Stories
The long way back
101 programs have held the belt; 64 of them have held it more than once. Between one reign and the next, the wait has been as short as a week and as long as most of a century.
82 years— the longest gap between two reigns, Pittsburgh’s
No. 1 Pittsburgh: 82 years between reigns
Pittsburgh lost the belt on October 19, 1935 to Notre Dame and did not touch it again for 82 years. When it finally came back, on November 24, 2017, it came from Miami — and the reign that followed lasted 288 days.
No. 2 Michigan State: 80 years between reigns
Michigan State lost the belt on January 1, 1938 to Auburn and did not touch it again for 80 years. When it finally came back, on October 27, 2018, it came from Purdue — and the reign that followed lasted 14 days.
No. 3 Illinois: 69 years between reigns
Illinois lost the belt on November 13, 1920 to Wisconsin and did not touch it again for 69 years. When it finally came back, on January 1, 1990, it came from Virginia — and the reign that followed lasted 250 days.
No. 4 Syracuse: 64 years between reigns
Syracuse lost the belt on January 1, 1953 to Alabama and did not touch it again for 64 years. When it finally came back, on October 13, 2017, it came from Clemson — and the reign that followed lasted 8 days.
No. 5 Wisconsin: 59 years between reigns
Wisconsin lost the belt on November 19, 1921 to Chicago and did not touch it again for 59 years. When it finally came back, on September 12, 1981, it came from Michigan — and the reign that followed lasted 7 days.
No. 6 Texas A&M: 56 years between reigns
Texas A&M lost the belt on January 1, 1942 to Alabama and did not touch it again for 56 years. When it finally came back, on October 10, 1998, it came from Nebraska — and the reign that followed lasted 48 days.
No. 7 Ole Miss: 54 years between reigns
Ole Miss lost the belt on November 18, 1967 to Tennessee and did not touch it again for 54 years. When it finally came back, on November 13, 2021, it came from Texas A&M — and the reign that followed lasted 49 days.
No. 8 Michigan: 50 years between reigns
Michigan lost the belt on October 25, 1919 to Ohio State and did not touch it again for 50 years. When it finally came back, on November 22, 1969, it came from Ohio State — and the reign that followed lasted 40 days.
The quickest returns
At the other end of the scale, some programs barely let go.
Auburn lost it to South Carolina and won it back from LSU 14 days later, in 2020.
Baylor lost it to Rice and won it back from TCU 14 days later, in 1991.
TCU lost it to Oklahoma State and won it back from Baylor 20 days later, in 2015.
Ohio State lost it to Purdue and won it back from Michigan State 21 days later, in 2018.
TCU lost it to Baylor and won it back from West Virginia 21 days later, in 2014.
Still waiting
100 programs that have held the belt are waiting to hold it again. The longest active waits belong to Rutgers (156 years), Lafayette (128 years), Swarthmore (119 years), Carlisle (117 years), Yale (116 years). The records page keeps the full drought table.
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