10 years ago, the College Football Playoff was born. The four best teams in the entire sport are selected, but only one is crowned champion.
Over the last decade, the CFP has become one of the most popular sporting events in the United States, trailing only the Super Bowl in ratings and viewership.
Personally, it is the sporting event I look forward to the most (besides the NBA Finals which has been kind of disappointing the last two years).
In the last 10 years, college football fans have laid witness to some of the most exciting games of football of all time thanks to the CFP.
Georgia vs Oklahoma in the 2018 Rose Bowl Semi-Final.
Ohio State vs Alabama in the 2015 Sugar Bowl Semi-Final.
Clemson vs Alabama in the 2017 National Championship.
And with these great games have come some great teams. Some of the most dominant teams the game has ever seen has come in the time of the CFP.
The 2018-2019 Clemson Tigers.
The 2022-2023 Georgia Bulldogs.
The 2019-2020 LSU Tigers.
But which of the 10 champions is the best? What about the second best, or third?
Here is my ranking of the 10 CFP champions.
10. 2015-2016 Alabama Crimson Tide (14-1)
Despite being the lowest team on this list, the 2015-16 Tide were still an exceptionally good team. After an early season loss against Ole Miss, Bama would win out, including wins over No. 9 Texas A&M, No. 4 LSU, No. 8 Georgia, and No. 20 Mississippi State, following up their regular season success with a victory over the No. 18 Florida Gators in the SEC Championship game. In the CFP, they would defeat the Michigan State Spartans 38-0, then the Clemson Tigers 45-40 in the championship to take home the college football crown. The team was absolutely loaded on both sides of the ball, with future NFL stars Derrick Henry, Marlon Humphrey, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Calvin Ridley leading the way. Henry also won the Heisman that year. While it was not one of legendary head coach's Nick Saban's best teams, they were still stacked, and showed that power en route to the team's 4th title under Saban.
9. 2016-2017 Clemson Tigers (14-1)
Prior to the 2016-2017 season, Clemson hadn't won a championship since 1981. But having a quarterback as good as Deshaun Watson make that bound to change. In the regular season, the Tigers won their first nine games before losing to Pitt. They would quickly bounce back, winning their final two games and the SEC championship against Virginia Tech. In the CFP, they would wallop No. 3 Ohio State in the semi-final 31-0, advancing to the championship against No.1 Alabama. In that game, Clemson trailed after the third quarter 24-14, but would come back and win 35-31 on a last second touchdown pass from Watson to receiver Hunter Renfrow. Other notable players on the Tigers roster were receivers Mike Williams and Ray-Ray McCloud, and defensive end Christian Wilkins. Of the 15 teams the Tigers played on the year, 13 went to bowl games. Also, eight of their 15 games were decided by seven points or less, despite not having the toughest schedule, which is why I have put them this low.
8. 2017-2018 Alabama Crimson Tide (13-1)
After a loss in the Iron Bowl against No. 6 Auburn 26-14, the Tide barely squeaked by into the playoff, making it as a four seed. However, they quickly erased any doubt about their selection with a 24-6 dominant win over the previous year champs No. 1 Clemson. In the championship against No. 3 Georgia, star quarterback Jalen Hurts was replaced by freshman Tua Tagovailoa at halftime. After being down by 13 at half and then 10 going into the 4th, Bama would force overtime, where Tagovailoa would find fellow freshman DeVonta Smith for a 41 yard touchdown to win the game and put the Tide back on top of the college football world. The team was absolutely loaded with talent, with Hurts, Tagovailoa, and future Heisman candidate Mac Jones making up the QB room, Smith, Calvin Ridley, Henry Ruggs, and Jerry Jeudy at wide receiver, and. Damien Harris, Bo Scarborough, and Josh Jacobs at running back. The late season loss to Auburn puts this team lower on the list, but talent wise, they were as good as any champion in the CFP.
7. 2021-2022 Georgia Bulldogs (14-1)
The saying goes, "defense wins championships", and Georgia certainly proved that saying right in the 2021-22 season. The Bulldogs only gave up 13 touchdowns the entire season, allowing only 10.2 points per game, all while playing one of the toughest schedules in all of college football, a feat that did not go unnoticed. They went undefeated in the regular season before suffering their first loss at the hands of the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship, 41-24. However, they would still sneak their way into the playoff as a three seed, defeating the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines 34-11, before getting their revenge on the No. 1 Crimson Tide in the National Championship game 33-18, capping off a remarkable season. On defense, the Bulldogs were led by defensive linemen Travon Carter and Jordan Davis, defensive back Lewis Cine, and linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker. And while the defense will get all the credit, their offense was stellar as well, led by wide receiver George Pickens.
