# 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the 151st season of college football in the United States, organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at its highest level, the Football Bowl Subdivision. The regular season ran from September 3 to December 19, 2020. Shortly after, the postseason began on December 21, 2020, culminating in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship on January 11, 2021, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes to claim the national championship with a final score of 52-24.
The season was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States; all of the Power Five conferences initially announced plans to play a fall football season beginning on August 29, but they greatly reduced non-conference games to limit the extent of interstate travel. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big 12, Southeastern Conference (SEC) as well as several other Group of Five conferences began their seasons in September while independent Notre Dame agreed to play a full conference schedule with the ACC.
In August, the Big Ten, Pac-12, Mid-American Conference (MAC), Mountain West, and several independents announced they would delay their football seasons until further notice due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, targeting the possibility of playing in the spring of 2021 instead. By late September, however, the four conferences reversed their decisions and announced plans to play shortened seasons.
Some postseason activities, including the final College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings and the Heisman Trophy nominations, were delayed to provide flexibility for conferences to finish delayed seasons in mid-December. Several bowl games were canceled due to recommendations by local health officials or because they could not secure teams after multiple programs had opted out of bowl games due to COVID-19 concerns. Other contests saw extraordinary relocations; the Rose Bowl was played outside of Pasadena, California, for the first time since 1942, and the New Mexico Bowl was played in Frisco, Texas.

## Conference realignment
### Membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference | Notes |
| UConn Huskies | American Athletic Conference | Independent | UConn canceled their 2020 season |
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Independent | Atlantic Coast Conference | Conference member for 2020 only |

## Rule changes

The following rule changes were approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel for 2020:
* Players ejected for targeting were disqualified but permitted to remain on the sidelines instead of returning to the locker room. Players ejected for other reasons (two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, fighting, contact with officials, etc.) were sent to the locker room.
* Restrictions on the number of players on a team wearing the same uniform number to two; such players still could not be on the field at the same time and had to play different positions.
* Inclusion of zero as a legal uniform number, available to any position that permits single-digit numbers.
* Extended the official's jurisdiction before kickoff from 60 to 90 minutes, requiring a coach from each team to be on the field during warm-ups, and identifying each player by number.
* Defensive teams were allowed to briefly have twelve players on the field to anticipate the offensive formation. However, having twelve (or more) players on the field at the snap was a live-ball five-yard penalty for illegal substitution. Previously, this foul was a dead-ball foul, called if the defense had twelve (or more) players on the field for at least three seconds.
* Adoption of a limit to 2 minutes maximum for instant replay reviews. Exceptions were to be allowed in "exceptionally complicated" or end-of-game situations.
* In the case of personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties committed by the defense during a play that resulted in a touchdown, the offense had the option to have the penalty take effect on the try, the ensuing kickoff, or the succeeding spot (if in overtime).
* If the game clock expired at the end of a half and a replay determined that time was remaining, but the game situation called for the clock to start on the referee's signal, the half ended. This applied unless the replay determined that the clock should have stopped with three or more seconds left.

## Other headlines

The following headlines were relevant to the 2020 NCAA Division 1 FBS football season:
* February 18 – The NCAA announced that it was considering a proposal that would allow student-athletes in all sports a one-time waiver to transfer to a new school without having to sit out a season. This would place all NCAA sports under the same transfer rules; currently, first-time transfers are only required to sit out a season in baseball, men's and women's basketball, football, and men's ice hockey. The existing criteria for the waiver would be extended to these five sports—namely, a player must receive a transfer release from his or her previous school, leave that school academically eligible, maintain academic progress at the new school, and not be under any disciplinary suspension.
* February 20 – Pitt's football program was placed on three years probation as part of a series of violations announced by the Division I Committee on Infractions, which also included violations from their men's basketball team and former head coach Kevin Stallings. The football infractions resulted from a scheme where non-coaching "quality control" staffers performed coaching duties. If people from outside the football program were present at practice, music would be played to alert the staffers to their presence so they could leave. Pat Narduzzi was present at a football practice while three staff members performed coaching duties and were ordered to be held out of practice for two days in August. The school received other sanctions.
* February 26 – The new LA Bowl was announced on February 26, matching the Mountain West's No. 1 team against the Pac-12's No. 5. Beginning in December, the game was to be held at SoFi Stadium, the new 70,240-seat home of the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams in Inglewood, California. The LA Bowl is locked in at SoFi from 2020 to 2025.
* December 3 – The Knight Commission, a non-NCAA group backing college athletics reform whose membership includes many university presidents and former athletic directors, recommended that FBS football be separated from the NCAA, with FBS programs becoming part of a new body that would take over all roles that the NCAA now assumes concerning that sport. All other sports at FBS schools would remain under NCAA governance, and the NCAA would continue to govern all lower levels of football, including NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

## Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
### Season preparations

Multiple universities and conferences had already canceled their spring football games as part of the wider, nationwide suspension of organized sports and athletics due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 13, the NCAA announced a suspension of all the division on-campus and off-campus recruiting until April 15. In regards to its impact on the regular season, NCAA president Mark Emmert stated on May 8 that individual decisions on fall semester sports would likely begin to appear as early as June or around July 4. He suggested that the operation of athletics programs would depend on students being present on-campus to a degree (but not necessarily "up and running in the full normal model"), explaining that "you have to treat the health and well-being of the athletes at least as much as the regular students", but that "this is going to be a very unusual school year, and we just have to make the best of it".
The NCAA Division I Council prohibited on-campus activities through May 31; on May 20, the Council voted to end the moratorium and allow voluntary on-campus activity in football and basketball to begin June 1, subject to new safety protocols. On June 17, the Division I Council approved a timetable for a season assumed to begin September 5, including beginning non-voluntary training activities on July 13.
On June 24, USA Today reported that at least 37 FBS schools had reported positive cases of COVID-19 among student-athletes or staff since practices resumed. Amidst a spike in cases in the Southern U.S. since late June, several state governors, including Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Brian Kemp of Georgia, and Henry McMaster of South Carolina, have warned that football season could be threatened if cases do not subside in time.
On July 13, it was announced that the Patriot League would not be participating in a football season this year. However, the United States Military Academy as well as the Naval Academy were not included in the settlement as their school superintendent was in charge of making decisions regarding whether their athletic programs would have their seasons.
On July 16, the NCAA released a series of recommendations regarding protocols for fall sports, including that all participants in "high contact risk sports" be tested, with results within 72 hours of play. President Emmert noted, however, that the guidelines presumed that the infection rate would be "manageable", and that "If there is to be college sports in the fall, we need to get a much better handle on the pandemic." The American Athletic Conference announced the same day that it will adhere to this protocol; commissioner Michael Aresco stated that "with the proper quarantine and the proper canvassing of close contacts, we think at this point it would be safe to play games." On July 18, the SEC announced that it would still honor scholarships for players who opt out of the fall season due to safety concerns.
On July 28, by request of the Football Oversight Committee, the NCAA announced that it had issued a blanket waiver to allow any team to play in "Week 0", to allow for greater scheduling flexibility amid changing conditions.
On August 12, members of the NCAA Division I council met and discussed eligibility for student-athletes. They recommended to the Division I board that athletes should be granted an extension on their 5-year eligibility due to the pandemic.
If conditions do not improve by the traditional timeframe of football season, the possibility of delaying the football season entirely to spring 2021 was suggested by several coaches. However, it was largely considered by them to be a last resort. Aresco commented that such a delay would likely require practices to be held over the winter indoors—environments that have been shown to exacerbate the spread of COVID-19.

