2020 season
130 teams across 5 tiers · ingest from CFBD regular season
- National champion
- Notre Damefrom Premier
- Biggest riser (1999 tiers)
- Texas A&M▲ 1 tier
- Biggest faller
- Utah▼ 1 tier
Regular season champions
Tier winners — the top finisher in each tier on points, before any promotion playoff or main-playoff games.
Tier standings
Final regular-season standings within each tier. Promoted rows tinted green, relegated rows tinted red, survival winners tinted amber.
Premier24 teams
| Team | Status | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 11 | 0 | 39 | 547 | 214 | +333 | |
| 2 | Notre Dame | 10 | 1 | 36 | 387 | 205 | +182 | |
| 3 | Clemson | 10 | 1 | 33 | 494 | 193 | +301 | |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 8 | 2 | 27 | 418 | 219 | +199 | |
| 5 | Miami (FL) | 8 | 2 | 26 | 340 | 260 | +80 | |
| 6 | Cincinnati | 9 | 0 | 25 | 354 | 144 | +210 | |
| 7 | Iowa | 6 | 2 | 25 | 254 | 128 | +126 | |
| 8 | Ohio State | 6 | 0 | 22 | 255 | 126 | +129 | |
| 9 | TCU | 6 | 4 | 22 | 308 | 242 | +66 | |
| 10 | Georgia | 7 | 2 | 21 | 299 | 179 | +120 | |
| 11 | Texas | 6 | 3 | 21 | 372 | 262 | +110 | |
| 12 | USC | 5 | 1 | 21 | 200 | 156 | +44 | |
| 13 | Oregon | 4 | 2 | 18 | 202 | 164 | +38 | |
| 14 | UCF | 6 | 3 | 17 | 399 | 283 | +116 | |
| 15 | Penn State | 4 | 5 | 13 | 268 | 249 | +19 | |
| 16 | Stanford | 4 | 2 | 13 | 176 | 190 | -14 | |
| 17 | LSU | 5 | 5 | 13 | 320 | 349 | -29 | |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 3 | 3 | 11 | 134 | 94 | +40 | |
| 19 | Washington | 3 | 1 | 9 | 121 | 100 | +21 | |
| 20 | Michigan State | 2 | 5 | 9 | 126 | 246 | -120 | |
| 21 | Utah | 3 | 2 | 8 | 151 | 130 | +21 | Relegated |
| 22 | Michigan | 2 | 4 | 5 | 170 | 207 | -37 | Relegated |
| 23 | Arizona State | 2 | 2 | 4 | 161 | 93 | +68 | Survived |
| 24 | Baylor | 2 | 7 | 4 | 210 | 263 | -53 | Relegated |
Tier 224 teams
| Team | Status | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M | 8 | 1 | 26 | 285 | 190 | +95 | Promoted |
| 2 | Florida | 8 | 3 | 23 | 458 | 315 | +143 | Promoted |
| 3 | Oklahoma State | 7 | 3 | 23 | 295 | 224 | +71 | Promoted (playoff) |
| 4 | Northwestern | 6 | 2 | 20 | 187 | 124 | +63 | |
| 5 | Memphis | 7 | 3 | 20 | 316 | 297 | +19 | |
| 6 | Pittsburgh | 6 | 5 | 19 | 319 | 270 | +49 | |
| 7 | Auburn | 6 | 4 | 19 | 257 | 237 | +20 | |
| 8 | Virginia Tech | 5 | 6 | 15 | 342 | 353 | -11 | |
| 9 | West Virginia | 5 | 4 | 14 | 241 | 184 | +57 | |
| 10 | Louisville | 4 | 7 | 12 | 325 | 293 | +32 | |
| 11 | Boise State | 5 | 2 | 11 | 237 | 190 | +47 | |
| 12 | UCLA | 3 | 4 | 11 | 248 | 215 | +33 | |
| 13 | Western Michigan | 4 | 2 | 10 | 250 | 205 | +45 | |
| 14 | Mississippi State | 3 | 7 | 10 | 207 | 283 | -76 | |
| 15 | Texas Tech | 4 | 6 | 10 | 291 | 367 | -76 | |
