AP National Championship Trophy
The AP National Championship Trophy is the trophy awarded annually by the Associated Press (AP) to the team who finishes the season at the number one spot in the AP Poll and signifies that team being selected as national champions of college football for that season (as recognized by the AP). The current version of trophy consists of a silver or gold football suspended above a base which contains the letters "AP" (for Associated Press), along with the information on who the recipient of the trophy was. Until the 1968 college football season, the final AP  poll of the season was released following the end of the regular season, with the exception of the 1965 season. Prior to the College Football Playoff (CFP) and Bowl Championship Series (BCS), the NCAA had not held a tournament or championship game to determine the national champion of what is now the highest level, NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) due to the long-standing historical ties between individual college football conferences and high-paying bowl games like the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl. The NCAA did, however, recognize a national champion based upon the final results of major  wire-service (AP and Coaches') polls. The extent of that recognition came in the form of acknowledgment in the annual "NCAA Football Guide" of the "unofficial" national champions. As a result, the public and the media began to acknowledge the leading vote-getter in the final AP Poll as the national champion for that season. The Associated Press was not tied to the BCS, and the trophy could be awarded to a team which did not win the BCS National Championship Game. This has happened once after the 2003 season when LSU won the BCS title game, but USC received  a higher total of votes in the AP Poll, and therefore received the AP National Championship Trophy. Teams serving NCAA postseason bans are still eligible for the AP National Championship. This has occurred twice, following the 1957 and 1974 seasons. Winners. The following teams have finished in the #1 spot in the final AP Poll of the season for college football: