Is new video game disrespecting Alabama football’s championship history?

Despite Alabama football star Ryan Williams gracing the cover, Crimson Tide fans might take umbrage with EA Sports’ new College Football 26 video game. The makers of the game evidently disagreed with two of UA’s national championship claims.

In the new college football history screen available in certain game modes, the Crimson Tide is not listed as the national title winner for the 1934 and 1941 seasons. Alabama claims both of those seasons in its official history books.

For both seasons, Minnesota is listed as the lone national champion. The two years were among several controversial title claims by the Tide, perpetuated by UA staff in the 1980s.

The 1934 team, coached by Frank Thomas (and featuring Paul “Bear” Bryant as a starting end), went 10-0 overall, 7-0 in SEC play. It capped the year off with a win in the Rose Bowl, and was made a national champion by several math-based systems, including Houlgate and Dunkel among others.

1941 is a much more hotly contested claim by Alabama. That year’s Crimson Tide, also coached by Thomas, finished No. 20 in the Associated Press poll, after going 9-2, 5-2 in SEC play.

Alabama finished third in the SEC standings that season. However, due to its selection by the Houlgate System, which was largely based on strength of schedule, UA began claiming the national championship in the 1980s.

As many fans know, UA has several potential championships that it does not claim. None of them, including the undefeated 1945 team, are recognized in the video game.

Overall, EA gives the Crimson Tide credit for national championships in 1925, 1926 (shared with Stanford), 1930 (shared with Notre Dame), 1961 (shared with Ohio State), 1964 (shared with Notre Dame and Arkansas), 1965 (shared with Michigan State), 1973 (shared with Notre Dame), 1978 (shared with Southern Cal), 1979, 1992, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020.

The Alabama claims aren’t the only contested national championships not included by EA Sports. The game also does not recognize Central Florida’s 2017 claim, when the Knights were left out of the College Football Playoff despite going undefeated with a bowl win over Auburn, which had beaten both national championship game participants (Alabama and Georgia) that year.