10 Schools That Won College Football and NCAA Tournament Titles
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There are close to 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States in various shapes and sizes.
Going into the 2026 season, just 138 play FBS college football, and 365 are at the Division-I level of men’s college basketball.
Whittle it down even more, and only the very biggest, best, and fortunate can even dream of being in the national championship hunt for one of the two main revenue-producing sports, much less both.
Which Schools Have Won College Football and NCAA Tournament Titles?
The only schools to pull off the double-double:
- Indiana University
- Michigan State University
- Ohio State University
- Stanford University
- Syracuse University
- University of California-Berkeley
- University of California-Los Angeles
- University of Florida
- University of Maryland
- University of Michigan
The first men’s basketball NCAA Tournament was played in 1939 – college basketball began in 1896 – and college football national champions have been crowned since 1869.
Out of all of those colleges, and all of those seasons, and all of those years, just ten have a college football national championship from one of the major outlets at the time, and a NCAA Championship in men’s basketball.
Ten.
College basketball is easy. If you won the NCAA Championship, you’re all good. Football is hard.
We’re not counting the outlier college football national champions that the NCAA officially recognizes, but weren’t a part of the main methods for the time, mainly the AP, UPI/Coaches, BCS, and College Football Playoff.
For example, Arkansas won the 1994 national championship in hoops, and was the FWAA’s 1964 (Football Writers Association of America) national champion in football, but the AP and UPI were the main ranking systems, and they both chose Alabama.
Cal
Cal was the consensus national champion in football in 1920 and 1922 according to both the NCF and the Helms Foundation, and it took part of one in 1921, but Cornell was the main recognized team that year.
After losing the NCAA Championship the year before to Ohio State, the 1959 college basketball squad under legendary head coach Pete Newell went 25-4, beating West Virginia for the title.
Florida
A late entry into the national title mix, the Gators didn’t win a football national championship until 1996 under Steve Spurrier – and caught a massive break when Arizona State didn’t hold off Ohio State in the final moments of the Rose Bowl. Urban Meyer won the national championship in 2006 and 2008.
Florida won back-to-back national titles in basketball in 2006 and 2007, and Todd Golden brought the program a third championship last season.
Indiana
Seriously, did you ever think the Hoosiers would be on this list?
A basketball superpower, IU under Branch McCracken won the second NCAA Tournament in 1940, and won again in 1953, both against Kansas. Bobby Knight’s 1976 team went a perfect 32-0, and won again in 1981 and 1987.
The football team went from speedbump to powerhouse in two years under Curt Cignetti, winning the College Football Playoff National Championship for the 2025 season.
Maryland
Maryland was a basketball power for years, and it finally all came together under Gary Williams in a magical 2002 season with a 32-4 season and a national title laugher over Indiana.
The football side is more obscure. In 1953, Maryland was named the national champion after a 10-0 season, and then it lost to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.
Michigan
It’s always going to be a football school, with four straight national titles from 1901 to 1904, one in 1918, 1923, 1933, 1948, a split title in 1997, and the 2023 College Football Playoff title.
The 1989 team under “Michigan Man” Steve Fisher went on a thrilling run for the NCAA Tournament title.
Michigan State
The Spartans got the UPI side of the 1965 national championship in football – Alabama won the AP title – and went 9-0 in the 1952 national title season.
The basketball teams were historic. The 1979 Magic Johnson-led team finished off the national title season with a win over Larry Bird’s Indiana State team, and the 2000 “Flintstones” was the last Big Ten college hoops national champion.
Ohio State
Football will always be kind in Columbus, but the 1960 Buckeyes won the national title in basketball under head coach Fred Taylor and stars John Havlicek and Jerry Lucas. It also had a tough backup in Bob Knight.
In football, the Buckeyes acknowledge nine national championships, but seven – 1942, 1954, 1957, 1968, 2002, 2014, and 2024 – are the ones from the top outlets.
Stanford
The basketball side won the 1942 national title in a blowout over Dartmouth, but the football national titles are quirky.
Alabama was the 1926 national champ, going 9-0-1 with the tie coming against Stanford in the Rose Bowl. Pop Warner’s Indians team was named the co-national champ with the Tide by the Helms and NCF.
The “Wow Boys” team of 1940 went 10-0 and got the Helms title, but Minnesota was the AP and UPI champion.
Syracuse
It took three tries, but Jim Boeheim finally got his national title in 2003 thanks to Carmelo Anthony and a terrific run to the national title.
Heisman-winning running back Ernie Davis led the 1959 football team to an 11-0 season and the national championship.
UCLA
With ten national championships under John Wooden, and Jim Harrick’s 1995 team got the Bruins their 11th with a win over Arkansas.
The 1954 Bruin football team went 9-0 – including a dominant 34-0 win over USC – to win the UPI portion of the national title. The AP gave its side to Ohio State.
And for now, that’s it. In close to 100 years of college sports, these are the ten that have the biggest trophies in the case.
Related: Who Won the Most College Football National Titles? Complete List
This story was originally published by College Football News on Mar 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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