After Indiana captured its first national championship in program history, the debate was inevitable. Where does this team stack up against the other champions of the College Football Playoff era? And how do the rest of the title winners compare when viewed side by side? Sandman Sports co-founder Eric Bierman even floated the idea that this Indiana team might have an argument as the greatest of all-time. It’s a fascinating argument, but I respectfully disagree. The rankings below, and the reasoning behind them, explain why.
These rankings weigh overall dominance, roster talent, consistency throughout the season, and how convincing each team looked during its championship run. With that in mind, here’s how every CFP-era title team stacks up.
12. 2015 Alabama Crimson Tide
This should not be controversial. Nick Saban coached plenty of great teams, but this one was not his most talented. Derrick Henry was outstanding and carried the offense, but beyond him, there were few weapons that truly stood out. Still, winning a national title with Jake Coker at quarterback is no small feat. That alone says a lot about how well this team was built and coached, even if it ranks last among CFP-era champions.
11. 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes
The inaugural College Football Playoff champion delivered some unforgettable moments. There was the 85-yard run through the heart of the South, the demolition of Wisconsin with third-string quarterback Cardale Jones, and a dominant title game performance. Those moments were magical. As a complete team, though, they do not match up well with most of the champions that followed, which lands them near the bottom of this list.
10. 2016 Clemson Tigers
This was the season that cemented Dabo Swinney as one of the sport’s elite coaches, but it was far from flawless. Clemson won five one-score games, lost late in the year to Pitt, and lived on the edge more than most champions. The talent was undeniable, but the week-to-week consistency was not always there, keeping this team out of the top tier.
9. 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes
Ryan Day kept nearly the entire roster intact for one last run at a championship, and it paid off. The season nearly unraveled after a loss to Michigan that put Day firmly on the hot seat. What followed was arguably the greatest playoff run we have seen in the CFP era. Still, the regular season matters, and when evaluating the full body of work, this team lands in the bottom half despite its historic postseason surge.
8. 2021 Georgia Bulldogs
Kirby Smart finally broke through with his first national championship, but the road was anything but smooth. Alabama handled Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, forcing the Bulldogs to regroup before eventually getting their revenge. That title marked the beginning of an incredible run for the program, but taken on its own, this team does not quite reach the level of Georgia’s later champions.
7. 2017 Alabama Crimson Tide
This team gave us one of the most iconic moments in college football history. Benching a veteran quarterback who had led the team all season was an enormous risk, and it paid off. Tua Tagovailoa showed some freshman mistakes, including a costly sack in overtime, but his ability to change a game in an instant ultimately delivered the title. It was one of Saban’s most memorable teams, even if it was not his most dominant.
6. 2023 Michigan Wolverines
There was plenty of noise surrounding this team, but none of it changes how effective they were on the field. Blake Corum was the engine of the offense, and the Wolverines were consistently better than their opponents in the trenches on both sides of the ball. No matter the situation, Michigan could rely on its offensive and defensive lines to control games, which carried them to a national championship.
5. 2018 Clemson Tigers
The Alabama-Clemson rivalry defined the second half of the 2010s, and this meeting should have been an epic battle. Instead, Clemson routed Alabama on the sport’s biggest stage, establishing itself as one of the best teams of the decade. It is still hard to believe that performance came at the very beginning of Trevor Lawrence’s college career.
4. 2025 Indiana Hoosiers
Recency bias is a fair concern, but it does not erase what Indiana accomplished. The Hoosiers became the first team since the 1800s to finish 16-0 and bulldozed their way through the playoff until the championship game. They won in hostile environments at Iowa, Penn State, and Oregon and rarely looked threatened. This was not just a magical run, it was a dominant one, and it belongs firmly in the top tier of CFP champions.
3. 2022 Georgia Bulldogs
College football fans were excited to see whether TCU’s Cinderella story could end with a national title. Instead, Georgia delivered a reality check. The Bulldogs overwhelmed the Horned Frogs from the opening kickoff, showcasing one of the deepest and most talented rosters the sport has ever seen. Georgia’s defense was especially loaded, setting a record for the most players selected in a single NFL Draft. No one was beating this team.
2. 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide
It is unfortunate that this team played during a pandemic-shortened season, because it was one of the best groups Nick Saban ever assembled. Alabama played in just one one-score game all year, a staggering level of dominance. Questions about opponent opt-outs and scheduling will linger for some, but on the field, this team would have been a nightmare matchup for anyone in college football history.
1. 2019 LSU Tigers
This is one of the greatest teams the sport has ever seen, regardless of era. Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and a loaded supporting cast powered one of the most unstoppable offenses in college football history. The defense may get nitpicked, but it rarely mattered. LSU hung 50 points on elite opponents, including seven top-10 teams. No other team in the CFP era comes close, and LSU deserves the No. 1 ranking.
If this was your kind of read, you’ll like what’s next. Get The Sandman Ticket, our free, weekly newsletter with picks, insights, and a little bit of everything we love about sports.