### Conference responses

All of the Power Five conferences initially announced that they would go on with their season as scheduled but with cuts to non-conference games to overcome logistical concerns and reduce interstate travel. The Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC were all limiting play to in-conference opponents only. The ACC and Big 12 would allow one non-conference game each, with the ACC restricting them to in-state opponents. The ACC also suspended the use of divisions, with the top two teams in conference play by winning percentage advancing to the ACC Championship Game.
The restrictions complicated matters for FBS independents; the first four games of the BYU Cougars were all against Big Ten and Pac-12 teams, while Notre Dame lost three of its marquee games of the season—including one against Wisconsin that was to be played at Lambeau Field, and traditional rivalry games against Stanford (not held for the first time since 1996) and USC (postponed for the first time since 1945 due to World War II). Notre Dame and Navy had also canceled a planned international game in Dublin, Ireland, and tentatively rescheduled it for Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Some FCS conferences (such as the Patriot League) canceled or postponed the football season outright, affecting games against FBS opponents.
On July 29, it was announced that Notre Dame had agreed to play an ACC conference schedule for the 2020 season; the Fighting Irish is a member of the ACC in all other sports besides football and men's ice hockey, the latter a sport not sponsored by the ACC). The team was incorporated into its scheduling model, playing 10 games against ACC opponents (expanding from six already scheduled as part of existing agreements with the conference) and being eligible to compete for the conference championship. Notre Dame pooled its media rights revenue from NBC with that of the ACC's other media rights and was eligible to receive a share of the total revenue.
Among the Group of Five conferences, Conference USA announced on August 7 that it had approved an eight-game schedule with up to four non-conference games. The next day, however, the Mid-American Conference (MAC) announced the postponement of all fall sports for the 2020 season, including football. The conference stated that it would pursue attempts to play in spring 2021. With this decision, the MAC became the first FBS conference to cancel or postpone the football season. Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher stated that "there are simply too many unknowns to put our student-athletes into situations that are not clearly understood." The cancellation of non-conference games by the Power Five conferences—especially the Big Ten—was also expected to have a financial impact on its schools, with the Big Ten games alone expected to bring $11 million.
In the wake of the decision, ESPN reported on August 9 that the commissioners of the Power Five conferences had held an emergency meeting to discuss possible options for fall sports, amid the worsening state of the pandemic in the United States. On August 10, the Mountain West Conference (MWC) followed the MAC as the second Group of Five conference to postpone fall sports indefinitely. Despite the postponement, Air Force would still contest the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy games against Navy and Army.
On August 11, the Big Ten became the first Power Five conference to postpone fall sports, followed shortly thereafter by the Pac-12. The Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Ten disclosed an intent to attempt non-conference play in the fall, although the logistical aspects of such a move (including scheduling) and possible repercussions within the conference were unknown. Commissioner Kevin Warren confirmed that Nebraska could not do so as a member of the Big Ten. A major factor in the Big Ten's decision was cardiovascular complications from the virus, while the Pac-12 cited that rapid testing capabilities would be needed to resume play.
Following the decisions, the ACC, Big 12, and SEC all issued statements affirming their intent to play as scheduled in the fall. The Big Ten's decision became politicized, with President Donald Trump having criticized closures of university campuses, and having pushed in particular for the Big Ten to play in the fall. After the decision to postpone the season, the Big Ten formed a taskforce to investigate options for a return to play.
On September 16, the Big Ten approved an eight-game conference season that would begin October 24, and conclude on December 19 with cross-division matchups between each seed (with the game between the top seeds played as the Big Ten Championship Game). The conference instituted a daily antigen testing protocol beginning September 30; PCR tests were used to confirm positives found via antigen testing. Players who tested positive on both tests were removed from play for at least 21 days underwent cardiac tests during this period, and were required to be cleared by a cardiologist before they could return to play. Teams with a positivity rate above 5%, or whose population has a positivity rate above 7%, were required to halt all activity for seven days.
In response to the Big Ten's reversal, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott stated that the conference was awaiting authorization by health officials in California and Oregon to resume full-contact practices and that it was also monitoring the air quality impact of ongoing wildfires in the western United States. The conference secured a provider for rapid testing earlier in the month. On September 24, the Pac-12 officially announced that it would allow football, basketball, and winter sports seasons to resume, with plans to play a seven-game conference season beginning on November 6, and concluding with the Pac-12 Championship Game on December 18.
The same day, the Mountain West announced that it too had approved an eight-game conference season beginning October 24. The next day, the MAC unanimously approved a six-game season beginning in November.
On November 19, the Pac-12 lifted a restriction on non-conference home games.

### Impact on the postseason

On July 15, the Rose Parade was canceled due to the pandemic. The same day, the NCAA announced that FBS teams would be permitted to count two wins against FCS teams, instead of the usual one, towards bowl eligibility. The NCAA later waived bowl eligibility requirements for the 2020–21 bowl season.
On August 5, the College Football Playoff (CFP) announced that it would delay the announcement of its final rankings and matchups for the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl from December 6 to December 20, to accommodate conferences that had delayed their championship games to mid-December. The CFP announced that it would still go on as scheduled, with only the teams playing in the fall being eligible for consideration in its rankings.
The voting deadline for the Heisman Trophy was similarly pushed back to December 21, with the presentation likewise scheduled for January 5, 2021. On November 14, the in-person presentation was canceled (its previous site, the PlayStation Theater in New York City, had also closed at the beginning of the year). The presentation was moved to ESPN's studio in Bristol, Connecticut, scheduled as a television-only event with finalists and past winners appearing via remote interviews.
Several bowl games were canceled due to the pandemic, while others, including the Fiesta Bowl and Rose Bowl, were restricted to being played behind closed doors without fans due to local health orders. On December 19, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association announced that the Rose Bowl would be re-located to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (typically the host of the Cotton Bowl Classic), citing rising cases in the state of California, and state health officials denying a request to allow at least the family members of players to attend. Special permission was required from the city of Pasadena to use the Rose Bowl name, with the Tournament of Roses Association paying $2 million to the city to compensate for lost revenue and other expenses.

### Player responses

Several players from the Pac-12 announced a unity group titled #WeAreUnited to negotiate with the conference and league with specific demands in regards to the 2020 football season. Some players were willing to boycott if their ultimatum was not satisfied. Players from the Big Ten created a similar unity which called for increase in testing and safety protocols.
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence sparked a trend on Twitter with the hashtag #WeWantToPlay, on August 9. Other players such as Justin Fields (Ohio State), Najee Harris (Alabama), and Chuba Hubbard (Oklahoma State) posted to help contribute to make the hashtag No. 1 on Twitter in the United States. Donald Trump shared Lawrence's tweet, stating "The student-athletes have been working too hard for their season to be cancelled." as well using the #WeWantToPlay hashtag. Later #WeAreUnited and #WeWantToPlay merged with players across the Power 5, with the goal of creating a union. Nick Saban, Jim Harbaugh and Ryan Day joined the movement, stating that players would be safer from the virus together as a team than at home.
Eight Nebraska players sued the Big Ten in late August 2020, claiming that the conference's council did not vote on postponing the football season.

### Teams opting out

Four teams opted out of their 2020 Fall football seasons as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Team | Conference | Notes |
| UConn Huskies | Independent | UConn canceled their 2020 season |
| UMass Minutemen | Independent | Reversed the decision to opt out of fall football |
| New Mexico State Aggies | Independent | Opted out of playing fall football to play in spring 2021 |
| Old Dominion Monarchs | Conference USA | Old Dominion canceled their 2020 season |

### Attendance restrictions

Some teams announced that they tentatively planned to allow spectators at their games at a percentage of normal capacity, such as the Texas Longhorns (Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium was already to have slightly reduced capacity this season due to renovations) and the North Carolina Tar Heels. All events held in the state of New York, as well as all Big Ten and Pac-12 games, were played behind closed doors. The Big Ten and Pac-12 bans applied even if spectators were otherwise allowed under local health orders.
The Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmens' home games were closed to the public, with attendance limited to their cadets and midshipmen respectively. On October 23, it was announced that the Army–Navy Game would be re-located from Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field to Michie Stadium—the Black Knights' home stadium at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point—citing Pennsylvania state restrictions on gatherings that would prevent the cadets and midshipmen from attending. As with their home games, attendance was limited to the academies' student bodies. It marked the first Army-Navy Game not played at a neutral site since 1943.

