For most of the 20th century (and 19th, for that matter), the national championship in college football was mythical. And maddeningly indecisive.
Just ask the 1991 Washington Huskies, who finished 12-0 but shared the title with 12-0 Miami. Washington won the coaches poll, Miami won The Associated Press poll. The two schools, unable to fight it out on the field, have argued for the past 25 years about who is the real No. 1.
Nowadays, the national championship is a tangible thing, played out among four anointed teams, which is a major step forward. No more disputed titles, as was the case in more than half of the seasons before a playoff system was finally, belatedly, instituted in 1992.