College Football Playoff blowouts: Here are the biggest margins of victory in CFP title game history

The 2025 College Football Playoff national championship kicks off on Monday evening, as Notre Dame will take on Ohio State in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. 

Ohio State will look to win its first national title since 2014, whereas Notre Dame hasn't won one since 1988. The Buckeyes are eight-point favorites, and although everyone is hoping for a close matchup, national title game history suggests otherwise. 

Since the CFP's inaugural playoff season in 2014, there have been numerous championship games that haven't been particularly close. In fact, in the past six games, the average margin of victory has come by 27.8 points. 

Let's run through the history of CFP title game blowouts.  

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College Football Playoff championship blowouts

From 2014-2023, there were seven blowouts in the national title game. The lone exceptions include the following: 

• 2015-16: Alabama 45, Clemson 40 
• 2016-17: Clemson 35, Alabama 31
• 2017-18: Alabama 26, Georgia 23 (OT) 

2014-15: Ohio State 42, Oregon 20 

This one was a highly anticipated matchup. Oregon won the Pac-12 and had a high-octane offense, led by Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.

Ohio State won the Big Ten with quarterback Cardale Jones, who started the season as third-stringer but came off the bench after injuries to Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett.  Ohio State led 21-10 at halftime and wound up winning 42-20. Ezekiel Elliott scored four touchdowns, and Mariota finished with just 39 yards rushing.  

2018-19: Clemson 44, Alabama 16

This blowout was a bit surprising. Alabama entered this game undefeated, having blown out most of its opponents during the regular season. The Tide earned a bid after beating Georgia in a thrilling SEC title game and beating Oklahoma 45-34 in the first round. 

Clemson was also undefeated, earning a bid with an ACC title game win over Pitt and a 30-3 win over Notre Dame in the first round. In the title game, after two first-half interceptions thrown by Tua Tagovailoa, Clemson led 31-16 and added two more scores in the second half.

2019-20: LSU 42, Clemson 25

This was Joe Burrow and LSU's dream season in 2019. The Tigers entered the game a perfect 14-0 against a Clemson team with the same record. LSU led 28-17 at halftime, and although Clemson made it a 28-25 game early in the third quarter, LSU's defense shut out Clemson for the rest of the night. 

2020-21: Alabama 52, Ohio State 24

The COVID-19 college football season was a unique one. There were little to no fans at games and multiple game cancellations and reschedules as players and coaches navigated a pandemic year. Alabama entered unbeaten, and Ohio State was 7-0, with three cancellations amid the Big Ten's truncated 10-game schedule.

Alabama led 35-17 at halftime and cruised to a 28-point victory. Tide quarterback Mac Jones threw for 464 yards and five touchdowns, and Heisman winner DeVonta Smith finished with 215 yards receiving and three scores. 

2021-22: Georgia 33, Alabama 18

This one was a rematch of the 2021 SEC Championship, which Alabama won 41-24. In that game, Tide quarterback Bryce Young torched Georgia's defense, throwing for 421 yards and three touchdowns, scoring another on the ground. But in the rematch, Georgia's defense showed up big. Georgia took a 26-18 lead late in the fourth quarter. On Alabama's ensuing drive, Kelee Ringo picked off Young and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown to seal the Dawgs' 33-18 victory. 

2022-23: Georgia 65, TCU 7

This is the most lopsided national title game in playoff history. TCU was a surprise national title team, entering with 200-1 odds to win the title, but it made the game after beating Michigan 51-45.

Georgia entered undefeated as SEC Champions, defeating Ohio State 42-41 in the first round. This game was pretty much over in the first half. The Bulldogs led 38-7 at halftime and cruised to a 58-point victory. TCU was held to just 188 total yards on the night. 

2023-24: Michigan 34, Washington 13

Last year's national title game wasn't all that close, either. Michigan entered as Big Ten Champions and defeated Alabama 27-20 in overtime in the first round. Washington won the Pac-12 and got past Texas 37-31 in the first round. The Wolverines led 17-10 at halftime and added 17 more points in the second half. Penix threw two interceptions and was held to just 255 yards in the air.   

College Football Playoff winners history

Here's a look at the past CFP national title winners. 

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