Top 10 College Football Playoff games of all time

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The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff commences on Friday night, when the No. 7 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish host the No. 10 seed Indiana Hoosiers (8 p.m. ET) in the first game of the new playoff format. Prior to what figures to be a thrilling playoff, though, here’s a look back at the top 10 games of the College Football Playoff era (2014 season-present) in chronological order.

Note: the year listed represents the year that the game was played, not specifically the season it took place.

Alabama started strong, as a 25-yard Derrick Henry rushing touchdown and a 15-yard Amari Cooper receiving touchdown helped put the Crimson Tide up 21-6 with 8:02 remaining in the first half. But Ohio State came to life, putting together back-to-back touchdown drives and trailing by one at halftime.

Then it continued to wreak havoc in the second half.

The Buckeyes opened the third quarter with a six-play scoring drive, capped off with a 47-yard touchdown from Cardale Jones to wide receiver Devin Smith. Later in the quarter, defensive lineman Steve Miller intercepted Alabama quarterback Blake Sims and ran the pick back to the house, giving Ohio State a 34-21 lead. Alabama got to within one score on the next drive and the game proceeded to stall, but then Ezekiel Elliott got the call on the run for Ohio State and took it 85 yards for a touchdown with 3:24 remaining in the game. 

Ohio State gave up a touchdown on the ensuing drive, and Alabama then got the ball into Buckeyes territory down by seven. However, safety Tyvis Powell intercepted Sims to end the game, sending Ohio State to the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

2016 National Championship: Alabama 45, Clemson 40

The first half was relatively even. Henry had two rushing touchdowns — one going for 50 yards — for Alabama and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow hooked up for two touchdowns (31 yards and 11 yards), contributing to a 14-14 tie at halftime.

After Alabama tied the game at 24-all with 10:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, head coach Nick Saban decided to attempt an onside kick, and the Crimson Tide recovered it. Two plays later, Jake Coker hit tight end O.J. Howard for a 51-yard touchdown, which was their second scoring connection of the second half, the first one going for 53 yards. 

Later, Kenyan Drake ran a kickoff back 95 yards for another Alabama touchdown. While Clemson kept scoring, Alabama held on for the win.

2017 National Championship: Clemson 35, Alabama 31

A pair of Bo Scarbrough rushing touchdowns (25 and 37 yards) got Alabama out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter and helped it lead 14-7 at the halftime break. Moreover, while Watson targeted Renfrow for a 24-yard Clemson touchdown, Jalen Hurts found an open Howard for a 68-yard touchdown, giving Alabama a 24-14 lead at the end of the third quarter. 

Then, the fourth quarter happened.

The Tigers responded to the Howard score with a nine-play touchdown drive. While they punted on their next two possessions, the Tigers also kept forcing the Crimson Tide to punt and later broke through with a six-play touchdown drive, taking a 28-24 lead. Then, Alabama got back in front with a 30-yard rushing touchdown from Hurts with 2:07 remaining in the game. 

But Watson and the Tigers had one more drive in them. They reached the goal line in the closing moments and with six seconds left, they opted to go for the touchdown, instead of attempting a game-tying 19-yard field goal. Clemson was rewarded, as Watson hit Renfrow near the pylon for the game-winning touchdown.

2018 Semifinal round: Georgia 54, Oklahoma 48 (2OT)

Oklahoma’s offense could do no wrong in the first half, scoring touchdowns on each of its first three possessions and putting up 31 points in the first half. Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown and caught another, while running back Rodney Anderson had two rushing touchdowns, one of them going for 41 yards. But Georgia stayed within reach, trailing 31-17 at halftime, highlighted by a 75-yard touchdown run from Sony Michel.

The Bulldogs then got a 50-yard rushing touchdown from Nick Chubb and a 38-yard rushing score from Michel, tying the game at 31-all in the final minute of the third quarter. Georgia later scored a go-ahead touchdown two plays after intercepting Mayfield. Oklahoma got the score back two possessions later and also ran back a fumble for a touchdown to retake the lead with 6:52 remaining in the game. 

Of course, Georgia got another touchdown, too, sending the game to overtime. After trading field goals in the first overtime, Georgia blocked an Oklahoma field goal attempt. Two plays later, Michel took the snap and ran the Bulldogs to the national championship game with a 27-yard rushing touchdown.

2018 National Championship: Alabama 26, Georgia 23 (OT)

Neither team could buy a point in the early going, as the game was scoreless after the first quarter. Following a pair of field goals early in the second quarter, Georgia built separation with a nine-play touchdown drive to close out the first half, taking a 13-0 lead. Then, Saban did the unthinkable, benching Hurts — who had just 21 passing yards in the first half — for freshman Tua Tagovailoa.

The Crimson Tide went three-and-out on their first possession of the second half, but Tagovailoa guided them to the end zone on their next drive. Georgia got that score back on the ensuing drive with an 80-yard touchdown pass from Jake Fromm to wide receiver Mecole Hardman, and the two teams proceeded to trade interceptions, with the Bulldogs leading 20-10 at the end of the third quarter. Then, Alabama got a field goal and touchdown on its first two drives of the fourth quarter, with Tagovailoa’s 7-yard pass to Calvin Ridley tying things up.

