With Clemson and Ohio State each having already lost, the college football season has taken on a chaotic feel. Each is still its conference favorite, and out of the other three Power Five leagues, it would be surprising if we got more than one or two undefeated teams. With Notre Dame seemingly in a rebuilding year and one Group of Five league already devoid of unbeaten teams (seriously, everyone in the MAC has lost already), it’s looking like a down year for undefeateds in general.
At least, relative to recent trends.
For a long time, it was rare to get more than two undefeated championship-allowed teams. In the BCS era, there were only multiple BCS conference undefeateds in seven of the sixteen seasons, and only three BCS conference undefeateds twice—the infamous 2004 season and again in 2009, when Cincinnati entered their bowl game unbeaten. Just seven years into the College Football Playoff, we’ve already seen two seasons with three undefeated Power Fives.
Part of last season’s spike may be due to the coronavirus shortening the schedule, lessening the chance of a loss for everyone. But at the same time, Notre Dame would not have had to play their rematch with Clemson were the season played as originally scheduled. We might not have gotten an undefeated San José State or Coastal Carolina, but we might have gotten an undefeated squad out of South Bend, and Power Five is what we’re focused on in the first place.
Regardless, it’s striking how the number of unbeatens has spiked these last three years. Clemson and Ohio State each having one loss, then? Not that unusual. We went seven years without seeing three undefeated teams at once in the whole FBS. We did that right before this unbeaten stretch began.
In that sense, this is not chaos.
This is a return to normalcy.
