After Indiana dismantled Oregon, a question that once felt laughable has officially entered the national conversation: Are these Hoosiers one of the best teams of the College Football Playoff era?
Indiana stands as the only undefeated team left, dominating opponents on both sides of the ball and now sitting just one win away from history, a potential 16–0 season, something college football has never seen. The résumé is overwhelming. The eye test is undeniable. And with the CFP era now old enough for meaningful comparisons, it’s time to ask where this team fits among the best of the best since 2014.
Here are the 10 greatest CFP-era teams, and where the 2025–26 Indiana Hoosiers land among them.
10) 2018 Alabama Crimson Tide
Record: 14–1
>CFP Result: Lost to Clemson, National Championship
This is the lone team on the list that didn’t win a national championship, and that alone tells you how absurdly stacked this roster was. On paper, this may be the most talented team college football has ever seen.
Alabama’s offense featured Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, a running back room of Damien Harris, Najee Harris, Josh Jacobs, and Brian Robinson Jr., and a wide receiver group that included Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle, Henry Ruggs III, and DeVonta Smith. On defense? Quinnen Williams, Dylan Moses, Xavier McKinney, and Patrick Surtain II. NFL talent was everywhere.
The Tide obliterated their first 14 opponents by an average of 32 points per game before running into a generational Clemson buzzsaw. They fell short when it mattered most, but the sheer depth and NFL talent earn them a place here.
9) 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes
Record: 14–1
>CFP Result: Beat Alabama 42–35; Beat Oregon 42–20 (National Champions)
The ultimate “get hot at the perfect time” team, and the original CFP champions.
Ohio State entered the first playoff ranked 16th, then lost Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett before unleashing Cardale Jones on college football. What followed was legendary: a 59–0 demolition of Wisconsin, a 28–0 run to stun Alabama, and a dominant win over Oregon.
This team didn’t just overcome adversity; it redefined belief. The Buckeyes peaked when it mattered most and set the blueprint for postseason greatness.
8) 2015 Alabama Crimson Tide
Record: 14–1
>CFP Result: Beat Michigan State 38–0; Beat Clemson 45–40 (National Champions)
This Alabama team proved Nick Saban could win any style of football game.
Powered by Derrick Henry, Calvin Ridley, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Marlon Humphrey, and Da’Ron Payne, the Tide beat eight AP Top 25 teams and capped the season with a high-scoring shootout against Clemson, something unheard of for Saban at the time.
Forty-four players from this roster went on to play in the NFL. This wasn’t just a championship team; it was a professional pipeline.
7) 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes
Record: 10–2
>CFP Result: Beat Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, Notre Dame (National Champions)
Yes, this is a two-loss team. No, it doesn’t matter.
After losing to Michigan for the fourth straight year and watching Ryan Day’s job security crumble, Ohio State delivered the greatest CFP rally ever as a No. 6 seed. Four straight wins over top-10 teams, by an average of 17 points, to win it all.
According to PFSN impact grades, Ohio State ranked third nationally on offense (90.9) and first on defense (91.2). Once this team caught fire, they were unstoppable, balanced, ruthless, and built for playoff football. This felt like a March Madness-type run in college basketball for the lower-seeded team that everyone ends up rooting for, given the amount of noise surrounding the team going into it.
6) 2023 Michigan Wolverines
Record: 15–0
>CFP Result: Beat Alabama 27–20; Beat Washington 34–13 (National Champions)
The most complete Michigan team of the CFP era.
Led by Blake Corum and a suffocating defense, the Wolverines allowed just 9.5 points per game, best in the FBS. Ground and pound style championship, just how coach Harbaugh drew it up. Defensively, they finished No. 1 in PFSN impact score (91.5) and held every opponent under 25 points all season.
This was Jim Harbaugh’s masterpiece, disciplined, physical, and dominant, before his return to the NFL.
5) 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide
Record: 13–0
>CFP Result: Beat Notre Dame 31–14; Beat Ohio State 52–24 (National Champions)
Imagine trying to defend DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle at the same time.
Smith posted a near-perfect 99.7 WR impact grade, Waddle ranked fourth nationally in PFSN grade as well, and Mac Jones ran the offense like a seasoned pro. Alabama averaged nearly 50 points per game, winning all but one contest by at least two touchdowns.
Smith became the first wide receiver since 1991 to win the Heisman, capping a flawless, pandemic-era championship run.
4) 2025 Indiana Hoosiers
Record: 15–0
>CFP Result: Two wins, one game remaining
Yes, Indiana belongs here, and arguably, it should be higher.
Curt Cignetti has engineered one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history, transforming Indiana into a juggernaut that is statistically elite in every phase of the game.
The Hoosiers rank fifth nationally in scoring at 41.9 points per game while allowing just 10.8 points per contest, the second-best mark in the country. Their dominance is most evident in a staggering +404 regular-season point differential, paired with relentless defensive pressure that has yielded 39 sacks and 25 takeaways.
According to PFSN, Indiana owns the nation’s top defensive impact grade at 97.9, reinforcing what the eye test already confirms: this defense suffocates opponents and dictates games from start to finish.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Indiana’s first-ever Heisman winner, has been surgical, completing over 85% of his passes in the CFP, throwing 33 regular-season and eight playoff touchdowns (as of now) to just six interceptions, and ranking second nationally in QB impact (93.3).
Indiana has outscored CFP opponents by 69 points, and one more win would seal the first 16–0 season in college football history. This isn’t a Cinderella story anymore; it’s sustained dominance.
3) 2021 Georgia Bulldogs
Record: 14–1
>CFP Result: Beat Michigan 34–11; Beat Alabama 33–18 (National Champions)
This team featured one of the most dominant defenses ever assembled.
Georgia allowed just 10.2 points per game, surrendered only 10 passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns all season, and turned an SEC title loss into championship fuel.
Kirby Smart’s defense made scoring feel impossible, while Stetson Bennett did just enough to guide the offense to Georgia’s first title since 1980.
2) 2022 Georgia Bulldogs
Record: 15–0
>CFP Result: Beat Ohio State 42–41; Beat TCU 65–7 (National Champions)
Repeating is brutally difficult. Georgia made it look routine.
This team embraced the target on its back, averaging 41+ points per game and blowing out TCU in the most lopsided national championship in CFP history. Stetson Bennett took another leap, accounting for over 4,000 passing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, while Georgia’s depth overwhelmed everyone.
Back-to-back titles cemented this team’s legacy.
1) 2019 LSU Tigers
Record: 15–0
>CFP Result: Beat Oklahoma 63–28; Beat Clemson 42–25 (National Champions)
The gold standard.
Joe Burrow’s season was video-game absurd: 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns, six interceptions.
With Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson combining for 38 receiving touchdowns, LSU obliterated elite competition weekly, beating five top-10 teams and averaging 48.4 points per game.
This team didn’t just dominate, it redefined offensive football. The 2019 Tigers remain the measuring stick for greatness in the CFP era.
