The CFP Era · 2014–present

East Carolina

Twelve seasons in three acts · American Athletic

63–82Record
43.4%Win %
0National titles
2014Peak season
42Avg. percentile
5NFL draftees

The three-act trajectory

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

FOUNDINGTRANSITIONEXPANSION0255075100141516171819202122232425Peak of the era2014 · 8–5Steepest fall2023
Source CFB Zeitgeist · power ratings
Founding2014–2020

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

29–53 · avg percentile 35
Transition2021–2023

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

17–20 · avg percentile 52
Expansion2024–present

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

17–9 · avg percentile 54

Defining games

Coaches of the era

Ruffin McNeill2014–2015
Scottie Montgomery2016–2017
Mike Houston2020–2024
Blake Harrell2025–2025

Roster of the era

5 players drafted into the NFL across the CFP era.

114
116
120
124
125

Entering Year 13

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