The CFP Era · 2014–present

Rice

Twelve seasons in three acts · American Athletic

48–94Record
33.8%Win %
0National titles
2014Peak season
13Avg. percentile
2NFL draftees

The three-act trajectory

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

FOUNDINGTRANSITIONEXPANSION0255075100141516171819202122232425Peak of the era2014 · 8–5Steepest fall2015
Source CFB Zeitgeist · power ratings
Founding2014–2020

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

24–55 · avg percentile 13
Transition2021–2023

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

15–23 · avg percentile 12
Expansion2024–present

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

9–16 · avg percentile 16

Defining games

Coaches of the era

David Bailiff2014–2017
Mike Bloomgren2020–2024
Scott Abell2025–2025

Roster of the era

2 players drafted into the NFL across the CFP era.

114
123

Entering Year 13

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