Major college football program named No. 1 team in CFP era

A Power Four program is considered the best team in the College Football Playoff era by a major media outlet.

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow (9) throws a pass against the Clemson Tigers in the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship | SCOTT CLAUSE/THE ADVERTISER / USA TODAY NETWORK

The 2025 college football season ended with No. 1 Indiana's victory over No. 10 Miami (27-21) in the College Football Playoff National Championship game in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.

The Hoosiers kicked off their 2025 college football season against Old Dominion on Aug. 30. The Monarchs jumped out to an early lead, but the Hoosiers scored the next 27 points to win it 27-14. The other two non-conference games against Kennesaw State (56-9) and Indiana State (73-0) were not as closely contested.

Indiana prevailed in the fourth quarters of its road games at Iowa (20-15), Oregon (30-20) and Penn State (27-24) in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers were dominant in their Big Ten games home games against Illinois (63-10), Michigan State (38-13), UCLA (56-6) and Wisconsin (31-7). Dominant road wins were at Maryland (55-10) and Purdue (56-3).

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) scrambles past Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Sonny Styles (0) and linebacker Arvell Reese (8) | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Hoosiers held on in a challenging Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State (13-10), but that was their toughest battle of the postseason. Indiana had no trouble against Alabama (38-3) and Oregon (56-22) in the Rose and Peach Bowls, and despite Miami's competitive efforts, did not trail in the College Football Playoff National Championship game.

In the College Football Playoff era, Indiana is the sixth team to win a national championship with an undefeated record and the first to accomplish the feat since the field expanded from four to 12 teams. The accomplishment has many wondering what an updated ranking of national championship teams from the College Football Playoff would look like.

FOX Sports released what it believes to be the power rankings of national champions since the College Football Playoff's inception. 2025 Indiana was the second-best team in the rankings, trailing only the 2019 LSU team.

Top 10 Teams of the CFP Era according to Fox Sports. pic.twitter.com/X9AWjfbYcz

— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) January 24, 2026

The offense LSU fielded in 2019 is still considered one of the very best in the modern era of college football. The Tigers were starting future Heisman Trophy winner and 2020 No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Joe Burrow at quarterback. Burrow was throwing to eventual Biletnikoff Award winner Ja'Marr Chase and fellow future 2020 NFL first-round draft pick Justin Jefferson.

Unlike 2025 Indiana, LSU did not find itself in any late fourth-quarter deficits in 2019. It's only one-score wins were at Texas (45-38), at Alabama (46-41), and at home against Auburn (23-20), and all of those teams' last scores in those games were in the final two minutes.

LSU coasted through the SEC Championship game against Georgia (37-10) and the Peach Bowl against Oklahoma (63-28). In a battle of future No. 1 overall draft picks, the Tigers pulled away from Trevor Lawrence and reigning national champion Clemson (42-25) to put the finishing touches on their perfect season.