Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
A spirit that is not afraid

Auburn football claims seven national championships, bringing its total to nine.

Eagle flight on Sept. 7, 2024 against California in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Eagle flight on Sept. 7, 2024 against California in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

After years of only claiming two national championships, Auburn football is finally recognizing seven other championships won over the years, bringing the total to nine for the program.

The reason Auburn is able to claim these championships lies in how titleholders were decided before the current system was adopted in 2013. Pre-1998, the champion was decided by polling the media and coaches. There were dozens of polls that decided on a champion, but the two that held the most weight were the Associated Press poll and the poll of college coaches. This system often resulted in split titles due to differing decisions. Six of Auburn’s newly claimed titles come from this polling era - 1910, 1913, 1914, 1958, 1983, and 1993. Auburn’s existing championship from this era - 1957 - both the Associated Press poll and the coaches poll agreed that Auburn won, which is why it was previously claimed. 

In 1910, 1913, and 1983, the Billingsley Report, a mathematical system that used formulas to decide the champion, named Auburn the national champions. The Billingsley Report has two formulas, one that includes margin-of-victory in the calculations and one that does not. The one that does include margin-of-victory named Auburn the champion in 1910, 1913, and 1983, but the other formula didn’t. Billingsley was considered a major selector, but didn’t have the respect that the Associated Press and coaches' polls commanded, which is why Auburn didn’t claim the titles until now. 

In 1914 and 1958, Auburn was selected as the champion by Howell Ratings and Montgomery Full Season Selector, which are both minorly acknowledged computerized ranking systems. These minor selections are a perfect example of how the system was flawed. It allowed for every ranking selection system to say something different, but it really only cared about the opinions of two. These discrepancies are why Auburn is now retroactively claiming these titles, as there was much room for controversy in the old system. 

In 1993, the last of the newly claimed titles of the polling era, Auburn went 11-0 and was ranked first by the National Championship Foundation (NCF), a minor selector that is acknowledged by the NCAA. However, Auburn was on probation due to the violations in the 1992 season concerning improper payments to Auburn football players. The probation included scholarship reductions, a broadcasting ban on the 1993 season, and a postseason ban for the 1993 season. So despite playing a perfect season, the Tigers missed out on the postseason in 1993. However, due to the level of excellence displayed in the 1993 season and the fact that the NCF ranked Auburn first, Auburn football has reclaimed the 1993 season title. But with all the scandals and circumstances surrounding the 1993 season, this is the most controversial of the newly claimed titles for Auburn. 

Since the poll system had many flaws, the NCAA switched to a new system in 1998 that lasted until 2013 - the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system. This system decided to use a formula to name a champion. Using computerized rankings and polls combined, the top two teams were named, and they played in the National Championship Game. Auburn’s existing 2010 championship was won under this system, and the Tigers are also claiming the 2004 championship from this era of selection. 

In the 2004 season, Auburn went 13-0 and won the SEC Championship game over Tennessee, beating five ranked teams that season. However, the BCS system did not put the Tigers in the top two, and Auburn did not get to play in the championship game. Minor selectors had put Auburn at No. 1, but the Associated Press and the coaches poll had them at No. 3 and No. 2, respectively. This controversial selection is one of the biggest “what-if” stories in college football, but Auburn has decided to reclaim this championship as well. Looking at the teams that played in the championship game, USC and Oklahoma, Auburn could definitely have been a contender in that game, but college football fans will sadly never know what would have happened. 

Despite the controversy surrounding some of these titles, Auburn Tiger fans will be happy to see that the men who proudly represented Auburn in these seasons will finally get the recognition Auburn football believes they’re due. 


Jackie Dominguez | Sports Editor

Jackie is a freshman majoring in Drug and Biopharmaceutical Sciences. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2024.

You can follow her on X (Twitter) at @jackie_domingun


Share and discuss “Auburn football claims seven national championships, bringing its total to nine. ” on social media.