As a freshman, Herschel Walker led the Georgia team to a win over Notre Dame in the national championship game. Walker rushed for more than 1,600 yards in his first season.

Georgia beat TCU 65-7 in the 2023 national championship, securing the Bulldogs’ third national title in the program’s history. Like many things in the world of college sports, though, that number is up for debate.

The university claims one additional championship from the 1942 college football season, even though the Associated Press selected Ohio State as college football’s official title-holders from that year.

Here’s a look back at each of Georgia’s national championship seasons, including the Bulldogs’ controversial claim.

1942

On Jan. 1, 1943, Georgia defeated UCLA 9-0 in the Rose Bowl, ending the year with an 11-1 record.

That was the Bulldogs’ fourth season under the direction of head coach Wally Butts, one member of Georgia’s Circle of Honor. Butts remained at the helm until the end of the 1960 season, and won 160 games during his tenure as head coach.

The Bulldogs started the season with a nine-game winning streak, before losing 27-13 to an unranked Auburn team. The team recovered nicely, thrashing Georgia Tech to the tune of a 34-0 victory in the final game of the regular season. The Georgia defense allowed only 76 points that season, a major reason for the Bulldogs’ stellar record.

Despite that record, the team still finished second in the AP Top-25 poll — only trailing the Ohio State Buckeyes, who ended the year with a 9-1 record. That was the Buckeyes’ first national championship in program history.

1980

Herschel Walker’s freshman season concluded with Georgia’s first official championship title, as the Bulldogs won 17-10 over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 1981.

Walker was the focal point of Georgia’s offense for most of his career, and the 1980 season was no different. He racked up 1,616 rushing yards — the third-highest total in college football that year — to go along with 15 touchdowns on the ground.

Georgia’s defense also played an integral role in the Bulldogs’ success. That unit intercepted 24 passes throughout the season, taking advantage of any and all mistakes by the opposing offenses. In the Sugar Bowl alone, Georgia’s defense forced Notre Dame to commit four turnovers.

After finishing the season unranked in 1979, the 1980 season began a decade-long streak of bowl game appearances for the Bulldogs. Georgia didn’t miss the postseason until 1990, two years after Vince Dooley resigned from his head coaching position.

2021

Georgia’s 41-year title drought ended on Jan. 10, 2022, as the Bulldogs conquered the Crimson Tide 33-18 in the 2022 national championship.

Georgia’s offense was somewhat inconsistent en route to the championship, as Stetson Bennett and J.T. Daniels were both vying for the starting quarterback position. That debate lasted for much of the season, though Bennett proved victorious in the end. Tight end Brock Bowers emerged as an impact player in his freshman season, setting a new program record for receiving touchdowns in a single season.

Georgia endured a bit of a shock in the 2022 SEC championship, falling 41-23 to Alabama. It seemed as if there was one final question for the Bulldogs to answer before they could ascend to the top of the college football world. The team answered that question in defiant fashion, rolling to a 34-11 victory over Michigan before facing off against the Crimson Tide.

Head coach Kirby Smart avenged his previous losses to Alabama — including both the 2022 SEC championship and the 2018 national championship — defeating his former boss, Nick Saban, and earning a national title in just his sixth season with the Bulldogs.

2022

Georgia won 65-7 over TCU in the 2023 national championship.

Stetson Bennett emerged as one of college football’s best quarterbacks in 2022 — the sixth-year senior was Georgia’s first Heisman finalist since 1992, and on his way to a second national title victory, he passed for over 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Georgia’s defense relied on a plethora of younger players in 2022, and they stepped up to the challenge admirably. Underclassmen such as Smael Mondon Jr., Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Malaki Starks all played important parts in Georgia’s 2022 season, leading Georgia’s defense in tackles in that respective order.

Smart led the Bulldogs to a perfect 15-0 record for the season, adding another national title and enhancing what was quickly becoming a very impressive resume for the seventh-year coach.