The defining characteristic of the 2024 college football season to date? Parity at the top. We head into the postseason with eight teams separated by just 3.1 points atop the SP+ rankings. This year’s top team in SP+ would have ranked fourth in 2023 and fifth in 2022.

It’s a hell of a time to expand the College Football Playoff, then! Six of those eight barely separated teams made the first-ever 12-team CFP field, and per SP+ no one starts out with a better than 20.4% title chance. With three or four games remaining, this year’s champion still has time to separate itself from the pack, but for now the 2024 season appears unlikely to produce one of the best teams of the CFP era.

All that said, it is once again time to rank every playoff team of the CFP era, a tradition we will continue even though the number of teams has tripled and those from this year account for nearly one-quarter of the list. This era has produced some incredible teams. Where does 2023 Michigan rank after its undefeated national title run? How high can the 2024 champion rise? Let’s dive in.

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Top 10 CFP teams

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52. 2024 Arizona State (11-2)
CFP matchup: Peach Bowl vs. Texas or Clemson

As late as Week 12, Arizona State’s playoff odds were 2.9%, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor. But Kenny Dillingham’s Sun Devils beat three of the Big 12’s four best teams as part of a six-game winning streak, charging into and capturing the Big 12 championship game. With running back Cam Skattebo leading the way, the Sun Devils are physical and confident, but they will be underdogs from here.

51. 2024 Boise State (12-1)
CFP matchup: Fiesta Bowl vs. Penn State or SMU

Behind Ashton Jeanty and his 2,497 rushing yards (not to mention a fierce pass rush), this year’s Boise State squad nearly took down Oregon in Week 2 — the Ducks needed two return touchdowns to win by only three points — and rolled from there. The Broncos head into the CFP having won 11 straight games, seven by at least 16 points, but like ASU they’ll be underdogs in every remaining matchup this postseason.

50. 2024 Clemson (10-3)
CFP matchup: First round at Texas

The Tigers thought they had finished their regular season with a loss at South Carolina, but after Miami got upset by Syracuse, Dabo Swinney’s team eked out an ACC championship bid and then upset SMU to land its first CFP spot in four years. On paper, this team is basically the same as Swinney’s past three — clearly talented and clearly flawed. We’ll see how much noise it can make.

49. 2015 Michigan State (12-2)
CFP result: Lost to Alabama 38-0

Mark Dantonio’s 2015 Spartans are proof that no matter what the committee said, it was picking the four “most deserving” teams rather than the four “best” — MSU was definitively the former and in no way the latter. And that’s fine! The Spartans finished 18th in FPI and 15th in SP+ but beat a dynamite Ohio State team and outlasted unbeaten Iowa to win the Big Ten. Then they did exactly what was expected of them against Alabama in the Cotton Bowl: They lost big.

48. 2019 Oklahoma (12-2)
CFP result: Lost to LSU 63-28

After three years at No. 1, Lincoln Riley’s 2019 Sooners ranked only third in offensive SP+, and the defense wasn’t good enough to make up for this smidgen of offensive mortality. They rolled to 7-0 but stumbled against Kansas State and had to survive four tight wins in their final five games. That was enough to earn the Sooners their fourth CFP appearance in five years, but they got destroyed in the Peach Bowl.

47. 2024 SMU (11-2)
CFP matchup: First round at Penn State

I thought I was being bold in calling SMU a dark horse ACC contender in the offseason; I still didn’t see “8-0 in its first regular-season ACC campaign and six points from 13-0 (despite an early-season quarterback change)” coming. Rhett Lashlee’s Mustangs are fast and aggressive — the same flavor as Oregon, but with fewer blue-chippers. But the “fewer blue-chippers” part might make their first CFP stay a short one.

46. 2020 Notre Dame (10-2)
CFP result: Lost to Alabama 31-14

Brian Kelly’s Irish beat a Trevor Lawrence-less Clemson in overtime, and behind consensus All-America offensive linemen Aaron Banks and Liam Eichenberg, they proved physical, mature and adaptable while starting the season 10-0. But in their final two games, against a full-strength Clemson in the ACC championship game and Alabama in the Rose Bowl, the Irish were outscored 65-24.