Heightening the moment, Alabama was in position to win at the end of regulation, but Andy Pappanastos missed a would-be game-winning 36-yard field goal, and the game went to overtime. Georgia got a field goal on the opening possession of overtime and sacked Tagovailoa for a 16-yard loss to begin Alabama’s possession. 

But it didn’t matter. On the very next play, Tagovailoa hit wide receiver DeVonta Smith in stride for a walk-off 41-yard touchdown for the Crimson Tide.

2019 Semifinal round: Clemson 29, Ohio State 23

The Fiesta Bowl began on an auspicious note for Ohio State, highlighted by a 68-yard touchdown run from J.K. Dobbins. That said, it was held to three field goals in the first half, and Clemson woke up in the second quarter. Thanks to a 10-play touchdown drive and then a thundering 67-yard touchdown run from quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Clemson narrowed a 16-0 deficit to 16-14 by halftime.

The Tigers took the lead on their second possession of the second half, with running back Travis Etienne shuttling through the Buckeyes defense for a 53-yard receiving touchdown. Ohio State went back in front with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Justin Fields to wide receiver Chris Olave early in the fourth quarter. However, Etienne had another receiving touchdown later in the quarter for Clemson, this one being a 34-yard score with 1:49 remaining in the game. 

Ohio State got to Clemson’s 23-yard line in the final minute, but Fields was intercepted by safety Nolan Turner to send the Tigers back to the title game.

2022 National Championship: Georgia 33, Alabama 18

Just five weeks after losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game — and having lost seven straight to the Crimson Tide — Georgia sought to settle an old score on the big stage. This title game began much like their 2018 championship matchup. This time, though, neither team reached the end zone in the first half, and Alabama led 9-6 at halftime but lost star wide receiver Jameson Williams to a knee injury.

The Bulldogs broke through late in the third quarter, when Zamir White ran in a go-ahead goal-line touchdown three plays after a 67-yard run from James Cook, giving them a 13-9 lead. Alabama put another field goal on the board and scored a touchdown four plays after recovering a Georgia fumble. But the Bulldogs punched right back, as quarterback Stetson Bennett and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell connected on a 40-yard touchdown. Bennett and tight end Brock Bowers then hooked up for a 15-yard touchdown on Georgia’s next drive. 

Capping it off, cornerback Kelee Ringo intercepted Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and ran the pick back 79 yards for a touchdown, sealing Georgia’s first national title in 41 years.

2022 Semifinal round: TCU 51, Michigan 45

The first half of this game bears a striking resemblance to the opening battle scene in “The Hunger Games” for Michigan. It turned the ball over on downs near the goal line to open the game, quarterback J.J. McCarthy threw a pick-six on its next drive and Michigan fumbled at the goal line in the second quarter. To boot, TCU had a pair of drives that ended with touchdowns and led 21-6 at halftime.

The second half was full-blown mayhem. A combined 10 consecutive possessions in the second half resulted in either a touchdown or a turnover for both TCU and Michigan. After the Wolverines got to within three points, Horned Frogs quarterback Max Duggan completed a third-down pass to wide receiver Quentin Johnston, who then took off down the right side of the field for a 76-yard touchdown, giving them a 48-38 lead with 13:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. 

While both teams kept scoring, Johnston’s touchdown proved to be just enough for TCU to squeak out a win. 

2022 Semifinal round: Georgia 42, Ohio State 41

Coming off a dispiriting loss to Michigan, Ohio State came out firing against Georgia. The Buckeyes took a 21-7 second-quarter lead and C.J. Stroud threw for three touchdowns in the first half against the reigning national champions. Then, the Bulldogs got on track and managed to trail just 28-24 at halftime.

On their first possession of the second half, Stroud & Co. put together another touchdown drive. The Buckeyes later led 38-24 at the end of the third quarter but lost top receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to a concussion. Following a field goal on its first drive of the fourth quarter, Georgia forced an Ohio State three-and-out, and then Bennett got the ball to wide receiver Arian Smith for a 76-yard touchdown; the Bulldogs converted a two-point conversion and trailed by three. 

After another Ohio State field goal, Georgia took the lead with 54 seconds remaining in the game, as Bennett found Mitchell for a 10-yard touchdown. That said, the Buckeyes got into field goal range in the closing moments, but Noah Ruggles missed a game-winning 50-yard field goal, which advanced the Bulldogs to another title game.

2024 Semifinal round: Michigan 27, Alabama 20 (OT)

Alabama drew first blood in the first quarter, when RB Jase McClellan rushed for a 34-yard touchdown four plays after the Crimson Tide recovered a Michigan muffed point. Michigan responded with a 10-play touchdown drive. The Wolverines got another touchdown later in the first half when McCarthy hit Tyler Morris on a crossing pattern, and the wide receiver took off for a 38-yard touchdown. However, Michigan failed a two-point conversion and went on to lead 13-10 at halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, Alabama regained the lead on another rushing touchdown from McClellan on the second play of the fourth quarter. The Crimson Tide later got a field goal, holding a 20-13 advantage with 4:41 left in the game. But the Wolverines emphatically came down the field to even up the score at 20-all and ultimately send the game to overtime — despite almost losing another punt. 

Michigan reached the end zone on its first overtime possession, as running back Blake Corum ripped off a 17-yard touchdown. Then, Michigan made a goal-line stand on Alabama, putting the finishing touches on a legendary Rose Bowl.

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