When the College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams next season, we’ll get to watch 11 meaningful postseason games each year, eight more than we’ve been accustomed to during the four-team format.
How should the first 30 be remembered?
Well, after Michigan’s 34-13 win over Washington on Monday night, the average margin of victory in the 30 games is 18.6 points and only 10 have been decided by less than double-digits. That’s great for sportswriters on a deadline but not necessarily thrilling football for fans to watch.
Here’s a trip down memory lane as we rank the first 30 games of the CFP era on entertainment value. The year listed for each game indicates the season, not the actual date of the game (since some of the semifinals and all of the championship games are played in January of the ensuing year).
30. 2022 championship — No. 1 Georgia 65, No. 3 TCU 7: This stood as the biggest blowout in bowl history until Georgia throttled Florida State 63-3 in this year’s Orange Bowl. TCU kept things close for a bit and trailed only 10-7 after a Max Duggan 2-yard TD run with 4:45 left in the opening quarter in Los Angeles. But it was all Georgia — a 13.5-point favorite entering the game — after that in what turned out to be the least-watched championship game of the CFP era (17.223 million viewers).
29. 2015 semifinal — No. 2 Alabama 38, No. 3 Michigan State 0: It was only a 10-0 score at halftime in the Cotton Bowl before Jake Coker and Calvin Ridley hooked up on a pair of third-quarter touchdown passes to turn Michigan State’s only appearance in the CFP into a laugher.
28. 2020 semifinal — No. 1 Alabama 31, No. 4 Notre Dame 14: The most memorable thing about Alabama’s blowout of the Irish — aside from Najee Harris hurdling over an Irish defender — was that this Rose Bowl game was played at AT&T Stadium in Dallas and not Pasadena because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Alabama, a 19-point favorite, did not cover the spread but jumped out to a 14-0 lead and led comfortably throughout.
27. 2016 semifinal — No. 1 Alabama 24, No. 4 Washington 7: The final college football game played in the old Georgia Dome was tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter, but then Bo Scarbrough got rolling on the ground for the Crimson Tide. He finished with 180 yards and two scores on 19 carries as Alabama covered the 13.5-point spread. A Jake Browning Washington-led offense managed only 194 yards and 14 first downs.
26. 2018 semifinal — No. 2 Clemson 30, No. 3 Notre Dame 3: The third-smallest TV audience for a Playoff game (16.809 million viewers) tuned in and watched the blowout that many expected in the Cotton Bowl. Clemson, a 10.5-point favorite, took a 23-3 lead at the half on three Trevor Lawrence touchdown passes and outgained Ian Book-led Notre Dame by 290 yards.
25. 2019 semifinal — No. 1 LSU 63, No. 4 Oklahoma 28: The 2019 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl was loaded with future NFL stars — Oklahoma with Jalen Hurts and CeeDee Lamb, and LSU with Joe Burrow and Justin Jefferson. Too bad the game wasn’t close. Burrow threw seven touchdown passes in the first half to match an NCAA record, and Jefferson caught four of them to set a CFP record to go along with his 227 receiving yards. LSU, a 12.5-point favorite coming in, led 49-14 at the half.
24. 2021 semifinal — No. 3 Georgia 34, No. 2 Michigan 11: Georgia, a 7.5-point favorite despite being the lower seed, led 17-0 before the Wolverines got on the scoreboard and were up 27-3 at the half in the Orange Bowl. Backup QB J.J. McCarthy led a late touchdown drive for the Big Ten champions, who played like they were just happy to be there after ending an eight-game losing streak to Ohio State.
23. 2021 semifinal — No. 1 Alabama 27, No. 4 Cincinnati 6: Cincinnati, the first (and only) Group of 5 program to make the four-team Playoff, entered as a 13-point underdog and at least made it competitive. The Bearcats, led by quarterback Desmond Ridder and future first-round pick Sauce Gardner, trailed 17-6 entering the fourth quarter. Luke Fickell’s crew just didn’t have enough to stop Brian Robinson Jr. and Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young. The game featured the second-smallest TV audience to watch a CFP game (16.647 million viewers).
22. 2016 semifinal — No. 2 Clemson 31, No. 3 Ohio State 0: Dabo Swinney’s Tigers recorded only the second shutout in CFP history and earned some redemption for their national championship loss to Alabama a year earlier by upsetting Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes. It was the first time Ohio State had been shut out since 1993 and the first time a Meyer-coached team had been shut out.
21. 2018 semifinal — No. 1 Alabama 45, No. 4 Oklahoma 34: Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa, the top two vote-getters in the Heisman Trophy race, combined for seven touchdowns in the Orange Bowl shootout. Alabama, the defending national champion, built a 28-0 lead after only 17 minutes but had to hold off a late push from Lincoln Riley’s team. Nick Saban spiked his headset as Oklahoma rallied to cover the 14.5-point spread.
