Yeah, it's a bold face lie either way ya tell it.
Only one service named Mississippi in 1962 (one of the 3 claimed with banners in VHS): Litkenhous (1934-84), a difference-by-score formula developed by Edward E. Litkenhous, a professor of chemical engineering at Vanderbilt, and his brother, Frank.
But Litkenhous didn't pick UM in 1959 or 1960. So is Litkenhous valid or not?
No way that college football research is considered valid, as it's just another one of those retroactive polls/algorithms, which NO other school counts (except maybe Bama). Not one school has counted a Sagarin national championship since he started, much less Sagarin going back retroactively and choosing champions.
In 2002, Southern Call finished #1 by Dunkel, Matthews, and Sagarin. Does USC claim a NC in 2002? Do they have a banner or tell CBS that they've won THREE STRAIGHT national champions? No, Ohio State is the ONLY school considered to be the national champion that season. Heck, the way UM people are thinking about this championship selection stuff, Vanderbilt can lay claim to 2 NC's also.
Historical list of National Champions
Complete list of college football national champions by year:
2004 Southern California (13-0)
2003 Louisiana State (13-1) Southern California (12-1)
2002 Ohio State (14-0)
2001 Miami (12-0)
2000 Oklahoma (13-0)
1999 Florida State (12-0)
1998 Tennessee (13-0)
1997 Michigan (12-0) Nebraska (13-0)
1996 Florida (12-1)
1995 Nebraska (12-0)
1994 Nebraska (13-0)
1993 Florida State (12-1)
1992 Alabama (13-0)
1991 Washington (12-0) Miami (12-0)
1990 Colorado (11-1-1) Georgia Tech (11-0-1)
1989 Miami (11-1)
1988 Notre Dame (12-0)
1987 Miami (12-0)
1986 Penn State (12-0)
1985 Oklahoma (11-1)
1984 Brigham Young (13-0)
1983 Miami (11-1)
1982 Penn State (11-1)
1981 Clemson (12-0)
1980 Georgia (12-0)
1979 Alabama (12-0)
1978 Alabama (12-1) Southern Cal (12-1)
1977 Notre Dame (11-1)
1976 Pittsburgh (12-0)
1975 Oklahoma (11-1)
1974 Oklahoma (11-0) Southern Cal (10-1-1)
1973 Notre Dame (11-0) Alabama (11-1)
1972 Southern Cal (12-0)
1971 Nebraska (13-0)
1970 Nebraska (11-0-1) Texas (10-1)
1969 Texas (11-0)
1968 Ohio State (10-0)
1967 Southern Cal (10-1)
1966 Notre Dame (9-0-1)
1965 Alabama (9-1-1) Michigan St. (10-1)
1964 Alabama (10-1)
1963 Texas (11-0)
1962 Southern Cal (11-0)
1961 Alabama (11-0)
1960 Minnesota (8-2)
1959 Syracuse (11-0)
1958 LSU (11-0)
1957 Auburn (10-0) Ohio State (9-1)
1956 Oklahoma (10-0)
1955 Oklahoma (11-0)
1954 Ohio State (10-0) UCLA (9-0)
1953 Maryland (10-1)
1952 Michigan State (9-0)
1951 Tennessee (10-0)
1950 Oklahoma (10-1)
1949 Notre Dame (10-0)
1948 Michigan (9-0)
1947 Notre Dame (9-0)
1946 Notre Dame (8-0-1)
1945 Army (9-0)
1944 Army (9-0)
1943 Notre Dame (9-1)
1942 Ohio State (9-1)
1941 Minnesota (8-0)
1940 Minnesota (8-0)
1939 Texas A&M (11-0)
1938 Texas Christian (11-0)
1937 Pittsburgh (9-0-1)
1936 Minnesota (7-1)