### Postponed or canceled games

| Week | Game | Make-up | Make-up | Notes |
| Week | Game | Date | Week | Notes |
| Week 1 | Louisiana–Monroe at Troy | December 17, 2020 | Week 14 | |
| Week 1 | Jacksonville State at FIU | October 23, 2020 | Week 8 | |
| Week 1 | Rice at Houston | Canceled | | |
| Week 2 | Tulsa at Oklahoma State | September 19, 2020 | Week 3 | |
| Week 2 | NC State at Virginia Tech | September 26, 2020 | Week 4 | |
| Week 2 | SMU at TCU | Canceled | | |
| Week 2 | FIU at No. 21 UCF | Canceled | | |
| Week 2 | Marshall at East Carolina | Canceled | | |
| Week 2 | Louisiana Tech at Baylor | Canceled | | |
| Week 3 | Charlotte at North Carolina | Canceled | | |
| Week 3 | No. 21 BYU at No. 22 Army | Canceled | | |
| Week 3 | Houston at Memphis | December 12, 2020 | Week 15 | |
| Week 3 | Houston at Baylor | Canceled | | |
| Week 3 | Florida Atlantic at Georgia Southern | December 5, 2020 | Week 14 | |
| Week 3 | Central Arkansas at Arkansas State | October 10, 2020 | Week 6 | |
| Week 4 | No. 7 Notre Dame at Wake Forest | Canceled | | |
| Week 4 | Georgia State at Charlotte | Canceled | | |
| Week 4 | Tulsa at Arkansas State | Canceled | | |
| Week 4 | South Florida at Florida Atlantic | Canceled | | |
| Week 4 | North Texas at Houston | Canceled | | |
| Week 5 | Rice at Marshall | December 5, 2020 | Week 14 | |
| Week 5 | Troy at South Alabama | December 5, 2020 | Week 14 | |
| Week 6 | Florida Atlantic at Southern Miss | December 10, 2020 | Week 15 | |
| Week 6 | UAB at Rice | December 12, 2020 | Week 15 | |
| Week 7 | No. 7 Oklahoma State at Baylor | December 12, 2020 | Week 15 | |
| Week 7 | No. 8 Cincinnati at Tulsa | Canceled | | |
| Week 7 | LSU at No. 10 Florida | December 12, 2020 | Week 15 | |
| Week 7 | Southern Miss at UTEP | Canceled | | |
| Week 7 | Vanderbilt at Missouri | November 28, 2020 | Week 15 | |
| Week 7 | FIU at Charlotte | Canceled | | |
| Week 8 | New Mexico at Colorado State | Canceled | | |
| Week 9 | No. 19 Marshall at FIU | Canceled | | |
| Week 9 | No. 9 Wisconsin at Nebraska | Canceled | | |
| Week 9 | North Texas at UTEP | December 11, 2020 | Week 15 | |
| Week 10 | Purdue at No. 10 Wisconsin | Canceled | | |
| Week 10 | Air Force at Army | December 19, 2020 | Week 16 | |
| Week 10 | Tulsa at Navy | December 5, 2020 | Week 14 | |
| Week 10 | UTSA at Rice | Canceled | | |
| Week 10 | Charlotte at Middle Tennessee | Canceled | | |
| Week 10 | Arizona at Utah | Canceled | | |
| Week 10 | FIU at UTEP | Canceled | | |
| Week 10 | Louisiana Tech at North Texas | December 3, 2020 | Week 14 | |
| Week 10 | Louisville at Virginia | November 14, 2020 | Week 11 | |
| Week 10 | Washington at California | Canceled | | |
| Week 11 | Air Force at Wyoming | Canceled | | |
| Week 11 | No. 1 Alabama at LSU | December 5, 2020 | Week 14 | |
| Week 11 | No. 5 Texas A&M at Tennessee | December 19, 2020 | Week 16 | |
| Week 11 | No. 12 Georgia at Missouri | December 12, 2020 | Week 15 | |
| Week 11 | No. 24 Auburn at Mississippi State | December 12, 2020 | Week 15 | |
| Week 11 | Memphis at Navy | November 28, 2020 | Week 13 | |
| Week 11 | Louisiana–Monroe at Arkansas State | December 5, 2020 | Week 15 | |
| Week 11 | No. 3 Ohio State at Maryland | Canceled | | |
| Week 11 | Rice at Louisiana Tech | Canceled | | |
| Week 11 | Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech | December 10, 2020 | Week 15 | |
| Week 11 | No. 15 Coastal Carolina at Troy | December 12, 2020 | Week 15 | |
| Week 11 | California at Arizona State | Canceled | | As a make-up game, Cal and UCLA were rescheduled to play on November 15 at the Rose Bowl, for the 91st meeting in the California–UCLA football rivalry, not originally scheduled for the shortened Pac-12 season. |
| Week 11 | Utah at UCLA | Canceled | | As a make-up game, Cal and UCLA were rescheduled to play on November 15 at the Rose Bowl, for the 91st meeting in the California–UCLA football rivalry, not originally scheduled for the shortened Pac-12 season. |
| Week 11 | Gardner–Webb at Charlotte | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | UAB at UTEP | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | Ohio at Miami (OH) | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | Arizona State at Colorado | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | Georgia Tech at No. 12 Miami (FL) | December 19, 2020 | Week 16 | |
| Week 12 | Charlotte at No. 15 Marshall | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | Ole Miss at No. 5 Texas A&M | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | Louisiana–Monroe at Louisiana Tech | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | Wake Forest at Duke | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | Utah State at Wyoming | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | Central Arkansas at No. 24 Louisiana | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | Navy at South Florida | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | Houston at SMU | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | No. 22 Texas at Kansas | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | UNLV at Colorado State | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | Michigan State at Maryland | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | Washington State at Stanford | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | San Jose State at Fresno State | Canceled | | |
| Week 12 | No. 4 Clemson at Florida State | Canceled | | |
| Week 13 | Utah at Arizona State | Canceled | | Utah and Washington were subsequently scheduled to play on November 28 at Husky Stadium, not originally scheduled for the shortened Pac-12 season. |
| Week 13 | Washington at Washington State | Canceled | | Utah and Washington were subsequently scheduled to play on November 28 at Husky Stadium, not originally scheduled for the shortened Pac-12 season. |
| Week 13 | Louisiana Tech at FIU | Canceled | | |
| Week 13 | No. 25 Tulsa at Houston | Canceled | | |
| Week 13 | Minnesota at No. 16 Wisconsin | December 19, 2020 | Week 16 | Had the makeup game not occurred, this rivalry game would have been canceled for the first time since 1906. |
| Week 13 | Southern Miss at UAB | Canceled | | |
| Week 13 | No. 11 Oklahoma at West Virginia | Canceled | | |
| Week 13 | No. 7 Cincinnati at Temple | Canceled | | |
| Week 13 | Colorado State at Air Force | Canceled | | |
| Week 13 | San Diego State at Fresno State | Canceled | | San Diego State and Colorado were subsequently scheduled to play an inter-conference game on November 28 at Folsom Field, not originally scheduled for either team. |
| Week 13 | Colorado at No. 18 USC | Canceled | | San Diego State and Colorado were subsequently scheduled to play an inter-conference game on November 28 at Folsom Field, not originally scheduled for either team. |
| Week 13 | No. 4 Ohio State at Illinois | Canceled | | |
| Week 13 | Florida Atlantic at Middle Tennessee | Canceled | | |
| Week 13 | Virginia at Florida State | Canceled | | |
| Week 13 | San Jose State at Boise State | Canceled | | |
| Week 13 | UTEP at Rice | Canceled | | |
| Week 13 | Western Kentucky at Charlotte | December 6, 2020 | Week 14 | |
| Week 14 | Southern Miss at UTEP | Canceled | | |
| Week 14 | No. 10 Miami (FL) at Wake Forest | Canceled | | Miami (FL) and Duke were subsequently scheduled to play on December 5 at Wallace Wade Stadium, it was not originally scheduled for either team. |
| Week 14 | Florida State at Duke | Canceled | | Miami (FL) and Duke were subsequently scheduled to play on December 5 at Wallace Wade Stadium, it was not originally scheduled for either team. |
| Week 14 | No. 14 Northwestern at Minnesota | Canceled | | |
| Week 14 | Kent State at Miami (OH) | Canceled | | |
| Week 14 | Maryland at Michigan | Canceled | | |
| Week 14 | Boise State at UNLV | Canceled | | |
| Week 14 | Liberty at No. 18 Coastal Carolina | Canceled | | BYU, ranked No. 13 in this week's CFP rankings, took Liberty's place as Coastal Carolina's opponent. |
| Week 14 | Houston at SMU | Canceled | | |
| Week 14 | Vanderbilt at No. 8 Georgia | December 19, 2020 | Week 16 | |
| Week 14 | FIU at Charlotte | Canceled | | The Western Kentucky at Charlotte game originally scheduled for last week but canceled due to COVID-19 was rescheduled for Sunday of this week. |
| Week 14 | Buffalo at Ohio | Canceled | | |
| Week 14 | UAB at Middle Tennessee | Canceled | | |
| Week 15 | No. 8 Cincinnati at No. 24 Tulsa | Canceled | | |
| Week 15 | Ole Miss at No. 5 Texas A&M | Canceled | | |
| Week 15 | Michigan at No. 4 Ohio State | Canceled | | The Michigan–Ohio State rivalry game was not played for the first time since 1917. |
| Week 15 | Ohio at Kent State | Canceled | | |
| Week 15 | Charlotte at Marshall | Canceled | | |
| Week 15 | Purdue at No. 12 Indiana | Canceled | | |
| Week 15 | No. 11 Oklahoma at West Virginia | Canceled | | |
| Week 15 | Texas at Kansas | Canceled | | |
| Week 15 | Miami (OH) at Bowling Green | Canceled | | |
| Week 15 | Incarnate Word at Arkansas State | Canceled | | |
| Week 15 | Washington at Oregon | Canceled | | |
| Week 15 | Utah State at Colorado State | Canceled | | This is the only game on this list not scrapped due to COVID-19. Instead, this ensued when the USU team would not travel to Fort Collins in protest of racially insensitive conditions on campus and the football team. |
| Week 15 | California at Washington State | Canceled | | |
| Week 16 | Georgia Tech at No. 18 Miami (FL) | Canceled | | |
| Week 16 | Arizona at California | Canceled | | |
| Week 16 | Louisiana–Monroe at Troy | Canceled | | |
| Week 16 | Vanderbilt at No. 8 Georgia | Canceled | | |
| Week 16 | Oregon at Colorado | Canceled | | Oregon took Washington's place as USC's opponent in the Pac-12 Championship game. |
| Week 16 | Purdue at No. 11 Indiana | Canceled | | The Old Oaken Bucket game was not played for the first time since 1919. |
| Week 16 | Michigan at No. 16 Iowa | Canceled | | |
| Week 16 | Michigan State at Maryland | Canceled | | |
| Week 16 | No. 19 Louisiana at No. 12 Coastal Carolina | Canceled | | This game, the Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game, was the only conference championship game to be canceled. The Sun Belt announced that both schools would be co-champions. |
| Week 16 | Florida State at Wake Forest | Canceled | | |

