10 greatest college football national championship games

There have been just 27 postseason meetings between the top two teams in the AP Top 25 to decide the national champion. Here are the best 10 of the bunch.

Following a lopsided Clemson victory in the 2019 College Football Playoff national championship game, it might seem fair at first glance to say that the title game was an underwhelming mismatch. But while the Crimson Tide fell flat at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Alabama-Clemson IV still merits inclusion in the discussion of the best AP No. 1 vs. AP No. 2 matchups in the postseason.

Both teams were well matched and among the select handful of truly elite teams around the country this year. While the scoreboard showed a Clemson blowout, the national championship featured the two best teams in the country according to Sports Reference’s Simple Rating System.

Three factors went into determining the top 10 matchups between No. 1 and No. 2 teams. First, each team was evaluated based on their SRS scores from Sports Reference to see their combined score. The higher the number, the greater the star power featured on the field. The combined SRS score is weighted on a scale of 1-10.

Then those same SRS scores are compared against one another. The loser’s SRS is subtracted from the winner’s SRS to determine a differential. Negative differentials denote upsets, while positive numbers determine the stronger team claimed the title. After determining a differential, those numbers were then weighted on a 1-10 scale.

The final set of numbers is determined on point differential in regulation. (Games that went to overtime are graded with a zero-sum point differential.) Lower point differentials are rewarded on a 1-10 scale, while blowouts receive fewer points in the calculation.

Those three numbers were then added together to determine the final score for each showdown between No. 1 and No. 2. Keep reading to see the top 10 bowl games and national championship contests featuring the top two teams in the AP Top 25, and click here for the full evaluation of all 27 games that meet the criteria.