20. 2020 championship — No. 1 Alabama 52, No. 3 Ohio State 24: Alabama exploded for 28 second-quarter points behind three touchdown catches by Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith and easily covered the 9-point spread in Miami. The title game featured 11 future NFL first-round picks in the starting lineup between the teams. It was the second-smallest TV audience to watch a CFP championship game (18.653 million viewers).
19. 2017 semifinal — No. 4 Alabama 24, No. 1 Clemson 6: The third consecutive meeting in the Playoff between the Crimson Tide and Tigers wasn’t much of a contest in the Sugar Bowl. Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant threw for only 124 yards and had one of his two interceptions returned for a touchdown in the third quarter. Alabama came in as a 3.5-point favorite and held Clemson to 14 first downs and 188 yards of offense.
18. 2014 semifinal — No. 2 Oregon 59, No. 3 Florida State 20: The Ducks set a Rose Bowl record for points and yards (639) but led the defending national champion Seminoles only 25-20 with 8:07 left in the third quarter after Jameis Winston connected with Travis Rudolph on an 18-yard touchdown strike. That’s when Heisman winner Marcus Mariota took over and Jimbo Fisher’s reign in Tallahassee began to unravel.
17. 2020 semifinal — No. 3 Ohio State 49, No. 2 Clemson 28: Only 3,000 ticketed spectators were allowed into the Sugar Bowl because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but 19.149 million viewers tuned in to watch. They saw Ryan Day’s team explode for 21 second-quarter points in the upset of Dabo Swinney’s 10-1 Tigers. Justin Fields threw six touchdown passes, including two to future first-round pick Chris Olave as Ohio State rolled up 639 yards of total offense.
16. 2015 semifinal — No. 1 Clemson 37, No. 4 Oklahoma 17: The Sooners entered the Orange Bowl as a 4-point favorite and led 17-16 at halftime after eventual No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield connected with future All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews on an 11-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter. But Clemson, led by future Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson, scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to beat the Big 12 champions in front of the smallest TV audience to watch a Playoff game to date (15.73 million).
15. 2023 championship — No. 1 Michigan 34, No. 2 Washington 13: The Wolverines ended their 26-year championship drought by pounding the Huskies on the ground and slowing down Michael Penix Jr. and Washington’s explosive offense. It was a one score game until Michigan pulled away in the fourth quarter.
14. 2018 championship — No. 2 Clemson 44, No. 1 Alabama 16: The Tigers earned the revenge they were looking for in a second-half blowout at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The Crimson Tide, 5.5-point favorites, led 16-14 with 14:18 left in the first half before Travis Etienne Jr. scored twice and Lawrence led a second-half onslaught. The matchup featured 15 first-round picks in the starting lineups between the teams.
13. 2014 championship — No. 4 Ohio State 42, No. 2 Oregon 20: The Buckeyes’ upset run through the first College Football Playoff ended in Arlington, Texas, as Meyer won the last of his three national championships. Future Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott scored the second of his four touchdown runs on the final play of the third quarter to extend Ohio State’s lead to 28-20 before the Buckeyes pulled away in the fourth quarter. It remains the most-watched College Football Playoff game to date (34.148 million viewers).
12. 2019 championship — No. 1 LSU 42, No. 3 Clemson 25: Burrow’s record-setting 60-touchdown season included rallying from a 17-7 deficit to put an end to Clemson’s 29-game winning streak. LSU was a 4.5-point favorite but didn’t take control until Burrow connected with Terrace Marshall Jr. on a 24-yard touchdown strike with 12:08 left in the fourth quarter. Burrow threw for 463 yards and five touchdowns to lead LSU.
11. 2021 championship — No. 3 Georgia 33, No. 1 Alabama 18: The Bulldogs, 2.5-point favorites, rallied from an 18-13 fourth-quarter deficit and earned revenge for their SEC Championship Game loss behind touchdown passes from Stetson Bennett to Adonai Mitchell and Brock Bowers. Young, the 2023 No. 1 pick, was in position late to lead Alabama to the tying score, but Kelee Ringo picked him off and returned it 79 yards for the game-sealing touchdown. Georgia’s defense featured six of the 10 future first-round picks in the starting lineups for the teams.
10. 2019 semifinal — No. 3 Clemson 29, No. 2 Ohio State 23: The Tigers, defending national champions and 2.5-point favorites, fell behind 16-0 in the Fiesta Bowl before Lawrence rallied them with a stunning 67-yard touchdown run late in the first half. There was certainly some controversy involved. Ohio State defensive back Shaun Wade was ejected for targeting on a sack of Lawrence in the first half, and Clemson scored on the same drive. Later, a review negated a fumble recovery and score by Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah that would have put Ohio State ahead 23-21 in the third quarter. Despite all that, Ohio State still had a chance late to win, but Fields was intercepted in the end zone by Nolan Turner with 43 seconds remaining.