45. 2014 Florida State (13-1)
CFP result: Lost to Oregon 59-20

The Seminoles returned lots of key figures from their 2013 national title romp, but they had to eke out tight win after tight win — seven one-score games in all. While the BCS would have given us a Bama-FSU title game that year, the CFP gave the Noles the No. 3 seed and sent them to the Rose Bowl, where a 34-0 Ducks run ended Florida State’s 29-game winning streak in stark fashion.

44. 2018 Notre Dame (12-1)
CFP result: Lost to Clemson 30-3

The Fighting Irish earned their spot in the playoff with increasingly dominant wins over quality Michigan, Stanford and Syracuse teams. The defense was solid and excellent (second in defensive SP+), but the offensive limitations were made crystal clear when the Irish had to face Clemson in the Cotton Bowl. The game was tied after one quarter, but it got much, much worse from there.

43. 2024 Indiana (11-1)
CFP matchup: First round at Notre Dame

Did Indiana benefit from a particularly easy schedule featuring just one SP+ top-30 opponent? Sure. But Curt Cignetti’s first Hoosiers team won seven games by at least 24 points and finished the season second in points per drive and sixth in points allowed per drive. Pass protection glitches cost them dearly against Ohio State and could again in South Bend, but they have a great chance to further prove themselves.

42. 2021 Cincinnati (13-1)
CFP result: Lost to Alabama 27-6

Even adjusting for strength of schedule, Luke Fickell’s CFP debutants finished sixth in SP+. The Bearcats physically dominated a strong Notre Dame squad and absolutely earned their playoff spot, though once there they hemmed in Bryce Young and the Alabama passing attack. The problem: They got gashed by the Bama run game and, more importantly, couldn’t even slightly protect quarterback Desmond Ridder in a Cotton Bowl loss.

41. 2018 Oklahoma (12-2)
CFP result: Lost to Alabama 45-34

OU lost Baker Mayfield but somehow improved offensively. Kyler Murray threw for 4,361 yards and rushed for 1,001, but unfortunately the defense was dreck. Lincoln Riley fired coordinator Mike Stoops six games in, but the Sooners allowed 44 points per game over their final six contests and gave up 31 first-half points to Alabama in the Orange Bowl. That was too much for even Murray to overcome.

40. 2024 Penn State (11-2)
CFP matchup: First round vs. SMU

No team does a starker job of beating worse teams and losing to better teams than Penn State. In 2024, the Nittany Lions are 0-2 against teams in the top six and 11-0 against everyone else. But they could reach the semifinals by continuing that trend and beating SMU and Boise State. I’m curious how we remember this team if it does that, then falls to, say, Georgia or Notre Dame in the semis.

39. 2015 Oklahoma (11-2)
CFP result: Lost to Clemson 37-17

Bob Stoops’ Sooners headed into 2015 with a new offensive coordinator (Lincoln Riley) and a transfer quarterback (Baker Mayfield), and after a disappointing 2014, OU reignited. The Sooners won a loaded Big 12 and were 3.5-point favorites against Clemson in the Orange Bowl. They took a 17-16 lead into halftime, but Clemson shifted into fifth gear in the second half and sent the Sooners home with a 20-point loss.

38. 2016 Ohio State (11-2)
CFP result: Lost to Clemson 31-0

After what might have been Urban Meyer’s most talented Ohio State team missed the CFP in 2015, the most offensively limited one made it the next year. The defense was strong enough to limit Deshaun Watson and Clemson to just two touchdowns in the Tigers’ first 10 drives in the semifinal, but the Buckeyes’ offense, which ranked 20th in offensive SP+ (terrible by their standards), got embarrassed.

37. 2017 Clemson (12-2)
CFP result: Lost to Alabama 24-6

You know your program is in great shape when “transition year” means “only making the CFP semis.” The Tigers boasted perhaps the best defense of the Dabo Swinney era, but Deshaun Watson was gone, and Trevor Lawrence wouldn’t arrive in town for another year. Clemson was too good for the rest of the ACC but gained just 188 yards against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, bowing out slightly earlier than normal.

36. 2023 Alabama (12-2)
CFP result: Lost to Michigan, 27-20

Nick Saban’s final team was maybe his worst since 2007 and ranked just eighth in the CFP rankings before an SEC championship upset of Georgia. The Tide mastered the art of surviving, advancing and saving their best performance for the most important games. And when they were given a lifeline by snagging a CFP spot over Florida State, they nearly made the most of it, leading eventual champ Michigan into the final two minutes before succumbing in overtime.

