College football has no shortage of passion, pageantry, and chaos. For much of the sport’s history, national champions were crowned by polls, computers, and committees, with little agreement and even less transparency. But 1973 marked a turning point. That year, the NCAA introduced scholarship limits for football programs, capping rosters and leveling the playing field in a meaningful way. Since then, championships have been harder-earned and, ideally, more equitable.
But not all titles are created equal.
This article takes a closer look at every national championship since 1973 through a stricter lens, counting only those won under the scholarship cap and excluding any claimed during seasons tarnished by NCAA violations or major controversy.