Clemson Football: Tigers could join elite group with back-to-back National Titles
The 2019 Clemson football team will be looking to win back-to-back National Championships. Here’s a look at programs that were able to accomplish that feat.
There have been very few programs to win back-to-back National Championships in the history of College Football.
That’s exactly what Clemson football will be attempting to do in 2019.
If the Tigers could find a way to get the job done, they’d join elite company.
As a matter of fact, there have only been three programs since 1980 to accomplish that feat: Nebraska (1994-95); USC (03–tied with LSU, 04 consensus); and Alabama (2011-12.)
Really there have only been two.
USC shared a split title with LSU in 2003. The Trojans were named the National Champion by the AP and LSU won the BCS Title.
The next year, the Trojans came back and won everything outright. Of course, that title was later stripped.
So, really since 1980, there have only been two programs to win National Championships outright in back-to-back seasons. That is Nebraska in 1994-95 and Alabama just a couple of years ago in 2011-12.
If you go back to 1936 when the AP began award National Champions, the feat has still only been accomplished outright a total of six times ever- and that’s counting Bama and Nebraska in the modern era.
As a matter of fact, Nebraska was the first team to do it in almost 40 years. The only other programs to do were Oklahoma (1955-56); Notre Dame (1946-47); Army (1944-45); and Minnesota (1940-41).
Elite Company…
No matter which era of College Football you look at, it’s just hard to win back-to-back National Championships.
You have a lot of elite programs that didn’t win National Championship. Or, they won one and then had a year or two off before winning another one. It’s just really tough to do.
To win a National Championship, you’ve got to have everything fall in line for you. You’re going to have to have a break or two somewhere down the line. The ball has to bounce in your favor a couple of times that otherwise it wouldn’t have.
That’s why it’s so hard.
Next. Continuity in coaching staff has been key for Clemson. dark
Even as hard as it seems, I believe the Tigers have a real chance at repeating this year. It’s going to take focus and health, but they have all the right ingredients to get the job done and join a very short group of names as programs to repeat as National Champions.