35. 2021 Michigan (12-2)
CFP result: Lost to Georgia 34-11

A loss to Michigan State set Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines back early on, but they took down Ohio State for the first time in a decade, then stomped Iowa to win their first outright Big Ten title since 2003. This was an excellent team and the champion of an excellent conference, but the Wolverines ran into a slight problem in the Orange Bowl: They weren’t better than Georgia at a single thing. That will catch up to you.

34. 2024 Tennessee (10-2)
CFP matchup: First round at Ohio State

A Tennessee title run could require wins over Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and Georgia, all away from home. Josh Heupel’s Vols probably don’t have the offense to pull that off, but they reached the CFP by fielding their best defense since 1999 per SP+. They defend the run better than anyone in the country, and that will potentially give them a chance in any single game they play.

33. 2023 Texas (12-2)
CFP result: Lost to Washington, 37-31

Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns gave Alabama its first double-digit home loss of the entire Nick Saban era. They beat seven other bowl-eligible teams by an average of 24 points and pummeled Oklahoma State by 28 in the Big 12 championship game. They returned to relevance in a major way, but they couldn’t slow Michael Penix Jr. and Washington in the Sugar Bowl. The Huskies quarterback threw for 430 yards and made Texas’ first playoff stay a one-gamer.

32. 2022 TCU (13-2)
CFP result: Defeated Michigan 51-45; lost to Georgia 65-7

Heisman runner-up Max Duggan and the Horned Frogs were close-game masters, winning five one-score games during a 12-0 start and losing only to a top-10 Kansas State team in the Big 12 championship. Their big-play ability and volatility were fully on display in the CFP, where they pulled off an upset of Michigan in maybe the best game of 2022, then got absolutely trounced by Georgia in the national title game.

31. 2024 Notre Dame (11-1)
CFP matchup: First round vs. Indiana

On one hand, the Fighting Irish suffered the single most baffling loss of the season, falling 16-14 to Northern Illinois in Week 2. On the other hand, they’ve been one of the two or three best teams in the country since. They don’t make a ton of big pass plays, and their offensive line is still tenuous thanks to youth and injury, but their run game is terrifying, their pass defense might be second to only Texas’, and they are capable of beating anyone in this CFP field. The only question is whether they can beat four teams.

30. 2016 Washington (12-2)
CFP result: Lost to Alabama 24-7

Chris Petersen’s Huskies sent a message by beating a top-20 Stanford squad by 28 points in September, then finished up by felling Colorado by 31 in the Pac-12 championship game. An outstanding defense led by Budda Baker and Greg Gaines mostly controlled Alabama in the Peach Bowl, too; Washington trailed just 10-7 late in the first half before a Ryan Anderson pick-six changed the game.

29. 2017 Oklahoma (12-2)
CFP result: Lost to Georgia 54-48

After a bumpy start, Lincoln Riley’s first Sooners squad found its top gear midway through 2017, winning its final six Big 12 games by an average of 23 points, earning Baker Mayfield the Heisman Trophy and surging to a 31-14 first-half lead over Georgia in the Rose Bowl. The Sooners couldn’t hold on, though. Georgia came back twice to force overtime and won what still is one of the best games of the CFP era.

28. 2024 Texas (11-2)
CFP matchup: First round vs. Clemson

The only thing we don’t know Texas can do: Beat Georgia. The Longhorns are 0-2 against the Bulldogs and 11-0 against everyone else, and they’ve got both the best linebacking corps and best overall pass defense in the CFP. When there’s a question mark, it comes on the offensive side of the ball, but in theory a couple of weeks off could make a big difference for both hobbled star tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. and quarterback Quinn Ewers.

27. 2024 Ohio State (10-2)
CFP matchup: First round vs. Tennessee

The Buckeyes’ offense has scored at least 31 points nine times. The defense has allowed more than 17 just once. From the perspective of pure star talent, no one can top them, and while they finished the regular season on a devastating note (losing to Michigan), the last time they reached the CFP after a frustrating loss, they nearly beat Georgia. This team starts the playoff 27th on this list, but it could end up anywhere between about 10th and 40th depending on how the next few weeks play out.

