# College Football Playoff National Championship

The College Football Playoff National Championship is a post-season college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which began play in the 2014 college football season. Since 2025, the game is held on the third Monday of January and serves as the final game of the College Football Playoff (CFP), a bracket tournament between the top five ranked conference champions, and the top 7 ranked at-large teams in the country that are selected by a playoff committee, which was established as a successor to the Bowl Championship Series and then its similar BCS National Championship Game.
The participating teams in the College Football Playoff National Championship are determined by two semifinal games, hosted by an annual rotation of bowls commonly known as the New Year's Six. Thus, the teams to compete in the final are not directly selected by a selection committee, as had been the format used for the BCS National Championship Game.
The game is played at a neutral site, determined through bids by prospective host cities (similar to the NCAA Final Four). When announcing it was soliciting bids for the 2016 and 2017 title games, playoff organizers noted that the bids must propose host stadiums with a capacity of at least 65,000 spectators, and cities cannot host both a semi-final game and the title game in the same year.
The winner of the game is awarded the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy, which is sponsored by Dr Pepper. It was created as a new championship trophy, rather than the "crystal football" that has been given by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) since 1986, as officials wanted a new trophy that was unconnected with the previous BCS championship system.
The inaugural game was held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on January 12, 2015, and was won by Ohio State. A top-ranked team did not win the College Football Playoff National Championship until LSU won the sixth edition of the game, in January 2020. Alabama has the most appearances in a College Football Playoff National Championship, with six, and also the most wins, with three.
The College Football Playoff National Championship is not awarded by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The highest level of college football that the NCAA awards a championship in is the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

## Venues

Cities across the United States can bid on the National Championship Game each year. The number of cities capable of bidding for the event is restricted by a requirement to have a stadium with at least 65,000 seats. The stadium restriction would limit the bidding to most cities with a National Football League franchise, since all but four of the stadiums in the league meet the capacity requirements, and in practice all National Championship venues chosen for up to and including the 2026 game are also home to at least one NFL franchise. Unlike the Super Bowl, there is no de jure restriction on climate. A venue can not host a semi-final game and the National Championship Game in the same season.

### Host cities/regions

The first 10 championship games were each held in a different venue. The 2025 game was the first to be contested in a venue that had previously hosted a CFP title game.
| Location | Stadium | Games | Years hosted |
| Atlanta | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | 2 | 2018, 2025 |
| Miami metro area | Hard Rock Stadium | 1† | 2021, 2026, 2030 |
| New Orleans | Caesars Superdome | 1† | 2020, 2028 |
| Tampa | Raymond James Stadium | 1† | 2017, 2029 |
| Houston | NRG Stadium | 1 | 2024 |
| Greater Los Angeles | SoFi Stadium | 1 | 2023 |
| Indianapolis | Lucas Oil Stadium | 1 | 2022 |
| San Francisco Bay Area | Levi's Stadium | 1 | 2019 |
| Phoenix metropolitan area | State Farm Stadium | 1 | 2016 |
| Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex | AT&T Stadium | 1 | 2015 |
| Las Vegas metropolitan area | Allegiant Stadium | 0† | 2027 |
† Scheduled for the year(s) noted in italics
Note: Years listed are the calendar year in which the game was played (or will be played) rather than NCAA season.

