National Championships

[Legacy]

Alabama still claims most national titles (with some sketchy counting) - CBSSports.com

Alabama claims a “college football-best” 15 national championships. Three of them aren't recognized by the NCAA, which really has nothing do with football championships anyway and doesn't run the sport's postseason. By Alabama's calculations, it's going for No. 16 against Clemson. Notre Dame claims 11 national titles but could add 10 more if it used Alabama's math.

“I want to say the right thing here,” (former Alabama Sports Information Director) Atcheson explained to me in 2010 for an article in The Birmingham News. “I made the change because Coach Bryant had these 25 years and six national championships and they were emphasized so much. It was on all the stationery. And when I got there, it was a matter of seeing there were five others (before Bryant) and we should put them all together. It was as simple as that. …

“I tried to make Alabama football look the best it could look and just make it as great as it could possibly be. I was a competitor myself with the other schools, and what they bragged about and boasted about, I wanted people to know the best about my school.”

A previous article by Jon Solomon from when he wrote for the Birmingham News:
Who has more national titles, Alabama or Notre Dame? Depends on who's counting | AL.com

"As far as I'm concerned, I've always felt Notre Dame had the most and it would be a long time until anybody would catch them," said Wayne Atcheson, a former Alabama sports information director. "I have always admired their tradition and heritage. To tell you the truth, I don't even know how many they claim. I just think about ours."

Why does Atcheson's opinion matter? Because he is the reason Alabama got 14.

Back in the mid-1980s, Atcheson added five pre-Bryant national titles to Alabama's media guide that continue to be claimed: 1925, 1926, 1930, 1934 and 1941. These days, counting double-digit titles is a brand for Alabama and adds value through merchandise that Crimson Tide fans proudly purchase.

"If you get into counting apples and oranges and want to count every little poll out there, Notre Dame has 11 they call consensus national champions, and there were 10 other seasons that somebody picked them No. 1," said Tim Bourret, a Notre Dame graduate who worked in the Irish's sports information department in the 1970s. "So if Alabama is going to count 1941, then Notre Dame should be counting these other 10."

No national title claimed by Alabama is more controversial than 1941, when the Crimson Tide lost two games and undefeated Minnesota was widely recognized as the consensus champion. Alabama had a final AP ranking of No. 20 -- prior to a bowl victory -- and finished third in the SEC.

Alabama and Notre Dame each claim national titles from 10-0 seasons in 1930. Notre Dame was ranked No. 1 by three ranking systems that existed at the time and is recognized by the NCAA as the only national poll champion that year. Alabama was named No. 1 by four ranking systems, all coming retroactively.

The Crimson Tide benefitted with titles in 1964 and 1973 because some polls at the time decided champions before bowl games. Alabama was crowned AP and UPI national champion in 1964 and then lost to Texas at the Orange Bowl.

'It's an opinion'

AP media members picked their champion before bowls from 1936 to '64 and '66 to '67. UPI and its roster of coaches did the same from 1950 until 1973, ending the practice after the split national championship by Alabama and Notre Dame in 1973. Alabama was UPI's champion but lost to Notre Dame at the Sugar Bowl.

 

[Legacy]

National championship rematch recalls epic Alabama-Notre Dame bowl battles of 1970s (al.com)

 

[NDShark]

This reminds me of Donald Trump -- just say whatever you want to better position yourself in the public eye, even if its bullshit.

 

[zelezo vlk]

This reminds me of Donald Trump -- just say whatever you want to better position yourself in the public eye, even if its bullshit.

To be fair, that's pretty much every politician

 

[NDShark]

To be fair, that's pretty much every politician

That is fair.