The CFP Era · 2014–present

Middle Tennessee

Twelve seasons in three acts · Conference USA

68–80Record
45.9%Win %
0National titles
2017Peak season
30Avg. percentile
3NFL draftees

The three-act trajectory

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

FOUNDINGTRANSITIONEXPANSION0255075100141516171819202122232425Peak of the era2017 · 7–6Steepest fall2024
Source CFB Zeitgeist · power ratings
Founding2014–2020

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

43–43 · avg percentile 35
Transition2021–2023

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

19–19 · avg percentile 34
Expansion2024–present

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

6–18 · avg percentile 7

Defining games

Coaches of the era

Rick Stockstill2014–2017
Rick Stockstill2020–2023
Derek Mason2024–2025

Roster of the era

3 players drafted into the NFL across the CFP era.

115
117
125

Entering Year 13

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