Year - School, Head Coach               record, Bowl (selected #1 by)  
2016 -Clemson, Dabo Swinney             14-1-0
2015 -Alabama, Nick Saban             14-1-0
2013 -Florida State, Jimbo Fisher             14-0-0
2012 -Alabama, Nick Saban             13-1-0
2011 -Alabama, Nick Saban             12-1-0
2010 -Auburn, Gene Chizik             14-0-0
2009 -Alabama, Nick Saban             14-0-0
2008 -Florida, Urban Meyer             13-1-0
2007 -LSU, Les Miles             12-2-0
2006 -Florida, Urban Meyer             13-1-0 Rose Bowl
2005 -Texas, Mack Brown             13-0-0 Rose Bowl (USAT)
2004 -USC, Pete Carroll             12-2-0 Sugar Bowl (USAT/ESPN)
2003 -Oklahoma, Bob Stoops             12-2-0 Sugar Bowl (USAT/ESPN)
2002 - Ohio State, Jim Tressel             14-0-0 Fiesta Bowl (USAT/ESPN)
2001 - Miami (Fla.), Larry Coker             12-0-0 won Orange Bowl (USAT/ESPN)
2000 - Oklahoma, Bob Stoops             13-0-0 won Orange Bowl (USAT/ESPN)
1999 - Florida State, Bobby Bowden      12-0-0 won Sugar Bowl (AP/USA)
1998 - Tennessee, Phillip Fulmer        13-0-0 won Fiesta Bowl (AP/USA)
1997 - Nebraska, Tom Osborne 13-0-0 won Orange Bowl (USA)
1997 - Michigan, Lloyd Carr 12-0-0 won Rose Bowl (AP)
1996 - Florida, Steve Spurrier12-1-0 won Sugar Bowl (AP/USA)
1995 - Nebraska, Tom Osborne 12-0-0 won Fiesta Bowl (AP/USA)
1994 - Nebraska, Tom Osborne 13-0-0 won Orange Bowl (AP/USA)
1993 - Florida State, Bobby Bowden 12-1-0 won Orange Bowl (AP/USA)
1992 - Alabama, Gene Stallings 13-0-0 won Sugar Bowl (AP/USA)
1991 - Miami FL, Dennis Erickson 12-0-0 won Orange Bowl (AP)
1991 - Washington, Don James 12-0-0 won Rose Bowl (USA)
1990 - Colorado, Bill McCartney 11-1-1 won Orange Bowl (AP)
1990 - Georgia Tech, Bobby Ross 11-0-1 won Citrus Bowl (UPI)
1989 - Miami FL, Dennis Erickson 11-1-0 won Sugar Bowl (AP/UPI)
1988 - Notre Dame, Lou Holtz 12-0-0 won Fiesta Bowl (AP/UPI)
1987 - Miami FL, Jimmy Johnson 12-0-0 won Orange Bowl (AP/UPI)
1986 - Penn State, Joe Paterno12-0-0 won Fiesta Bowl (AP/UPI)
1985 - Oklahoma, Barry Switzer 11-1-0 won Orange Bowl (AP/UPI)
1984 - Brigham Young, LaVell Edwards 13-0-0 won Holiday Bowl (AP/UPI)
1983 - Miami FL, Howard Schnellenberger11-1-0 won Orange Bowl (AP/UPI)
1982 - Penn State, Joe Paterno11-1-0 won Sugar Bowl (AP/UPI)
1981 - Clemson, Danny Ford 12-0-0 won Orange Bowl (AP/UPI)
1980 - Georgia, Vince Dooley 12-0-0 won Sugar Bowl (AP/UPI)
1979 - Alabama, Paul "Bear" Bryant 12-0-0 won Sugar Bowl (AP/UPI)
1978 - Alabama, Paul "Bear" Bryant 11-1-0 won Sugar Bowl (AP)
1978 - USC, John Robinson 12-1-0 won Rose Bowl (UPI)
1977 - Notre Dame, Dan Devine 11-1-0 won Cotton Bowl (AP/UPI)
1976 - Pittsburgh, Johnny Majors 12-0-0 won Sugar Bowl (AP/UPI)
1975 - Oklahoma, Barry Switzer 11-1-0 won Orange Bowl (AP/UPI)
1974 - Oklahoma, Barry Switzer 11-0-0 no bowl (AP)
1974 - USC, John McKay 10-1-1 won Rose Bowl (UPI)
1973 - Notre Dame, Ara Parseghian11-0-0 won Sugar Bowl (AP)
1973 - Alabama, Paul "Bear" Bryant 11-1-0 lost Sugar Bowl (UPI)
1972 - USC, John McKay 12-0-0 won Rose Bowl (AP/UPI)
1971 - Nebraska, Bob Devaney13-0-0 won Orange Bowl (AP/UPI)
1970 - Nebraska, Bob Devaney11-0-1 won Orange Bowl (AP)
