In college football, sometimes beating everyone on your schedule still isn't good enough to get you a national championship. Take a look at some teams that literally did everything they could and still didn't quite measure up.
| YEAR | SCHOOL | RECORD | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Tennessee | 11-0 | The Vols shut out fellow unbeaten Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl 17–0, ending the Sooners' 14-game win streak and beginning a long winning streak for head coach Robert Neyland. Still, the AP poll picked TCU |
| 1939 | Cornell | 8-0 | The possibility of a Rose Bowl invitation that season was rebuffed by the university administration. Texas A&M took the AP crown. |
| 1940 | Stanford | 10-0 | Despite having two more wins than eventual champ Minnesota, Stanford finished second in that year's AP poll. The Indians, as Stanford teams were called then, beat Nebraska in the Rose Bowl 21-13. |
| 1944 | Ohio State | 9-0 | The Buckeyes also outscored opponents 287-79 during the season and had seven players chosen in the NFL Draft. However, Army, also 9-0, won the title |
| 1945 | Alabama | 10-0 | Alabama did not win the national championship in 1945 despite winning the Rose Bowl. That honor went to the Army Cadets, who went 9–0 and outscored their opponents 412–46. The Crimson Tide finished second in the AP poll behind the Cadets. |
| 1946 | Georgia | 11-0 | All-American Herb St. John played guard on both sides of the ball for the Bulldogs that season and the Bulldogs gave up just 108 points in that campaign, but finished third in the AP poll to 8-0-1 Notre Dame. |
| 1947 | Michigan | 11-0 | It would be tough to imagine having a better year. Michigan compiled a perfect 10–0 record, won the Big Ten championship, and defeated the USC Trojans by a score of 49–0 in the 1948 Rose Bowl game. They were ranked second in the AP Poll at the end of the regular season, which determined the national champion, but won by a 226–119 margin against Notre Dame in an unprecedented AP Poll taken after the bowl games. |
| 1949 | Oklahoma | 11-0 | The final AP poll for the season was released in late November, although some colleges had not completed their schedules. On Dec. 3, the national champs,Notre Dame closed a 10-0 season in Dallas with a 27-20 win against SMU. |
| 1950 | Princeton | 9-0 | The Tigers outscored their opponents 349–94. Against other Ivy League teams, Princeton outscored their opponents 184–45. However, they finished sixth in the final AP poll to 10-1 Oklahoma. |
| 1951 | Maryland | 10-0 | Despite beating Tennessee in the 1952 Rose Bowl, the AP named the Vols (10-1) -- and not Maryland -- the national champions. |
| Michigan State | 9-0 | Sparty finished second in that AP poll, taken before bowl season. Ironically, the Spartans were No. 1 in two AP polls during the season. | |
| 1952 | Georgia Tech | 12-0 | AP champs Michigan State had just moved to the Big Ten conference, but were not eligible for postseason play. Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets, who finished second in the final poll, won the Sugar Bowl, beating Ole Miss 24-7. |
| 1954 | UCLA | 9-0 | The Bruins were not eligible to play in the Rose Bowl vs. Ohio State because had played in the 1954 Rose Bowl and no team could play two Rose Bowls in a row. The Buckeyes would lead the final AP poll. |
| 1960 | Missouri | 11-0 | This season included one of the most famous Missouri vs. Kansas matchups in history. Kansas used an ineligible player and was disqualified, bringing Missouri's record to 11-0 instead of 10-1. Minnesota, at 8-2, won the national title. |
| 1962 | Ole Miss | 10-0 | The Rebels beat Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl, won the SEC title and did it all with the civil rights movement taking place on their own campus as James Meredith, was attempting to be the first African-American student to attend the university. The Rebels finished third in the final AP poll to 11-0 USC. |
| 1966 | Alabama | 11-0 | The Tide gave up 37 points all season and won its third consecutive SEC title. However, 9-0-1 Notre Dame won the final AP poll. Some say the team's continued segregation played a role. |
| 1969 | Penn State | 11-0 | This was the year that President Richard Nixon declared Texas the national champion after the Longhorns beat Arkansas. Penn State declined an invitation to play the Texas/Arkansas winner in the Cotton Bowl. |
| 1991 | Washington | 12-0 | Miami, also 12-0, won the AP poll by four votes. Washington won the coaches' poll by nine votes. |
| 1994 | Penn State | 12-0 | Nebraska, 13-0, took the AP poll. Penn State finished second and won the Rose Bowl, beating Oregon 38-20. |
| 1997 | Nebraska | 13-0 | Second-ranked Nebraska handily defeated the No. 3 Tennessee 42–17 in the Orange Bowl, while No. 1 Michigan defeated No. 7 Washington State in the Rose Bowl 21–16. The 1997 Huskers set an NCAA record that still stands by scoring an average of 5.5 rushing touchdowns per game. |
| 2004 | Auburn | 13-0 | Finished third in the final BCS rankings, but beat Virginia Tech 16-13 in the Sugar Bowl to finish off a perfect season. |
| 2008 | Utah | 13-0 | The Utes, despite being the only unbeaten team in FBS play that season, finished second in the final poll to Urban Meyer's 13-1 Florida team. |
| 2009 | Boise State | 14-0 | The Broncos shocked the world, defeating No. 3 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl 17-14. For the second time in four years, the Broncos won the Fiesta Bowl with a YouTube-worthy play — a gutsy fake punt at their own 33-yard line set up the decisive touchdown score by Doug Martin. |
