College Football Playoff History: Results From Every Year
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
It's time for the College Football Playoff, where four teams will compete for a chance to win the national championship.
This year's semifinals include No. 1 LSU and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow against No. 4 Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Later, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Clemson will meet in Glendale for the Fiesta Bowl. Both games will be played on Dec. 28, with the winners of each matchup advancing to the national championship game in New Orleans on Jan. 13.
The College Football Playoff is still a relatively new tradition and was adopted in 2015.
The selection committee ranks teams based on their evaluation of the program's performance on the field, using conference championships won, strength of schedule, head-to-head results and comparison of results against common opponents to decide which teams are comparable.
At the end of the regular season, the top four teams in the College Football Playoff rankings advance to the CFP semifinals, which rotate annually among the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. The two winners of the semifinals meet in the national championship, which is held in a different city each year.
Ohio State won the first College Football Playoff National Championship in 2015. Since then, both Clemson and Alabama have each won two championship titles.
Here's the Results From Every Playoff Semifinals and National Championship Game:
| Year | Playoff Semifinal | Playoff Semifinal | National Championship |
|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Rose Bowl: No. 2 Oregon 59, No. 3 Florida State 20 | Sugar Bowl: No. 4 Ohio State 42, No. 1 Alabama 35 | No. 4 Ohio State 42, No. 2 Oregon 20 |
2016 | Orange Bowl: No. 1 Clemson 37, No. 4 Oklahoma 17 | Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Alabama 38, No. 3 Michigan State 0 | No. 2 Alabama 45, No. 1 Clemson 40 |
2017 | Peach Bowl: No. 1 Alabama 24, No. 4 Washington 7 | Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Clemson 31, No. 3 Ohio State 0 | No. 2 Clemson 35, No. 1 Alabama 31 |
2018 | Rose Bowl: No. 3 Georgia 54, No. 2 Oklahoma 48 (2OT) | Sugar Bowl: No. 4 Alabama 24, No. 1 Clemson 6 | No. 4 Alabama 26, No. 3 Georgia 23 (OT) |
2019 | Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Clemson 30, No. 3 Notre Dame 3 | Orange Bowl: No. 1 Alabama 45, No. 4 Oklahoma 34 | No. 2 Clemson 44, No. 1 Alabama 16 |
This year's College Football Playoff semifinals will kickoff at 4 p.m. ET on Dec. 28 with LSU vs. Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl. Following that game, the Fiesta Bowl will start at 8 p.m. ET featuring Ohio State vs. Clemson.
