Georgia’s scintillating opening 30 minutes against TCU staked the Bulldogs to a 38-7 lead in Monday’s National Championship, as they looked to become the first team to repeat as national champions since the College Football Playoff’s 2014 debut.
The first half conjured memories of some of the nine-year-old system’s biggest blowouts. Here are the most lopsided scores of the CFP’s nine-year tenure.
1. 2015 Rose Bowl: Oregon 59, Florida State 20
Quarterback Marcus Mariota and Oregon turned an 18-13 halftime score into a laugher with a 27-point third quarter in the first-ever CFP game.
2. 2015 Cotton Bowl: Alabama 38, Michigan State 0
Michigan State tiptoed into the 2015 CFP on the strength of last-minute wins over Michigan, Ohio State, and Iowa, but ran into a buzzsaw in running back Derrick Henry and Alabama.
3. 2019 Peach Bowl: LSU 63, Oklahoma 28
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow played one of the greatest halves by a quarterback in college football history, throwing seven touchdowns to give the Tigers a 49-14 halftime lead.
4. 2016 Fiesta Bowl: Clemson 31, Ohio State 0
On the way to its first national championship in 35 years, Clemson dominated the Buckeyes to set up a title-game rematch with the Crimson Tide.
T-5. 2019 National Championship: Alabama 44, Clemson 16
In the two teams’ third championship matchup (and most recent to date), the Tigers shook off Alabama in Santa Clara, Ca. to win their second crown in three years.
T-5. 2021 National Championship: Alabama 52, Ohio State 24
College football’s strangest season ended with a decisive Crimson Tide victory after a seesaw first half.
7. 2018 Cotton Bowl: Clemson 30, Notre Dame 3
Notre Dame’s maiden College Football Playoff voyage was immediately sunk by a Clemson team that would go on to win the national title.
8. 2021 Orange Bowl: Georgia 34, Michigan 11
Like their in-state rivals six years before them, the Wolverines met a disheartening demise at the hands of an SEC juggernaut after a breakthrough conference season.
9. 2015 National Championship: Ohio State 42, Oregon 20
Despite the Ducks picking up where they left off in the Rose Bowl by scoring on its opening drive, Ohio State shredded Oregon to win the unlikeliest of its eight national titles.
T-10. 2021 Sugar Bowl: Ohio State 49, Clemson 28
Clearing a longtime hurdle in coach Dabo Swinney’s Tigers, the Justin Fields-led Buckeyes advanced to the National Championship in a truncated pandemic season.
T-10. 2021 Cotton Bowl: Alabama 27, Cincinnati 6
The first Group of Five team to make the CFP gave a good account of itself but ultimately succumbed to quarterback Bryce Young and Alabama.