| 16 | Houston | 3 | 4 | 8 | 226 | 228 | -2 | |
| 17 | Minnesota | 3 | 4 | 8 | 191 | 211 | -20 | |
| 18 | Nebraska | 3 | 5 | 8 | 185 | 235 | -50 | |
| 19 | San Diego State | 4 | 4 | 7 | 197 | 142 | +55 | |
| 20 | Florida State | 3 | 6 | 6 | 232 | 324 | -92 | |
| 21 | Fresno State | 3 | 3 | 5 | 197 | 180 | +17 | Relegated |
| 22 | Syracuse | 1 | 10 | 3 | 196 | 360 | -164 | Relegated |
| 23 | Washington State | 1 | 3 | 1 | 108 | 154 | -46 | Relegated |
| 24 | Northern Illinois | 0 | 6 | 0 | 149 | 232 | -83 | Survived |
Tier 326 teams
| Team | Status | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa State | 8 | 3 | 32 | 361 | 240 | +121 | Promoted |
| 2 | BYU | 10 | 1 | 23 | 473 | 161 | +312 | Promoted |
| 3 | North Carolina | 8 | 3 | 23 | 473 | 312 | +161 | |
| 4 | Indiana | 6 | 1 | 23 | 211 | 136 | +75 | Promoted (playoff) |
| 5 | Boston College | 6 | 5 | 19 | 306 | 312 | -6 | |
| 6 | Tulsa | 6 | 2 | 17 | 218 | 166 | +52 | |
| 7 | Nevada | 6 | 2 | 16 | 239 | 183 | +56 | |
| 8 | Colorado | 4 | 1 | 16 | 148 | 135 | +13 | |
| 9 | Kansas State | 4 | 6 | 15 | 266 | 322 | -56 | |
| 10 | Missouri | 5 | 5 | 14 | 267 | 323 | -56 | |
| 11 | Virginia | 5 | 5 | 13 | 307 | 296 | +11 | |
| 12 | Ole Miss | 4 | 5 | 12 | 366 | 363 | +3 | |
| 13 | Kentucky | 4 | 6 | 12 | 217 | 264 | -47 | |
| 14 | Georgia Tech | 3 | 7 | 11 | 239 | 368 | -129 | |
| 15 | Toledo | 4 | 2 | 9 | 210 | 146 | +64 | |
| 16 | Tennessee | 3 | 7 | 8 | 215 | 301 | -86 | |
| 17 | Louisiana Tech | 5 | 4 | 7 | 264 | 309 | -45 | |
| 18 | Navy | 3 | 7 | 7 | 166 | 303 | -137 | |
| 19 | Air Force | 3 | 3 | 6 | 146 | 90 | +56 | |
| 20 | South Carolina | 2 | 8 | 6 | 235 | 360 | -125 | |
| 21 | California | 1 | 3 | 5 | 81 | 106 | -25 | |
| 22 | Duke | 2 | 9 | 5 | 273 | 419 | -146 | |
| 23 | Wyoming | 2 | 4 | 4 | 159 | 126 | +33 | Relegated |
| 24 | Temple | 1 | 6 | 3 | 139 | 260 | -121 | Relegated |
| 25 | Arizona | 0 | 5 | 0 | 87 | 199 | -112 | Relegated |
| 26 | South Florida | 1 | 8 | 0 | 208 | 359 | -151 | Survived |
Tier 426 teams
| Team | Status | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NC State | 8 | 3 | 24 | 342 | 327 | +15 | Promoted |
| 2 | SMU | 7 | 3 | 15 | 386 | 309 | +77 | Promoted |
| 3 | Tulane | 6 | 5 | 14 | 389 | 299 | +90 | Promoted (playoff) |
| 4 | Marshall | 7 | 2 | 11 | 275 | 113 | +162 | |
| 5 | Army | 9 | 2 | 11 | 300 | 154 | +146 | |
| 6 | Wake Forest | 4 | 4 | 11 | 296 | 253 | +43 | |
| 7 | Buffalo | 5 | 1 | 10 | 287 | 143 | +144 | |
| 8 | Hawaii | 4 | 4 | 10 | 208 | 234 | -26 | |
| 9 | Maryland | 2 | 3 | 9 | 118 | 160 | -42 | |
| 10 | App State | 8 | 3 | 8 | 350 | 212 | +138 | |
| 11 | East Carolina | 3 | 6 | 8 | 272 | 319 | -47 | |
| 12 | UAB | 6 | 3 | 7 | 256 | 193 | +63 | |
| 13 | Central Michigan | 3 | 3 | 7 | 188 | 181 | +7 | |
