The CFP Era · 2014–present

North Dakota State

Twelve seasons in three acts · Mountain West

149–17Record
89.8%Win %
0National titles
5Playoff games
2018Peak season
63Avg. percentile
14NFL draftees

The three-act trajectory

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

FOUNDINGTRANSITIONEXPANSION0255075100141516171819202122232425Peak of the era2018 · 15–0Steepest fall2020
Source CFB Zeitgeist · power ratings
Founding2014–2020

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

86–6 · avg percentile 65
Transition2021–2023

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

37–8 · avg percentile 56
Expansion2024–present

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

26–3 · avg percentile 66

Defining games

Roster of the era

14 players drafted into the NFL across the CFP era.

114
215
118
119
220
221
122
224
225

Entering Year 13

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