Bama's 12 National Championships?

"1925 National Championship - Alabama claims they share this one with Dartmouth. Who awarded the NC? Houlgate and Helms. Houlgate started his system in 1927. So Alabama won their 1925 NC using a formula that didn't exist until 1927? Helms Athletic Foundation began in 1941. Can you say "retroactive"?

• National Championship? = LEGITIMATE (1) (The above information is true, but they were 10-0 so we'll count it.)

1926 National Championship - Alabama claims they share this one with 3 other teams with equal or better records! Once again it is the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1941 that awards it!
• National Championship? = WEAK (they finished 9-0-1: under this system of naming champions, I think I would have finished 8th that year in the final polls.)

1930 National Championship - The Davis poll says that Alabama tied Notre Dame for a NC this year, and was the ONLY POLL to do so. Notre Dame was named NC in 6 polls! Parke Davis is another retroactive system! He (an individual, not an organization) conducted his poll in 1933!

• National Championship? = LEGITIMATE (2) (Although this one is debatable, I will not deny a 10-0 SEC team a Championship.)

1934 National Championship - Alabama says they share this with two other teams. The awarders are Dunkel, Williamson, and The Football Thesaurus. Dunkel was an individual who came up with his own system. Williamson was a geologist who came up with his own system. Football Thesaurus first appeared in 1946!

• National Championship? = LEGITIMATE (3) (They were 10-0, but we're all very thankful for retroactive polls.)

1941 National Championship - This is a complete joke. The AP ranked Alabama 20th in the nation with 14 teams with better records in the top 20. Once again it is The Football Thesaurus that retroactively awards the championship. Alabama finished 3rd in the SEC that year.

• National Championship? = ABSOLUTE CRAP (This would be similar to Clemson claiming a National Championship in '07. Alabama even lost to Vanderbilt this year).

1961 National Championship - Finally a clean NC, although one poll did not give it to Alabama.

• National Championship? = LEGITIMATE (4)

1964 National Championship - While the AP did award the NC to Alabama (10-1-0), Arkansas had the better record, 11-0, and defeated Texas during the regular season. Alabama played Texas in their bowl and LOST. The AP final poll was before the bowl.

• National Championship? = WEAK (lost their bowl game to a team that the undefeated team defeated. Give me a break.)

1965 National Championship - The AP gave this to Alabama, although there were 3 teams with better records. Alabama 9-1-1, Michigan St 10-1-0, Arkansas 10-1-0, Nebraska 10-1-0.

• National Championship? = WEAK (3 teams with better records, one in the SEC. Hmmm....)

1973 National Championship - AP puts Alabama 4th after their bowl game loss. Alabama claims a NC from the UPI poll that was taken before they met Notre Dame in the bowl game and lost. There were 3 teams with better records than Alabama that year. The embarrassment of naming Alabama number one caused the UPI to begin naming champions after bowl games.

• National Championship? = WEAK (At some point, you should really stop saying you're better than all the other teams with better records. However, they can claim from the UPI poll.)

1978 National Championship - AP gives this to Alabama (11-1-0) even though USC (12-1-0) had the better record. Guess who Alabama lost to that year? USC!!!!!!!!!. UPI gave the NC to USC.

• National Championship? = WEAK (Yep, can't be claiming you're the NC when you lose to the team with a better record. Starting to see the fallacies?)

1979 National Championship - Their second legitimate NC. Their first Unanimous NC.

• National Championship Category = LEGITIMATE/UNANIMOUS (5)

1992 National Championship - Their third absolutely legitimate NC. Their second Unanimous NC.

• National Championship Category = LEGITIMATE/UNANIMOUS (6)

You can see why people ridicule Alabama fans when they talk about their "12 National Championships". The early ones were awarded by individuals years after the games were played. "

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Well, Alabama fans do talk out of both sides of their mouths on their '12 National Titles'. How on Earth any of them can try to belittle Auburn's 1957 title as a 'split' or 'co'title is laughable. And to claim that ridiculous title from 1941 cheapens their legitimate titles. Also,before the hiring of St Nick, Alabama fans were almost as quick as Southern Cal fans to point out LSU's 2003 championship was 'shared'.(Now of course since Saban is in Tuscaloosa the BCS title was the only title from 2003 ),yet when discussing the '12' there is rarely if ever and admission of 'sharing' -- even for the more curious ones,at least from the perspective of other schools claiming championships from associations just as legit as the ones Alabama claims from those years, in 1964,1965,1973 and 1978 from them.

With that said,in the history of college football there have not been a whole lot of teams that overwhelmingly won virtually every award from a particular season. The AP went back and forth in the 1960's about titles before and after bowls, and UPI didn't award its title after the bowls until the 1974 season.That's why as an LSU fan its hard to honestly get too balled up about the infamous 1970 Cotton Bowl and LSU's 1969 season being 'denied' a shot at the title. Nonsense.The highest ranked LSU ever was in that season was #8 and even if LSU had beaten Archie Manning and Ole Miss in Jackson, a win in Dallas may have or may not have given us the title as UPI would have already awarded it to Texas and Penn State may have won the AP title. Teams like Nebraska in 1971 and Southern Cal in 1972 certainly were 'unanimous' champions like Alabama in '79 and Georgia in '80. Few schools would stand the 'white glove test' on titles they claim vs outsiders seriously questioning whether they were truly the one and only in those years.

In fairness, Alabama had teams in 1945, 1966,1975 , and 1977 that were probably just as good or worthy of a 'widely recognized' title as the one(s) who did win them in those years.Alabama's 1966 team probably was the worst in terms of screwed over since they started out the season ranked #1,went 10-0 and won the Sugar Bowl 34-7 over a top 5 team. They somehow finished 3rd behind two teams that tied one another late in the season.

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1965 National Championship - The AP gave this to Alabama, although there were 3 teams with better records. Alabama 9-1-1, Michigan St 10-1-0, Arkansas 10-1-0, Nebraska 10-1-0.

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National Championship? = WEAK (3 teams with better records, one in the SEC. Hmmm....)

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Arkansas joined the SEC in 1991.

You are correct...That gives you guys 7

Let them claim 32...who really cares?

Any NC given by the AP or UPI/Coaches is legitimate.

But those ones before the AP and UPI was started are BS.

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they have 2 legit championships

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I have only seen 1 in my lifetime of being aware of and watching football, so that is all I am sure of.

So Bama has 1 NC and AU has 3 (1983, 1993, 2004) and LSU has 2.

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So Bama has 1 NC and AU has 3 (1983, 1993, 2004) and LSU has 2.

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"So Bama has 1 NC and AU has 3 (1983, 1993, 2004) and LSU has 2."



Auburn in 2004?

Really?

AU had a GREAT year, but they were snubbed out of the game, unfortunate, but that is REALITY.

AU's "title" is a self proclaimed one, and if you take it seriously, youre just as bad as the delirious bama fans.