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Winning is tough in college football. Winning a championship is even tougher.
While NCAA football has existed since 1869, only five of the sport’s 137 teams have won more than 10 national championships—a testament to how difficult it is to reach the top of the mountain.
In many ways, the race to the top is cruel. Depending on the team, you can go undefeated in the regular season and win your conference championship and still not get selected for a national championship. Or you can earn a berth, lose and then have your program gutted through the transfer portal.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the top 10 NCAAF programs that have never won a national championship. For the purpose of this list, we’re only including teams that haven’t won a championship recognized by the NCAA since the poll era began in 1936.
All of our favorite college football betting sites offer futures markets on which team will win the national championship this season if you think one of these teams will finally break through this year.
The schools on this list are ranked in alphabetical order.
Baylor Bears
A 10-time conference champion, Baylor still has yet to win a national championship despite being one of the best programs in the country over the past 15 years.
The Bears peaked at No. 2 in the AP poll in 2015 but lost three of their last four games that season and had to settle for playing in the Russell Athletic Bowl. They’ve won three conference titles since 2010 and played in 11 Bowl games during that time, but they’ve still yet to make the College Football Playoffs.
Boston College Eagles
There are two catholic universities that field an FBS program. One is Notre Dame, which has won 13 national championships (fourth-most all-time). The other is Boston College, which has never won a national championship despite winning nearly 700 games in program history and producing 13 All-Americans.
While the Eagles (the only FBS school in New England to compete in the Power Five conferences) claim one championship from 1940, it’s not recognized by the NCAA. BC has also won 15 Bowl games, three division titles and one conference title.
The Eagles likely won’t get off this list any time soon, as they haven’t won more than seven games in a season since 2009.
Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati struggled for a long time on the gridiron with just two ranked seasons from 1954 to 2006, but it still makes this list thanks to its recent success.
The Bearcats made history in 2021 by becoming the first Group of Five team to make the College Football Playoff, where they lost to Alabama in the Cotton Bowl. In 2020 they made it to a New Year’s Six Bowl, losing to Georgia in the Peach Bowl.
Prior to that, their best season came in 2009, when they went 12-1 and peaked at No. 4 in the AP poll. Cincinnati moved into the Big 12 in 2024, which could add to the program’s pedigree.
Louisville Cardinals
It’s hard to believe a school that’s produced talent like Lamar Jackson and Johnny Unitas has never won a championship, but here we are.
The Cardinals have played in three conferences since 2000 (Conference USA, Big East, American Athletic Conference), but that movement hasn’t stopped them from winning. They’ve been ranked in 14 of those 24 seasons, winning six conference championships and one division championship during that time as well.
Despite being the No. 3 team in the country in 2006 and 2016, Louisville is still searching for its first national championship.
Oregon Ducks
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. The Ducks have had a lot of success in their 130-year history, but that success hasn’t translated to a national championship yet.
Although Oregon didn’t become a powerhouse until the 1990s, it’s already come close several times. The Ducks were the top-ranked team in 2010 and 2012, losing the 2010 BCS Championship to Auburn on a game-winning field goal. In 2014, they were dominated by Ohio State in the inaugural CFP National Championship Game.
After spending nearly 60 years in the Pac-12, the Ducks moved to the Big Ten in 2024. While they’ll be in a tougher conference, they should benefit from the expanded college playoff.
Purdue Boilermakers
While Purdue is better known as a basketball school, the Boilermakers have had some success on the gridiron. That said, they’ve never had enough success to win a national championship.
Their best recent season was 2021, when they were ranked by the AP poll for the first time since 2007 and finished 9-4. They also won a division title in 2022 and have 12 conference titles, the most recent of which came in 2000.
The last time Purdue ranked as the No. 1 team in the country was in 1968. The program also has an unclaimed national title from 1931.
TCU Horned Frogs
While the Horned Frogs claim national championships in 1935 and 1938, they have yet to win a championship recognized by the NCAA.
TCU has been one of college football’s best programs over the past few decades, going 11-3 in Bowl games since 2005. The Horned Frogs also went undefeated and won the Rose Bowl in 2010 en route to an unclaimed national title.
They made their first College Football Playoff in 2022, defeating Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl before losing to Georgia in the National Championship Game.
TCU is one of four FBS programs to appear in all six CFP Bowls, winning all of them except the Orange Bowl.
Virginia Tech Hokies
Another team on this list that has made it to a national title game, the Hokies came tantalizingly close to a championship in 1999 and 2000, going 11-1 and ranking No. 2 in the AP poll both years. They lost the championship game to No. 1 Florida State in 1999, narrowly missing out on a title.
Beyond that, Virginia Tech has 11 conference titles, six division titles and 14 Bowl wins. It also had one of the best college players ever in Michael Vick and dominated for much of the 2000s, but wasn’t able to parlay that success into a championship.
West Virginia Mountaineers
The Mountaineers might be the best program in NCAAF history to never win a national championship. They’ve won 15 conference titles and 17 Bowl games while producing 13 All-Americans.
West Virginia came close in 1988, going 11-1 with its lone loss coming against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. The program went 11-1 again in 1993 but just missed out on the national title game, finishing third in the final AP poll.
The Mountaineers enjoyed a resurgence in the mid-2000s, going 33-5 from 2005 to 2007. They finished top-10 in the AP poll and won a Bowl game in each of those three seasons, but they’re still looking for their first national title.
Wisconsin Badgers
Another Big Ten team on this list, the Badgers have an impressive resume that’s missing just one thing: a national championship.
A founding member of the conference, Wisconsin has an unclaimed championship from 1942 along with 14 conference titles. The Badgers narrowly missed a national title in 1962 when they lost to USC in the Rose Bowl, which served as that year’s national championship.
Their best season in recent memory came in 2017 when they went 13-1, with their lone loss a 27-21 heartbreaker to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship.
Wisconsin is one of just 26 programs to win more than 700 games and produce multiple Heisman winners (Alan Ameche and Ron Dayne), but a championship remains elusive.
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