UPDATED: 5 OCTOBER 2025
NCAA Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision is the highest level of Colleeg Football in the USA and made up of elite universities and colleges and which primarily the NFL and other professional leagues select their players in the annual Draft.
Prior to the 2024 season, the top 4 selected teams would compete in the playoff, which will increase to 12 teams in 2024.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE  |
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| College Football Playoff SCHEDULE |
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| PLAYOFF ROUNDS | |
| 2026 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP | 19 JANUARY |
2024 NCAA Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision Season will expand to 12 teams:
1. Guaranteed bids for the top five conference champions in the CFP rankings; no conference will have an automatic bid, a conference must have a minimum of eight members for its champion to be eligible for a guaranteed bid.
2. At-large bids for the seven highest-ranked remaining teams, which could include additional conference champions.
3. The four highest-ranked conference champions will receive first-round byes.
4. The remaining teams will play each other in the first round at the home fields of the better seeds or an alternate venue of their choosing; match-ups will be 5-12, 6-11, 7-10, and 8-9.
5. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be hosted by the New Year's Six (the Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose, and Sugar bowls) on a rotating basis.
6. The championship game will continue to be held at a separately determined neutral site.
7. The playoff bracket will not be reseeded at any time.
8. First round games occur in December, Quarterfinal games on or around New Year's Day, Semifinal games at least one week later, and the championship game one week after the semifinals.
The inaugural tournament was held at the end of the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season under a four-team format. The CFP Board of Managers voted in 2023 to expand the playoff to 12 teams beginning in 2024, an arrangement that will last at least through the end of the 2025 season. After 2025, the current contract between all major entities expires and a new contract will be drawn up, with indications that additional expansion to a 14-team playoff or larger may take place at that time.
| 2024 CHAMPIONS | MOST TITLES |
|---|---|
 Alabama Crimson Tide (3) |
Alabama Crimson Tide (3) |
| SEASON/ PLAYOFF |
DATE | WINNER | SCORE | LOSER | stadium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 2014-2015 |
 January 12, 2015 |
 4 Ohio State Buckeyes (1) |
42-20
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 2 Oregon Ducks |
 AT&T Stadium(1) Arlington,TX(1) |
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| 2015 2015-2016 |
 January 11, 2016 |
2 Alabama Crimson Tide (1) |
45-40
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 1 Clemson Tigers |
 University of Phoenix Stadium(1) Glendale,AZ(1) |
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| 2016 2016-2017 |
 January 9, 2017 |
2 Clemson Tigers (1) |
35-31
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1 Alabama Crimson Tide |
 Raymond James Stadium(1) Tampa,FL(1) |
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| 2017 2017-2018 |
 January 8, 2018 |
4 Alabama Crimson Tide (2) |
26-23 (OT)
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 3 Georgia Bulldogs |
 Mercedes-Benz Stadium(1) Atlanta,GA(1) |
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| 2018 2018-2019 |
 January 7, 2019 |
2 Clemson Tigers (2) |
44-16
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1 Alabama Crimson Tide |
 Levi's Stadium(1) Santa Clara,CA(1) |
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| 2019 2019-2020 |
 January 13, 2020 |
 1 LSU Tigers (1) |
42-25
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3 Clemson Tigers |
 Mercedes-Benz Superdome(1) New Orleans,LA(1) |
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| 2020 2020-2021 |
 January 11, 2021 |
1 Alabama Crimson Tide (3) |
52-24
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3 Ohio State Buckeyes |
 Hard Rock Stadium(1) Miami Gardens,FL(1) |
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| 2021 2021-2022 |
 January 10, 2022 |
3 Georgia Bulldogs (1) |
33-18
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1 Alabama Crimson Tide |
 Lucas Oil Stadium(1) Indianapolis,IN(1) |
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| 2022 2022-2023 |
 January 9, 2023 |
1 Georgia Bulldogs (2) |
65-7
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 3 Texas Christian Horned Frogs |
 SoFi Stadium(1) Inglewood,CA(1) |
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| 2023 2023-2024 |
 January 8, 2024 |
 1 Michigan Wolverines (1) |
34-13 |
 2 Washington Huskies |