6. 2014-2015 Ohio State Buckeyes (14-1)
The debut of the College Football Playoff came with fireworks, and the underdog story of a lifetime. Coming into the season, the expectations were lower than normal for the Ohio State Buckeyes, after star quarterback Braxton Miller was sidelined for the season. Then, to make matters worse, they were upset in week two by Virginia Tech. OSU would bounce back and end up winning the rest of their regular season games to make their way back into the top 10, but it came with a price. Miller's replacement JT Barrett was injured against the Michigan Wolverines and would be out for the year, paving way for third string Cardale Jones, aka, "12 Gauge", to take his place in the Big 10 championship game. That's when the fireworks started. After a 59-0 assault on the Wisconsin Badgers, the Buckeyes were selected to play in the CFP as a four seed, taking on the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide in the semi-final. After upsetting them, they took on the high powered No. 2 Oregon Ducks, defeating them to bring home their first championship since 2003. Despite losing two quarterbacks, it was their star studded offense that led the Bucks, as well as a stellar defense.
5. 2023-2024 Michigan Wolverines (15-0)
No other team on this list came with more controversy than the 2023-2024 Michigan Wolverines. Recruiting violations during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as allegations of sign stealing led to head coach Jim Harbaugh being suspended for six games during the regular season, and the controversies casted an overbearing cloud over the entire season. However, the Maize and Blue did not let it halt their success on the gridiron. Led by a stifling defense that only allowed 10.2 points per game and an overpowered run game, the Wolverines dominated all year long. After a regular season that saw them defeat the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions 24-15, the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes 30-24, and the No. 16 Iowa Hawkeyes 26-0 in the Big 10 Championship Game, Michigan entered the CFP as the one seed, where they defeated the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide 27-20 in the semi-final, then the No. 2 Washington Huskies 34-13 to win their first championship since 1997.
4. 2022-2023 Georgia Bulldogs (15-0)
It's one thing for a team to win a game 65-7 against a far superior opponent in the regular season. But doing it in the National Championship Game? Sheesh. Before the 2022-2023 Georgia Bulldogs, no team had won back to back titles in the CFP era, but this team proved themselve to be even better than the previous year. On the year, they only had two games decided by less than 10 points, those being in the CFP semi-final against the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes, where they won 42-41, and early in the regular season against the Missouri Tigers, winning 26-22. They started off the season with a bang, defeated the No. 3 Oregon Ducks 49-3. Later in the season, they defeated the No. 1 Tennesee Volunteers 27-13 to retake the number one ranking, one they would hold for the remainder of the season. In the SEC championship, they would defeat the No. 14 LSU Tigers 50-30 to punch their ticket to the CFP, beating the Buckeyes and then the No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs to bring home the college football crown. Once again, they were led by a stellar defense, and their much improved offense made the team even more lethal than the year prior.
3. 2018-2019 Clemson Tigers (15-0)
It's not often we see a true freshman quarterback lead their team to a national championship, but that is exactly what Trevor Lawrence did. To start the season, head coach Dabo Swinney played both Lawrence and senior Kelly Bryant, a battle that lasted the first four games before it was decided that Lawrence would be the starter. After a few close calls early in the regular season while the quarterback situation was still being decided, the Tigers found their stride, outscoring their opponents 358-84 in the last seven games of the season. In the ACC championship, they defeated Pittsburgh to enter the CFP as the two seed. In the semi-final Clemson defeated the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 30-3, before defeating the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide in the championship 44-16. This was without a doubt Clemson's most talented team of all time, with Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne, and receivers Hunter Renfrow and Tee Higgins heading the offense, and defensive back A.J Terrell and defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins heading the defense.
2. 2020-2021 Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0)
If it weren't for their fellow SEC brother the year before, the 2020-2021 Alabama Crimson Tide offense would probably be considered the best of all time. With Heisman candidate Mac Jones at quarterback, Najee Harris and Brian Robinson Jr at running back, Jaylen Waddle, John Metchie III, and Heisman winner DeVonta Smith, no team had a chance against them. Defensively, they were headed by cornerback Patrick Surtain II and Will Anderson Jr. The team averaged nearly 50 points per game, and played only one game decided by less than 14 points. Any team that's making teams like Georgia, Ohio State, and Notre Dame look like MAC schools is not one to be trifled with. The only game they played that was remotely close was in the SEC championship against the Florida Gators, in which Bama won 52-46, but the only reason Florida made it a game was because the Tide took their foot off the gas in the second half. So how is it possible that a team this good is bested? I will now take you back a year, and down to the Bayou.
2019-2020 LSU Tigers
We may never see a team as good as the 2019-20 LSU Tigers again. Beating seven top 10 teams and never scoring below 36 points, this offense was unstoppable. Heisman winning quarterback Joe Burrow (Burreaux) threw for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns through the air, and receivers Justin Jefferson and JaMar Chase both pulled in more than 80 catches and 18 touchdowns. The Tigers also set the record for most points in a season with 726. And as good as their offense was, their defense was equally as good. Patrick Queen, Derek Stingley Jr, and Grant Delpit have all made themselves fine careers in the NFL, and they all led an LSU defense that's as good as any on this list. Wins against No. 9 Texas, No. 7 Florida, No. 9 Auburn, and No. 3 Alabama highlighted a stellar regular season. In the SEC championship, they defeated No. 4 Georgia 37-10 to enter the CFP as the one seed. In the semi-final, they defeated the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners 63-28, and then the No. 3 Clemson Tigers 42-25 in the CFP championship to solidify themselves as an all-time great college football powerhouse.
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