College Football Playoff National Championship

College Football Playoff National Championship
Stadium	Various
Operated	2014–present
Championship affiliation	Winners of the CFP semifinals
Preceded by	BCS National Championship Game (1998–2013) Bowl Alliance (1995–1997) Bowl Coalition (1992–1994) National polls (1869–1870, 1872–1991)
2023 season matchup
Michigan vs. Washington (Michigan 34–13)
2024 season matchup
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame (January 20, 2025)

The College Football Playoff National Championship is a post-season college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which began play in the 2014 college football season.^[1] Since 2025, the game is held on the third Monday of January and serves as the final game of the College Football Playoff, a bracket tournament between the top five ranked conference champions, and the top 7 ranked at-large teams in the country that are selected by a playoff committee, which was established as a successor to the Bowl Championship Series and then its similar BCS National Championship Game.

The participating teams in the College Football Playoff National Championship are determined by two semifinal games, hosted by an annual rotation of bowls commonly known as the New Year's Six. Thus, the teams to compete in the final are not directly selected by a selection committee, as had been the format used for the BCS National Championship Game.

The game is played at a neutral site, determined through bids by prospective host cities (similar to the NCAA Final Four). When announcing it was soliciting bids for the 2016 and 2017 title games, playoff organizers noted that the bids must propose host stadiums with a capacity of at least 65,000 spectators,^[2] and cities cannot host both a semi-final game and the title game in the same year.^[3]

The winner of the game is awarded the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy, which is sponsored by Dr Pepper.^[4] It was created as a new championship trophy, rather than the "crystal football" that has been given by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) since 1986, as officials wanted a new trophy that was unconnected with the previous BCS championship system.^[5]

The inaugural game was held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on January 12, 2015, and was won by Ohio State.^[6] A top-ranked team did not win the College Football Playoff National Championship until LSU won the sixth edition of the game, in January 2020. Alabama has the most appearances in a College Football Playoff National Championship, with six, and also the most wins, with three.

The College Football Playoff National Championship is not awarded by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The highest level of college football that the NCAA awards a championship in is the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

Cities across the United States can bid on the National Championship Game each year. The number of cities capable of bidding for the event is restricted by a requirement to have a stadium with at least 65,000 seats. The stadium restriction would limit the bidding to most cities with a National Football League franchise, since all but four of the stadiums in the league meet the capacity requirements, and in practice all National Championship venues chosen for up to and including the 2026 game are also home to at least one NFL franchise. Unlike the Super Bowl, there is no de jure restriction on climate.^[2][3] A venue can not host a semi-final game and the National Championship Game in the same season.

Miami Metro Area

New Orleans

L.A. Metro Area

Tampa

Houston

Las Vegas Metro Area

Atlanta

Phoenix Metro Area

S.F. Bay Area

Dallas‑Fort Worth

Indianapolis

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National Championship Game host cities/regions

The first ten CFP National Championship Games were each held in a different region. The 2025 and 2026 games are the first two championship games scheduled to be played in venues that had previously hosted a CFP title game.

Note: Years listed are the year the game was actually played (or will be played^[ˇ]; future games are denoted through italics) rather than what NCAA season it is considered to have been.

Rankings are from the CFP Poll released prior to matchup.

‡ Attendance at the January 2021 game was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
Source:^[7][8]

Updated through the January 2024 edition (10 games, 20 total appearances).

Updated through the January 2024 edition (10 games, 20 total appearances).

The following coaches led their teams to the National Championship final. Nick Saban has reached the final the most times, six, with a 3–3 record.

An offensive MVP and defensive MVP are named for each final.

Source:^[19][20]

The national anthem usually begins with a drumroll by two drummers, with one member representing each team.^{[citation needed]}

• 2015: Lady Antebellum
• 2016: Ciara
• 2017: Little Big Town
• 2018: Zac Brown Band
• 2019: Andy Grammer
• 2020: Lauren Daigle
• 2022: Natalie Grant
• 2023: Pentatonix
• 2024: Fantasia
• 2025: TBA

The national anthem for the 2021 game was pre-recorded due to COVID concerns.^[21]

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Beginning with the 2027 championship, ABC will simulcast the national championship with ESPN.^[22]

• College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS
• Koshien Bowl (Japanese Collegiate American Football Championship)
• Mythical national championship