Updated September 4, 2026.
Nebraska claims five national championships, all from the AP or Coaches poll: 1970 and 1971 under Bob Devaney, and 1994, 1995 and 1997 under Tom Osborne. The three in four years in the 1990s were the first such run since Notre Dame in 1946 to 1949, and the 1994 and 1995 titles are one of only three consensus back to back championships in the modern era. NCAA designated selectors have awarded Nebraska seven other titles the school does not claim.
The Five Championships
| Year | Coach | Record | Bowl | AP | Coaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Bob Devaney | 11-0-1 | Orange, W 17-12 vs. LSU | 1 | 3 |
| 1971 | Bob Devaney | 13-0 | Orange, W 38-6 vs. Alabama | 1 | 1 |
| 1994 | Tom Osborne | 13-0 | Orange, W 24-17 vs. Miami | 1 | 1 |
| 1995 | Tom Osborne | 12-0 | Fiesta, W 62-24 vs. Florida | 1 | 1 |
| 1997 | Tom Osborne | 13-0 | Orange, W 42-17 vs. Tennessee | 2 | 1 |
1970: Even the Pope Would Vote Us No. 1
Devaney rotated quarterbacks Jerry Tagge and Van Brownson all season. After a 21 to 21 tie at USC in September, Nebraska won nine straight and went into the Orange Bowl ranked third. On New Year’s Day No. 1 Texas lost to Notre Dame and No. 2 Ohio State lost to Stanford, and Nebraska, trailing LSU 12 to 10 in the fourth quarter, went 67 yards on a Tagge drive for the winning score. Devaney lobbied afterward that “even the Pope would have to vote us number one,” and the AP did the next day. The Coaches poll, then finalized before the bowls, had Texas first. It was Nebraska’s first title from a major selector.
1971: The Game of the Century
With Tagge as the full time starter and Johnny Rodgers at wingback, Nebraska won its first 11 games by at least 24 points and allowed 6.4 points a game. The Thanksgiving trip to No. 2 Oklahoma matched that defense against a wishbone averaging 44.6 points. Rodgers returned a punt 72 yards for the first score, Nebraska won 35 to 31 on a late Jeff Kinney touchdown, and 55 million people watched, the largest audience ever for a college game. The Orange Bowl was a 38 to 6 rout of No. 2 Alabama. Nebraska became the first champion to beat the teams that finished second, third and fourth in the AP poll, and the 1971 team is routinely ranked among the best in college football history.
1994: Osborne Finally Breaks Through
Osborne had entered 1994 with 21 seasons, 206 wins and no consensus title, one year removed from an 18 to 16 loss to Florida State in the designated title game. Tommie Frazier was sidelined in September with blood clots and backup Brook Berringer, playing with a partially collapsed lung, guided Nebraska through an undefeated regular season that included a 24 to 7 win over No. 2 Colorado. Frazier returned to start the Orange Bowl against Miami on the Hurricanes’ home field. Nebraska trailed 17 to 9 entering the fourth quarter, and two Cory Schlesinger touchdown runs against a worn down Miami front produced a 24 to 17 win and a unanimous No. 1.
1995: The Best Team Ever
Frazier and freshman I back Ahman Green led an offense that averaged 53.2 points, still the FBS record, and beat three top 10 opponents in a four week stretch by an average of 28 points. The season played out under national scrutiny after running back Lawrence Phillips was suspended and later reinstated. In the Fiesta Bowl against No. 2 Florida, Nebraska picked off Danny Wuerffel three times, rushed for 524 of its 629 yards, and won 62 to 24; Frazier ran for 199, including the famous 75 yard touchdown through seven would be tacklers. Nebraska is the only national champion to win every game by at least 14 points, and the 1995 team is the most common answer to the question of the best team ever assembled.
1997: The Split
Osborne’s final team opened outside the top five and survived a shaky start from quarterback Scott Frost before winning at No. 2 Washington. The Cornhuskers were not seriously tested until Missouri in November, when the tying touchdown came on the Flea Kicker, a deflected pass kicked into the air and caught by Matt Davison as time expired, and Nebraska won in overtime. A 54 to 15 win over Texas A&M produced the first Big 12 title, but Michigan held both polls’ No. 1 spot. In the Orange Bowl, the designated Bowl Alliance title game, Nebraska beat Tennessee and Peyton Manning 42 to 17 with three long third quarter scoring drives. Frost’s postgame plea to voters worked in the Coaches poll, which moved Nebraska ahead of Michigan by the narrowest of margins; the AP stayed with Michigan. It was the last split national championship before the BCS.
The Unclaimed Titles
| Year | Record | Bowl | AP / Coaches | Selector |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | 8-0 | Declined Rose Bowl | None | Billingsley |
| 1980 | 10-2 | Sun, W 31-17 vs. Mississippi State | 7 / 7 | FACT |
| 1981 | 9-3 | Orange, L 15-22 vs. Clemson | 11 / 9 | National Championship Foundation |
| 1982 | 12-1 | Orange, W 21-20 vs. LSU | 3 / 3 | Berryman |
| 1983 | 12-1 | Orange, L 30-31 vs. Miami | 2 / 2 | Seven selectors including FACT, Sagarin, DeVold |
| 1984 | 10-2 | Sugar, W 28-10 vs. LSU | 4 / 3 | Litkenhous |
| 1993 | 11-1 | Orange, L 16-18 vs. Florida State | 3 / 3 | National Championship Foundation |
The two that Nebraska fans still argue about are 1983 and 1993. The 1983 Scoring Explosion team of Turner Gill, Mike Rozier and Irving Fryar averaged 52 points and was No. 1 all season until the Orange Bowl, where Osborne went for two and the outright win rather than the tie that would have clinched the AP title; Gill’s pass was batted down and Miami won 31 to 30. Seven selectors still named Nebraska champion. The 1993 team lost the first Bowl Coalition title game 18 to 16 to Florida State after a late field goal, a clipping call that wiped out a touchdown, and a Byron Bennett miss from 45 yards as time expired.
Near Misses
1965. Devaney’s 10 and 0 team went to the Orange Bowl ranked third, and losses by No. 1 Michigan State and No. 2 Arkansas earlier in the day gave Nebraska a shot at the title. Alabama won 39 to 28 and took the AP crown.
2001. Eric Crouch’s Heisman season ended with a 62 to 36 loss at Colorado, but the BCS formula still sent one loss Nebraska to the Rose Bowl title game over two loss Colorado and Oregon. Miami won 37 to 14 in a game that helped force changes to the BCS formula.
Where Nebraska Ranks
Winsipedia ranks Nebraska 13th in claimed national titles and 8th in NCAA recognized titles, since all five of its claims come from the AP or Coaches poll and are recognized. The full list is at most national championships and each year’s champion is at national champions by year.
Related Reading
Nebraska football history puts the title years in context, the bowl history has every Orange Bowl, and Heisman winners covers Rodgers, Rozier and Crouch. Compare with Oklahoma and Florida, the two programs Nebraska beat or lost to in title games.