The CFP Era · 2014–present

Clemson

Twelve seasons in three acts · ACC

136–30Record
81.9%Win %
2National titles
5Playoff games
2018Peak season
96Avg. percentile
67NFL draftees

The three-act trajectory

Within-season power percentile against the FBS cohort, season by season.

FOUNDINGTRANSITIONEXPANSION02550751001415161718192021222324252 national titlesfirst in 2016Peak of the era2018 · 15–0
Source CFB Zeitgeist · power ratings
Founding2014–2020

The four-team Playoff era. The bracket is small, the margin for error none.

89–10 · avg percentile 98
Transition2021–2023

The last seasons before expansion — NIL arrives, the portal opens, the four-team format ends.

30–10 · avg percentile 93
Expansion2024–present

The twelve-team Playoff. A wider field changes what a season has to prove.

17–10 · avg percentile 92

Defining games

Coaches of the era

Dabo Swinney2014–2017
Dabo Swinney2020–2025

Roster of the era

67 players drafted into the NFL across the CFP era.

514
915
616
317
618
719
520
221
622
623
324
925

Entering Year 13

The 2026 season opens the next chapter of the expansion era under Dabo Swinney. See the 2014–2025 program page →