The 25 best college football teams to not win a national championship

Best college football teams without a national championship: 1973 Oklahoma Sooners

Not getting at least a share of the 1973 National Championship has long been tough for Oklahoma fans to swallow. In Barry Switzer’s first season as the Sooners head coach, his team was among the best in the nation and finished the season without a loss.

Part of the issue for Oklahoma was NCAA-mandated probation that prevented the Sooners from getting an opportunity to play in a bowl game.

Oklahoma’s 10 wins included six wins over ranked opponents. The Sooners earned impressive regular-season wins over Miami, Texas, Colorado, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. The lone blemish on Oklahoma’s resume was a September tie on the road against then-No. 1 USC.

That tie against a quality Trojans squad kept the Sooners from a perfect season. They watched as Alabama earned the UPI National Championship after a perfect regular season. Notre Dame earned the AP title after defeating the Crimson Tide 24-23 in the Sugar Bowl.

1973 is another year where the sport would have benefited from our current playoff system, giving teams like Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State, and Oklahoma a shot at playing for the title.

Fortunately for Oklahoma fans, this was just the beginning for Switzer, as he would lead the Sooners to eight consecutive conference championships. Oklahoma would win two consecutive national championships in the following two seasons. Switzer would get one more in 1985, as he compiled a truly legendary run in Norman.