The College Football Playoff (CFP) started with its first season in 2014, with the inaugural national championship game played on January 12, 2015, following the 2014 regular season.

Quick Scoop

  • The four‑team College Football Playoff format debuted at the end of the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS season.
  • Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, and Ohio State were the first four teams selected for that initial playoff bracket.
  • The CFP replaced the old Bowl Championship Series (BCS), which had matched only the top two teams in a single title game before 2014.

In short, when people ask “when did college football playoffs start,” they are usually referring to the modern CFP era, which began with the 2014 season and crowned its first champion in January 2015.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.