 NRG Stadium(1) Houston,TX(1) |
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| 2024 2024-2025 |
 January 20, 2025 |
8 Ohio State Buckeyes |
34-23 |
 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
Mercedes-Benz Stadium(2) Atlanta,GA(2) |
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FUTURE DATES |
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| 2025 2025-2026 |
 January 19, 2026 |
Hard Rock Stadium(2) Miami Gardens, FL(2) |
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| 2026 2026-2027 |
 January 25, 2027 |
 Allegiant Stadium(1) Paradise, NV(1) |
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| 2027 2027-2028 |
 January 24, 2028 |
Mercedes-Benz Superdome(2) New Orleans,LA(2) |
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| 2028 2028-2029 |
January 22, 2029 | Raymond James Stadium(2) Tampa,FL(2) |
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| 2029 2029-2030 |
January 21, 2030 | Hard Rock Stadium(3) MIAMI GARDENS,FL(3) |
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Attendance at the January 2021 game was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
| STANDINGS BY TEAM | |||||
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| Team | REC | A | RT | RA | |
Alabama Crimson Tide | 3-3 | 6 | 2020 | 2021 |
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Ohio State Buckeyes | 2-1 | 3 | 2024 | 2024 |
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Georgia Bulldogs | 2-1 | 3 | 2022 | 2022 |
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Clemson Tigers | 2-2 | 4 | 2018 | 2019 |
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Michigan Wolverines | 1-0 | 1 | 2023 | 2023 |
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LSU Tigers | 1-0 | 1 | 2019 | 2019 |
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Washington Huskies | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 2023 |
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Texas Christian Horned Frogs | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 2022 |
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Oregon Ducks | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 2014 |
| STANDINGS BY CONFERENCE | ||||||
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| CONFERENCES | REC | A | # TEAMS | Team(s) | TITLES | |
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Southeastern Conference | 6-4 | 10 | 3 | Alabama (3–3) Georgia (2–1) LSU (1–0) |
2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
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Big Ten Conference | 3-1 | 4 | 2 | Ohio State (2–1) Michigan (1–0) |
2014, 2023, 2024 |
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Atlantic Coast Conference | 2-2 | 4 | 1 | Clemson (2–2) | 2016, 2018 |
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Pacific Athletic Conference 12 | 2 | 0-2 | 2 | Oregon (0–1) Washington (0–1) |
0 |
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Big 12 Conference | 1-0 | 1 | 1 | TCU (0–1) | 0 |
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Independent | 1-0 | 1 | 1 | Notre Dame (0–1) | 0 |
The following is a list of College Football Playoff games, except the National Championship which can be found above. For the 2014–15 through 2023–24 seasons, the semifinals rotate between the Rose, Sugar, Cotton, Orange, Fiesta, and Peach Bowls, with each hosting a semifinal every third year. A standalone National Championship game is held roughly a week later.
Beginning in the 2024–25 season, the Playoff will expand to twelve teams, with four rounds. The first round will be played on campus sites, the quarterfinals and semifinals rotating among the same six Bowl games, along with the standalone National Championship game.
| SEASONS | |||||||
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| 2014 SEASON / 2014–15 PLAYOFF | |||||||
| Round | Bowl game | Winning team | Score | Losing team | STADIUM | ||
| Semifinal January 1 |
 Rose Bowl |
2 OREGON DUCKS |
59–20 |  3 Florida State SEMINOLES |
 ROSE BOWL Pasadena,CA |
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 Sugar Bowl |
4 Ohio State buckeyes |
42–35 | 1 Alabama | Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans,LA | |||
| Championship | January 12, 2015 |
4 Ohio State Buckeyes (1) |
42-20
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2 Oregon Ducks |
AT&T Stadium(1) Arlington,TX(1) | ||
| 2015 / 2015–16 | |||||||
| Semifinal December 31 |
 Orange Bowl SunLife Stadium Miami Gardens,FL |
1 Clemson | 37–17 | 4 Oklahoma | |||
 Cotton Bowl AT&T Stadium Arlington,TX |
2 Alabama | 38–0 | 3 Michigan State | ||||
| Championship | January 11, 2016 |
2 Alabama Crimson Tide (1) |
45-40
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1 Clemson Tigers |
University of Phoenix Stadium(1) Glendale,AZ(1) | ||
| 2016 SEASON / 2016–17 PLAYOFF | |||||||
| Semifinal December 31 |
Peach Bowl | 1 Alabama | 24–7 | 4 Washington | Georgia Dome | Atlanta, Georgia | |