9. 2014 semifinal — No. 4 Ohio State 42, No. 1 Alabama 35: Third-string quarterback Cardale Jones, who took over for injured backup J.T. Barrett in the Big Ten Championship Game, helped rally the Buckeyes from a 21-6 second-quarter deficit in the Sugar Bowl. His 47-yard third-quarter touchdown pass to Devin Smith gave Ohio State a 27-21 lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Jones later converted a crucial third-down play with a spinning, 1-yard dive with the Buckeyes clinging to a 34-28 lead. On the next play, Elliott broke a tackle and ran 85 yards for the game-clinching touchdown. Alabama launched a desperation heave into the end zone on the final play that was intercepted by Tyvis Powell.
8. 2022 semifinal — No. 3 TCU 51, No. 2 Michigan 45: The Horned Frogs, coming off a 5-7 season and picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 in the preseason, jumped out to a 21-3 lead at the Fiesta Bowl and held on to pull off one of the biggest upsets in CFP history. TCU returned two McCarthy interceptions for touchdowns, and Duggan accounted for four touchdowns in the second-highest-scoring playoff game to date. Michigan, a 7.5-point favorite, had the ball at its own 25 with 45 seconds left but gave it back to TCU on downs.
7. 2023 semifinal — No. 2 Washington 37, No. 3 Texas 31: The Longhorns took three shots at the end zone from the Huskies’ 13-yard line with 10 seconds left but lost when Quinn Ewers’ final pass to Adonai Mitchell was knocked away by Elijah Jackson as time expired at the Sugar Bowl. Heisman runner-up Michael Penix Jr. threw for 430 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Huskies, the first Pac-12 team to reach the national championship game since Oregon in the 2014 season. Penix completed 12 consecutive passes at one point, the longest streak in CFP history.
6. 2015 championship — No. 2 Alabama 45, No. 1 Clemson 40: A terrific championship game in Glendale, Ariz., featured 85 points, 1,023 yards of offense and nine future first-round picks. The game swung on Saban’s gutsy call for an onside kick with 10:34 left to play and the score tied at 24-24. Defensive back Marlon Humphrey made an over-the-shoulder catch on Adam Griffith’s “pop kick,” and the Crimson Tide took control of the shootout. Coker hit O.J. Howard on a 51-yard touchdown strike moments later, and after a Clemson field goal made it 31-27, Kenyan Drake returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Derrick Henry then scored his third TD of the game on a 1-yard plunge to make it 45-33 to put the game away.
5. 2023 semifinal — No. 1 Michigan 27, No. 4 Alabama 20 (OT): The Wolverines reached their first national championship game since 1997 behind a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback and a fourth-down stop of Jalen Milroe at the Michigan 3-yard line in overtime at the Rose Bowl. Roman Wilson caught a short touchdown pass with 1:34 left in regulation to tie it before Blake Corum scored on a 17-yard run in overtime to give Michigan the lead.
4. 2017 semifinal — No. 3 Georgia 54, No. 2 Oklahoma 48 (2OT): The only double-overtime game in CFP history and the highest-scoring Rose Bowl was wild. Georgia trailed by 17 points in the first half but scored 24 consecutive points before falling behind again and tying the score at 45-45 with 55 seconds left in regulation on a 2-yard Nick Chubb touchdown run. The game ended with Georgia running back Sony Michel scoring the winning touchdown on a 27-yard run in the second overtime.
3. 2022 semifinal — No. 1 Georgia 42, No. 4 Ohio State 41: The Bulldogs rallied twice from a 14-point deficit and took the lead for only the second time in the game with 54 seconds left on a Stetson Bennett-to-Mitchell 10-yard touchdown pass. Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, who threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns, led the Buckeyes down the field to set up a 50-yard field goal attempt, but Noah Ruggles’ attempt sailed wide left as the clock struck midnight on the new year at the Peach Bowl.
2. 2016 championship — No. 2 Clemson 35, No. 1 Alabama 31: The first title game rematch of the CFP era lived up to the hype in Tampa with three lead changes over the final four minutes, 38 seconds. Watson, a Heisman Trophy finalist, threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow with one second to play. Alabama, a 6.5-point favorite, led 14-0 in the second quarter and 24-14 in the third quarter but couldn’t stop Watson, who finished with 463 yards of total offense and four scores.
1. 2017 championship — No. 4 Alabama 26, No. 3 Georgia 23 (OT): The Bulldogs led 13-0 at the half before Tagovailoa, a freshman, replaced Hurts and led the Crimson Tide to a thrilling come-from-behind victory. His 7-yard touchdown pass to Ridley with 3:49 to play tied the score at 20-20 and sent the game to overtime. After Georgia took the lead on a 51-yard Rodrigo Blankenship field goal, Tagovailoa won it with a 41-yard touchdown strike to DeVonta Smith on second-and-26. It was the second-most-watched College Football Playoff game to date (28.443 million viewers).
(Top photos of Hunter Renfrow, Stetson Bennett: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images; DeVonta Smith: Michael Wade / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
