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
1. Georgia 54, Oklahoma 48 (2OT, 2017)
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 the final minutes was an extension of a clutch fourth-down conversion and tipped pass that still resulted in a spectacular grab by Roman Wilson. Running back Blake Corum put the Wolverines ahead just two plays into overtime, and then the Wolverines prevented Alabama from doing the same. That's not even mentioning the special teams chaos. Michigan won its first CFP game and handed Alabama its first semifinal loss since 2014.
3. TCU 51, Michigan 45 (2022)
Quite possibly the greatest upset of the CFP era occurred in the desert last season when upstart TCU knocked off Michigan as a 7.5-point underdog. After the Horned Frogs extended their lead to 41-22 in the final minute of the third quarter, Michigan cut the deficit to three points after a pair of touchdowns. The Wolverines had one final chance to win the game outright in the final minute, but a botched snap on fourth-and-10 helped TCU advance. The Horned Frogs scored two defensive touchdowns, which proved to be the difference.
4. Washington 37, Texas 31 (2023)
This season featured the best pair of semifinal matchups yet. Washington star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. added another signature performance to his résumé by throwing for 430 yards and two touchdowns to help the Huskies advance to Houston. The win didn't come without drama, though. The Huskies nearly yakked it up by allowing Texas to drive the field in the final minute, but an emphatic pass breakup on fourth down in the end zone ended things for good.
5. Georgia 42, Ohio State 41 (2022)
New Year's Eve in 2022 featured a resilient comeback from the reigning national champs. The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter before quarterback Stetson Bennett connected with wide receiver AD Mitchell for the go-ahead touchdown with 54 seconds remaining. Ohio State kicker Noah Ruggles missed a potential game-winning 50-yard field goal wide left as the clock struck midnight in Atlanta.
6. Ohio State 42, Alabama 35 (2014)
With just over three minutes remaining in regulation and Ohio State leading top-ranked Alabama by six, running back Ezekiel Elliott took a handoff 85-yards down the visiting sideline to the house. That iconic run extended Ohio State's lead to double digits and simultaneously secured the first upset of the College Football Playoff. In only his second career start, Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones threw for 243 yards and a touchdown. Elliott finished with 230 yards on the ground with two scores.
7. Clemson 29, Ohio State 23 (2019)
A 16-0 lead for the Buckeyes was eventually flipped by the Tigers as part of a 21-0 run. The Buckeyes took the lead back with 11:46 left, but it was Clemson with the game-defining four-play, 94-yard drive that ended with Trevor Lawrence connecting with future Jacksonville Jaguars teammate Travis Etienne for a 34-yard score with 1:49 remaining. Ohio State had one final chance to win the game, but Clemson defensive back Nolan Turner intercepted Justin Fields' pass to the end zone with 37 seconds left to seal the win.
8. LSU 63, Oklahoma 28 (2019)
This game was a mismatch from the moment it started, but it did feature Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Joe Burrow throwing for 493 yards and seven touchdowns — both CFP records — and racking up 63 points en route to the title game. LSU jumped out to a 49-14 halftime lead and most of the LSU starters were rested in the fourth quarter after putting up 692 yards of total offense. Other future NFL stars that played that day on offense included Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts and CeeDee Lamb, and LSU's Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.
9. Alabama 45, Oklahoma 34 (2018)
Oklahoma made four appearances in the CFP semifinals during the four-team era and fell short in all four contests. Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns against Alabama, but it wasn't enough. The Crimson Tide jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter behind a pair of touchdown runs by Damien Harris, and the Sooners were never able to recover despite a late push.
10. Ohio State 49, Clemson 28 (2020)
After having its season end at the hands of Clemson the previous year in the CFP semifinals, Fields delivered a signature performance by completing 22 of 28 passes for 385 yards and six touchdowns in a blowout win over the Tigers. The Buckeyes went down 14-7 midway through the first quarter before Fields led four consecutive touchdown drives to end the first half. Lawrence threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns in his final college game.
11. Oregon 59, Florida State 20 (2014)
After a competitive first half that saw the Ducks take a 18-13 lead into the locker room, Oregon closed the game by scoring 34 unanswered points to pull away. The Rose Bowl marked the final game of Jameis Winston's college career after taking down Auburn for the final BCS National Championship the year prior at the same stadium.
12. Clemson 37, Oklahoma 17 (2015)
Oklahoma took a 17-16 lead into the locker room after Mayfield connected with tight end Mark Andrews for an 11-yard score late in the period. After that, it was all Clemson. The Tigers scored 21 unanswered second half points behind a pair of touchdown runs by Wayne Gallman to help Clemson advance to its first CFP national title.
13. Georgia 34, Michigan 11(2021)
Michigan finally slayed the dragon in 2021 by knocking off Ohio State and then beat Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game to make its first appearance in the CFP. When it got there, it ran into a stout Georgia team on a mission to avenge its loss to Alabama. The Wolverines were held without an offensive touchdown for the first 55 minutes of the game, and the final score doesn't put into perspective just how dominant of a win it was for the Bulldogs.
14. Alabama 24, Clemson 6 (2018)
The Crimson Tide held Clemson to 188 total yards, and for much of the second half, off the scoreboard. Alabama defensive tackle Da'Ron Payne scored a touchdown on a 1-yard pass from Hurts in the third quarter, and linebacker Mack Wilson intercepted a Clemson 18 yards for a touchdown just 13 seconds later to blow things open. The Tide and Tigers have an already storied history in the CFP national title, but this marked the only semifinal matchup between the two.
15. Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14 (2020)
The final spot in the College Football Playoff was up for grabs during the shortened COVID season, and the nod ultimately went to Notre Dame over Texas A&M. This game was supposed to be played in Pasadena, but instead the game was hosted at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to allow fans from both teams to watch. Notre Dame had a far better showing during its second CFP appearance, but it wasn't enough to get by the Crimson Tide.
16. Alabama 24, Washington 7 (2016)
The score may suggest this wasn't a total blowout, but it was all Alabama after Washington jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The Crimson Tide held an explosive Washington offense to 194 total yards and flexed their muscles by forcing three turnovers. Alabama running back Bo Scarbrough anchored the ground game and rushed for 180 of the 269 total yards on the ground.
17. Clemson 30, Notre Dame 3 (2018)
Speaking of that first appearance by Notre Dame, it didn't go according to plan after the first quarter. Clemson rattled off 27 unanswered points, including 14 in the final two minutes of the first half to completely flip the game in the Tigers favor. Notre Dame only reached Clemson territory once in the final 30 minutes.
18. Alabama 27, Cincinnati 6 (2021)
History was made in 2021 when Cincinnati became the first Group of Five school to reach the CFP. (With a Group of Five school guaranteed an at-large bid in the playoff starting next season, the Bearcats will have some company.) Outside of that, this game wasn't eventful. Alabama running back Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for 204 yards, and the Crimson Tide defense held Cincinnati to 218 yards of offense.
19. Alabama 38, Michigan State 0 (2015)
This game was scoreless midway through the second quarter, but the Crimson Tide opened things up throughout the middle portion with five scoring drives and a 57-yard punt return within 20 minutes of game time. By the final frame, this one was well in hand.
20. Clemson 31, Ohio State 0 (2016)
The worst loss of Urban Meyer's coaching career came in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes missed a pair of field goals in the first quarter and were never able to recover. Clemson held Ohio State to 215 yards and forced three turnovers. The Buckeyes were shut out in a bowl game for the first time since 1920.