We’re halfway through the 2020s, and with the second half of the decade in college football beginning soon, now is a good time to do some reflection.
The 2020s have ushered in a new era in the sport, with name, image and likeness (NIL) coming into play, while the transfer portal has become more prevalent. The College Football Playoff also expanded for the first time since its inception, increasing from four to 12 teams in 2024.
With all these changes in recent years, which organizations have been the best at navigating these new waters? Here are the 10 programs with the best winning percentage in the 2020s (2020 season through the 2024 season).
10 FBS Teams With The Highest Winning Percentage In The 2020s
Lane Kiffin has had a strong first five seasons at Ole Miss. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Head coach Lane Kiffin helped elevate Ole Miss in his first few years in Oxford, Mississippi. The Rebels have been in the SEC title hunt more often than not through his first five seasons at the helm. They’ve finished the season ranked in the top 15 three times but haven’t yet made the CFP.
9. BYU: 45-18 (71.4%)
Kalani Sitake’s BYU squad has been consistent. (Photo by Bruce Yeung/Getty Images)
The Cougars have been a sneaky successful program this decade, winning at least 10 games in three of the past five seasons. They arguably had their best year in quite some time in 2024, going 11-2 but missing out on a chance to play in the Big 12 Championship Game because of a tiebreaker.
8. Liberty: 47-16 (74.6%)
Jamey Chadwell’s had a strong first two seasons as Liberty’s head coach. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
With Hugh Freeze and Jamey Chadwell both serving as Liberty’s head coach through the first half of the decade, the Flames have arguably been the best non-power conference school since 2020. They went 26-10 with Freeze from 2020-22, going 10-1 in 2020. But they had their best season under Chadwell, going 13-1 in 2023. Their lone loss that year came to Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.
7. Clemson: 50-16 (75.8%)
Clemson has been the class of the ACC for most of the 2020s. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
Considering that there were questions not too long ago about whether the game had passed head coach Dabo Swinney by, some might be surprised to see Clemson on this list. Remember, though, Trevor Lawrence was still at quarterback in 2020, helping the Tigers go 10-2. They’ve won at least nine games in every season since then as well, making the CFP for the first time since 2020 this past season.
6. Oregon: 49-13 (79%)
Dan Lanning has helped Oregon become a title contender. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images)
Oregon has had three coaching changes since 2017, so the fact that it’s on this list is pretty impressive. Mario Cristobal helped elevate the Ducks late in the 2010s before leaving for Miami (Fla.) after a 10-3 season in 2021. Dan Lanning has arguably lifted Oregon even higher, winning at least 10 games in each of his first three seasons as head coach. That includes last season, when Oregon went 13-0 before losing in the quarterfinals of the CFP.
Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame reached the national championship game in 2024. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images)
Brian Kelly brought stability back to South Bend, Indiana over his long tenure as Notre Dame’s head coach, and Marcus Freeman has helped sustain it. The Fighting Irish have gone 33-9 in Freeman’s first three seasons as head coach, reaching the national championship game for the first time since 2012 last season.
T-4. Michigan: 50-12 (80.6%)
Jim Harbaugh and Michigan won the national championship in 2023. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
At the start of the decade, Michigan was in the dumps. The Wolverines went 2-4 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, nearly costing then-head coach Jim Harbaugh his job. The following season, however, Michigan began a three-year stretch where it made the CFP each season, culminating with a national championship victory in 2023. That stretch was so strong that even an 8-5 season in 2024 couldn’t knock the Wolverines out of the top five from this list.
3. Alabama: 58-10 (85.3%)
Nick Saban was responsible for most of Alabama’s success so far this decade. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Alabama was the top dog in college football in the 2010s, winning four national championships that decade and becoming a perennial contender under then-head coach Nick Saban. It looked like the Crimson Tide would remain college football’s premier program at the turn of the decade as well, winning the national championship in 2020. It hasn’t won a national title since, but it has still remained a perennial national championship contender.
Ryan Day finally won a national championship in 2024. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Head coach Ryan Day finally got over the hump and won a national championship in 2024 after coming so close to breaking through a few times prior to that. Before going 14-2 in 2024, Ohio State went 11-2 in each of the three previous seasons. The Buckeyes also went 7-1 in 2020, losing in the national championship game that year.
1. Georgia: 61-7 (89.7%)
Kirby Smart has helped Georgia win two national championships this decade. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs have been the definition of success in college football through the first five years of the decade. Georgia’s the only program to win multiple national championships, going 15-0 in 2022 after a 14-1 title-winning season in 2021. It’s won at least 11 games in two of the years that it didn’t win the title, too. Additionally, Georgia hasn’t lost a game at home this decade.
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