| Fiesta Bowl | 2 Clemson | 31–0 | 3 Ohio State | University of Phoenix Stadium | Glendale, Arizona | ||
| Championship | January 9, 2017 |
2 Clemson Tigers (1) |
35-31
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1 Alabama Crimson Tide |
Raymond James Stadium(1) Tampa,FL(1) | ||
| 2017 SEASON / 2017–18 PLAYOFF | |||||||
| Semifinal | Rose Bowl |
3 Georgia | 54–48 (2OT) | 2 Oklahoma | January 1 | ROSE BOWL Pasadena,CA | |
| Sugar Bowl | 4 Alabama | 24–6 | 1 Clemson | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | New Orleans, Louisiana | ||
| Championship | January 8, 2018 |
4 Alabama Crimson Tide (2) |
26-23 (OT)
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3 Georgia Bulldogs |
Mercedes-Benz Stadium(1) Atlanta,GA(1) | ||
| 2018 SEASON / 2018–19 PLAYOFF | |||||||
| Semifinal | Cotton Bowl | 2 Clemson | 30–3 | 3 Notre Dame | December 29 | AT&T Stadium Arlington,TX | |
Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens,FL |
1 Alabama | 45–34 | 4 Oklahoma | ||||
| Championship | January 7, 2019 |
2 Clemson Tigers (2) |
44-16
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1 Alabama Crimson Tide |
Levi's Stadium(1) Santa Clara,CA(1) |
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| 2019 SEASON / 2019–20 PLAYOFF | |||||||
| Semifinal | Peach Bowl | 1 LSU | 63–28 | 4 Oklahoma | December 27 | Mercedes Benz Stadium | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Fiesta Bowl | 3 Clemson | 29–23 | 2 Ohio State | State Farm Stadium | Glendale, Arizona | ||
| Championship | January 13, 2020 |
1 LSU Tigers (1) |
42-25
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3 Clemson Tigers |
Mercedes-Benz Superdome(1) New Orleans,LA(1) | ||
| 2020 SEASON / 2020–21 PLAYOFF | |||||||
| Semifinal | Rose Bowl |
1 Alabama | 31–14 | 4 Notre Dame | January 1 | AT&T Stadium Arlington,TX | |
| Sugar Bowl | 3 Ohio State | 49–28 | 2 Clemson | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | New Orleans, Louisiana | ||
| Championship | January 11, 2021 |
1 Alabama Crimson Tide (3) |
52-24
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3 Ohio State Buckeyes |
Hard Rock Stadium(1) Miami Gardens,FL(1) | ||
| 2021 SEASON / 2021–22 PLAYOFF | |||||||
| Semifinal | Cotton Bowl | 1 Alabama | 27–6 | 4 Cincinnati | December 31 | AT&T Stadium Arlington,TX | |
Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens,FL |
3 Georgia | 34–11 | 2 Michigan | ||||
| Championship | January 10, 2022 |
3 Georgia Bulldogs (1) |
33-18
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1 Alabama Crimson Tide |
Lucas Oil Stadium(1) Indianapolis,IN(1) |
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| 2022 SEASON / 2022–23 PLAYOFF | |||||||
| Semifinal | Fiesta Bowl | 3 TCU | 51–45 | 2 Michigan | December 31 | State Farm Stadium | Glendale, Arizona |
| Peach Bowl | 1 Georgia | 42–41 | 4 Ohio State | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, Georgia | ||
| Championship | January 9, 2023 |
1 Georgia Bulldogs (2) |
65-7
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3 Texas Christian Horned Frogs |
SoFi Stadium(1) Inglewood,CA(1) | ||
| 2023 SEASON / 2023–24 PLAYOFF | |||||||
| Semifinal | Rose Bowl |
1 Michigan | 27–20 (OT) | 4 Alabama | January 1 | ROSE BOWL Pasadena,CA | |
| Sugar Bowl | 2 Washington | 37–31 | 3 Texas | Caesars Superdome | New Orleans, Louisiana | ||
| Championship | January 8, 2024 |
1 Michigan Wolverines (1) |
34-13 |
2 Washington Huskies |
NRG Stadium(1) Houston,TX(1) | ||
| 2024 SEASON / 2024–25 PLAYOFF | |||||||
| First round | None (on campus) | 7 Notre Dame | 27–17 | 10 Indiana | December 20 | Notre Dame Stadium | Notre Dame, Indiana |
| 6 Penn State | 38–10 | 11 SMU | December 21 | Beaver Stadium | University Park, Pennsylvania | ||
| 5 Texas | 38–24 | 12 Clemson | DKR–Texas Memorial Stadium | Austin, Texas | |||
| 8 Ohio State | 42–17 | 9 Tennessee | Ohio Stadium | Columbus, Ohio | |||
| Quarterfinal | Fiesta Bowl | 6 Penn State | 31–14 | 3 Boise State | December 31 | State Farm Stadium | Glendale, Arizona |
| Peach Bowl | 5 Texas | 39–31 (2OT) | 4 Arizona State | January 1 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, Georgia | |
| Rose Bowl | 8 Ohio State | 41–21 | 1 Oregon | ROSE BOWL Pasadena,CA | |||
| Sugar Bowl | 7 Notre Dame | 23–10 | 2 Georgia | January 2 | Caesars Superdome | New Orleans, Louisiana | |
| Semifinal | Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens,FL |
7 Notre Dame | 27–24 | 6 Penn State | January 9 | ||
| Cotton Bowl | 8 Ohio State | 28–14 | 5 Texas | January 10 | AT&T Stadium | Arlington, Texas | |
| Championship | January 20, 2025 |
8 Ohio State Buckeyes |
34-23 |
7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
Mercedes-Benz Stadium(2) Atlanta,GA(2) | ||
CONFERENCES
Atlantic Coast ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Big Ten Conference
Independents
Pacific Athletic Conference 12
Southeastern Conference