Highest & Lowest Scoring College Football Playoff Games

Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts, right, and defensive lineman Da'Ron Payne (94) hold up the bowl trophy afterdefeating Clemson in the Sugar Bowl semi-final playoff game for the NCAA college football national championship, in New Orleans, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. Alabama won 24-6 to advance to the national championship game.
(AP Photo/Rusty Costanza)

FBS college football evolved its postseason model from the two-team BCS model to the four-team College Football Playoff model for the 2014 season. A decade later, the 12-team CFP debuted in 2024.

Blowouts and dramatic scores have been quite common in the intervening years. But no playoff score has been higher than Georgia’s double-overtime win in the 2017 semifinal, when the Bulldogs dispatched Oklahoma 54-48. 

So far, it’s the only CFP game to feature more than 100 points.

Many championship contenders have strong defenses, so CFP games with 50 points or fewer are actually quite common. 

Amusingly, the lowest-scoring game of the playoff age was actually the other 2017 semifinal. Alabama defeated No. 1 Clemson, 24-6, in a game that featured only 30 points.

Highest Scoring College Football Playoff Games

DateTotal PointsFinal ScoreBowl/Round
Jan. 1, 2018102Georgia 54, Ohio State 48 (2OT)Rose Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
Dec. 31, 202296TCU 51, Michigan 45Fiesta Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
Dec. 28, 201991LSU 63, Oklahoma 28Peach Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
Jan. 11, 201685Alabama 45, Clemson 40CFP Championship
Dec. 31, 202283Georgia 42, Ohio State 41Peach Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
Jan. 1, 201579Oregon 59, Florida State 20Rose Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
Dec. 29, 201879Alabama 45, Oklahoma 34Orange Bowl (CFP Semifinal)

Lowest Scoring College Football Playoff Games

DateTotal PointsFinal ScoreBowl/Round
Jan. 1, 201830Alabama 24, Clemson 6Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
Dec. 31, 201631Alabama 24, Washington 7Peach Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
Dec. 31, 201631Clemson 31, Ohio State 0Fiesta Bowl (CFP Semfinal)
Dec. 29, 201833Clemson 30, Notre Dame 3Cotton Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
Dec. 31, 202133Alabama 27, Cincinnati 6Cotton Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
Jan. 2, 202533Notre Dame 23, Georgia 10Sugar Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal)
Dec. 31, 201538Alabama 38, Michigan State 0Cotton Bowl (CFP Semfinal)

College Football Parlays

College football season is a perfect chance to build parlays.

With hundreds of games and thousands of odds combinations each year, you can build a parlay with heavy moneyline favorites, short underdogs, or prop bets. It’s a thrilling way to get closer to the action and make every play count.

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About the Author Read More @chaseakiddy

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.