26. 2023 Washington (14-1)
CFP result: Beat Texas 37-31; lost to Michigan 34-13

The TCU of 2023, Washington boasted both an explosive passing game — Michael Penix Jr. threw for 4,903 yards, mostly to the incredible trio of Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan — and exquisite timing: The Huskies won eight games by one score, including two wild wins over a dynamite Oregon team and a 37-31 thriller over Texas in the CFP semifinals. They couldn’t keep up with Michigan in the national title game, but that only dampened the run so much.

25. 2024 Georgia (11-2)
CFP matchup: Sugar Bowl vs. Notre Dame or Indiana

Like Ohio State, Georgia has only begun to define itself. The Bulldogs are not nearly as scary as the 2021 and 2022 title teams — especially with a potential long-term injury to quarterback Carson Beck — and they easily could have been knocked out of the title hunt altogether by either Kentucky (UGA won 13-12 in September) or Georgia Tech (UGA won in eight overtimes in late November). But they still stand because they went 3-0 against CFP teams, and they’ve shown a level of resilience that previous Georgia teams rarely had to show.

24. 2022 Ohio State (11-2)
CFP result: Lost to Georgia 42-41

After face-planting against Michigan for the second straight year, no team stood to gain more from a CFP bid than Ryan Day’s Buckeyes. And they almost gained everything. Thanks to an incredible performance from quarterback C.J. Stroud, Ohio State held a 38-24 Peach Bowl lead on the champs heading into the fourth quarter. And even when Georgia charged back, the Buckeyes had a field goal try at the buzzer to win it. But it missed badly.

23. 2020 Clemson (10-2)
CFP result: Lost to Ohio State 49-28

It’s hard to properly grade a team that was without its star quarterback for one of its two losses (Trevor Lawrence vs. Notre Dame). But while Lawrence threw for 3,153 yards in just 10 games and Travis Etienne was dangerous as both a receiver and a runner, the Tigers’ defense had a bit of a big-play issue at times. And in the semifinal at the Sugar Bowl, they got dominated in the trenches, which made the biggest difference in a 21-point loss to Ohio State.

22. 2022 Michigan (13-1)
CFP result: Lost to TCU 51-45

Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines improved significantly after their brief stay in the 2021 CFP. They were even better at their go-to manball routine, and they proved to have more explosive offensive weapons as well. (Just ask Ohio State.) They were well-rounded and probably the second-best team of 2022, but they fell victim to an onslaught of TCU big plays and couldn’t pull off a last-minute comeback.

20. 2014 Oregon (13-2)
CFP result: Beat Florida State 59-20; lost to Ohio State 42-20

Marcus Mariota combined 4,454 passing yards with 770 rushing yards and 57 total touchdowns (and duly won the Heisman), and the Ducks ranked second in offensive SP+. They scored at least 42 points in nine straight games and put up 59 on defending national champion Florida State … but weren’t able score over the final 20 minutes of the national title game. An overwhelmed Ducks defense couldn’t hold Ohio State back.

20. 2014 Alabama (12-2)
CFP result: Lost to Ohio State 42-35

The 2014 season saw both the dawn of the CFP era and the beginning of the Great Nick Saban Offensive Evolution. He hired Lane Kiffin to modernize a stale offense, and after an early loss to Ole Miss, the Tide won eight straight to earn the No. 1 seed in the first CFP. They jumped out to a 21-6 lead on Ohio State, but three turnovers and a famous Ezekiel Elliott touchdown run did them in.

19. 2015 Clemson (14-1)
CFP result: Beat Oklahoma 37-17; lost to Alabama 45-40

Eight years ago, Clemson was still an upstart. Quarterback Deshaun Watson was healthy and dominant, and the Tigers began to look the part of a contender. They outlasted Notre Dame in an October monsoon and blew most of a huge lead against North Carolina before surviving. In the CFP, the Tigers surged past Oklahoma in the second half and led Bama before succumbing in what might have been the greatest fourth quarter in CFP history.

18. 2017 Georgia (13-2)
CFP result: Beat Oklahoma 54-48; lost to Alabama 26-23

Kirby Smart’s second UGA team all but ended a 37-year national title drought. The Dawgs won at Notre Dame in September, destroyed all comers in the SEC East and avenged their lone loss with a dominant SEC championship game win over Auburn. They outlasted Oklahoma in the greatest game in CFP history and had Alabama all but beaten in the championship game … until Tua Tagovailoa came onto the field.