1970 - Texas, Darrell Royal 10-1-0 lost Cotton Bowl (UPI)
1969 - Texas, Darrell Royal 11-0-0 won Cotton Bowl (AP/UPI)
1968 - Ohio State, Woody Hayes 10-0-0 won Rose Bowl (AP/UPI)
1967 - USC, John McKay 10-1-0 won Rose Bowl (AP/UPI)
1966 - Notre Dame, Ara Parseghian9-0-1 no bowl (AP/UPI)
1965 - Alabama, Paul "Bear" Bryant 9-1-1 won Orange Bowl (AP)
1965 - Michigan State, Duffy Daughtery10-1-0 lost Rose Bowl (UPI)
1964 - Alabama, Paul "Bear" Bryant 10-1-0 lost Orange Bowl (AP/UPI)
1963 - Texas, Darrell Royal 11-0-0 won Cotton Bowl (AP/UPI)
1962 - USC, John McKay 11-0-0 won Rose Bowl (AP/UPI)
1961 - Alabama, Paul "Bear" Bryant 11-0-0 won Sugar Bowl (AP/UPI)
1960 - Minnesota, Murray Warmath8-2-0 lost Rose Bowl (AP/UPI)
1959 - Syracuse, Ben Schwartzwalder11-0-0 won Sugar Bowl (AP/UPI)
1958 - LSU, Paul Dietzel11-0-0 won Sugar Bowl (AP/UPI)
1957 - Auburn, Shug Jordan 10-0-0 no bowl (AP)
1957 - Ohio State, Woody Hayes 9-1-0 won Rose Bowl (UPI)
1956 - Oklahoma, Bud Wilkinson 10-0-0 no bowl (AP/UPI)
1955 - Oklahoma, Bud Wilkinson 11-0-0 won Orange Bowl (AP/UPI)
1954 - Ohio State, Woody Hayes 10-0-0 won Rose Bowl (AP)
1954 - UCLA, Red Sanders 9-0-0 no bowl (UPI)
1953 - Maryland, Jim Tatum 10-1-0 lost Orange Bowl (AP)
1952 - Michigan State, Biggie Munn 9-0-0 no bowl (AP)
1951 - Tennessee, Bob Neyland10-1-0 lost Sugar Bowl (AP)
1950 - Oklahoma, Bud Wilkinson 10-1-0 lost Sugar Bowl (AP)
1949 - Notre Dame, Frank Leahy 10-0-0 no bowl (AP)
1948 - Michigan, Bennie Oosterbaan9-0-0 no bowl (AP)
1947 - Notre Dame, Frank Leahy 9-0-0 no bowl (AP)
1947 - Michigan, Fritz Crisler10-0-0 won Rose Bowl (AP)*
1946 - Notre Dame, Frank Leahy 8-0-1 no bowl (AP)
1945 - Army, Red Blaik9-0-0 no bowl (AP)
1944 - Army, Red Blaik9-0-0 no bowl (AP)
1943 - Notre Dame, Frank Leahy 9-1-0 no bowl (AP)
1942 - Ohio State, Paul Brown 9-1-0 no bowl (AP)
1941 - Minnesota, Bernie Bierman8-0-0 no bowl (AP)
1940 - Minnesota, Bernie Bierman8-0-0 no bowl (AP/DS)
1939 - Texas A&M, Homer Norton 11-0-0 won Sugar Bowl (AP)
1939 - USC, Howard Jones 8-0-2 won Rose Bowl (DS)
1938 - Texas Christian, Dutch Meyer 11-0-0 won Sugar Bowl (AP)
1938 - Notre Dame, Elmer Layden8-1-0 no bowl (DS)
1937 - Pittsburgh, Jock Sutherland 9-0-1 no bowl (AP/DS)
1936 - Minnesota, Bernie Bierman7-1-0 no bowl (AP/DS)
1935 - Southern Methodist, Matty Bell 12-1-0 lost Rose Bowl (DS)
1935 - Minnesota, Bernie Bierman8-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1934 - Minnesota, Bernie Bierman8-0-0 no bowl (DS/HAF)
1933 - Michigan, Harry Kipke7-0-1 no bowl (DS/HAF)
1932 - Michigan, Harry Kipke8-0-0 no bowl (DS)
1932 - USC, Howard Jones 10-0-0 won Rose Bowl (HAF)
1931 - USC, Howard Jones 10-1-0 won Rose Bowl (DS/HAF)
1930 - Notre Dame, Knute Rockne10-0-0 no bowl (DS/HAF)
1929 - Notre Dame, Knute Rockne9-0-0 no bowl (DS/HAF)
1928 - USC, Howard Jones 9-0-1 no bowl (DS)
1928 - Georgia Tech, Bill Alexander 10-0-0 won Rose Bowl (HAF)
1927 - Illinois, Bob Zuppke7-0-1 no bowl (DS/HAF)
1926 - Stanford, Pop Warner 10-0-1 tied Rose Bowl (DS/HAF)
1926 - Alabama, Wallace Wade 9-0-1 tied Rose Bowl (HAF)
1925 - Dartmouth, Jesse Hawley 8-0-0 no bowl (DS)
1925 - Alabama, Wallace Wade 10-0-0 won Rose Bowl (HAF)
