One of the most exciting features of any championship game is a comeback. No matter how big or small, a come-from-behind win always leaves fans on the edge of their seats. The College Football Playoff National Championship has had its fair share of comeback wins. Here’s a list of those who were down but not out.
Every Team That Has Come From Behind in the College Football Playoff National Championship
Ohio State (2015)
The Ohio State Buckeyes took on the Oregon Ducks in the first-ever CFP National Championship Game in Arlington, Texas. The Ducks struck first, as QB Marcus Mariota hit WR Keenan Lowe for a 7-yard touchdown with 12:21 left in the first quarter. That was the last time Oregon was on top for the rest of the night.
Ohio State scored the next three touchdowns, as RB Ezekiel Elliott ran for a score, and QB Cardale Jones threw and ran for scores to make it 21-7.
The Ducks were not out quite yet, going on to score 13 straight points. Two Aiden Schneider field goals and a 70-yard TD pass from Mariota to RB Byron Marshall made it 21-20.
However, the Buckeyes kept the Ducks scoreless the rest of the way. Elliott racked up three TD runs in the second half to finish with 246 yards and four scores, helping Ohio State to pick up a 42-20 win.
Alabama (2016)
The next year in the CFP also brought a come-from-behind victory and one of the best CFP games ever. The Alabama Crimson Tide fought the Clemson Tigers for the national title in Glendale, Arizona.
The Tide struck first, as RB Derrick Henry ran 50 yards for a touchdown. But the Tigers closed the first quarter with back-to-back TDs from QB Deshaun Watson to WR Hunter Renfrow to make it 14-7 after the first 15 minutes.
Henry would tie the game with a 1-yard score to make it 14-14 at halftime. Alabama started the third quarter strong, as QB Jake Coker hit TE O.J. Howard for a 53-yard score. However, Clemson scored 10 straight points off a Greg Huegel field goal and a Wayne Gallman 1-yard run to retake the lead at 24-21.
MORE: List of FBS College Football National Champions by Year
The fourth quarter is when things got crazy. After a field goal, Howard struck again with a 51-yard TD pass from Coker to retain the lead at 31-24. After the Tigers cut the advantage to four, RB Kenyan Drake took the ensuing kickoff 95 yards to the house to make it 38-27. It was pretty much over from there.
Each side traded scores, including another Henry touchdown run, as Alabama won 45-40 in one of the most memorable games in recent memory.
Clemson (2017)
The comeback trend would continue in 2017. This time the roles were reversed between Clemson and Alabama, as they met up in Tampa, Florida. The Tide started quickly, jumping out to a 14-0 lead after a pair of Bo Scarbrough touchdown runs. Watson ran for an 8-yard score to make it 14-7 going into halftime.
After a Crimson Tide field goal to start the third quarter, Watson connected with Renfrow for a 24-yard score to make it 17-14. Howard continued to be a thorn in the Tiger’s side, as he caught a 68-yard score from QB Jalen Hurts to make it 24-14.
Clemson came alive in the fourth quarter. They took the lead when Watson hit Mike Williams for a 4-yard score, and then Gallman punched in another from 1-yard out to make it 28-24.
Hurts gave Alabama the lead back on a 30-yard run to make it 31-28 with 2:07 left in the game. But Watson and Co. stormed down the field, completing a frantic drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Renfrow as the Tigers brought home a 35-31 win.
Alabama (2018)
The 2018 season marked another CFP title game comeback. This time it was Alabama on the right end as they battled the Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta. The Bulldogs scored the game’s first 13 points and took a 13-0 lead into halftime.
The Tide benched Hurts in favor of freshman Tua Tagovailoa, and it worked out in a big way. He connected with Henry Ruggs III for a 6-yard score to cut the lead to 13-7. Georgia responded quickly, as QB Jake Fromm hit WR Mecole Hardman for 80 yards to make it a 13-point lead once again at 20-7.
Alabama scored the next 13 points, including the tying TD, as Tua hit WR Calvin Ridley for a 7-yard score to make it 20-20 with 3:49 left. The game then went into overtime.
In the extra frame, the Bulldogs got a field goal on the first possession. Then, after taking a brutal sack, Tagovailoa found DeVonta Smith for the game-winning 41-yard score to give the Tide a thrilling 26-23 national title win that is still replayed to this day.
Clemson (2019)
For the fifth consecutive year, we had a comeback in the CFP National Championship Game. This time, it was Clemson who got revenge on Alabama in Santa Clara, California.
The Tide broke out to a 16-14 lead early in the second quarter as Tagovailoa threw two touchdowns to WR Jerry Jeudy and TE Hale Hentges. That was the end of Alabama’s joy for the rest of the game.
The Tigers scored 30 unanswered points the rest of the way. RB Travis Etienne ran for two TDs and caught another while recording 177 yards from scrimmage. QB Trevor Lawrence generated 347 yards and three scores as Clemson routed the Tide 44-16.
LSU (2020)
The comeback streak continued in 2020. This time, the LSU Tigers got their chance against Clemson in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Tigers started fast, as Lawrence and WR Tee Higgins each had a TD run to make it 17-7 with just over nine minutes remaining in the second quarter.
QB Joe Burrow and Co. went on a run from there, outscoring the other Tigers 35-8 the rest of the way. Burrow threw for 464 yards and five touchdowns as LSU cruised to a 42-25 victory. RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire finished with 164 total yards.
WR Ja’Marr Chase had NINE catches for 221 yards and two scores. Fellow WR Justin Jefferson had 106 yards on nine receptions.
Georgia (2022)
After a short hiatus, the comeback trend returned in 2022. Georgia met up with Alabama from Indianapolis, Indiana, aiming for some redemption. They certainly got that and then some.
The Tide took a 9-6 lead into halftime, backed by Will Reichard’s three field goals. RB Zamir White gave the Bulldogs their first lead with a 1-yard score to make it 13-9.
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After another Reichard field goal made it a 1-point game, QB Bryce Young hit TE Cameron Latu for a 3-yard TD to give Alabama the lead back at 18-13 in the fourth quarter.
Georgia caught fire from there. QB Stetson Bennett threw a pair of touchdowns on back-to-back drives to WR Adonai Mitchell and TE Brock Bowers to make it a 26-18 game. Then, CB Kelee Ringo sealed the deal by intercepting Young and taking it 79 yards into the end zone to give the Bulldogs a 33-18 national title win.
Ohio State (2025)
The Buckeyes started the first iteration of the CFP with a come-from-behind win and did it again in 2025 with the new 12-team format taking center stage.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s Riley Leonard capped a nearly 10-minute opening drive with a 1-yard score to take an early 7-0. However, Ohio State scored the next 31 points. QB Quinshon Judkins had a trio of touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving, as the Buckeyes took a 31-7 lead in the third quarter.
Leonard connected on two more touchdowns to Jaden Greathouse, plus both two-point conversions, to make it a 31-23 game with 4:15 left in the game. Ohio State burned the next three minutes, culminating in a Jayden Fielding 33-yard field goal to put the game away and give the Buckeyes a 34-23 win.
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