17. 2020 Ohio State (7-1)
CFP result: Beat Clemson 49-28; lost to Alabama 52-24

The Buckeyes played only eight games, but they won four by at least 21 points, including a 49-28 victory over Trevor Lawrence and Clemson in the semifinals. They lived up to most of their preseason hype and avenged their 2019 semifinal loss to the Tigers. They also lost the national title game by 28 points. Still, in a year of abbreviated schedules and limited two-deeps, Ohio State was a poster child of sorts, and the Buckeyes looked the part until the final act.

16. 2021 Alabama (13-2)
CFP result: Beat Cincinnati 27-6; lost to Georgia 33-18

Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide had maybe the best offensive (Bryce Young) and defensive (Will Anderson Jr.) players in the country but didn’t enjoy as much depth and experience as normal and were lucky to reach 11-1. But they walloped Georgia in the SEC championship game, then beat Cincinnati with pure physicality to reach the final. They led Georgia in the fourth quarter of the championship game, too, but the Dawgs scored the final 20 points.

15. 2024 Oregon (13-0)
CFP matchup: Rose Bowl vs. Ohio State or Tennessee

Dan Lanning’s Ducks threw us off the scent at the start of the season, beating Idaho by only 10 and needing two return scores to beat Boise State. Since then, they’ve won 11 games by an average of 37-17, and their first go-round in the Big Ten produced 10 wins and no defeats. Dillon Gabriel and the offense have scored at least 31 points 11 times, and the defense has allowed more than 21 just twice. Oregon could easily end up in or near the top five of this list.

14. 2016 Alabama (14-1)
CFP result: Beat Washington 24-7; lost to Clemson 35-31

Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts took over as Alabama’s starter. A rebuilding season in Tuscaloosa? Hardly. Hurts won SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and the Tide rolled to the CFP final unbeaten, with only one win by single digits. They couldn’t finish the job, though. With star running back Bo Scarbrough hurt, the Alabama offense couldn’t stay on the field, and an exhausted defense gave up three late scores to fall to Clemson.

13 and 12. 2019 Ohio State (13-1) and 2019 Clemson (14-1)
CFP result: Clemson beat Ohio State 29-23, then lost to LSU 42-25

It was overshadowed by LSU’s late-season brilliance, but both the Buckeyes and Tigers were unreal for most of 2019. They went a combined 26-0 in the regular season; 22 of the wins were by at least 24 points, and only one was by single digits. And in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal, they played one of the most even and compelling games in recent college football memory.

Ohio State dominated the early proceedings, going up 16-0 but settling for field goals; that offered Clemson a lifeline, and the Tigers charged back. The second half featured three scores and three lead changes, and after controversy and countless plot twists, Nolan Turner‘s interception of Justin Fields made the difference. If they’d played 100 times, each team would have won 50.

11. 2015 Alabama (14-1)
CFP result: Beat Michigan State 38-0; beat Clemson 45-40

The second Saban-Kiffin mashup showed plenty of early flaws. New starting quarterback Jake Coker was shaky early on and briefly got benched, and while the defense was mostly solid, it got torched by Ole Miss in an early loss. But the Tide manhandled No. 2 LSU in early November, and Coker caught fire down the stretch. Thanks in part to a classic surprise onside kick, Bama outlasted Clemson in a title-game thriller.

10. 2016 Clemson (14-1)
CFP result: Beat Ohio State 31-0; beat Alabama 35-31

Clemson nearly lost to Auburn, Troy and Lamar Jackson‘s Louisville teams early and did lose to Pitt in mid-November. But as would become a Dabo Swinney custom, the Tigers turned into Angry Clemson after their loss, humiliating South Carolina, keeping Virginia Tech mostly at arm’s reach and shutting out Ohio State. Trailing Bama by 10 in the final, the Tigers played a nearly perfect fourth quarter, exhausting the Tide’s defense and scoring the title-winning touchdown with one second remaining.

9. 2014 Ohio State (14-1)
CFP result: Beat Alabama 42-35; beat Oregon 42-20

The ultimate “peak when you most need to” team. Ranked 16th in the initial CFP rankings, Ohio State kept getting better and rising down the stretch. Needing a huge statement in the Big Ten championship game, the Buckeyes unleashed the hugest statement, beating Wisconsin 59-0 to eke out the No. 4 CFP seed. They then proceeded to beat Bama with a 28-0 run and take down Oregon with a late 21-0 run. Late-arriving? Nope, just in time.

