Ranking the winningest College Football Playoff teams all-time

It hasn't been around for a long time, but the College Football Playoff has already separated the best from the worst and changed the fate of the sport forever.

Like most things in this game, a few teams have dominated the proceedings. Some combination of Alabama, Clemson, or Ohio State have taken up 53 percent of the semifinal spots to date. 

And when you add Notre Dame and Oklahoma to the mix, that accounts for 63 percent of the bids so far.

But some underdogs have made a splash, too. Cincinnati, Michigan, Oregon, Washington, Florida State, and Michigan State have earned final four berths.

Which schools have performed the best in the CFP to date? Scroll through to see the winningest teams in the playoff, ranked by percentage.

College Football Playoff rankings: Best winning percentage by team

T-7. Michigan Wolverines

Winning percentage: .000

Record: 0-1

College Football Playoff appearances: 1 (2021)

National championships: 0

A college football powerhouse that fell on hard times in recent years made a run for the playoff in 2021, beating Ohio State, winning the Big Ten, and earning the No. 2 berth in the CFP poll. But it still has some work to do matching up against the likes of Georgia, who dominated the Wolverines en route to the national title.

T-7. Cincinnati Bearcats

Winning percentage: .000

Record: 0-1

College Football Playoff appearances: 1 (2021)

National championships: 0

Cincinnati made history in 2021 by becoming the first-ever Group of 5 team to qualify for the College Football Playoff semifinal. UC went undefeated in the regular season and won the AAC title, earning the No. 4 bid and a date with Alabama, who predictably won the game. And easily, too, but not quite as easily as some analysts let on before the Tide and Bearcats met on the same field.

T-7. Washington Huskies

Winning percentage: .000

Record: 0-1

College Football Playoff appearances: 1 (2016)

National championships: 0

Anybody looking for an argument against expanding the playoff could use the Huskies as an example. Washington lost once in the regular season and won the Pac-12, but was no match for Alabama, who won the semifinal game by 17 points and held UW's potent offense to just a single touchdown.

T-7. Michigan State Spartans

Winning percentage: .000

Record: 0-1

College Football Playoff appearances: 1 (2015)

National championships: 0

Sparty had a regular season to remember in '15, beating Ohio State and winning the Big Ten en route to a No. 3 ranking and a trip to the Cotton Bowl. But it ended up another victim of Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, who routed Michigan State, 38-0, and held the Spartans to 29 yards rushing.

T-7. Florida State Seminoles

Winning percentage: .000

Record: 0-1

College Football Playoff appearances: 1 (2014)

National championships: 0

Defending national champion FSU went 13-0 before being selected for the first ever College Football Playoff. Coming in on a 26-game win streak, the Seminoles' defense was no match for Oregon, who piled up 59 points in the win. In the seven years since, Florida State has lost at least six games five times and hasn't been ranked since Jimbo Fisher's last season in 2016.

T-7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Winning percentage: .000

Record: 0-2

College Football Playoff appearances: 2 (2018, 2020)

National championships: 0

Not playing in a conference hasn't hindered Notre Dame's opportunities to make the final four, earning two CFP berths, but not with the success it had hoped for. ND lost to a pair of eventual national champions — Clemson in 2018 and Alabama in 2020 — losing those games by a combined 61 to 17.

T-7. Oklahoma Sooners

Winning percentage: .000

Record: 0-4

College Football Playoff appearances: 4 (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019)

National championships: 0

Bob Stoops led the Sooners to the first-ever playoff and Lincoln Riley earned OU bids in three semifinals his first three years, but the program hasn't fared well. Oklahoma played one legendary double-overtime Rose Bowl against Georgia, but otherwise was easily handled by Clemson (by 20), Alabama (by 11), and LSU (by 35).

T-5. Oregon Ducks

Winning percentage: .500

Record: 1-1

College Football Playoff appearances: 1 (2014)

National championships: 0

Oregon made a great first impression during the College Football Playoff's inaugural season, scoring at least 40 points in all but two games, winning the Pac-12 against No. 8 Arizona, and easily discarding Florida State in the first semifinal. It lost the first national title game to Ohio State and hasn't been back since. Oregon was ranked just three times in the last seven years and in the top five once. The Ducks looked to be in contention in 2021 but lost to unranked Stanford and Utah twice.

T-5. Ohio State Buckeyes

Winning percentage: .500

Record: 3-3

College Football Playoff appearances: 4 (2014, 2016, 2019, 2020)

National championships: 1

Ohio State seemed an unlikely contender for the first playoff after losing at home to unranked Virginia Tech. But the Buckeyes recovered, running the table the rest of the way, beating No. 1 Alabama in the first semifinal, and winning the first CFP national championship. OSU has lost two semifinals, both to Clemson, beat Clemson in another semifinal, and lost to Alabama in the 2020 national title game.

4. Clemson Tigers

Winning percentage: .600

Record: 6-4

College Football Playoff appearances: 6 (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)

National championships: 2

One of the first two dynasties of the playoff era, Clemson made six straight final fours, won two national championships (beating Alabama both times), losing two title games (to Alabama and LSU), and losing two semifinal games (to Alabama and Ohio State). Clemson's six-year CFP streak ended in 2021.

3. Alabama Crimson Tide

Winning percentage: .692

Record: 9-4

College Football Playoff appearances: 7 (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021)

National championships: 3

No team has made more playoffs or won more CFP games, and the Tide has won almost 70 percent of the matchups it's qualified for. Since the advent of the College Football Playoff, the Crimson Tide has won three national titles (2015, 2017, 2020) and played for six titles in total, losing twice to eventual champion Clemson and once against Georgia.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

Winning percentage: .750

Record: 3-1

College Football Playoff appearances: 2 (2017, 2021)

National championships: 1

Georgia has made the playoff twice and both times in dramatic fashion. In 2017, the Bulldogs played an instant classic in double overtime against Oklahoma, before falling to Alabama in the title game on a now-famous Tua Tagovailoa TD pass in overtime. But the Dawgs roared back in 2021 behind a historically-great defense, dominating Michigan in the semifinal and edging the Tide for their first national championship in 40 years.

1. LSU Tigers

Winning percentage: 1.000

Record: 2-0

College Football Playoff appearances: 1 (2019)

National championships: 1

It's all about quality over quantity for LSU in the playoff, destroying everything in sight during the 2019 season behind arguably the best offense in college football history. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow led a 63 point performance against Oklahoma in the semifinal and in a 42-25 victory over Clemson for the title. LSU finished the third 15-0 team ever — just the second since the 19th century — against one of the toughest schedules you can play.

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