The College Football Playoff is not usually known for low-scoring games, but Miami and Texas A&M bucked the trend this Saturday afternoon as they battled for a spot in the quarterfinals. For the first time, a CFP game ended scoreless at halftime, and it was only in the fourth quarter that both teams managed to score touchdowns in the 10-3 Hurricanes victory.
Here’s a look back at the history of the College Football Playoff for the lowest-scoring games in its history.
5 Lowest-Scoring College Football Playoff Games
#5 Notre Dame 23 – 10 Georgia (2025)
This was the game that proved that Marcus Freeman’s Fighting Irish were serious contenders for the College Football Playoff. Notre Dame’s defense was on point during the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal against the Bulldogs, limiting them to 10 points.
Kirby Smart’s offense was ailing, as they were forced to play the game with the then-backup Gunner Stockton, as starter Carson Beck had suffered a season-ending injury in the SEC championship victory over the Texas Longhorns. Notre Dame made it all the way to the national championship game, where they lost to Ryan Day’s Ohio State.
#4 Clemson 31 – 0 Ohio State (2016)
Calling this Fiesta Bowl semifinal game low-scoring is a bit of a joke, but on their way to their first national title under Dabo Swinney, the Tigers pulled off an amazing defensive job against the Ohio State Buckeyes of Urban Meyer, who had won the opening College Football Playoff edition just a couple of years earlier.
The Tigers quarterback was Deshaun Watson, who led them with 259 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions that day. They went on to play Alabama in the championship game and won 35-31.
#3 Alabama 24 – 7 Washington (2016)
The 2016 College Football Playoff didn’t offer the most exciting of encounters. On the other side of that year’s bracket, in the middle of their dynasty run, Nick Saban’s Alabama got the better of the Washington Huskies at the Peach Bowl. They were led to victory by a Jalen Hurts who didn’t contribute much in passing, with only 57 yards and a completion percentage of 50%, but who ran for 50 yards. They went on to lose the national championship to Clemson.
#2 Alabama 24 – 6 Clemson (2017)
The game actually took place on New Year’s Day of 2018, as part of the 2017 College Football Playoff. On their way to yet another national title, Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide had to dispatch one of their biggest rivals of the late 2010s: Dabo Swinney’s Clemson. Again with Jalen Hurts at the center of the huddle, they did so. He threw for 120 yards and had two touchdowns in that Sugar Bowl. He also ran for 40 yards. They beat Georgia 26-23 in overtime in the national championship game.
#1 Miami 10 – 3 Texas A&M (2025)
By far the lowest-scoring game in the history of the College Football Playoff. Both offenses and special teams were off for most of the game, with it being a tale of missed and blocked field goals, missed chances in the red zone, and fumbles. It’s the only game in the history of the College Football Playoff to finish scoreless at halftime.
The Hurricanes advanced, thanks to Mark Fletcher’s running performance in the fourth quarter, a jet sweep by Malachi Toney late in the game, and a pair of interceptions by Bryce Fitzgerald in the second half, especially in the last play of the game, as the Aggies approached the end zone with less than a minute on the clock.
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