2025‑26 College Football Playoff: New Teams Enter the Stage as Alabama Reigns Supreme

The 2025‑26 College Football Playoff (CFP) opens with an unprecedented mix of newcomers and seasoned powerhouses. Five programs—Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Miami, Tulane, and James Madison—are set to play their first playoff games, while the quarterfinals will welcome Texas Tech for its inaugural appearance.

2025‑26 CFP Debutants

The opening round of the 2025‑26 CFP will feature:

• No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels
• No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies
• No. 10 Miami Hurricanes
• No. 11 Tulane Green Wave
• No. 12 James Madison Dukes

These teams will compete in the first-ever playoff matchups for their programs. In addition, the quarterfinals will introduce the No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders, marking their first time in a CFP game.

Historical Context

The CFP began as a four‑team event in the 2014‑15 season. The first ten editions featured only four teams. The 2025‑26 playoff is the twelfth edition overall and the second to expand to twelve teams.

The inaugural playoff in 2014‑15 saw the top four teams—No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Florida State, and No. 4 Ohio State—compete. Ohio State, led by players such as Joey Bosa, Michael Thomas, and Ezekiel Elliott, captured the championship by defeating Alabama in the semifinal Sugar Bowl and then crushing the Marcus Mariota‑led Ducks in the title game.

Appearances & Titles

Alabama leads the CFP in appearances, having competed in nine of the twelve playoffs. Ohio State and Clemson are tied for second place with seven appearances each. Georgia and Oklahoma follow with five appearances apiece, while Michigan, Notre Dame, and Oregon each have three. Indiana, Texas, and Washington are the only other programs to have appeared more than once, each with two.

In terms of national championships, Alabama also tops the list with three CFP titles (2015‑16, 2017‑18, 2020‑21). The Crimson Tide have also finished as runners‑up three times, giving them a total of six appearances in championship games. Clemson, Georgia, and Ohio State each have two titles. Georgia is the only program to win back‑to‑back championships, while Ohio State captured the first CFP title and the most recent 12‑team championship. Michigan and LSU each have one title.

Championship Timeline

The following table lists every CFP national championship game and its outcome:

| Season | Champion | Runner‑up |

|——–|———-|———-|

| 2024‑25 | No. 8 Ohio State | No. 7 Notre Dame |

| 2023‑24 | No. 1 Michigan | No. 2 Washington |

| 2022‑23 | No. 1 Georgia | No. 3 TCU |

| 2021‑22 | No. 3 Georgia | No. 1 Alabama |

| 2020‑21 | No. 1 Alabama | No. 3 Ohio State |

| 2019‑20 | No. 1 LSU | No. 3 Clemson |

| 2018‑19 | No. 2 Clemson | No. 1 Alabama |

| 2017‑18 | No. 4 Alabama | No. 3 Georgia |

| 2016‑17 | No. 2 Clemson | No. 1 Alabama |

| 2015‑16 | No. 2 Alabama | No. 1 Clemson |

| 2014‑15 | No. 4 Ohio State | No. 2 Oregon |

The Ohio State Buckeyes claimed their first CFP national championship since 2014, defeating the Notre Dame Irish 34‑23.

Key Takeaways

• The 2025‑26 CFP features five programs making their playoff debut and one program entering the quarterfinals for the first time.
• Alabama holds the record for most CFP appearances (nine) and most titles (three).
• Ohio State has the second‑most appearances (seven) and two championships, including the inaugural CFP title.

The 12‑team format continues to broaden the competition, allowing a wider array of programs to taste playoff football while the established powerhouses maintain a stronghold on appearances and championships. The upcoming season promises to blend fresh narratives with the enduring legacy of teams like Alabama, Ohio State, and Clemson.