## Game results

Rankings are from the CFP Poll released prior to matchup.
| Season | Playoff | Date | Winning team | Score | Losing team | Venue | City | Attendance | Notes |
| 2014 | 2014–15 | January 12, 2015 | No. 4 Ohio State | 42–20 | No. 2 Oregon | AT&T Stadium | Arlington, Texas | 85,788 | Notes |
| 2015 | 2015–16 | January 11, 2016 | No. 2 Alabama | 45–40 | No. 1 Clemson | University of Phoenix Stadium | Glendale, Arizona | 75,765 | Notes |
| 2016 | 2016–17 | January 9, 2017 | No. 2 Clemson | 35–31 | No. 1 Alabama | Raymond James Stadium | Tampa, Florida | 74,512 | Notes |
| 2017 | 2017–18 | January 8, 2018 | No. 4 Alabama | 26–23 (OT) | No. 3 Georgia | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, Georgia | 77,430 | Notes |
| 2018 | 2018–19 | January 7, 2019 | No. 2 Clemson | 44–16 | No. 1 Alabama | Levi's Stadium | Santa Clara, California | 74,814 | Notes |
| 2019 | 2019–20 | January 13, 2020 | No. 1 LSU | 42–25 | No. 3 Clemson | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | New Orleans, Louisiana | 76,885 | Notes |
| 2020 | 2020–21 | January 11, 2021 | No. 1 Alabama | 52–24 | No. 3 Ohio State | Hard Rock Stadium | Miami Gardens, Florida | 14,926‡ | Notes |
| 2021 | 2021–22 | January 10, 2022 | No. 3 Georgia | 33–18 | No. 1 Alabama | Lucas Oil Stadium | Indianapolis, Indiana | 68,311 | Notes |
| 2022 | 2022–23 | January 9, 2023 | No. 1 Georgia | 65–7 | No. 3 TCU | SoFi Stadium | Inglewood, California | 72,628 | Notes |
| 2023 | 2023–24 | January 8, 2024 | No. 1 Michigan | 34–13 | No. 2 Washington | NRG Stadium | Houston, Texas | 72,808 | Notes |
| 2024 | 2024–25 | January 20, 2025 | No. 8 Ohio State | 34–23 | No. 7 Notre Dame | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, Georgia | 77,660 | Notes |
| Future dates ||||||||||
| 2025 | 2025–26 | January 19, 2026 | | | | Hard Rock Stadium | Miami Gardens, Florida | | |
| 2026 | 2026–27 | January 25, 2027 | | | | Allegiant Stadium | Paradise, Nevada | | |
| 2027 | 2027–28 | January 24, 2028 | | | | Caesars Superdome | New Orleans, Louisiana | | |
| 2028 | 2028–29 | January 22, 2029 | | | | Raymond James Stadium | Tampa, Florida | | |
| 2029 | 2029–30 | January 21, 2030 | | | | Hard Rock Stadium | Miami Gardens, Florida | | |
‡ Attendance at the January 2021 game was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
Source:

## Appearances by team

Updated through the January 2025 edition (11 games, 22 total appearances).
| Title game appearances | Team | Wins | Losses | Win% | Season(s) won | Season(s) lost |
| 6 | Alabama | 3 | 3 | .500 | 2015, 2017, 2020 | 2016, 2018, 2021 |
| 4 | Clemson | 2 | 2 | .500 | 2016, 2018 | 2015, 2019 |
| 3 | Georgia | 2 | 1 | .667 | 2021, 2022 | 2017 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 2 | 1 | .667 | 2014, 2024 | 2020 |
| 1 | LSU | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2019 | |
| 1 | Michigan | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2023 | |
| 1 | Notre Dame | 0 | 1 | .000 | | 2024 |
| 1 | Oregon | 0 | 1 | .000 | | 2014 |
| 1 | TCU | 0 | 1 | .000 | | 2022 |
| 1 | Washington | 0 | 1 | .000 | | 2023 |

## Appearances by conference

Updated through the January 2025 edition (11 games, 22 total appearances).
| Conference | Appearances | Wins | Losses | Win Pct | # Teams | Team(s) | Title seasons |
| SEC | 10 | 6 | 4 | .600 | 3 | Alabama (3–3)Georgia (2–1)LSU (1–0) | 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| Big Ten | 4 | 3 | 1 | .750 | 2 | Ohio State (2–1)Michigan (1–0) | 2014, 2023, 2024 |
| ACC | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1 | Clemson (2–2) | 2016, 2018 |
| Pac-12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2 | Oregon (0–1)Washington (0–1) | |
| Big 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1 | TCU (0–1) | |
| Independent | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1 | Notre Dame (0–1) | |

## Coaches

The following coaches led their teams to the National Championship final. Nick Saban has reached the final the most times, six, with a 3–3 record.
| Season | Game date | Winning coach | Winning coach | Losing coach | Losing coach |
| Season | Game date | Coach | Team | Coach | Team |
| 2014 | January 12, 2015 | Urban Meyer | Ohio State | Mark Helfrich | Oregon |
| 2015 | January 11, 2016 | Nick Saban | Alabama | Dabo Swinney | Clemson |
| 2016 | January 9, 2017 | Dabo Swinney | Clemson | Nick Saban | Alabama |
| 2017 | January 8, 2018 | Nick Saban | Alabama | Kirby Smart | Georgia |
| 2018 | January 7, 2019 | Dabo Swinney | Clemson | Nick Saban | Alabama |
| 2019 | January 13, 2020 | Ed Orgeron | LSU | Dabo Swinney | Clemson |
| 2020 | January 11, 2021 | Nick Saban | Alabama | Ryan Day | Ohio State |
| 2021 | January 10, 2022 | Kirby Smart | Georgia | Nick Saban | Alabama |
| 2022 | January 9, 2023 | Kirby Smart | Georgia | Sonny Dykes | TCU |
| 2023 | January 8, 2024 | Jim Harbaugh | Michigan | Kalen DeBoer | Washington |
| 2024 | January 20, 2025 | Ryan Day | Ohio State | Marcus Freeman | Notre Dame |

