Before that, champions were symbolically crowned by various groups, most prominently the Associated Press, which chose Minnesota as its first titlist in 1936.Īs this year proved, perhaps better than any other, the landscape changes continuously. The playoff gives squads the opportunity to directly vie for a national title, something the sport lacked from its first days until the Bowl Championship Series’ inauguration in 1998, when human poll averages, computer poll averages, and strength of schedule decided which two teams would clash for a national championship. It’s a relatively new twist, with a selection committee determining the squads that play in the invite-only single-elimination tournament, which will expand to 12 teams in 2024. This year, 133 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision programs competed to finish an arduous season with a national championship by winning the four-team College Football Playoff. The beginning of each college football season marks the starting point of a journey to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
