It's the sort of silly debate that livens up the run-up to college football, which begins in four days with the first full slate and Oregon's opener against Montana State in 11, Saturday August 30 in Autzen Stadium.
Tuesday the Auburn Tigers announced that they are "claiming" the national title from 2004, according to a report from Pat Smith of WJOX radio in Birmingham, Alabama.
USC won the BCS National Championship Game that season, 55-19 over Oklahoma, but the Trojans subsequently vacated the title in 2010 after the NCAA ruled Reggie Bush and his family received illegal benefits from an agent, benefits that are commonplace now.
Auburn just won seven additional national championships in football. In addition to 1957 and 2010, the Tigers will recognize the 1910, 1913, 1914, 1958, 1983, 1993 and 2004 teams as national champions.
— Pat Smith (@patsmithradio) August 19, 2025
Vacated titles are dumb, since everyone saw what happened. Still, 2004 was a weird year in the sport, with five teams finishing the regular season undefeated, the Trojans and Sooners, plus Auburn, Boise State and Utah. Chaos ensued.
When the committee awarded the title game to two teams from the West, bypassing the SEC Champion Tigers, it increased momentum toward an expanded college football playoff, which included four teams beginning in 2014 and 12 in 2024.
Auburn finished 2004 with a 16-13 win over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl to complete a 12-0 season, a solid accomplishment in an era before conference championship games and expanded playoffs.
In 2004 Auburn finished the season a perfect 13-0 but didn’t appear in the National Championship Game🧐
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) January 4, 2024
They won the Sugar Bowl & finished the season #2 in the Final AP Poll
• Auburn finished the season with allowing the least PPG (11.3)
• #5 Total Defense (227.6)
• FT:… pic.twitter.com/QUrAK0sd6f
Since their coach from that era is now a U.S. senator, the Tigers saw fit to lobby for another title, but as long as titles are being rescinded and claimed, Duck fans might be tempted to rewrite a little history of their own.
Auburn beat Oregon 22-19 in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game, but it was a contest marred by controversy. Cliff Harris intercepted a pass, ruled a no-catch though he appeared to have a foot in bounds. During the game-winning drive Eddie Pleasant tackled Michael Dyer after a 7-yard gain, but Dyer was allowed to keep running for 37.
Still photos showed both Dyer's wrist and ankle hitting the turf, but he was allowed to keep running.
That wasn't the worst of the controversial calls, however. Early in the game Zac Clark hit Auburn quarterback Cam Newton before he threw, causing a fumble, snatched up by Harris with a clear path to the end zone.
The officiating crew blew the play dead, ruling an incompletion even though Clark clamped down on Newton's arm completely obstructing any forward motion, a clear fumble. Auburn retained possession and punted.
One play after the Harris pick, Newton threw a TD pass to Kodi Burns.
Upon further review, the Ducks got screwed. If the Tigers want to claim titles they never won on the field, it seems only fair that they have to rescind the title for 2010-2011 they won after a series of suspicious events.
Once Oregon wins their first national title, fans could make a case for claiming this one. It was the heist of the century.