What defines success? In college football, the pinnacle of success is winning a national championship. But that's not the only measure of a successful team or a successful program.
Winning is hard. Winning a national championship is even harder. With that in mind, here's a look at the most successful FBS programs that have never won a national championship.
West Virginia
West Virginia has the most wins by a program to never win a national title. The Mountaineers have won 15 conference championships and 17 bowl games, while producing 13 All-Americans.
West Virginia came close to winning it all in 1988. The Mountaineers went 11-1 with their only loss coming against eventual national champion Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. West Virginia went 11-1 again in 1993 but just missed the national title game, finishing third in the AP poll.
Under Rich Rodriguez, the Mountaineers went 33-5 from 2005 to 2007 but never won a national championship.
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech has the second-most victories in the history of college football without winning a national title (773 as of Sept. 9, 2024). The Hokies nearly won a national championship with quarterback Michael Vick in 1999 and 2000. Vick's squads went 11-1 and ranked No. 2 in the AP poll both years. They lost the championship game to No. 1 Florida State in 1999.
The Hokies boast 11 conference titles, 6 division titles and 14 bowl wins but no national championships.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin's 744 all-time wins (as of Sept. 9, 2024) are third-most among programs that have never won a national title. The Badgers' 416 weeks ranked in the AP Top 25 are the most in the poll era (since 1936) without a national championship.
A founding member of the Big Ten Conference, Wisconsin narrowly missed winning a national title in 1962 when it lost to USC in the Rose Bowl, which served as that year's national championship game.
Wisconsin is one of just 26 programs that have won more than 700 games and produced multiple Heisman Trophy winners -- Alan Ameche (1954) and Ron Dayne (1999) -- but have never won a national championship.
Navy
The Navy Midshipmen have the fourth-most wins in FBS history without a national title (740 as of Sept. 9, 2024). Navy has produced 24 consensus All-Americans, including Heisman Trophy winners Joe Bellino (1960) and Roger Staubach (1963).
Their 41 weeks in the top five of the AP Top 25 poll are fourth-most among teams that have never won a national championship.
Navy finished 9-0-1 in 1926, ending the season with a 21-21 tie to rival Army at Soldier Field in Chicago. Although the Midshipmen claim a national title that year, the NCAA recognizes Alabama and Stanford as the 1926 co-national champions.
Oregon
Oregon's 369 weeks in the AP Top 25 poll (as of Sept. 9, 2024) are second-most all time among teams without a national championship, trailing only Wisconsin. No team in that group has more weeks in the Top 5 (77) or at No. 1 (8) than the Ducks.
Oregon became a powerhouse in the 1990s and has come close to being the last team standing multiple times. The Ducks, under Chip Kelly, dominated in 2010, but lost the BCS national championship game to Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton and Auburn on a game-winning, 19-yard field goal. The Ducks reached the inaugural College Football Playoff national championship game in 2014 only to lose to Ohio State in dominating fashion.
Now, Oregon and Ohio State are in the same conference (Big Ten).
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