The CFP Era · 2014–present

Western Michigan

Twelve seasons in three acts · Mid-American

86–62Record
58.1%Win %
0National titles
2016Peak season
46Avg. percentile
13NFL draftees

The three-act trajectory

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

FOUNDINGTRANSITIONEXPANSION0255075100141516171819202122232425Peak of the era2016 · 13–1Steepest fall2017
Source CFB Zeitgeist · power ratings
Founding2014–2020

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

53–31 · avg percentile 51
Transition2021–2023

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

17–20 · avg percentile 31
Expansion2024–present

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

16–11 · avg percentile 49

Defining games

Coaches of the era

P.J. Fleck2014–2016
Tim Lester2017–2017
Tim Lester2020–2022
Lance Taylor2023–2025

Roster of the era

13 players drafted into the NFL across the CFP era.

215
316
217
220
121
122
123
124

Entering Year 13

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