DALLAS (FWAA) — The Football Writers Association of America, in partnership with Pop-Tarts and Florida Citrus Sports, will celebrate the 25th season of its National Team of the Week in 2026 with the return of the Pop-Tarts Crazy Good National Team of the Week.
Each week during the college football season, the FWAA will recognize one team for a Crazy Good performance, selected from a group of candidates identified by the FWAA’s All-America Committee and vetted through data analysis provided by the Iron Football app.
The weekly winning program will receive a custom-crafted commemorative game ball from The Big Game, along with a delivery of assorted Pop-Tarts to help the team celebrate its achievement.
“[QUOTE FROM CURRENT FWAA PRESIDENT ABOUT THE 25TH SEASON, THE AWARD’S TRADITION AND THE VALUE OF THE PARTNERSHIP WITH POP-TARTS AND FLORIDA CITRUS SPORTS],” said [FWAA PRESIDENT’S NAME], president of the Football Writers Association of America.
Because the opening weekend schedule extends through the Labor Day holiday, the first Pop-Tarts Crazy Good National Team of the Week for the 2026 season will be announced Tuesday, Sept. 8. Subsequent winners are scheduled to be announced each Monday during the regular season.
“[QUOTE FROM FLORIDA CITRUS SPORTS ABOUT BRINGING POP-TARTS’ PERSONALITY TO THE AWARD, REWARDING MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES AND CELEBRATING WITH THE PLAYERS],” said [NAME AND TITLE], Florida Citrus Sports.
The FWAA introduced its National Team of the Week award in 2002. Through its first 24 seasons, the organization made 325 selections representing 107 different programs.
Oklahoma and Michigan State share the all-time lead with nine selections apiece, followed by TCU with eight. Kansas, Notre Dame, Stanford and Texas A&M have each been honored seven times.
Former TCU head coach Gary Patterson is the award’s all-time coaching leader with six selections. Bob Stoops, Mark Dantonio and Kevin Sumlin are tied for second with five apiece. Ten coaches have earned the honor four times: Chris Petersen, David Shaw, Jim Harbaugh, Lance Leipold, Les Miles, Mike Gundy, Mike Riley, Nick Saban, Steve Sarkisian and Urban Meyer.
Oklahoma has been the defeated opponent in a record 20 National Team of the Week performances. Ohio State is next with 18, followed by Texas with 16. Alabama and Notre Dame have each been on the losing end of 13 award-winning performances.
Nine teams selected for the weekly honor went on to win a national championship that season. The seven eventual FBS champions were Ohio State in 2002, USC in 2003, Alabama in 2012, Florida State in 2013, Ohio State in 2014, LSU in 2019 and Indiana in 2025. Appalachian State in 2007 and North Dakota State in 2013 went on to claim FCS national championships.
The weekly candidates and winner will be announced through the FWAA’s website and social-media platforms, with additional statistical analysis and historical context available through Iron Football.
### ABOUT POP-TARTS
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### ABOUT FLORIDA CITRUS SPORTS
Florida Citrus Sports is a not-for-profit event management organization dedicated to positively impacting the Orlando region while enhancing the quality of life in Central Florida through world-class events, including the Camping World Kickoff, the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, the Pop-Tarts Bowl, the Florida Blue Florida Classic and the Florida Cup & FC Series. For more information, visit FloridaCitrusSports.com.
### ABOUT THE FOOTBALL WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,100 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at [tiger@fwaa.com](mailto:tiger@fwaa.com).
### ABOUT IRON FOOTBALL
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### ABOUT THE BIG GAME
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