Over the past 17 season in the NCAA, only six titles have gone to the #1 overall seed in the tournament, with underdog teams coming alive late in the tournament to claim the championship.
From 1981 until 1999, the NCAA broke the tournament down into four pods with each pod receiving an #1 seeded team, meaning no #1 overall. 2000 is the first year found that they distinguished a #1 overall seed, which went to Nebraska, the eventual championship that season.
The lowest ranked team to win the title came in 2004 when Stanford took down #4 Minnesota for the title while in 2011 #9 UCLA fought through #3 Illinois. Since then, #6 Stanford came out of the woodworks in 2016 to nab the title away from #4 Texas while #5 Nebraska took this years title over #2 Florida.
The last time the #1 overall seed made the Final Four stretches back to 2009 when Penn State accomplished the feat two years running – winning the title in both years. Both of these years marked two of the five times in 17 seasons that the #1 and #2 seeds made the finals, with the #1 team prevailing four out of five times (#2 Stanford def. #1 Long Beach State in 2001).
Only once in 17 seasons has a non-ranked team made the finals of the tournament, as BYU made a Cinderella run in the tournament, only to be stopped by a strong #5 Penn State squad.
To say there is some sort of pattern or madness to who wins the title is unrealistic – as much like March Madness, teams surprise come tournament time.
- 2017 #5 Nebraska (32-4) def. #2 Florida
- 2016 – #6 Stanford (26-7) def. #4 Texas
- 2015 – #4 Nebraska (32-4) def. #3 Texas
- 2014 – #5 Penn State (36-3) def. BYU
- 2013 – #2 Penn State (34-2) def. #12 Wisconsin
- 2012 – #3 Texas (29-4) def. #5 Oregon
- 2011 – #9 UCLA (29-6) def. #3 Illinois
- 2010 – #4 Penn State (32-5) def. #7 California
- 2009 – #1 Penn State (38-0) def. #2 Texas
- 2008 – #1 Penn State (38-0) def. #2 Stanford
- 2007 – #3 Penn State (34-2) def. #1 Stanford
- 2006 – #1 Nebraska (33-1) def. #2 Stanford
- 2005 – #3 Washington (32-1) def. #1 Nebraska
- 2004 – #11 Stanford (30-6) def. #4 Minnesota
- 2003 – #1 USC (35-0) def. #3 Florida
- 2002 – #1 USC (31-1) def. #2 Stanford
- 2001 – #2 Stanford (33-2) def. #1 Long Beach State
- 2000 – #1 Nebraska (34-0) def. #7 Wisconsin
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