Most points in a College Football Playoff game: Indiana pursues history with blowout of Oregon

The Indiana Hoosiers have bulldozed their way to the cusp of their first national championship, and they’ve done it in dominating fashion.

On Friday night, the Hoosiers staged a demolition derby against the No. 5 Oregon Ducks, who were overwhelmed and offered no viable answer on offense, defense, or special teams. Indiana obliterated Oregon. The Hoosiers’ offensive explosion ranks among the best performances in CFP history.

Indiana scored 35 points in the first half alone, including a pick-six on the opening play by D’Angelo Ponds, and Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza threw three touchdowns. 

Here’s where Indiana’s point total ranks among the highest in College Football Playoff history.

MORE: Indiana beating Oregon in Peach Bowl bloodbath

Indiana stats vs Oregon

Indiana absolutely blistered Oregon at the Peach Bowl, starting from the first play when Ponds returned Moore's pass all the way to the end zone. Though Oregon was able to respond, Mendoza led the Hoosiers on a 11-play drive to take the lead, and they never gave it back.

In the first half, the Heisman winner had only one incompletion while throwing three touchdowns, one to each of his receivers in Omar Cooper Jr., Elijah Sarratt and Charlie Becker. 

Though, the Indiana offense was not the only reason for the high point total. The Hoosiers defense, who has the No. 1 pressure rate in America, got to Dante Moore early and often. The quarterback had two fumbles in the first half, one coming inside the five to set up an Indiana score three plays later.

MORE: Jay Harris takes over for Oregon despite being in transfer portal

Most points in a College Football Playoff game

The record for most points scored by a single team in any College Football Playoff game belongs to the Georgia Bulldogs, who delivered a historic beatdown in the 2023 CFP National Championship.

Playing against the Cinderella story No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs, the No. 1 Bulldogs posted an incredible 65-7 final score. This victory secured Georgia's second consecutive national title and cemented the game as the most lopsided win in the entire CFP era, surpassing the next closest mark by a significant margin.

The Georgia offense was relentless from the opening whistle, scoring on its first six possessions and racking up 38 points by halftime—a CFP National Championship Game record for first-half scoring. Quarterback Stetson Bennett was the architect of the offensive explosion, accounting for six total touchdowns (four passing, two rushing), tying a CFP title game record. The Bulldogs finished the game with 589 yards of offense while completely shutting down TCU, holding them to 188 total yards and just one touchdown drive, showcasing utter dominance in all phases en route to their second straight national championship.

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Most points in a college football game

The highest-scoring game in college football history was Georgia Tech's 222-0 victory over Cumberland on October 7, 1916, which stands as an unbreakable record for total points and margin of victory. However, in the modern era (since the 1940s), the record for total points is 146, set in a seven-overtime game between Texas A&M and LSU in 2018.