The CFP Era · 2014–present

Iowa State

Twelve seasons in three acts · Big 12

77–74Record
51.0%Win %
0National titles
2021Peak season
60Avg. percentile
16NFL draftees

The three-act trajectory

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

FOUNDINGTRANSITIONEXPANSION0255075100141516171819202122232425Peak of the era2021 · 7–6Steepest fall2022
Source CFB Zeitgeist · power ratings
Founding2014–2020

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

40–47 · avg percentile 52
Transition2021–2023

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

18–20 · avg percentile 70
Expansion2024–present

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

19–7 · avg percentile 71

Defining games

Coaches of the era

Paul Rhoads2014–2015
Matt Campbell2016–2017
Matt Campbell2020–2025

Roster of the era

16 players drafted into the NFL across the CFP era.

218
120
421
322
123
424
125

Entering Year 13

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