After a year away, Alabama is back in the College Football Playoff.
Nick Saban's reign over the SEC and college football continues in 2023, as No. 4 Alabama takes on No. 1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
After making back-to-back national championship appearances in 2020 and 2021, the Tide missed out on the CFP last year, settling for a Sugar Bowl win instead. However, led by quarterback Jalen Milroe, Alabama is back on the big stage, looking to add another piece of hardware to the trophy case in Tuscaloosa.
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Under Saban, the Tide have been perennial contenders to be crowned national champions. Alabama has churned out a plethora of NFL talent, while hoisting tons of trophies in the process.
Just how many times has Alabama claimed a national championship? Here's a look back at the history of the Tide.
Alabama football championship history
How many national championships has Alabama won in football?
Alabama has laid claim to 16 national championships in the history of its football program. While the first one dates back to nearly a hundred years ago, the last six have all come within the last 15 years.
Here's a look at the title-winning seasons by the Wolverines, according to the NCAA:
| Year | Selecting Organizations | Split? | Bowl Game Win |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | CFRA, HAF, NCF | No | Rose Bowl |
| 1926 | CFRA, HAF, NCF | Stanford | Rose Bowl |
| 1930 | CFRA, HAF, NCF | Notre Dame | Rose Bowl |
| 1961 | AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF | Ohio State | Sugar Bowl |
| 1964 | AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF | Arkansas, Notre Dame | |
| 1965 | AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF | Michigan State | Orange Bowl |
| 1973 | AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF | Notre Dame | |
| 1978 | AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF | USC | Sugar Bowl |
| 1979 | AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF | No | Sugar Bowl |
| 1992 | AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN | No | Sugar Bowl |
| 2009 | BCS | No | BCS National Championship |
| 2011 | BCS | No | BCS National Championship |
| 2012 | BCS | No | BCS National Championship |
| 2015 | CFP | No | Cotton Bowl |
| 2017 | CFP | No | Sugar Bowl |
| 2020 | CFP | No | Citrus Bowl |
The Tide won a number of national titles during the 1920s, 1960s and 1970s, Prior to 1936, the NCAA lists a variety of different selecting organizations that name national championship winners.
The most prominent selecting organizations were the Helms Athletic Foundation (HAF) and the National Championship Foundation (NCF). The HAF and NCF both picked retroactive national champions, with the HAF picking retroactively prior to 1936 and the NCF picking retroactively prior to 1979.
When was Alabama's last national championship?
Alabama, ranked No. 1 during the shortened 2020 season, beat No. 3 Ohio State in the CFP National Championship to win the 2020 title. Led by by an offense featuring quarterback Mac Jones, wide receiver DeVonta Smith and running back Najee Harris, the Tide trounced the Buckeyes 52-24.
The win gave Saban his seventh national championship, breaking Bear Bryant's record for the most by a Division I college football coach.
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Alabama football record in bowl games
Alabama has been a featured in a bowl game 76 times during the program's history. Included in those appearances have been 40 in the traditional "big four" bowls — the Rose, Sugar, Cotton and Orange Bowl.
In total, the Tide has a record of 46-27-3 in bowl games.