8. 2018 Alabama (14-1)
CFP result: Beat Oklahoma 45-34; lost to Clemson 44-16

The 2018 Bama squad was just as good as the 2020 Tide on paper but couldn’t clear the final hurdle. The Tide destroyed their first 14 opponents by an average of 32 points, and only Georgia in the SEC championship game offered any resistance (though the Dawgs offered quite a bit). The Tide combined Nick Saban’s best offense yet with a top-10 defense … but they laid the ultimate egg in the CFP finale.

7. 2017 Alabama (13-1)
CFP result: Beat Clemson 24-6; beat Georgia 26-23

Bama went scorched earth during an 11-0 start, but the offense grew rickety late. The Tide barely eked out a CFP bid after a 26-14 loss to Auburn, and they trailed Georgia 13-0 at halftime in the championship game before freshman Tua Tagovailoa tagged in, led Bama on a 20-7 run and — after the Tide nearly won in regulation — threw a famous second-and-26 strike to DeVonta Smith to win Nick Saban his sixth national title.

6. 2021 Georgia (14-1)
CFP result: Beat Michigan 34-11; beat Alabama 33-18

Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs were far and away the best team of the season’s first three months, combining steady and efficient offense with college football’s most consistently dominant defense in years. Only Bama scored more than 17 points on the Dawgs, who lost to the Tide in the SEC championship game but rebounded to pen a happy ending and, with help from a game-clinching Kelee Ringo pick-six, win their first national title in 41 years.

5. 2018 Clemson (15-0)
CFP result: Beat Notre Dame 30-3; beat Alabama 44-16

Clemson barely survived September unbeaten, needing a 2-point-conversion stop to escape Texas A&M and a rousing comeback led by backup quarterback Chase Brice to beat Syracuse. But once Trevor Lawrence was healthy and established in the starting lineup, no one had any hope against the Tigers. They beat Florida State by 49, Wake Forest by 60 and Louisville by 61, and they won two CFP games by a combined 74-19. Goodness.

4. 2023 Michigan (15-0)
CFP result: Beat Alabama 27-20; beat Washington 34-13

The Wolverines beat Penn State and Ohio State without suspended head coach Jim Harbaugh, and even with off-the-field matters swirling in the background, they were rarely challenged on the field, winning 11 games by at least 21 points. They extended their Big Ten winning streak to 25 games; they handed Nick Saban a Rose Bowl loss in his final game as a head coach; and with the national title on the line, they put on a defensive clinic, dominating a brilliant Washington offensive line, holding the prolific Huskies to just 301 total yards and rolling to their first national title in 26 years.

3. 2022 Georgia (15-0)
CFP result: Beat Ohio State 42-41; beat TCU 65-7

Only twice did the defending national champs find themselves in a down-to-the-wire game, and only once did they have to lean on the college football gods for help (with Ohio State’s last-second field goal miss in the semifinals). They scored at least 37 points in 11 games and allowed 14 or fewer in nine. They didn’t have quite the level of high-end talent their 2021 team boasted, but they were an even more dominant team.

2. 2019 LSU (15-0)
CFP result: Beat Oklahoma 63-28; beat Clemson 42-25

Plenty of coaches have attempted to modernize their offense in the hopes of giving their program a shot in the arm. Ed Orgeron’s 2019 team set the bar impossibly high for any future modernizers. With help from an elite skill corps, Joe Burrow threw for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns (!!!). Once LSU’s defense got healthy late in the year, the Tigers were untouchable, beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa, then winning their last six games by an average of 30 points.

1. 2020 Alabama (13-0)
CFP result: Beat Notre Dame 31-14; beat Ohio State 52-24

The Crimson Tide had the Nos. 1, 3 and 5 finishers in the Heisman voting. They played one game decided by fewer than 14 points. They bested an SEC-only schedule by an average of 30.2 points per game. Their defense struggled early but allowed only 15 points per game after mid-October. This was the best Nick Saban team ever and quite possibly the best of the 21st century.

Best team … from the best coach … with the best dynasty of the 21st century (at the very least)? Sounds like the best team of the CFP era.