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The 2025 college football season started with a bang. Four Top 10 teams were upset in Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Texas.
The season opening losses put an immediate pause on national championship talks. Those teams will need to be nearly perfect the rest of the way in order to compete for a title.
With that being said, the Week 1 losses aren’t an outright elimination. Four past national champions rebounded after season opening setbacks. Another did so after a Week 1 tie.
College Football National Champions That Lost Season Openers
Below, we’ll list those teams that ran into early season adversity before making title runs. We’ll also add a few more that fell in Weeks 2 and 3 before getting hot.
Let’s start with the national champions that lost a game or two after the season opener, then dive into the four Week 1 losers.
Alabama (1978)
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The Crimson Tide lost to seventh-ranked USC in Game 3 of the 1978 season following a 2-0 start. It was their third straight matchup with a Top 11 opponent.
The Trojans beat Alabama 24-14 in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide ended the year on a nine-game winning streak, capped with a win over top-ranked Penn State in the Sugar Bowl.
Alabama was awarded the AP Poll national championship. USC, which finished 12-1 and won the Rose Bowl, was named the champion in the Coaches’ Poll.
Ohio State (2014)
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The Buckeyes were shocked by an unranked Virginia Tech team in Week 2 of the 2014 campaign. They rebounded to win each of their final 13 contests.
This was the debut season of the College Football Playoff. Ohio State ripped off wins over Alabama and Oregon with a third-string quarterback to win the title.
The Buckeyes totaled nearly 45 points a game throughout the year and outscored their opponents by an average of three touchdowns. It made the 35-21 home loss to the Hokies all the more head scratching.
Alabama (2015)
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The next year, Alabama won a national championship following a Week 3 loss to SEC rival Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide fell 43-37 at home but recovered to finish 14-1.
The team strung together 12 consecutive wins, 10 of which came by double digits. It defeated Michigan State and Clemson in the College Football Playoff to take the crown.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, finished 10-3 with losses to unranked Memphis and Arkansas.
Colorado (1990)
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The Buffs were a Top 5 team in the 1990 preseason polls, but they got off to a tough start across the first three weeks of the season. Colorado tied Tennessee 31-31 in the opener after blowing a 14-point fourth quarter lead.
Two weeks later, they dropped a matchup against 21st-ranked Illinois 23-22. The Illini scored the go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes left in the action to put the Buffs at 1-1-1 through three games.
Colorado recovered to finish 11-1-1 with wins over Top 5 foes Nebraska and Notre Dame to claim its first ever national title. The Buffaloes ranked first in the AP Poll though Georgia Tech was named the Coaches’ Poll champ.
College Football National Champions That Lost Season Openers
Now, we’ll get to the four teams that lost their season openers but went onto win the national championship. The first instance came back way back in 1957.
Ohio State (1957)
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The Buckeyes fell in Game 1 to TCU, 18-14. They rebounded by ripping off nine straight wins.
Ohio State finished the season at 9-1, going 7-0 in Big Ten play. That included closing out the regular season with wins over Iowa and Michigan. They then beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl to claim a national title.
The Buckeyes were recognized as the No. 1 team in the Coaches’ Poll, though an undefeated Auburn team took the top spot in the AP standings.
Alabama (1965)
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The Crimson Tide fell by a score of 18-17 in their 1965 season opener to SEC rival Georgia. They bounced back to finish the year at 9-1-1.
The Bulldogs overcame a 17-10 fourth quarter deficit in the final moments. A flea-flicker was used to score a late touchdown. Georgia then went for two and got the win.
Alabama would later tie with Tennessee in Game 5 before winning its last six games. It was named the AP Poll national champion but missed out on a consensus honor.
A 10-1 Michigan State team claimed the Coaches’ Poll title despite losing the Rose Bowl.
USC (1974)
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The Trojans entered the 1974 campaign ranked fifth in the nation. Expectations were high. They came crashing back down to earth after the first game.
USC lost handily 22-7 to Arkansas in the season opener. They were able to flip the script the next week with a convincing win over No. 8 Pitt on the road.
From there, the Trojans reeled off nine wins in their next 10 games, eight of which came by double digits. They also tied Cal before beating Ohio State 18-17 in the Rose Bowl to claim the Coaches’ Poll title.
Oklahoma was named AP Poll champ.
Miami (1983)
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Miami is the last national champion that lost its season opener. The Hurricanes were thumped in Game 1 of the 1983 season by Florida, 28-3.
They recovered to take down ranked foes in Notre Dame, West Virginia, and No. 1 Nebraska. The Orange Bowl win over the Cornhuskers earned the Hurricanes national title rights in both the AP and Coaches’ polls.
Miami is one of the most unlikely national champions in college football history after starting the year unranked. It certainly didn’t seem like a season destined for greatness following the season opening loss. The team was able to turn the tide in a big way.