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The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) is at the apex of United States college football. Out of all the divisions, FBS is regarded as the most dynamic division of NCAA Division I, which features the country’s top teams. As of 2018, the FBS has a total of 10 conferences and 130 universities.
The FBS hosts the largest and most prestigious bowl games, including the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship. The CFP National Championship is a four-team tournament that determines the national champion of NCAA Division I FBS college football. The tournament was first held in 2014, and is currently contracted to be held through the 2026 season.
The FBS national championship has been determined by a playoff system since the 2014 season. Prior to that, the national champion used to be determined by a poll of the sportswriters and broadcasters.
The University of Alabama has won the most national championships with 11, while the University of Notre Dame and the University of Southern California are tied for second with 9 wins each. Clemson University, Ohio State University, and the University of Oklahoma have each won 7 national championships.
NCAA: A Brief History
In the early years of college football, there were many unofficial national champions. In 1869, Princeton and Rutgers played the first ever college football game. From that point until 1885, there was no formal structure in place to determine a national champion. In 1885, the first ever college football national championship game was played between Princeton and Yale.
Harvard, Yale, and Princeton then formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, which began to hold a championship game between its member schools. This system continued until 1897, when Penn State joined the association and helped to form the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).
The ECAC was the first conference to hold a championship game to determine a national champion. The game was played between Penn State and Syracuse in 1898, with Penn State winning 32-0. The ECAC continued to hold a championship game until 1950, when it disbanded due to lack of interest.
In 1952, the NCAA created the Division I Football Championship, which was a four-team playoff to determine the national champion of college football. The first championship game was played between Oklahoma and Maryland in December of that year, with Oklahoma winning 7-0.
The championship game continued to be held until 1971, when it was replaced by the bowl system that’s still in place today.
System for Determining the FBS National Champion
The current system for determining the FBS national champion began in 2014. The four-team playoff is known as the College Football Playoff (CFP). The CFP is a bracketed tournament that includes the top four teams in the country, as determined by a committee of 13 experts.
The teams are seeded based on their performance during the regular season and conference championships. They then play each other in a single-elimination tournament, with the winners advancing to the CFP National Championship game.
The first ever College Football Playoff National Championship was played on January 12, 2015, between Ohio State and Oregon. Ohio State won the game 42-20. Alabama has won the most CFP National Championships, with 5. Clemson and Ohio State have each won 2, while Oklahoma and LSU have each won 1.
Conclusion
The FBS national championship is the most prestigious award in college football. The winner of the national championship is considered to be the best team in the country.
Many people enjoy NCAAF betting games, and it’s a popular pastime for sports fans. In fact, many of the greatest players and coaches in college football history have won a national championship.
Winning a national championship is a source of great pride for players, coaches, and fans alike. It is the ultimate goal of every college football team.