With the Ohio State Buckeyes beating Notre Dame in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff title game this week, Ryan Day added his name to the list of coaches to win championships in the playoff era.
As a program, Ohio State tied Clemson and Georgia for the second most national championships in the CFP era, which began in 2014 with then-coach Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes taking home the title.
Alabama, of course, has the most championship trophies of the CFP era with three — following the 2015, 2017 and 2020 seasons.
As for which team is the greatest of all-time in the history of the playoff era (2014-present)? That honor belongs to Alabama’s loaded 2020 team, according to USA TODAY Sports.
Earlier this week, veteran college football scribe Paul Myerberg reranked every national champion of the playoff era. The 2020 Crimson Tide edged 2019 LSU as the greatest team in the history of the CFP.
Myerberg explained Alabama’s No. 1 ranking this way:
“Led by an unstoppable offense starring Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, the 2020 Crimson Tide have an argument for being counted among the top teams in modern FBS history. Against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic, Alabama went unbeaten in games against 11 SEC teams, Notre Dame and Ohio State, scoring at least 31 points in every game, at least 41 points in every game but two, and winning every game by at least 15 points. This was a dominant group and the most impressive team of the Nick Saban era.”
Indeed, Alabama boasted three of the top five finalists in the Heisman Trophy voting with quarterback Mac Jones and running back Najee Harris joining Smith. The closest contest the Crimson Tide played in all season was the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta against Dan Mullen’s Florida Gators team. Alabama won, 52-46.
The Tide then beat Notre Dame in the CFP semifinals before topping Ohio State 52-24 in the national championship game in Miami.
USA TODAY is the most recent national outlet to rank the 2020 Crimson Tide as the greatest of the playoff era, joining ESPN.