| 14 | Purdue | 2 | 4 | 7 | 163 | 179 | -16 | |
| 15 | Western Kentucky | 5 | 6 | 6 | 207 | 265 | -58 | |
| 16 | Arkansas State | 4 | 7 | 5 | 362 | 409 | -47 | |
| 17 | Illinois | 2 | 6 | 5 | 161 | 279 | -118 | |
| 18 | North Texas | 4 | 5 | 4 | 316 | 372 | -56 | |
| 19 | Ohio | 2 | 1 | 3 | 103 | 50 | +53 | |
| 20 | Southern Miss | 3 | 7 | 3 | 253 | 323 | -70 | |
| 21 | Middle Tennessee | 3 | 6 | 3 | 206 | 319 | -113 | |
| 22 | Miami (OH) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 86 | 80 | +6 | |
| 23 | Utah State | 1 | 5 | 1 | 93 | 211 | -118 | Relegated |
| 24 | UNLV | 0 | 6 | 0 | 104 | 228 | -124 | Survived |
| 25 | Bowling Green | 0 | 5 | 0 | 57 | 225 | -168 | Relegated |
| 26 | Vanderbilt | 0 | 9 | 0 | 133 | 336 | -203 | Relegated |
Tier 530 teams
| Team | Status | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose State | 7 | 0 | 19 | 216 | 125 | +91 | Promoted |
| 2 | Ball State | 6 | 1 | 16 | 240 | 193 | +47 | Promoted |
| 3 | Liberty | 9 | 1 | 15 | 383 | 192 | +191 | Promoted (playoff) |
| 4 | Coastal Carolina | 11 | 0 | 14 | 412 | 206 | +206 | |
| 5 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 9 | 1 | 14 | 339 | 218 | +121 | |
| 6 | UTSA | 7 | 4 | 11 | 315 | 277 | +38 | |
| 7 | Arkansas | 3 | 7 | 10 | 257 | 349 | -92 | |
| 8 | Rutgers | 3 | 6 | 9 | 240 | 289 | -49 | |
| 9 | Eastern Michigan | 2 | 4 | 8 | 199 | 216 | -17 | |
| 10 | Oregon State | 2 | 5 | 8 | 202 | 233 | -31 | |
| 11 | New Mexico | 2 | 5 | 7 | 167 | 228 | -61 | |
| 12 | Georgia Southern | 7 | 5 | 6 | 316 | 267 | +49 | |
| 13 | Florida Atlantic | 5 | 3 | 6 | 160 | 132 | +28 | |
| 14 | Troy | 5 | 6 | 6 | 301 | 283 | +18 | |
| 15 | Georgia State | 5 | 4 | 6 | 294 | 296 | -2 | |
| 16 | South Alabama | 4 | 7 | 6 | 219 | 300 | -81 | |
| 17 | Kent State | 3 | 1 | 4 | 199 | 152 | +47 | |
| 18 | Rice | 2 | 3 | 4 | 117 | 94 | +23 | |
| 19 | Charlotte | 2 | 4 | 3 | 162 | 195 | -33 | |
| 20 | Colorado State | 1 | 3 | 3 | 89 | 143 | -54 | |
| 21 | Texas State | 2 | 10 | 3 | 332 | 458 | -126 | |
| 22 | Akron | 1 | 5 | 2 | 103 | 248 | -145 | |
| 23 | UTEP | 3 | 5 | 1 | 184 | 248 | -64 | |
| 24 | New Mexico State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 25 | UConn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 26 | Old Dominion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 27 | Massachusetts | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 161 | -149 | |
| 28 | Louisiana-Monroe | 0 | 10 | 0 | 163 | 420 | -257 | |
| 29 | Kansas | 0 | 9 | 0 | 142 | 414 | -272 | |
| 30 | Florida International | 0 | 5 | -3 | 112 | 162 | -50 |
Main playoff
Twelve-team championship bracket: top 8 from Premier (seeds 1–8), top 2 from Tier 2 (seeds 9–10), top 2 from Tier 3 (seeds 11–12). Seeds 1–4 receive first-round byes. Champion: Notre Dame.
