The Complete College Football Playoff History​: From BCS To Today

The latest move is to expand the College Football Playoffs bracket from four to 12 teams, possibly expanding it to 14 teams in the future.

Let’s examine how we arrived at the current format of a 12-team playoff, which resulted in Ohio State defeating Notre Dame in the national title game. This was the latest chapter in CFP history.

Breaking Down The College Football Playoff History

Moving Away From A Popularity Contest

Before the Associated Press conducted its first national poll in 1936, different organizations voted on which team deserved to be the national champion.

The first team considered the undisputed national champion by all the organizations came in 1943, when Notre Dame earned the top spot in all 14 rankings. This feat didn’t happen again until the 1963 Texas Longhorns accomplished it, with both programs making college football championship history.

With each passing decade, more money is generated from successful college football programs, so there have been rumblings for years about the need for a playoff system.

There was a more organized effort to have the No. 1 and No. 2 teams play each other in the Bowl Coalition format from 1992-94 and the Bowl Alliance from 1995-97.

Looking Back at the BCS Era

Looking at the college football playoff history, things began to change when the 1998 college football season brought in the Bowl Championship Series.

While the BCS did not have a playoff, the No. 1 team in the BCS rankings played the No. 2 from 1998 to 2013.

There was still some controversy as teams ranked third or fourth would be bypassed and not be part of the BCS title game.

Ohio State made 10 BCS appearances, the most of any program. The NCAA vacated the 2011 BCS appearance, as Ohio State went 5-4 in BCS games.

USC was 6-1 in BCS contests. However, a win in the 2005 Orange Bowl was vacated, and it was more of the same in the 2006 Rose Bowl, considered one of the top games in college football history.

Ohio State, USC, and Florida each won five BCS bowl games, as those programs are part of NCAA football championship history.

Alabama went 3-0 in BCS National Championship Games, and Florida was 2-0. Florida State and Oklahoma were tied for a record four Bowl Series Championship game appearances.

Playoffs? Playoffs? Playoffs?

The 2014 season marked the beginning of a new era in college football. While playoffs have been held at the FCS (or I-AA), Division II, and Division III levels for years, the highest level of college football was the holdout.

Not even the incredible success and popularity of college basketball’s March Madness could sway those who decided on a playoff at the I-A or FBS level.

Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, and Ohio State were selected to play in the first College Football Playoff.

A quick look at college football playoff history shows that Alabama set the standard with eight appearances in the nine years when the field consisted of four teams. The Crimson Tide won the national title in 2015, 2017, and 2020.

Clemson reached four CFP title games but only went 2-2 in those games, while Georgia became the only team to win back-to-back titles during the College Football Playoff era.

Time For More Teams

It seemed unimaginable that an undefeated team from any power conference would not receive an invitation into the four-team College Football Playoff system.

That is precisely what happened during the 2023 season when ACC champion Florida State was left out of the field instead of Alabama.

Even before that, work was underway to expand the CFP field from four to 12 teams.

The 2024 season was the first in which 12 teams earned spots in the CFP. Big Ten champion Oregon and SEC champion Georgia were the top two seeds. Those teams were prominently featured in the NCAA football playoffs guide.

Will There Be More Expansion?

Even before the first whistle was blown in the 2024 College Football Playoffs, a movement was made to expand the field to 14. This came from the power brokers in the Big Ten and the SEC, as those two conferences want to guarantee a minimum number of teams they get into the College Football Playoffs.

The top four seeds all lost in the quarterfinals after receiving a first-round bye to defy the college football betting lines, so there may be a call for more changes in the new college football playoff format.

Which Teams Have Won the Most National Championships?

From 1869 to 1903, either Yale or Princeton won or shared the national title, except for 1871, when no title-winning team was crowned. This was before the national polls determined the national championship team. Princeton was credited with 28 national titles, while Yale won or shared the title 27 times.

The poll era began in 1936. Since then, Alabama has won 13 national titles, followed by Notre Dame with eight, while Oklahoma and USC both won seven championships.