## Stadiums
### Upcoming

* The 2020 season was the first for South Alabama at Hancock Whitney Stadium replacing Ladd–Peebles Stadium. The team was scheduled to play its first game there on September 12 against Grambling State. The Senior Bowl postseason all-star game (which had been played at Ladd–Peebles) also moved to the new stadium for this season's edition in January 2021.
* The 2020 season was the last season for UAB at Legion Field before moving to Protective Stadium on the grounds of the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex in 2021. The Blazers played their final game at Legion Field on October 23 against Louisiana.
* The 2020 season was the first for UNLV at Allegiant Stadium, replacing Sam Boyd Stadium. The team was scheduled to play its first game there on August 29 against California.

### Renamed

* Georgia State renamed their stadium to Center Parc Stadium in a naming rights agreement with the Atlanta Postal Credit Union.
* UCF renamed their stadium to Bounce House. Their previous naming rights deal with Charter Spectrum expired after the 2019 season. A potential naming rights deal with RoofClaim.com was vetoed by the Florida Legislature.

## Kickoff games

All kickoff games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

### "Week Zero"

The regular season was scheduled to begin on August 29 with various "Week 0" games, but all were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were two especially notable Week Zero games:
Originally, Marshall was set to play at East Carolina, to honor the 50th anniversary of the plane crash that killed 75 people, including 37 from the Marshall University football team. The crash occurred as the Thundering Herd were returning from a game at East Carolina.
Additionally, the Emerald Isle Classic at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland was scheduled to occur during Week 0, featuring Navy versus Notre Dame. However, on June 2, 2020, the game was moved from Dublin to Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. Eventually, the game was canceled altogether. The game would have been the first in the history of the Navy–Notre Dame football rivalry to be played at Navy's home stadium. The series was also canceled in 2021 and returned in 2022.

### Week 1

The majority of FBS teams were scheduled to open the season on Labor Day weekend. However, most conferences delayed the start of their seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the ACC and Big 12 conferences were scheduled to begin play the weekend of September 12, while the SEC conference began conference-only play the weekend of September 26.
Four neutral-site "kickoff" games were scheduled to be held but were also canceled.
* Texas Kickoff (NRG Stadium, Houston): Baylor vs. Ole Miss
* Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta):
** Florida State vs. West Virginia
** Georgia vs. Virginia
* Advocare Classic (AT&T Stadium, Arlington): Alabama vs. USC

### Week 2

* Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta): Auburn vs. North Carolina

## Regular season top 10 matchups

Rankings reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 13 and beyond are listed College Football Playoff Rankings first and AP Poll second. Teams that failed to be a top 10 team for one poll or the other will be noted.
* Week 5
** No. 4 Georgia defeated No. 7 Auburn, 27–6 (Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia)
* Week 6
** No. 1 Clemson defeated No. 7 Miami (FL), 42–17 (Memorial Stadium, Clemson, South Carolina)
* Week 7
** No. 2 Alabama defeated No. 3 Georgia, 41–24 (Bryant–Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
* Week 10
** No. 4 Notre Dame defeated No. 1 Clemson, 47–40, 2OT (Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana)
** No. 8 Florida defeated No. 5 Georgia, 44–28 (TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida)
* Week 12
** No. 3 Ohio State defeated No. 9 Indiana, 42–35 (Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio)
* Week 15
** No. 1/1 Alabama defeated No. 7/11 Florida, 52–46 (2020 SEC Championship Game, Mercedes–Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia)
** No. 3/4 Clemson defeated No. 2/2 Notre Dame, 34–10 (2020 ACC Championship Game, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina)
** No. 10/12 Oklahoma defeated No. 6/8 Iowa State, 27–21 (2020 Big 12 Championship Game, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas)

## Upsets

This section lists instances of unranked teams defeating ranked teams during the season.

