The CFP Era · 2014–present

Navy

Twelve seasons in three acts · American Athletic

86–65Record
57.0%Win %
0National titles
2015Peak season
59Avg. percentile
6NFL draftees

The three-act trajectory

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

FOUNDINGTRANSITIONEXPANSION0255075100141516171819202122232425Peak of the era2015 · 11–2Steepest fall2018
Source CFB Zeitgeist · power ratings
Founding2014–2020

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

52–37 · avg percentile 63
Transition2021–2023

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

13–23 · avg percentile 44
Expansion2024–present

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

21–5 · avg percentile 71

Defining games

Coaches of the era

Ken Niumatalolo2014–2017
Ken Niumatalolo2020–2022
Brian Newberry2023–2025

Roster of the era

6 players drafted into the NFL across the CFP era.

114
115
119
124
225

Entering Year 13

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