Round 1
Quarterfinal
Semifinal
Final
Promotion playoffs
Each lower tier sends two teams up automatically (ranks 1 and 2); ranks 3–6 contest a single-elimination playoff for the third promotion spot.
Tier 2→ up to Tier 1
Semifinal
Final
Tier 3→ up to Tier 2
Semifinal
Tier 5→ up to Tier 4
Semifinal
Final
Relegation playoffs
Bottom 4 of each upper tier play a survival bracket. The Survival Final winner stays up; the other three drop down.
Premierbottom 4 · survivor: Arizona State
Semifinal
Survival Final· winner stays up
Tier 2bottom 4 · survivor: Northern Illinois
Semifinal
Survival Final· winner stays up
Tier 3bottom 4 · survivor: South Florida
Semifinal
Survival Final· winner stays up
Tier 4bottom 4 · survivor: UNLV
Semifinal
Survival Final· winner stays up
UNLV39
2021 starting tiers
Cascade from 2020: promoted teams move up, relegated teams move down, and FBS membership is reconciled against CFBD's roster for the next year.
Premier24
- Alabama1
- Notre Dame2
- Clemson3
- Oklahoma4
- Texas A&M5
- Miami (FL)6
- Cincinnati7
- Iowa8
- Florida9
- Oklahoma State10
- Ohio State11
- TCU12
- Georgia13
- Texas14
- USC15
- Oregon16
- UCF17
- Penn State18
- Stanford19
- LSU20
- Wisconsin21
- Washington22
- Michigan State23
- Arizona State24
Tier 224
- Iowa State1
- BYU2
- Indiana3
- Northwestern4
- Memphis5
- Pittsburgh6
- Auburn7
- Virginia Tech8
- West Virginia9
- Louisville10
- Boise State11
- UCLA12
- Western Michigan13
- Mississippi State14
- Texas Tech15
- Utah16
- Houston17
- Minnesota18
- Nebraska19
- San Diego State20
- Florida State21
- Michigan22
- Baylor23
- Northern Illinois24
Tier 326
- NC State1
- North Carolina2
- Boston College3
- Tulsa4
- Nevada5
- Colorado6
- SMU7
- Kansas State8
- Tulane9
- Missouri10
- Virginia11
- Ole Miss12
- Kentucky13
- Georgia Tech14
- Toledo15
- Tennessee16
- Louisiana Tech17
- Navy18
- Air Force19
- South Carolina20
- Fresno State21
- California22
- Duke23
- Syracuse24
- Washington State25
- South Florida26
Tier 426
- San Jose State1
- Ball State2
- Liberty3
- Marshall4
- Army5
- Wake Forest6
- Buffalo7
- Hawaii8
- Maryland9
- App State10
- East Carolina11
- UAB12
- Central Michigan13
- Purdue14
- Western Kentucky15
- Arkansas State16
- Illinois17
- Wyoming18
- North Texas19
- Ohio20
- Southern Miss21
- Middle Tennessee22
- Temple23
- Miami (OH)24
- Arizona25
- UNLV26
Tier 530
- Coastal Carolina1
- Louisiana-Lafayette2
- UTSA3
- Arkansas4
- Rutgers5
- Eastern Michigan6
- Oregon State7
- New Mexico8
- Georgia Southern9
- Florida Atlantic10
- Troy11
- Georgia State12
- South Alabama13
- Kent State14
- Rice15
- Charlotte16
- Colorado State17
- Texas State18
- Akron19
- UTEP20
- Utah State21
- New Mexico State22
- UConn23
- Old Dominion24
- Massachusetts25
- Bowling Green26
- Vanderbilt27
- Louisiana-Monroe28
- Kansas29
- Florida International30