### Regular season

During the regular season, 33 unranked teams defeated a ranked team. The highest-ranked teams that lost to an unranked opponent were No. 3 Oklahoma in week 4 and No. 5 North Carolina in week 7. Rankings are based on the AP Poll at the time the game was played.
Unranked teams who defeated ranked teams :
| Week | Winning Team | Winning Team | Losing Team | Losing Team |
| Week 2 | Louisiana | 31 | No. 23 Iowa State | 14 |
| Week 3 | Marshall | 17 | No. 23 Appalachian State | 7 |
| Week 4 | Kansas State | 38 | No. 3 Oklahoma | 35 |
| Week 4 | Mississippi State | 44 | No. 6 LSU | 34 |
| Week 5 | TCU | 33 | No. 9 Texas | 31 |
| Week 5 | Tulsa | 34 | No. 11 UCF | 26 |
| Week 5 | Arkansas | 21 | No. 16 Mississippi State | 14 |
| Week 5 | Iowa State | 37 | No. 18 Oklahoma | 30 |
| Week 5 | NC State | 30 | No. 24 Pittsburgh | 29 |
| Week 5 | SMU | 30 | No. 25 Memphis | 27 |
| Week 6 | Missouri | 45 | No. 17 LSU | 41 |
| Week 6 | Oklahoma (4OT) | 53 | No. 22 Texas | 45 |
| Week 7 | Florida State | 31 | No. 5 North Carolina | 28 |
| Week 7 | South Carolina | 30 | No. 15 Auburn | 22 |
| Week 7 | Kentucky | 34 | No. 18 Tennessee | 7 |
| Week 7 | Coastal Carolina | 30 | No. 21 Louisiana | 27 |
| Week 8 | Indiana (OT) | 36 | No. 8 Penn State | 35 |
| Week 8 | Wake Forest | 23 | No. 19 Virginia Tech | 16 |
| Week 9 | Texas (OT) | 41 | No. 6 Oklahoma State | 34 |
| Week 9 | Michigan State | 27 | No. 13 Michigan | 24 |
| Week 9 | Virginia | 44 | No. 15 North Carolina | 41 |
| Week 9 | West Virginia | 37 | No. 16 Kansas State | 10 |
| Week 11 | Tulsa | 28 | No. 19 SMU | 24 |
| Week 12 | NC State | 15 | No. 21 Liberty | 14 |
| Week 13 | Michigan State | 29 | No. 8 Northwestern | 20 |
| Week 13 | Oregon State | 41 | No. 15 Oregon | 38 |
| Week 14 | TCU | 29 | No. 15 Oklahoma State | 22 |
| Week 14 | Rice | 20 | No. 21 Marshall | 0 |
| Week 14 | Stanford | 31 | No. 22 Washington | 26 |
| Week 14 | California | 21 | No. 23 Oregon | 17 |
| Week 15 | LSU | 37 | No. 6 Florida | 34 |
| Week 15 | Utah | 38 | No. 21 Colorado | 21 |
| Week 16 | Oregon | 31 | No. 13 USC | 24 |

### Bowl games

During the bowl season, five unranked teams defeated a ranked team. Rankings in this section are based on the final CFP rankings released on December 20.
Unranked teams who defeated ranked teams :
| Bowl | Winning Team | Winning Team | Losing Team | Losing Team |
| Cure Bowl | Liberty | 37 | No. 12 Coastal Carolina | 34 |
| Armed Forces Bowl | Mississippi State | 28 | No. 24 Tulsa | 26 |
| Arizona Bowl | Ball State | 34 | No. 22 San Jose State | 16 |
| Gator Bowl | Kentucky | 23 | No. 23 NC State | 21 |
| Outback Bowl | Ole Miss | 26 | No. 11 Indiana | 20 |

## Conference standings

2020 American Athletic Conference football standings :
| 2020 American Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 8 Cincinnati y$  6 –0  9 –1   Tulsa y  6 –0  6 –3   Memphis  5 –3  8 –3   UCF  5 –3  6 –4   SMU  4 –3  7 –3   Houston  3 –3  3 –5   Navy  3 –4  3 –7   Tulane  3 –5  6 –6   East Carolina  3 –5  3 –6   Temple  1 –6  1 –6   South Florida  0 –7  1 –8   Championship: Cincinnati 27, Tulsa 24 $ – Conference championy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll. | 2020 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 5 Notre Dame y^  9 –0  10 –2   No. 3 Clemson y$^  8 –1  10 –2   No. 22 Miami (FL)  7 –2  8 –3   No. 18 North Carolina  7 –3  8 –4   NC State  7 –3  8 –4   Boston College  5 –5  6 –5   Pittsburgh  5 –5  6 –5   Virginia Tech  5 –5  5 –6   Virginia  4 –5  5 –5   Wake Forest  3 –4  4 –5   Georgia Tech  3 –6  3 –7   Louisville  3 –7  4 –7   Florida State  2 –6  3 –6   Duke  1 –9  2 –9   Syracuse  1 –9  1 –10   Championship: Clemson 34, Notre Dame 10 ^ – College Football Playoff participant$ – Conference championy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll. | 2020 Big Ten Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  East Division No. 2 Ohio State xy$^  5 –0  7 –1   No. 12 Indiana  6 –1  6 –2   Penn State  4 –5  4 –5   Maryland  2 –3  2 –3   Rutgers  3 –6  3 –6   Michigan  2 –4  2 –4   Michigan State  2 –5  2 –5   West Division No. 10 Northwestern xy  6 –1  7 –2   No. 16 Iowa  6 –2  6 –2   Wisconsin  3 –3  4 –3   Minnesota  3 –4  3 –4   Nebraska  3 –5  3 –5   Purdue  2 –4  2 –4   Illinois  2 –6  2 –6   Championship: Ohio State 22, Northwestern 10 ^ – College Football Playoff participant$ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantNote: Due to COVID-19, the Big Ten suspended the season on August 11, but later decided to begin play on October 24. In addition to the title game that was played on December 19, the conference seeded all remaining teams for "championship week" games.Rankings from AP Poll. |
| 2020 Big 12 Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 9 Iowa State y  8 –1  9 –3   No. 6 Oklahoma y$  6 –2  9 –2   No. 20 Oklahoma State  6 –3  8 –3   No. 19 Texas  5 –3  7 –3   TCU  5 –4  6 –4   West Virginia  4 –4  6 –4   Kansas State  4 –5  4 –6   Texas Tech  3 –6  4 –6   Baylor  2 –7  2 –7   Kansas  0 –8  0 –9   Championship: Oklahoma 27, Iowa State 21 $ – Conference championy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll. | 2020 Conference USA football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  East Division Marshall xy  4 –1  7 –3   Florida Atlantic  4 –2  5 –4   Western Kentucky  4 –3  5 –7   Charlotte  2 –2  2 –4   Middle Tennessee  2 –4  3 –6   FIU  0 –3  0 –5   West Division UAB xy$  3 –1  6 –3   UTSA  5 –2  7 –5   Louisiana Tech  4 –2  5 –5   North Texas  3 –4  4 –6   Rice  2 –3  2 –3   Southern Miss  2 –4  3 –7   UTEP  0 –4  3 –5   Championship: UAB 22, Marshall 13 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantNote: Due to COVID-19, Old Dominion opted out of the season. | 2020 Mid-American Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  East Division No. 25 Buffalo xy  5 –0  6 –1   Kent State  3 –1  3 –1   Ohio  2 –1  2 –1   Miami (OH)  2 –1  2 –1   Akron  1 –5  1 –5   Bowling Green  0 –5  0 –5   West Division No. 23 Ball State xy$  5 –1  7 –1   Western Michigan  4 –2  4 –2   Toledo  4 –2  4 –2   Central Michigan  3 –3  3 –3   Eastern Michigan  2 –4  2 –4   Northern Illinois  0 –6  0 –6   Championship: Ball State 38, Buffalo 28 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantNote: Due to COVID-19, the Mid-American suspended the season on August 8, but later decided to begin play on November 4.Rankings from AP Poll. |
| 2020 Mountain West Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 24 San Jose State y$  7 –0  7 –1   Boise State y  5 –0  5 –2   Nevada  6 –2  7 –2   San Diego State  4 –2  4 –4   Hawaii  4 –4  5 –4   Fresno State  3 –3  3 –3   Air Force  2 –2  3 –3   Wyoming  2 –4  2 –4   New Mexico  2 –5  2 –5   Colorado State  1 –3  1 –3   Utah State  1 –5  1 –5   UNLV  0 –6  0 –6   Championship: San Jose State 34, Boise State 20 $ – Conference championy – Championship game participantNote: Due to COVID-19, the Mountain West suspended the season, but later decided to begin play on October 24.Rankings from AP Poll | 2020 Pac-12 Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  North Division Washington x  3 –1  3 –1   Oregon y$  4 –2  4 –3   Stanford  4 –2  4 –2   California  1 –3  1 –3   Washington State  1 –3  1 –3   Oregon State  2 –5  2 –5   South Division No. 21 USC xy  5 –0  5 –1   Colorado  3 –1  4 –2   Utah  3 –2  3 –2   Arizona State  2 –2  2 –2   UCLA  3 –4  3 –4   Arizona  0 –5  0 –5   Championship: Oregon 31, USC 24 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantNote: Due to COVID-19, the Pac-12 suspended the season on August 11, but later decided to begin play on November 6. In addition to the title game on December 18, the conference seeded all remaining teams for a game during that weekend.Rankings from AP Poll. | 2020 Southeastern Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  Eastern Division No. 13 Florida x  8 –2  8 –4   No. 7 Georgia  7 –2  8 –2   Missouri  5 –5  5 –5   Kentucky  4 –6  5 –6   Tennessee*  3 –7  3 –7   South Carolina  2 –8  2 –8   Vanderbilt  0 –9  0 –9   Western Division No. 1 Alabama x$#^  10 –0  13 –0   No. 4 Texas A&M  8 –1  9 –1   Auburn  6 –4  6 –5   LSU*  5 –5  5 –5   Ole Miss  4 –5  5 –5   Arkansas  3 –7  3 –7   Mississippi State  3 –7  4 –7   Championship: Alabama 52, Florida 46 # – College Football Playoff champion^ – College Football Playoff participant$ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-champions * – Tennessee vacated all wins due to NCAA violations. LSU was ineligible for postseason due to self imposed ban. Note: Due to COVID-19, the SEC played a conference-only schedule. Rankings from AP Poll. |
| 2020 Sun Belt Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  East Division No. 14 Coastal Carolina xy+  8 –0  11 –1   Appalachian State  6 –2  9 –3   Georgia Southern  4 –4  8 –5   Georgia State  4 –4  6 –4   Troy  3 –4  5 –6   West Division No. 15 Louisiana xy+  7 –1  10 –1   South Alabama  3 –5  4 –7   Arkansas State  2 –6  4 –7   Texas State  2 –6  2 –10   Louisiana–Monroe  0 –7  0 –10   Championship: Louisiana at Coastal Carolina (Canceled) + – Conference co-championsx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll | 2020 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 11 BYU   –  11 –1   No. 17 Liberty   –  10 –1   Army   –  9 –3   New Mexico State   –  1 –1   UMass   –  0 –4   Note: Due to COVID-19, UConn canceled the 2020 football season; New Mexico State was the only FBS school to play a spring schedule.Rankings from AP Poll. |

