9 Winningest College Football Programs Without A National Championship

The NCAA has recognized college football champions dating back to the 1869 season. Rutgers and Princeton split the title in that debut campaign.

The Yale Bulldogs boast the most championships of all-time with 18. Alabama is the current FBS leader at 16 and is the most successful program of the modern era.

There are a number of notable schools without a national title, however. Despite piling up wins on the field, the No. 1 ranking has proven elusive.

Nine current FBS teams have won at least 700 games without having hoisted a trophy at season’s end. Below are the winningest college football programs without a national championship.

Winningest College Football Teams Without A National Championship

We’ll start with a team that just made the list with 701 all-time wins.

Boston College Eagles

The Eagles have an all-time record of 701-531-37. The school did go a perfect 11-0 in the 1940 campaign, capped with a win over Tennessee, but finished No. 5 in the final AP Poll.

While Boston College does claim that 1940 crown, it was Minnesota that was recognized as college football’s national champion. It remains one of four 10-win seasons in program history.

Missouri Tigers

Mizzou is 721-593-52 across nearly 1,400 all-time contests. The Tigers do claim a national championship from the 1960 season, but it is not recognized by the NCAA.

Missouri went 10-1 and won the Orange Bowl. Ole Miss and Minnesota split the title, though. Its 2007 team also reached No. 1 in the AP Poll but watch a two-loss LSU crowned as champion.

Utah Utes

Utah has posted an all-time record of 724-489-31. They’ve been one of the more successful teams in the 21st century with nine 10-win seasons since 2000. A national championship, to this point, has been unattainable.

The Utes have completed two undefeated seasons, including a 13-0 campaign in 2008 in which they finished No. 2 in the final AP Poll. It was Florida, though, that was named champion.

Miami (OH) RedHawks

The RedHawks are 733-489-44 across a 1,265-game history. They are one of the MAC’s most successful programs. But, like every other conference rival, they do not own a national championship.

Miami’s most successful season came in 1973 when it went a perfect 11-0 with a win in the Tangerine Bowl. Most recently, they went 13-1 under Ben Roethlisberger’s leadership in 2003.

North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina has an overall college football record of 735-576-54. While the Tar Heels do boast eight conference titles, they have no national championships.

In 1948, the team finished No. 3 in the final AP Poll after a brief stint at No. 1. It remains the highest final ranking in program history. A 1997 squad under Mack Brown came close to matching that output as the Tar Heels went 11-1 and finished with the sixth spot in the final poll.

Wisconsin Badgers

The Badgers have won 747 games to go along with 525 losses and 53 ties. They’ve reached No. 1 in the AP Poll just once in program history, which came in 1952.

With that said, they have won 10 games or more 12 times in the last 30 years and have been a notable college football contender. Unfortunately, it hasn’t resulted in a national title.

Navy Midshipmen

The Midshipmen were once a premiere college football program, finishing in the Top 5 of the final AP rankings six times between 1943 and 1963. They have not been able to achieve the same level of success as rival Army, though.

The Black Knights boast three national championships. Navy claims one title from 1926, but the NCAA recognized Alabama and Stanford as the nation’s top teams during that season. Led by Roger Staubach, they were in contention for the 1963 crown before losing the Cotton Bowl to eventual champ Texas.

Virginia Tech Hokies

The Hokies rank 26th in college football history in all-time wins. They’ve gone 778-512-46 as a program. They have not been able to win a national championship.

Virginia Tech played for a title in 1999 behind quarterback Michael Vick but fell to Florida State to finish the year at 11-1 and No. 2 in the final AP Poll. It was one of 13 seasons in which the program won 10 games or more between 1995 and 2011 under Frank Beamer.

West Virginia Mountaineers

West Virginia is one of the 25 winningest programs in college football history. They are the school with the most victories without a national championship, recording an overall mark of 787-533-45.

The Mountaineers came close in 2007 as they entered the final week of the regular season at No. 2 in the AP Poll. An upset loss to rival Pitt ended title hopes. They also lost a de-facto national championship game to Notre Dame after an 11-0 regular season in 1988.