Ranking all 20 College Football Playoff semifinal games in four-team era as field sets for expansion in 2024

The final days of the four-team College Football Playoff are on the horizon. The landscape of the sport will see a seismic shift this fall to a 12-team playoff format that will mark the biggest change since adopting the CFP in favor of the BCS National Championship in 2014.

The inaugural College Football Playoff featured Oregon knocking off reigning national champion Florida State at the Rose Bowl and Ohio State pulling off one of the greatest upsets of the CFP era by taking down No. 1 Alabama behind third-string quarterback Cardale Jones at the Sugar Bowl in 2014.

Nine years later, the last semifinals of the four-team era delivered its best act yet to set up an intriguing championship next Monday in Houston. No. 1 Michigan used a late comeback to knock off No. 4 Alabama in overtime, and No. 2 Washington survived a late scare from No. 3 Texas to advance to the title game for the first time in program history.

In honor of the CFP going away from the four-team format, here is every CFP semifinal game ranked 1-20

New Year’s Day at the Rose Bowl in 2018 featured the best semifinal game of the CFP era. The double-overtime thriller ended with Georgia running back Sony Michel sprinting untouched down the visitor sideline to send the Bulldogs home to Atlanta to face Alabama for the national championship. Georgia went down 31-14 in the final moments of the first half but forced overtime behind big second-half performances by Michel and Nick Chubb. This marked the final game of Baker Mayfield’s college career; the former Heisman Trophy winner finished 0-2 in CFP games.

2. Michigan 27, Alabama 20 (OT, 2023)

Receny bias could make you believe this was the best game on this list … and it certainly has an argument. Michigan’s game-tying touchdown in…

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Author : Cameron Salerno

Publish date : 2024-01-03 20:03:28

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