## Conference summaries

| Conference | Championship game | Championship game | Championship game | Overall Player of the Year/MVP | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Coach of the Year |
| Conference | Champion | Score | Runner-up | Overall Player of the Year/MVP | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Coach of the Year |
| ACC | No. 3 Clemson (9–1) $^{CFP}$ | 34–10 | No. 2 Notre Dame (10–0) $^{CFP}$ | Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson | Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson | Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame | Brian Kelly, HC, Notre Dame |
| American | No. 9 Cincinnati (8–0) | 27–24 | No. 23 Tulsa (6–1) | — | Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati | Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa | Luke Fickell, HC, Cincinnati |
| Big Ten | No. 4 Ohio State (5–0) $^{CFP}$ | 22–10 | No. 14 Northwestern (6–1) | — | Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State | Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa | Tom Allen, HC, Indiana |
| Big 12 | No. 10 Oklahoma (11–2) | 27–21 | No. 6 Iowa State (8–2) | — | Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State | Mike Rose, LB, Iowa State | Matt Campbell, HC, Iowa State |
| C–USA | UAB (5–3) | 22–13 | Marshall (7–1) | Jaelon Darden, WR, North Texas | Sincere McCormick, RB, UTSA | Tavante Beckett, LB, Marshall | Doc Holliday, HC, Marshall |
| MAC | Ball State (5–1) | 38–28 | Buffalo (5–0) | Jaret Patterson, RB, Buffalo | Jaret Patterson, RB, Buffalo | Troy Hairston, DL, Central Michigan Brandon Martin, LB, Ball State | Lance Leipold, HC, Buffalo |
| MWC | No. 24 San Jose State (6–0) | 34–20 | Boise State (5–1) | — | Carson Strong, QB, Nevada | Cade Hall, DL, San Jose State | Brent Brennan, HC, San Jose State |
| Pac-12 | Oregon (3–2) | 31–24 | No. 13 USC (5–0) | — | Jarek Broussard, RB, Colorado | Talanoa Hufanga, S, USC | Karl Dorrell, HC, Colorado |
| SEC | No. 1 Alabama (10–0) $^{CFP}$ | 52–46 | No. 7 Florida (8–2) | — | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | Patrick Surtain II, DB, Alabama | Nick Saban, HC, Alabama |
| Sun Belt | No. 12 Coastal Carolina (11–0) No. 19 Louisiana (9–1) | Canc. | — | Grayson McCall, QB, Coastal Carolina | Jonathan Adams, WR, Arkansas State | Tarron Jackson, DL, Coastal Carolina | Jamey Chadwell, HC, Coastal Carolina |
$^{CFP}$ College Football Playoff participant
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 Not awarded by this conference.
* ↑ The Sun Belt Conference championship game was canceled, and both teams were declared co-champions.

## Rankings

The top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls.

### Pre-season polls

AP :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Clemson (38) |
| 2 | Ohio State (21) |
| 3 | Alabama (2) |
| 4 | Georgia |
| 5 | Oklahoma |
| 6 | LSU (1) |
| 7 | Penn State |
| 8 | Florida |
| 9 | Oregon |
| 10 | Notre Dame |
| 11 | Auburn |
| 12 | Wisconsin |
| 13 | Texas A&M |
| 14 | Texas |
| 15 | Oklahoma State |
| 16 | Michigan |
| 17 | USC |
| 18 | North Carolina |
| 19 | Minnesota |
| 20 | Cincinnati |
| 21 | UCF |
| 22 | Utah |
| 23 | Iowa State |
| 24 | Iowa |
| 25 | Tennessee |
USA Today Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Clemson (38) |
| 2 | Ohio State (17) |
| 3 | Alabama (4) |
| 4 | Georgia |
| 5 | LSU |
| 6 | Oklahoma |
| 7 | Penn State |
| 8 | Florida |
| 9 | Oregon |
| 10 | Notre Dame |
| 11 | Auburn |
| 12 | Wisconsin |
| 13 | Texas A&M |
| 14 | Texas |
| 15 | Michigan |
| 16 | Oklahoma State |
| 17 | USC |
| 18 | Minnesota |
| 19 | North Carolina |
| 20 | Utah |
| 21 | UCF |
| 22 | Cincinnati |
| 23 | Iowa |
| 24 | Virginia Tech |
| 25 | Iowa State |

### CFB Playoff final rankings

In December 2020, the College Football Playoff selection committee will announce its final team rankings for the year.
| Rank | Team | W–L | Conference and standing | Bowl game |
| 1 | Alabama | 11–0 | SEC champion | Rose Bowl |
| 2 | Clemson | 10–1 | ACC champion | Sugar Bowl |
| 3 | Ohio State | 6–0 | Big Ten champion | Sugar Bowl |
| 4 | Notre Dame | 10–1 | ACC runner-up | Rose Bowl |
| 5 | Texas A&M | 8–1 | SEC West 2nd place | Orange Bowl |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 8–2 | Big 12 champion | Cotton Bowl |
| 7 | Florida | 8–3 | SEC runner-up | Cotton Bowl |
| 8 | Cincinnati | 9–0 | AAC champion | Peach Bowl |
| 9 | Georgia | 7–2 | SEC East 2nd place | Peach Bowl |
| 10 | Iowa State | 8–3 | Big 12 runner-up | Fiesta Bowl |
| 11 | Indiana | 6–1 | Big Ten East 2nd place | Outback Bowl |
| 12 | Coastal Carolina | 11–0 | Sun Belt co-champion | Cure Bowl |
| 13 | North Carolina | 8–3 | ACC 3rd place | Orange Bowl |
| 14 | Northwestern | 6–1 | Big Ten runner-up | Citrus Bowl |
| 15 | Iowa | 6–2 | Big Ten West 2nd place | Music City Bowl |
| 16 | BYU | 10–1 | Independent | Boca Raton Bowl |
| 17 | USC | 5–1 | Pac-12 runner-up | N/A |
| 18 | Miami (FL) | 8–2 | ACC 4th place | Cheez-It Bowl |
| 19 | Louisiana | 9–1 | Sun Belt co-champions | First Responder Bowl |
| 20 | Texas | 6–3 | Big 12 4th place | Alamo Bowl |
| 21 | Oklahoma State | 7–3 | Big 12 3rd place | Cheez-It Bowl |
| 22 | San Jose State | 7–0 | Mountain West champion | Arizona Bowl |
| 23 | NC State | 8–3 | ACC 5th place | Gator Bowl |
| 24 | Tulsa | 6–1 | AAC runner-up | Armed Forces Bowl |
| 25 | Oregon | 4–2 | Pac-12 champion | Fiesta Bowl |

