB Stephen Davis, DE Willie Whitehead, OT Wayne Gandy, QB Stan White, OT Anthony Redmon, FB Tony Richardson, WR Frank Sanders, CB Calvin Jackson

Final AP poll: No. 4

Bottom line: Auburn’s national title dreams were over before the season even started — they were banned from playing on TV, in the SEC Championship Game or a bowl game in 1993 because they were on NCAA probation.

That’s too bad because Auburn was the only undefeated team in major college football in 1993 under first-year head coach Tommy Bowden. They were playing their best football down the stretch with wins over No. 4 Florida and No. 11 Alabama in the season finale.

6. Boise State (2009)

Matt Cilley / AP Photo

Record: 14-0

Head coach: Chris Petersen

Key players: QB Kellen Moore, WR Austin Pettis, WR/RS Titus Young, OL Nate Potter, DB Kyle Wilson, DL Ryan Winterswyk, DB Jeron Johnson

Final AP poll: No. 4

Bottom line: This was Boise State’s fourth unbeaten regular season in a five-year stretch. In 2008 and 2009, the Broncos went 27-1 with the only loss coming via a 17-16 setback to No. 11 TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl following the 2008 season. Boise State became just the second team in FBS history to go 14-0 as head coach Chris Petersen became the first to win the Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year twice.

The season was somewhat overshadowed by an incident following the season opener in Boise. After a 19-8 win over No. 14 Oregon, Boise State defensive end Byron Hout was taunting Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount in front of Petersen, and as Petersen tried to intervene, Blount knocked Hout out cold on his feet. Boise State wouldn’t face another ranked opponent until the Fiesta Bowl when they defeated No. 3 TCU 17-10.

5. Utah (2008)

Eli Lucero / AP Photo

Record: 13-0

Head coach: Kyle Whittingham

Key players: DE Paul Kruger, CB Sean Smith, CB Brice McCain, WR Freddie Brown, QB Brian Johnson

Final AP poll: No. 2

Bottom line: YThe Utes wound up defeating four teams ranked in the final AP Top 25 — No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 TCU, No. 18 Oregon and No. 25 BYU. That seems like a team that deserved a shot at playing for a national championship.

Who won the national championship this year? Florida and former Utah head coach Urban Meyer, who left the Utes to coach the Gators following Utah’s undefeated season in 2004.

4. Auburn (2004)

Auburn Football / Facebook

Record: 13-0

Head coach: Tommy Tuberville

Key players: RB Ronnie Brown, RB Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, QB Jason Campbell, OL King Dunlap, OLB Quentin Groves, OL Ben Grubbs, CB Carlos Rogers, OL Marcus McNeill

Final AP poll: No. 2

Bottom line: What a different time 2004 was for college football. Auburn, an SEC team, defeated four ranked teams, featured four future first-round draft picks and finished the regular season undefeated but wasn’t allowed to play for the BCS national championship.

Three of Auburn’s future first-round picks were in the backfield with quarterback Jason Campbell and running backs Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams. To add insult to injury for Auburn, eventual national champion USC smoked Oklahoma 55-19 in the BCS National Championship Game but later had their title vacated for NCAA violations.

3. Penn State (1994)

Frank Polich / AP Photo

Record: 12-0

Head coach: Joe Paterno

Key players: RB Ki-Jana Carter, QB Kerry Collins, TE Kyle Brady, LB Phil Yeboah-Kodie, LB Brian Gelzheiser, WR Bobby Engram

Final AP poll: No. 2

Bottom line: Penn State was named national champion or co-national champion by six different ranking systems after going undefeated in 1994 — but it was by none of the ranking systems that mattered.

This was an era where you could really blame tough luck on not winning a national championship. Penn State finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the final regular-season AP poll and received the Big Ten’s automatic bid to the Rose Bowl and defeated No. 12 Oregon, the Pac-12 champion, in the Rose Bowl. No. 1 Nebraska got the Big Eight’s automatic bid to the Orange Bowl and defeated No. 3 Miami.

Star running back Ki-Jana Carter was selected No. 1 overall in the 1995 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.

2. TCU (2010)

Tony Gutierrez / AP Photo

Record: 13-0

Head coach: Gary Patterson

Key players: QB Andy Dalton, WR Josh Boyce, OL Marcus Cannon, LB Tank Carder, KR Jeremy Kerley

Final AP poll: No. 2

Bottom line: One of the true travesties of the pre-College Football Playoff era, TCU’s second unbeaten team in school history would probably have gotten a shot at playing for a national title just a few years later.

Led by quarterback Andy Dalton, TCU opened its season with a win over No. 24 Oregon State at AT&T Stadium before going on an all-time heater — they led the nation in both scoring offense (43.3 points) and scoring defense (11.4 points) and closed the season with two wins over Top 10 teams over the final four games, including a 40-point win over No. 6 Utah and a 21-19 win over No. 4 Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

1. Arizona State (1975)

Amazon

Record: 12-0

Conference: Western Athletic Conference

Head coach: Frank Kush

Key players: DB Mike Haynes, WR John Jefferson, TE Bruce Hardy, LB Larry Gordon, DT Randy Moore, DT Chris Lorenzen, RB Fred Williams, DE Al Harris

Final AP poll: No. 2

Bottom line: Now, this right here is a team that probably should have won the national championship — Oklahoma was named the national champion despite going 11-1.

Legendary head coach Frank Kush’s second unbeaten team in five years opened the season with non-conference wins over Washington and at TCU before running the table in the WAC and closing out the season with wins over No. 12 Arizona and No. 6 Nebraska in a de facto home game in the Fiesta Bowl.

Arizona State was led by a pair of future College Football Hall of Famers in wide receiver John Jefferson and cornerback Mike Haynes, who was also elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The team also featured tight end Bruce Hardy, who played 11 seasons in the NFL.