POD 1860s: In a world where the Confederacy wins the Civil War, how is college football impacted?
1908-1920
Football's lack of popularity in the Confederacy leads to most sources only naming a "continental" champion from 1869-1907. However, starting in 1908 sources begin to name an "American" and "Confederate" champion.
AMERICAN CHAMPIONS
1908: Penn
1909: Yale
1910: Harvard
1911: Princeton
1912: Harvard
1913: Harvard
1914: Army
1915: Cornell
1916: Pittsburgh
1917: Ohio State
1918: Pittsburgh
1919: Harvard
1920: California
CONFEDERATE CHAMPIONS
1908: LSU
1909: Texas A&M
1910: Auburn
1911: Texas A&M
1912: Auburn
1913: Auburn
1914: Texas
1915: Oklahoma
1916: Georgia Tech
1917: Georgia Tech
1918: Georgia Tech
1919: Texas A&M
1920: Georgia
Beginning in 1921, the U.S.A. and C.S.A., celebrating ten years of peace between the two nations, agree to send their champions to the Continental Bowl, which will alternate between a site in the U.S. and a site in the Confederacy. The American champion will be the winner of the Rose Bowl, which will pit the Pacific Coast champion against a team from the East. The Confederacy will send the winner of the Flag Bowl, which will match the winners of the Southern Conference's Dixie and Cotton Division. Controversy erupted from the start, because the Southwest Conference was shut out of the Continental Bowl.
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE DIVISIONS (AS OF 1921)
COTTON: Auburn, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State
DIXIE: Washington & Lee, North Carolina, NC State, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Clemson
1921
In a highly touted matchup, the American Collegiate Athletic Association placed Cornell and California in the Rose Bowl. The Indians kicked a field goal late to beat California 17-14. The Southern Conference championship game was a snoozer as Georgia smashed Virginia Tech 27-6. Georgia and Cornell advanced to the Continental Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia, where the Bulldogs rode the home crowd to a 32-18 win. Many thought that Vanderbilt was a better team than Georgia, however, and some wanted to see the two teams meet. They had tied in the regular season.
TO BE CONTINUED.