### Final rankings

| Rank | Associated Press | Coaches' Poll |
| 1 | Alabama (13–0) | Alabama (13–0) |
| 2 | Ohio State (7–1) | Ohio State (7–1) |
| 3 | Clemson (10–2) | Clemson (10–2) |
| 4 | Texas A&M (9–1) | Texas A&M (9–1) |
| 5 | Notre Dame (10–2) | Notre Dame (10–2) |
| 6 | Oklahoma (9–2) | Oklahoma (9–2) |
| 7 | Georgia (8–2) | Georgia (8–2) |
| 8 | Cincinnati (9–1) | Cincinnati (9–1) |
| 9 | Iowa State (9–3) | Iowa State (9–3) |
| 10 | Northwestern (7–2) | Northwestern (7–2) |
| 11 | BYU (11–1) | BYU (11–1) |
| 12 | Indiana (6–2) | Florida (8–4) |
| 13 | Florida (8–4) | Indiana (6–2) |
| 14 | Coastal Carolina (11–1) | Coastal Carolina (11–1) |
| 15 | Louisiana (10–1) | Iowa (6–2) |
| 16 | Iowa (6–2) | Louisiana (10–1) |
| 17 | Liberty (10–1) | North Carolina (8–4) |
| 18 | North Carolina (8–4) | Liberty (10–1) |
| 19 | Texas (7–3) | Oklahoma State (8–3) |
| 20 | Oklahoma State (8–3) | Texas (7–3) |
| 21 | USC (5–1) | USC (5–1) |
| 22 | Miami (FL) (8–3) | Miami (FL) (8–3) |
| 23 | Ball State (7–1) | Ball State (7–1) |
| 24 | San Jose State (7–1) | San Jose State (7–1) |
| 25 | Buffalo (6–1) | Buffalo (6–1) |

## Postseason

The NCAA waived bowl eligibility requirements for the 2020–21 bowl season, intended "to allow as many student-athletes as possible the opportunity to participate in bowl games this year." On October 30, the postseason lineup of bowl games was announced; 37 bowls were scheduled, including the National Championship game. Subsequent cancellations resulted in a schedule of 33 games, as compared to 40 games contested during the prior bowl season. On December 20, after the final CFP standings were released, an additional four games were left without teams available to play, leaving the count at 29. On December 22, the Gasparilla Bowl was canceled after the South Carolina team had an increase in COVID-19 cases. On December 27, the Music City Bowl was canceled due to Missouri's high positive COVID-19 numbers. On December 29, the Texas Bowl was canceled due to TCU's COVID-19 issues.
    2019–20 FBS bowl count40Including the National Championship game Canceled, prior to team selections−9Bahamas, Frisco, Hawaii, Holiday, Quick Lane, Redbox, Pinstripe, Sun, Las Vegas Canceled, due to lack of teams−4Birmingham, Independence, Guaranteed Rate, Military Canceled, after team selections−3Gasparilla Bowl, Music City, Texas New bowls debuting in 2020+1Myrtle Beach Bowl Debuts postponed to 2021—Fenway Bowl, LA Bowl Substitute bowl for this season+1Montgomery Bowl 2020–21 FBS bowl count26

## Awards and honors
### Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player
| Player | School | Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total |
| DeVonta Smith | Alabama | WR | 447 | 221 | 73 | 1,856 |
| Trevor Lawrence | Clemson | QB | 222 | 176 | 169 | 1,187 |
| Mac Jones | Alabama | QB | 138 | 248 | 220 | 1,130 |
| Kyle Trask | Florida | QB | 61 | 164 | 226 | 737 |
| Najee Harris | Alabama | RB | 16 | 47 | 74 | 216 |
| Breece Hall | Iowa State | RB | 6 | 10 | 26 | 64 |
| Justin Fields | Ohio State | QB | 5 | 6 | 21 | 48 |
| Zach Wilson | BYU | QB | 3 | 6 | 21 | 42 |
| Ian Book | Notre Dame | QB | 5 | 5 | 13 | 38 |
| Kyle Pitts | Florida | TE | 0 | 7 | 10 | 24 |

### Other overall

* AP Player of the Year: DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
* Lombardi Award (top player): Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa
* Maxwell Award (top player): DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
* SN Player of the Year: DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
* Walter Camp Award (top player): DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama

### Special overall

* Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began as walk-on): Jimmy Morrissey, C, Pittsburgh
* Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player): DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
* Jon Cornish Trophy (top Canadian player): John Metchie III, WR, Alabama
* Campbell Trophy ("academic Heisman"): Brady White, QB, Memphis
* Wuerffel Trophy (humanitarian-athlete): Teton Saltes, OL, New Mexico
* Senior CLASS Award (senior student-athlete): Kekaula Kaniho, CB, Boise State

### Offense

Quarterback
* Davey O'Brien Award: Mac Jones, Alabama
* Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (senior/4th year quarterback): Mac Jones, Alabama
* Manning Award: Mac Jones, Alabama
Running back
* Doak Walker Award: Najee Harris, Alabama
Wide receiver
* Fred Biletnikoff Award: DeVonta Smith, Alabama
Tight end
* John Mackey Award: Kyle Pitts, Florida
Lineman:
* Rimington Trophy (center): Landon Dickerson, Alabama
* Outland Trophy (interior lineman on either offense or defense): Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama
* Joe Moore Award (offensive line): Alabama

### Defense

* Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player): Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa
* Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player): Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa
* Lott Trophy (defensive impact): Paddy Fisher, LB, Northwestern
Defensive front
* Dick Butkus Award (linebacker): Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame
* Ted Hendricks Award (defensive end):
Defensive back
* Jim Thorpe Award: Trevon Moehrig, TCU

### Special teams

* Lou Groza Award (placekicker): José Borregales, Miami (FL)
* Ray Guy Award (punter): Pressley Harvin III, Georgia Tech
* Jet Award (return specialist): Avery Williams, Boise State
* Patrick Mannelly Award (long snapper): Thomas Fletcher, Alabama
* Peter Mortell Holder of the Year Award: Spencer Jones, Oklahoma

### Coaches

* AFCA Coach of the Year: Tom Allen, Indiana
* AP Coach of the Year: Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina
* Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year: Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
* Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year: Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina
* George Munger Award: Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina
* Home Depot Coach of the Year: Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina
* Paul "Bear" Bryant Award: Nick Saban, Alabama
* Walter Camp Coach of the Year: Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina

#### Assistants

* AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year: Randy Bates, DC, Pittsburgh
* Broyles Award: Steve Sarkisian, OC, Alabama

### All-Americans
## Coaching changes
### Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2020, and will also include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled game but before its bowl game. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2020, see 2019 NCAA Division I FBS end-of-season coaching changes.
| Team | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
| Southern Miss | Jay Hopson | September 7, 2020 | Resigned | Scotty Walden (Interim) |
| Southern Miss | Scotty Walden (Interim) | October 27, 2020 | Hired by Austin Peay | Tim Billings (Interim) |
| Utah State | Gary Andersen | November 7, 2020 | Resigned | Frank Maile (Interim) |
| South Carolina | Will Muschamp | November 15, 2020 | Fired | Mike Bobo (Interim) |
| Vanderbilt | Derek Mason | November 29, 2020 | Fired | Todd Fitch (Interim) |
| Illinois | Lovie Smith | December 13, 2020 | Fired | Rod Smith (Interim) |
| Auburn | Gus Malzahn | December 13, 2020 | Fired | Kevin Steele (Interim) |