### Appearances by coach

| Coach | Team | Games | W | L |
| Nick Saban | Alabama | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Dabo Swinney | Clemson | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Kirby Smart | Georgia | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Ryan Day | Ohio State | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Ed Orgeron | LSU | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jim Harbaugh | Michigan | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Urban Meyer | Ohio State | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Marcus Freeman | Notre Dame | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mark Helfrich | Oregon | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sonny Dykes | TCU | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kalen DeBoer | Washington | 1 | 0 | 1 |

## MVPs

An offensive MVP and defensive MVP are named for each final.
| Game | Date | Offensive MVP | Offensive MVP | Offensive MVP | Defensive MVP | Defensive MVP | Defensive MVP | Ref. |
| Game | Date | Player | Team | Pos | Player | Team | Pos | Ref. |
| 2015 | January 12, 2015 | Ezekiel Elliott | Ohio State | RB | Tyvis Powell | Ohio State | S | |
| 2016 | January 11, 2016 | O. J. Howard | Alabama | TE | Eddie Jackson | Alabama | S | |
| 2017 | January 9, 2017 | Deshaun Watson | Clemson | QB | Ben Boulware | Clemson | LB | |
| 2018 | January 8, 2018 | Tua Tagovailoa | Alabama | QB | Daron Payne | Alabama | DT | |
| 2019 | January 7, 2019 | Trevor Lawrence | Clemson | QB | Trayvon Mullen | Clemson | CB | |
| 2020 | January 13, 2020 | Joe Burrow | LSU | QB | Patrick Queen | LSU | LB | |
| 2021 | January 11, 2021 | DeVonta Smith | Alabama | WR | Christian Barmore | Alabama | DT | |
| 2022 | January 10, 2022 | Stetson Bennett | Georgia | QB | Lewis Cine | Georgia | DB | |
| 2023 | January 9, 2023 | Stetson Bennett | Georgia | QB | Javon Bullard | Georgia | DB | |
| 2024 | January 8, 2024 | Blake Corum | Michigan | RB | Will Johnson | Michigan | CB | |
| 2025 | January 20, 2025 | Will Howard | Ohio State | QB | Cody Simon | Ohio State | LB | |

