With another high-stakes college football postseason underway and renewed debate surrounding playoff access, conference realignment and the legitimacy of national titles, questions about how champions are determined are once again in the spotlight. Keith Gaddie, Hoffman Chair of the American Ideal, professor of political science and author of Bragging Rites: College Football’s Disputed Titles, studies the long history of contested and claimed championships. In this Q&A, he explains how disputed titles emerged, how today’s postseason structure fits within that history, and what lessons the sport’s past controversies offer for the rapidly evolving landscape of college athletics.