College football has a long and storied history, and it holds a special place in the hearts of many fans across the United States. Volumes of books could be written about the sport's history from the viewpoint of coaches, players, educators, officials, fans, and even those who enjoy betting on NCAA action. But we’re going to tell the history of college football by looking at a few select colleges that are synonymous with the sport.
Princeton Tigers
You can’t ignore one of the teams that helped invent the sport. The first official football game between two US colleges occurred in November 1869 between Princeton University and Rutgers College. Although a primitive version of the game that went on to conquer the US with rules more in keeping with association football popular in Europe, the sport was born.
Princeton Tigers proved dominant in the early days of college football's recognition of national titles. The Tigers won 22 of the first 40 national championships, establishing themselves as the driving force in the sport's early decades and becoming the big favorites to win big games time and time again.
Soon, colleges such as Yale, Columbia and Brown began to be competitive on a national level and eventually in 1955, the Ivy League was formed, incorporating these colleges as well as Harvard, Cornell, Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania. Princeton is still dominant in the Ivy League, boasting an undefeated 10-0 season, sweeping all before them in 2018.
By that stage, all of these colleges had faded from national title contention, with the odds at many bookies favoring rising teams across the country. But there is no doubt that the Princeton Tigers are a fundamental part of college football history and should be recognized for their trailblazing achievements.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
As the decades of dominance from Princeton and the Ivy League began to fade, many teams became competitive in claiming national championships. In the 1940s, the driving force in the sport came in the form of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
With 11 national championship claims, the Fighting Irish won four titles in the 1940s, dominating the decade. That came under the guidance of Frank Leahy, who also led Notre Dame to six undefeated seasons during his time in charge, including four seasons from 1946 to 1949. That ensured Leahy left with a win percentage of .864, the second-highest in NCAA Division I football history. The only man with a better win percentage? That would be Knute Rockne, who Leahy played for when Rockne coached the Fighting Irish from 1918 to 1930. Rockne led the team to three national championships in 1924, 1929, and 1930 before his untimely death in a plane crash in 1931.
Knute Rockne’s most significant contribution to football was popularizing the forward pass, which helped revolutionize the game in the years and decades after his passing.
Alabama Crimson Tide
The Crimson Tide, led by Paul “Bear” Bryant, captured six national championships throughout the 1960s and 1970s. But if six titles over two decades is too long to wait, then Nick Saban’s time in charge was a complete delight for Alabama fans and those betting on the side.
After Bryant’s last national title, the Crimson Tide won only one championship before Nick Saban led the team to success in 2009. Alabama was soon on a roll. National championships followed the undefeated 2009 season in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2020.
Such is Alabama’s athletic pedigree that the school is among the favorites to win the NCAA March Madness in 2025. Bettors can find the full range of odds on reputable comparison sites such as WSN. Still, if Alabama is going to be successful, they will have to see off division rivals Florida and Auburn. As number one seeds, the Duke Blue Devils are the favorites to walk away with the title among the bookmakers. But if you think you can beat the bookies, then a full rundown of the runners and riders is also available to make your pick.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Since Alabama Crimson Tide’s success waned following their unmatched dominance in the 2010s, no particular team has picked up the baton and run with it. But one that certainly could try is the 2024 national champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes captured their first recognized national championship in 1942 under the coaching of Paul Brown. Singularly the most important man in Ohio's football history, Brown followed his success with Ohio State by founding the Cleveland Browns before becoming the owner and head coach of state rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Buckeyes picked up plenty of championships in between the dominant eras of the Oklahoma Sooners and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the mid-20th century, and the college is on the rise again. Capturing 39 Big Ten Conference titles, the Buckeyes have long tangled with the Michigan Wolverines for supremacy. The Wolverines found success in the early 2020s under the coaching of Jim Harbaugh and could well have been the next dominant force in college football. But Harbaugh left to return to the NFL, and since then, the Wolverines haven’t entirely regained the peak of their powers.
That left the door open for the Ohio State Buckeyes to capture the 2024 national championship, and the team is already the favorite with the oddsmakers to add to that success in 2025. Is this the start of a new era of dominance in the NCAA? It might be too early to tell, but the 100,000+ fans that fill The Horseshoe to watch their team will certainly hope so.
Wrap Up
This is just a snapshot of the history of college football through the lens of four teams synonymous with the sport. From the invention of the game and dominance of Princeton and the Ivy League through to the rise of the Buckeyes in the Big Ten, the NCAA football season has something for everyone, and its history will surely only get richer.
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