## Game records

| Team records | Record | Head coach | Team | Opponent | Game |
| Most points (winning team) | 65 | Kirby Smart | Georgia | TCU | 2023 |
| Most points (losing team) | 40 | Dabo Swinney | Clemson | Alabama | 2016 |
| Most points (both teams) | 85 | Nick Saban | Alabama | 45 | 2016 |
| Most points (both teams) | 85 | Dabo Swinney | Clemson | 40 | 2016 |
| Fewest points (both teams) | 47 | Jim Harbaugh | Michigan | 34 | 2024 |
| Fewest points (both teams) | 47 | Kalen DeBoer | Washington | 13 | 2024 |
| Fewest points allowed | 7 | Kirby Smart | Georgia | TCU | 2023 |
| Largest margin of victory | 58 | Kirby Smart | Georgia | TCU | 2023 |
| Smallest margin of victory | 3 | Nick Saban | Alabama | Georgia | 2018 |
| Largest comeback | 14 | Dabo Swinney | Clemson | Alabama | 2017 |
| Rushing yards | 303 | Jim Harbaugh | Michigan | Washington | 2024 |
| Passing yards | 464 | Nick Saban | Alabama | Ohio State | 2021 |
| Total yards | 628 | Ed Orgeron | LSU | Clemson | 2020 |
| First downs | 33 | Nick Saban | Alabama | Ohio State | 2021 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | 30 | Kirby Smart | Georgia | Alabama | 2022 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 152 | Kirby Smart | Georgia | TCU | 2023 |
| Fewest total yards allowed | 188 | Kirby Smart | Georgia | TCU | 2023 |
| Total plays | 99 | Dabo Swinney | Clemson | Alabama | 2017 |
| Individual records | Record | Player | Team | Opponent | Game |
| Total offense | 521 | Joe Burrow | LSU | Clemson | 2020 |
| Rushing yards | 246 | Ezekiel Elliott | Ohio State | Oregon | 2015 |
| Rushing TDs | 4 | Ezekiel Elliott | Ohio State | Oregon | 2015 |
| Passing yards | 464 | Mac Jones | Alabama | Ohio State | 2021 |
| Passing TDs | 5 | Joe Burrow | LSU | Clemson | 2020 |
| Passing TDs | 5 | Mac Jones | Alabama | Ohio State | 2021 |
| Receptions | 12 | DeVonta Smith | Alabama | Ohio State | 2021 |
| Receiving yards | 221 | Ja'Marr Chase | LSU | Clemson | 2020 |
| Receiving TDs | 3 | DeVonta Smith | Alabama | Ohio State | 2021 |
| TDs responsible for | 6 | Joe Burrow | LSU | Clemson | 2020 |
| TDs responsible for | 6 | Stetson Bennett | Georgia | TCU | 2023 |
| Field goals | 4 | Will Reichard | Alabama | Georgia | 2022 |
| Tackles (total) | 14 | Tuf Borland | Ohio State | Alabama | 2021 |
| Sacks | 3.0 | Kevin Dodd | Clemson | Alabama | 2016 |
| Interceptions | 2 | Javon Bullard | Georgia | TCU | 2023 |
| Punts | 10 | J. K. Scott | Alabama | Clemson | 2017 |
| Long plays | Record | Player | Team | Opponent | Game |
| Touchdown rush | 50 | Derrick Henry | Alabama | Clemson | 2016 |
| Rush | 70 | Quinshon Judkins | Ohio State | Notre Dame | 2025 |
| Touchdown pass | 80 | Jake Fromm | Georgia | Alabama | 2018 |
| Pass | 80 | Jake Fromm | Georgia | Alabama | 2018 |
| Touchdown reception | 80 | Mecole Hardman | Georgia | Alabama | 2018 |
| Reception | 80 | Mecole Hardman | Georgia | Alabama | 2018 |
| Kickoff return | 95 | Kenyan Drake | Alabama | Clemson | 2016 |
| Punt return | 19 | Mecole Hardman | Georgia | Alabama | 2018 |
| Punt return | 19 | DeVonta Smith | Alabama | Ohio State | 2021 |
| Interception return | 81 | Mike Sainristil | Michigan | Washington | 2024 |
| Punt | 58 | Will Spiers | Clemson | LSU | 2020 |
| Field goal | 52 | B.T. Potter | Clemson | LSU | 2020 |
Source:

## National anthem performers

The national anthem usually begins with a drumroll by two drummers, with one member representing each team.
* 2015: Lady Antebellum
* 2016: Ciara
* 2017: Little Big Town
* 2018: Zac Brown Band
* 2019: Andy Grammer
* 2020: Lauren Daigle
* 2022: Natalie Grant
* 2023: Pentatonix
* 2024: Fantasia
* 2025: Coco Jones (accompanied by Adam Blackstone)
The national anthem for the 2021 game was pre-recorded due to COVID concerns.

## Broadcasters
### Television

| Date | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Sideline reporter(s) |
| January 12, 2015 | ESPN | Chris Fowler | Kirk Herbstreit | Heather Cox and Tom Rinaldi |
| January 11, 2016 | ESPN | Chris Fowler | Kirk Herbstreit | Heather Cox and Tom Rinaldi |
| January 9, 2017 | ESPN | Chris Fowler | Kirk Herbstreit | Samantha Ponder and Tom Rinaldi |
| January 8, 2018 | ESPN | Chris Fowler | Kirk Herbstreit | Maria Taylor and Tom Rinaldi |
| January 7, 2019 | ESPN | Chris Fowler | Kirk Herbstreit | Maria Taylor and Tom Rinaldi |
| January 13, 2020 | ESPN | Chris Fowler | Kirk Herbstreit | Maria Taylor and Tom Rinaldi |
| January 11, 2021 | ESPN | Chris Fowler | Kirk Herbstreit | Maria Taylor and Allison Williams |
| January 10, 2022 | ESPN | Chris Fowler | Kirk Herbstreit | Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath |
| January 9, 2023 | ESPN | Chris Fowler | Kirk Herbstreit | Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath |
| January 8, 2024 | ESPN | Chris Fowler | Kirk Herbstreit | Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath |
| January 20, 2025 | ESPN | Chris Fowler | Kirk Herbstreit | Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath |
Beginning with the 2027 championship, ABC will simulcast the national championship with ESPN.

