Recognized byNCFRetroactive
4-0-1, tied Yale 0-0 at the Polo Grounds; named co-national champion (with Yale) by the National Championship Foundation and by Parke H. Davis.
Princeton’s 1880 schedule1880: 2 Champions, Zero Agreement
SPLITPrinceton and Yale finished undefeated and played to a scoreless tie, and the National Championship Foundation genuinely named them co-champions, a deliberate shared title rather than a record-keeping error.
The case for each side
Recognized byNCFRetroactive
4-0-1, outscored opponents 30-0 outside the Princeton tie; named sole national champion by the Billingsley Report, and co-national champion (with Princeton) by the National Championship Foundation and Parke H. Davis.
Yale’s 1880 scheduleNo national title game was played after the 1880 season: before 1998 there was no mechanism to play one, which is why so many of these seasons were settled by vote instead.