The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame salutes the College Football Playoff (CFP) and its staff, led by CFP Executive Director Rich Clark, for their exceptional efforts in staging the 11th CFP National Championship and the expansion of the platform from four to 12 teams. The organization also congratulates the Atlanta Football Host Committee for their hospitality in organizing multiple first-class events during the 2025 title game.
“The 2024-25 college football season marked a momentous milestone for our sport, reflecting years of efforts to improve the postseason and give more schools and conferences a shot at the national title,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “There is no question that expanded format led to more meaningful games, expanded opportunities, and a gauntlet that leaves little doubt about the best team in the country. A big congratulations to Rich Clark, his staff and everyone who has helped with the evolution of our sport as well as to the Ohio State program for winning the first ever 12-team playoff.
A sellout crowd of 77,660 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta watched Ohio State defeat Notre Dame, 3423, in the CFP championship game. This attendance marked the second-largest in CFP championship history, surpassed only by the inaugural 2015 game when Ohio State defeated Oregon at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. With this victory, Ohio State secured its second CFP national title, joining Alabama (3), Clemson (2), and Georgia (2) as the only schools with multiple championships in the CFP era. The win also brought Ohio State’s total national titles to nine in program history and made the Buckeyes the first two-loss national champion in 18 years.
ESPN reported the game generated a Nielsen-measured audience of 22.1 million viewers, making it the most viewed non-NFL sporting event of the past year and the most watched game of the new expanded 12-game-playoff format. The semifinal games also posted strong numbers with the Cotton Bowl, which saw Ohio State defeat Texas 28-14, drawing 20.6 million viewers and making it the mostwatched Cotton Bowl in history. The Orange Bowl with Notre Dame beating Penn State 2724 also performed well with 17.8 million viewers. The quarterfinalround games averaged 16.9 million viewers, and the four openinground games averaged 10.6 million viewers.
“From the firstround games on college campuses to the integration the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta and Peach bowls on New Year’s Day to the Cotton and Orange as semifinals, the whole new system has created a marvelous juggernaut for showcasing our sport,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Fans, players, coaches were treated to memories that will last a lifetime while the increased number of games made a positive impact in local communities around the country. We are extremely grateful to everyone who played a role in staging all the 11 games that were part of the playoff this year.”
Leveraging the national spotlight of the game and partnering with the NFF to celebrate “The Good in the Game,” the CFP honored Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, the 2024 recipient of the NFF William V. Campbell Trophy. A video highlighting Milroe’s achievements as a scholar- athlete was featured on the stadium video boards between the first and second quarters. The CFP also supported the announcement of the 2025 NFF College Football Hall of Fame class, which the NFF revealed earlier in the week on ESPN2. During the third quarter, the CFP conducted a special on-field tribute to the class, represented by 2025 electee Coach Urban Meyer. Meyer, who served as Notre Dame’s wide receivers coach from 1996 to 2000 and as Ohio State’s head coach from 2012 to 2018, led the Buckeyes to a CFP title in 2014. The CFP also ran a PSA promoting the NFF’s “Future For Football” initiative on the video boards in the stadium during the game.
The 2025 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted at the National Football Foundation’s 67th Annual Awards Dinner presented by Las Vegas on Tuesday December 9th at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The class includes Montee Ball (Wisconsin), Gregg Carr (Auburn), Blake Elliott (Saint John’s [MN]), Greg Eslinger (Minnesota), Terry Hanratty (Notre Dame), Graham Harrell (Texas Tech), John Henderson (Tennessee), Michael Huff (Texas), Jim Kleinsasser (North Dakota), Alex Mack (California), Terrence Metcalf (Mississippi), Haloti Ngata (Oregon), Steve Slaton (West Virginia), Darrin Smith (Miami [FL]), Michael Strahan (Texas Southern), Dennis Thurman (Southern California), Michael Vick (Virginia Tech), Ryan Yarborough (Wyoming), and coaches Larry Blakeney (Troy), Larry Korver (Northwestern [IA]), Urban Meyer (Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, Ohio State) and Nick Saban (Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, Alabama).