### Radio

| Date | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Sideline reporter(s) |
| January 12, 2015 | ESPN Radio | Mike Tirico | Todd Blackledge | Holly Rowe and Joe Schad |
| January 11, 2016 | ESPN Radio | Mike Tirico | Todd Blackledge | Holly Rowe and Joe Schad |
| January 9, 2017 | ESPN Radio | Sean McDonough | Todd Blackledge | Holly Rowe and Ian Fitzsimmons |
| January 8, 2018 | ESPN Radio | Sean McDonough | Todd Blackledge | Holly Rowe and Ian Fitzsimmons |
| January 7, 2019 | ESPN Radio | Sean McDonough | Todd Blackledge | Holly Rowe and Ian Fitzsimmons |
| January 13, 2020 | ESPN Radio | Sean McDonough | Todd Blackledge | Holly Rowe and Ian Fitzsimmons |
| January 11, 2021 | ESPN Radio | Sean McDonough | Greg McElroy | |
| January 10, 2022 | ESPN Radio | Sean McDonough | Todd Blackledge | Ian Fitzsimmons and Kris Budden |
| January 9, 2023 | ESPN Radio | Sean McDonough | Todd Blackledge | Ian Fitzsimmons and Kris Budden |
| January 8, 2024 | ESPN Radio | Sean McDonough | Greg McElroy | Ian Fitzsimmons and Kris Budden |
| January 20, 2025 | ESPN Radio | Sean McDonough | Greg McElroy | Ian Fitzsimmons and Katie George |

### Local radio

| Date | Flagship station | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Sideline reporter(s) |
| January 12, 2015 | KUGN (Oregon) WBNS-AM/FM (Ohio State) | Jerry Allen Paul Keels | Mike Jorgensen Jim Lachey | Marty Bannister |
| January 11, 2016 | WFFN/WTSK (Alabama) WCCP-FM (Clemson) | Eli Gold Don Munson | Phil Savage Rodney Williams | Chris Stewart Michael Palmer |
| January 9, 2017 | WCCP-FM (Clemson) WFFN/WTSK (Alabama) | Don Munson Eli Gold | Rodney Williams Phil Savage | Michael Palmer Chris Stewart |
| January 8, 2018 | WFFN/WTSK (Alabama) WSB (Georgia) | Eli Gold Scott Howard | Phil Savage Eric Zeier | Chris Stewart Chuck Dowdle |
| January 7, 2019 | WCCP-FM (Clemson) WFFN/WTSK (Alabama) | Don Munson Eli Gold | Rodney Williams John Parker Wilson | Reggie Merriweather Rashad Johnson |
| January 13, 2020 | WCCP-FM (Clemson) WDGL (LSU) | Don Munson Chris Blair | Tim Bourret and Brad Scott Doug Moreau | Reggie Merriweather Gordy Rush |
| January 11, 2021 | WBNS-AM/FM (Ohio State) WFFN/WTSK (Alabama) | Paul Keels Eli Gold | Jim Lachey John Parker Wilson | Matt Andrews Rashad Johnson |
| January 10, 2022 | WSB (Georgia) WFFN/WTSK (Alabama) | Scott Howard Eli Gold | Eric Zeier John Parker Wilson | D. J. Shockley Rashad Johnson |
| January 9, 2023 | WBAP (TCU) WSB (Georgia) | Brian Estridge Scott Howard | John Denton Eric Zeier | Landry Burdine D. J. Shockley |
| January 8, 2024 | KJR (Washington) WWJ (Michigan) | Tony Castricone Doug Karsch | Cameron Cleeland Jon Jansen | Elise Woodward Jason Avant |
| January 20, 2025 | WBNS-AM/FM (Ohio State) WSBT (Notre Dame) | Paul Keels Tony Simeone | Jim Lachey Ryan Harris | Matt Andrews and Skip Mosic |