Who has more national championships, Ohio State or Alabama? Details on the two CFB giants' history
Ohio State and Alabama are two of the most successful college football programs, with multiple national championships between them. But while it's been a bit long since these two schools won it all, they're still considered contenders year in and year out. And this season is no exception.
Who has more national championships Ohio State or Alabama?
Alabama has won more national championships than Ohio State. The Crimson Tide has won 16 national championships. Six of those titles came under the legendary Nick Saban. As of late, he is tied with Bear Bryant for the most national championships by an Alabama head coach.
Ohio State, on the other hand, has managed to win eight national titles. The Buckeyes' last win was long ago, in the 2014 season when Urban Meyer coached them.
Meyer came from his successful stint with the Florida Gators in the mid and late 2000s, as shown in the Netflix docuseries "Untold: Swamp Kings."
Have the Buckeyes and the Crimson Tide ever met in national championships?
Ohio State and Alabama have never met in a national championship game. But the two storied programs have played each other five times, three of them bowl games. The Crimson Tide are leading the series, 4-1.
Perhaps the biggest games out of those four were the bowl ones. The first bowl meeting (and first-ever meeting) between the two programs was back in the 1978 Sugar Bowl, per Sports Illustrated.
Back then, the two teams were led by equally iconic coaches: Bear Bryant on 'Bama and Woody Hayes with the Buckeyes. Alabama blew OSU out of the water, 35-6.
The second bowl meeting was in the 1995 Citrus Bowl. Once again, Alabama was victorious, 24-17. Ohio State was leading with under nine minutes to play, but a field goal from Alabama tied the score with 4:29 left. Then a 50-yard touchdown pass gave the Crimson Tide the lead, and they never looked back.
The third and last of the bowl games, the 2015 Sugar Bowl (CFP Semis), finally saw the Buckeyes exact their revenge. They managed to eke out a comeback win after falling behind 6-21 in the second quarter.
A massive 28-0 run by OSU saw the school take the lead late. That was Ohio State's last ever championship to date.