Major college football program claims four new national titles

The Auburn Tigers are entering the upcoming college football season with four more national titles than they had when they played in 2024.

The Tigers didn't win four national championships last season, but have decided to "claim" four more titles from previous seasons, per Justin Hokanson of On3 Sports.

Auburn is adding titles for 1910, 1914, 1958 and 2004, giving the program a total of nine national championships recognized by the school. The decision also helps them artificially close the gap with their biggest rival, Alabama, which claims 18 national titles. 

Tigers athletic director John Cohen wanted to "honor" the participants for those four teams instead of taking the more "humble approach" to only recognize championships given by the Associated Press.

“For too long, Auburn has chosen a humble approach to our program’s storied history – choosing to recognize only Associated Press National Championships. Starting this fall, we have made the decision to honor the accomplishments of our deserving student-athletes, coaches, and teams from Auburn’s proud history,” Cohen said.

 “Our visible National Championship recognitions now align with the well-established standard used by the NCAA’s official record book and our peers across the nation.”

No one on the 1910 or 1914 team could be reached for comment.

The 2004 national title has been a topic of controversy since USC had to vacate its win in the BCS title game over Oklahoma because of an NCAA investigation regarding running back Reggie Bush's family receiving impermissible gifts.

Auburn finished the season with a 13-0 record and was the only undefeated team remaining other than USC. The 2004 season one was of the best arguments for why a College Football Playoff needed to happen.

Still, the addition of four titles seems like a desperate grab for the Tigers to gain more clout amid a rough patch of recent seasons. Auburn has had one 10-win season (2017) since it made the national title game for 2013. The Tigers have had two losing seasons in the last three years.