1924 - Notre Dame, Knute Rockne10-0-0 won Rose Bowl (DS/HAF)
1923 - Illinois, Bob Zuppke8-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1922 - Cornell, Gil Dobie8-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1921 - Cornell, Gil Dobie8-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1920 - California, Andy Smith 9-0-0 won Rose Bowl (HAF)
1919 - Harvard, Bob Fisher 9-0-1 won Rose Bowl (HAF)
1918 - Pittsburgh, Pop Warner 4-1-0 no bowl (HAF)
1917 - Georgia Tech, John Heisman9-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1916 - Pittsburgh, Pop Warner 8-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1915 - Cornell, Al Sharpe 9-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1914 - Army, Charley Daly 9-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1913 - Harvard, Percy Houghton 9-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1912 - Harvard, Percy Houghton 9-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1911 - Princeton, Bill Roper 8-0-2 no bowl (HAF)
1910 - Harvard, Percy Houghton 8-0-1 no bowl (HAF)
1909 - Yale, Howard Jones 10-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1908 - Pennsylvania, Sol Metzger 11-0-1 no bowl (HAF)
1907 - Yale, Bill Knox 9-0-1 no bowl (HAF)
1906 - Princeton, Bill Roper 9-0-1 no bowl (HAF)
1905 - Chicago, Amos Alonzo Stagg11-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1904 - Pennsylvania, Carl Williams 12-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1903 - Princeton, Art Hillenbrand 11-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1902 - Michigan, Fielding Yost 11-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1901 - Michigan, Fielding Yost 11-0-0 won Rose Bowl (HAF)
1900 - Yale, Malcolm McBride 12-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1899 - Harvard, Benjamin H. Dibblee10-0-1 no bowl (HAF)
1898 - Harvard, W. Cameron Forbes 11-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1897 - Pennsylvania, George Woodruff 15-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1896 - Princeton, Garrett Cochran 10-0-1 no bowl (HAF)
1895 - Pennsylvania, George Woodruff 14-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1894 - Yale, William C. Rhodes 16-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1893 - Princeton, Tom Trenchard (Capt.) 11-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1892 - Yale, Walter Camp 13-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1891 - Yale, Walter Camp 13-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1890 - Harvard, G. Stewart & G. Adams 11-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1889 - Princeton, Edgar Poe (Capt.) 10-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1888 - Yale, Walter Camp 13-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1887 - Yale, Harry W. Beecher (Capt.) 9-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1886 - Yale, Robert N. Corwin (Capt.) 9-0-1 no bowl (HAF)
1885 - Princeton, Chas. DeCamp (Capt.) 9-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1884 - Yale, Eugene L. Richards (Capt.) 9-0-0 no bowl (HAF)
1883 - Yale, Ray Tompkins (Capt.) 8-0-0 no bowl (HAF)