The fourth quarter has a way of revealing who a college football team really is. When the margin for error disappears and every possession carries a little more weight, the best programs find ways to win — whether it’s protecting a lead, erasing a deficit or making the plays necessary in a close game.
So which teams have been college football’s fourth-quarter kings over the past five seasons? To find out, we examined every Power Four team (plus Notre Dame) across those three fourth-quarter scenarios.
Championship teams tend to separate themselves in those moments. Three of the past five national champions finished inside the top 10 nationally in fourth-quarter scoring margin. Last season, Indiana ranked third nationally (plus-81), leading the FBS with 14 games in which it entered the fourth quarter with at least a seven-point lead while consistently pulling away from opponents. The only two exceptions came against Iowa and Ohio State, when the Hoosiers entered the fourth quarter in one-score games and still found a way to win.
Indiana’s fourth-quarter dominance became a defining trait of Curt Cignetti’s breakthrough first season. But it wasn’t alone.
No team in the country is harder to come back against than Georgia. While 17 other Power Four programs finished with a perfect record when leading by at least seven points entering the fourth quarter over the past five seasons, the Bulldogs did it with the largest sample size, going 53-0.
Georgia’s company at the top is exactly who you’d expect: Notre Dame (44-0), Alabama (42-0), Oregon (49-1), Ohio State (48-1) and Michigan (46-1). Those six programs also rank among the winningest teams in the FBS since 2021. Tennessee and a handful of others aren’t far behind. The upper-right corner of the chart is filled with many of college football’s most consistent winners over the past five seasons.
Now for the other side.
Yikes, Stanford.
The Cardinal entered the fourth quarter with at least a seven-point lead only 11 times over the past five seasons, but they blew it in three of those games. That’s the lowest win percentage of any FBS team in this situation.
Wake Forest owns the most losses among Power Four teams after leading by at least a touchdown entering the fourth quarter, dropping five such games. All of that came during the final four years of Dave Clawson’s tenure. In Jake Dickert’s first season, the Demon Deacons went a perfect 5-0 in those situations.
One program that’s easy to miss on the chart is USC (hiding behind North Carolina). The Trojans own the sixth-lowest win percentage among Power Four teams when leading by at least seven points entering the fourth quarter over the past five seasons. Since Lincoln Riley arrived, USC is tied with California, Kansas State, North Carolina and Wake Forest for the most losses in this situation (four) among Power Four teams.
Texas also stands out. The Longhorns rank 10th among Power Four teams in overall winning percentage since 2021, yet they’re just 53rd out of 68 teams at finishing the job when leading by at least seven points entering the fourth quarter.
Overall, the 68 teams in this study went a combined 1,810-102 (.947) when taking at least a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter over the past five seasons.
Protecting a lead is one thing. Erasing it is a different animal entirely. Across those same 68 programs, teams are a combined 110-947 (.104) when trailing by at least seven points entering the fourth quarter over the past five seasons. That’s proof of just how rare these comebacks are.
Surprise, surprise. There’s Georgia again. The Bulldogs have trailed by at least seven points entering the fourth quarter only nine times over the past five seasons, and they’ve come back to win four of them. Three of the five losses came against Alabama, including two SEC Championship Game defeats. Still, Georgia’s .444 winning percentage in this situation is the best among all Power Four teams.
Only three other Power Four programs have won at least one-quarter of their games when trailing by seven or more entering the fourth quarter over the past five seasons: Oregon (4-7), Clemson (4-10) and Iowa (4-12). Two of those Hawkeyes’ wins came against Nebraska in 2021 and 2024.
The Ducks’ success in those games was a defining trait early in Dan Lanning’s tenure in Eugene. Oregon won four games (all on the road) after trailing by at least seven points entering the fourth quarter during Lanning’s first three seasons. In those four victories, Oregon trailed by a combined 35 points before rallying to outscore opponents by 50 points in the final 15 minutes.
Oklahoma State deserves a mention, too. Even if the Cowboys haven’t done much winning lately. They lead all Power Four teams with six comeback victories after entering the fourth quarter trailing by at least a touchdown. Three of those came during their 12-2 season in 2021, but Oklahoma State has also found itself in that position more than almost anyone else. The Cowboys have trailed by at least seven entering the fourth quarter 32 times over the past five seasons, including 18 games over the past two years alone.
Fifteen Power Four teams failed to produce a single comeback win after trailing by at least seven points entering the fourth quarter over the past five seasons. Vanderbilt went 0-32 in those situations, the most losses without a win of any Power Four program. Virginia Tech (0-23), Florida (0-22), Florida State (0-22), Kentucky (0-22), Kansas (0-21) and Cincinnati (0-20) also endured at least 20 fruitless opportunities.
The ultimate test of a fourth-quarter team comes when neither side has control and the score differential entering the final 15 minutes is within six points. This is where the greatest separation can be found, because the outcome is nearly a coin flip. Teams in this study went a combined 607-545 (.527) in those situations over the past five seasons.
Michigan and Georgia (again) top the Power Four with the best winning percentages in games that entered the fourth quarter within six points over the past five seasons. The Wolverines went a perfect 5-0 in such games during Jim Harbaugh’s final two seasons. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ only two losses in those situations came last year: a 24-21 setback against Alabama and a 39-34 defeat to Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal. Georgia also won four such games, including three on the road.
BYU (11-4), Texas (11-4) and Missouri (15-6) round out the top five in winning percentage in these situations. The Tigers have the most wins of any Power Four team.
No Power Four team has been in this scenario more than Miami. The Hurricanes have experienced that kind of stress 26 times, posting a 13-13 record in those games, but that paid off when the stakes were highest last season, as Miami survived CFP games at Texas A&M in the first round and against Ole Miss in the semifinal.
A cluster of teams joins the ‘Canes near the top of the chart while hovering around .500 in these pressure-packed situations. Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota and South Carolina have each played at least 24 games that entered the fourth quarter within six points over the past five seasons.
Nebraska has too — only with far more agonizing heartbreak than any program in college football.
The Cornhuskers’ 18 losses in such games are the most of any FBS team over the past five seasons. The first season of the Matt Rhule era was especially painful, as Nebraska went 1-5 in those situations. Since then, the Huskers are 3-4. That’s progress!
Auburn (4-15) and Wisconsin (3-12) own the lowest winning percentage in such games over the past five seasons. The Badgers have stabilized somewhat under Luke Fickell, going 3-3 in such games over the past two seasons. However, Hugh Freeze went just 1-7 at Auburn, including three losses in 2025 alone before being fired.
Run it back through all three scenarios and it’s obvious Georgia is college football’s fourth-quarter king. Perfect at protecting leads. Best in the country erasing them. And right near the top winning coin-flip fourth quarters, too.
There’s a growing perception that the Bulldogs have lost some of their edge after consecutive CFP quarterfinal exits, but their fourth-quarter dominance remains unmatched. It is where Georgia has separated itself from the rest of the top programs, and over the past five seasons, nobody has been better when the game reaches its most important moments.
