A lineal title passed hand to hand, on the field, since Rutgers beat Princeton 6–4 on November 6, 1869. No committee, no poll — you have to take it from whoever’s holding it.
How the belt works →
Floridadef. Ole Miss 24–17November 23, 2024 · 3 def.
South Floridadef. Florida 18–16September 6, 2025 · 0 def.
Miamidef. South Florida 49–12September 13, 2025 · 2 def.
Louisvilledef. Miami 24–21October 17, 2025 · 2 def.
Californiadef. Louisville 29–26November 8, 2025 · 0 def.
Stanforddef. California 31–10November 22, 2025 · 0 def.
Notre Damedef. Stanford 49–20Holding · 296 days
On this day
13 belt games since 1869Four rules. No asterisks.
Won on the field
Beat the holder, take the belt. Every other result leaves it exactly where it was.
Ties: holder retained
Standard lineal convention for the pre-overtime era — there hasn’t been a tie since 1996. A tie wasn’t a loss, so it wasn’t treated like one.
Idle holder, belt carries
A bye, a canceled season, a bowl opt-out — the belt just waits for the next game.
Computed, not researched
Every reign is derived mechanically from the full game record — no editorial judgment per game.
Explore the belt
Animated map
Scrub through 158 years of the belt’s journey, state by state.
Records
Longest reigns, most defenses, total days held, longest droughts.
Season outlook
Every program’s odds of holding the belt when the season ends, from the remaining schedule.
My Team
Pick your program and see when you could get a shot at the belt.
Stories
21 long-form pieces computed live from the lineage — they can’t go stale.
The Daily Belt
One former holder, six guesses, a new clue after every miss. Same puzzle for everyone each day.
Timeline
All 332 reigns as one strip of colored bars, a row per decade.
Rivalries
The pairs that keep meeting with the belt on the line, and who leads.
Belt FAQ
Who holds the College Football Belt?
Notre Dame holds the College Football Belt. Notre Dame took it from Stanford, 49–20, on November 29, 2025 and has defended it 3 times since (296 days and counting). It is Notre Dame’s 9th reign.
When is the next belt game?
The next belt game is Notre Dame visits Purdue on Saturday, September 26, 2026 at Ross-Ade Stadium. If Purdue wins, the belt changes hands; if Notre Dame wins, it stays put. The model gives Notre Dame a 98% chance to defend (full preview).
What is the College Football Belt?
The College Football Belt is college football’s lineal championship: one title, held by one program, that can only be taken by beating the holder on the field — the same idea as boxing’s lineal champion. It started with the first college football game ever played, Princeton at Rutgers on November 6, 1869, and it has passed through 332 reigns and 105 programs across 1,638 belt games since. Nothing is voted on. More about the belt.
How does the belt change hands?
Beat the holder and the belt is yours; every other result leaves it where it is. Bowl and playoff games count like any other; in the pre-overtime era a tie stayed with the holder (there hasn’t been one since 1996); and if the holder is idle (a bye, a canceled season) the belt waits for its next game. Every reign is computed mechanically from the full game record, with no editorial calls. The full ruleset.
Who has held the belt the longest?
The longest single reign is Princeton’s, November 13, 1869 to November 30, 1876 (2,574 days, 10 defenses). USC has had the most reigns (13), and Princeton has held it for the most days in total (6,883). All the records.
Is the College Football Belt official?
No. It is an independent fan project — no school, conference or the NCAA has anything to do with it, and it awards nothing but bragging rights. The lineage is rebuilt automatically from the College Football Data API every few hours during the season, and the whole thing is free to download.
Know the moment it changes hands
Title changes only — no weekly noise.
How email alerts work
Every time the belt changes hands it hits the feed below the moment the site rebuilds. Blogtrottr (or any RSS-to-email service) emails you when it happens — nothing to sign up for here, no account needed on this end.
https://collegefootballbelt.com/feed.xmlView feed