### End of season

This list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of the season.
| Team | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
| Southern Miss | Tim Billings (Interim) | December 2, 2020 | Permanent replacement | Will Hall |
| South Carolina | Mike Bobo (Interim) | December 6, 2020 | Permanent replacement | Shane Beamer |
| South Alabama | Steve Campbell | December 6, 2020 | Fired | Kane Wommack |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Matt Viator | December 7, 2020 | Fired | Terry Bowden |
| Utah State | Frank Maile (Interim) | December 10, 2020 | Permanent replacement | Blake Anderson |
| Arkansas State | Blake Anderson | December 10, 2020 | Hired by Utah State | Butch Jones |
| Arizona | Kevin Sumlin | December 12, 2020 | Fired | Jedd Fisch |
| Vanderbilt | Todd Fitch (Interim) | December 14, 2020 | Permanent replacement | Clark Lea |
| Illinois | Rod Smith (Interim) | December 19, 2020 | Permanent replacement | Bret Bielema |
| Auburn | Kevin Steele (Interim) | December 22, 2020 | Permanent replacement | Bryan Harsin |
| Boise State | Bryan Harsin | December 22, 2020 | Hired by Auburn | Andy Avalos |
| Texas | Tom Herman | January 2, 2021 | Fired | Steve Sarkisian |
| Marshall | Doc Holliday | January 4, 2021 | Contract not renewed | Charles Huff |
| Tennessee | Jeremy Pruitt | January 18, 2021 | Fired | Josh Heupel |
| UCF | Josh Heupel | January 27, 2021 | Hired by Tennessee | Gus Malzahn |
| Kansas | Les Miles | March 8, 2021 | Mutually agreed to part ways | Lance Leipold |
| Buffalo | Lance Leipold | April 30, 2021 | Hired by Kansas | Maurice Linguist |

## Television viewers and ratings
### Most-watched regular season games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the AP Poll (before 11/24) and CFP Rankings (thereafter).
| Rank | Date | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Network | Viewers (millions) | TV Rating | Significance |
| 1 | November 7, 7:30 pm | No. 1 Clemson | 40 | No. 4 Notre Dame | 47 | NBC, USA | 10.07 | 5.4 | Primetime game/College GameDay |
| 2 | October 17, 8:00 pm | No. 3 Georgia | 24 | No. 2 Alabama | 41 | CBS | 9.61 | 5.3 | College GameDay/Rivalry |
| 3 | November 28, 3:30 pm | No. 22 Auburn | 13 | No. 1 Alabama | 42 | CBS | 6.66 | 3.6 | College GameDay/Rivalry |
| 4 | October 31, 7:30 pm | No. 3 Ohio State | 38 | No. 18 Penn State | 25 | ABC | 6.53 | 3.5 | College GameDay/Rivalry |
| 5 | November 21, 12:00 pm | No. 9 Indiana | 35 | No. 3 Ohio State | 42 | FOX | 6.36 | 3.7 | Big Noon Kickoff |
| 6 | November 7, 3:30 pm | No. 8 Florida | 44 | No. 5 Georgia | 28 | CBS | 6.34 | 3.5 | Rivalry |
| 7 | October 24,12:00 pm | Nebraska | 17 | No. 5 Ohio State | 52 | FOX | 6.18 | 3.4 | Big Noon Kickoff |
| 8 | November 273:30 pmpm | No. 2 Notre Dame | 31 | No. 19 North Carolina | 17 | ABC | 6.07 | 3.5 | |
| 9 | October 13:30 pm0pm | No. 14 Tennessee | 21 | No. 3 Georgia | 44 | CBS | 5.77 | 3.1 | Rivalry |
| 10 | November 3:30 pm30pm | No. 2 Notre Dame | 45 | Boston College | 31 | ABC | 5.14 | 3.0 | Rivalry |

### Conference championship games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the CFP Rankings.
| Rank | Date | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Network | Viewers (millions) | TV Rating | Conference | Location |
| 1 | December4:00 pm:00pm | No. 3 Clemson | 34 | No. 2 Notre Dame | 10 | ABC | 9.92 | 5.5 | ACC | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC |
| 2 | Decembe8:00 pm8:00pm | No. 1 Alabama | 52 | No. 7 Florida | 46 | CBS | 8.92 | 4.9 | SEC | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA |
| 3 | Decemb12:00 pm12:00pm | No. 14 Northwestern | 10 | No. 4 Ohio State | 22 | FOX | 8.03 | 4.6 | Big Ten | Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN |
| 4 | Decem8:00 pm, 8:00 pm | Oregon | 31 | No. 13 USC | 24 | FOX | 3.85 | 2.2 | Pac-12 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 5 | Dece12:00 pm, 12:00pm | No. 10 Oklahoma | 27 | No. 6 Iowa State | 21 | ABC | 2.99 | 1.8 | Big 12 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX |
| 6 | Dec8:00 pm19, 8:00pm | No. 23 Tulsa | 24 | No. 9 Cincinnati | 27 | ABC | 1.88 | 1.1 | American | Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OH |
| 7 | De4:15 pm 19, 4:15pm | Boise State | 20 | No. 24 San Jose State | 34 | FOX | 1.42 | 0.9 | MW | Sam Boyd Stadium, Whitney, NV |
| 8 | D7:30 pmr 18, 7:30pm | Ball State | 38 | No. 23 Buffalo | 28 | ESPN | 0.875 | 0.4 | MAC | Ford Field, Detroit, MI |
| 9 | 7:00 pmer 18, 7:00pm | UAB | 22 | Marshall | 13 | CBSSN | n.a. | n.a. | C-USA | Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Huntington, WV |

### Most watched non-CFP bowl games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the CFP Rankings.
| Rank | Date | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Network | Viewers (millions) | TV Rating | Game | Location |
| 1 | Jan12:00 pm 2021, 12:00pm | No. 9 Georgia | 24 | No. 8 Cincinnati | 21 | ESPN | 8.7 | 4.9 | Peach Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA |
| 2 | Ja8:00 pm2, 2021, 8:00pm | No. 13 North Carolina | 27 | No. 5 Texas A&M | 41 | ESPN | 7.6 | 4.3 | Orange Bowl | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL |
| 3 | J4:00 pm 2, 2021, 4:00pm | No. 25 Oregon | 17 | No. 10 Iowa State | 34 | ESPN | 6.7 | 3.8 | Fiesta Bowl | State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ |
| 4 | De8:00 pm 30, 2020, 8:00pm | No. 7 Florida | 20 | No. 6 Oklahoma | 55 | ESPN | 5.8 | 3.2 | Cotton Bowl Classic | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX |
| 5 | 1:00 pmry 1, 2021, 1:00pm | Auburn | 19 | No. 14 Northwestern | 35 | ABC | 4.8 | 2.8 | Citrus Bowl | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL |
| 6 12:30 pmry 2, 2021, 12:30pm | Ole Miss | 26 | No. 11 Indiana | 20 | 4.1 | ABC | 2.5 | Outback Bowl | Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL |
| 7 | December 31, 2020, 4:00 pm | West Virginia | 24 | Army | 21 | ESPN | 3.7 | 2.2 | Liberty Bowl | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN |
| 8 | December 29, 2020, 5:30 pm | No. 21 Oklahoma State | 37 | No. 18 Miami (FL) | 34 | ESPN | 3.2 | 1.8 | Cheez-It Bowl | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL |
| 9 | December 29, 2020,9:00 pm | No. 20 Texas | 55 | Colorado | 23 | ESPN | 3.0 | 1.7 | Alamo Bowl | Alamodome, San Antonio, TX |
| 10 | January 2, 202112:00 pmpm | No. 23 NC State | 21 | Kentucky | 23 | ESPN | 2.7 | 1.7 | Gator Bowl | TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL |

### College Football Playoff

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the CFP Rankings.
| Game | Date | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Network | Viewers (millions) | TV Rating | Location |
| Rose Bowl (semifinal) | January 1, 2024:30 pm0pm | No. 4 Notre Dame | 14 | No. 1 Alabama | 31 | ESPN | 18.9 | 9.6 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX |
| Sugar Bowl (semifinal) | January 1, 208:00 pm00pm | No. 3 Ohio State | 49 | No. 2 Clemson | 28 | ESPN | 19.1 | 9.8 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA |
| National Championship | January 11, 28:00 pm:00pm | No. 3 Ohio State | 24 | No. 1 Alabama | 52 | ESPN | 18.65 | 5.05 | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL |