Georgia tops college football fourth quarter kings in CBS Sports analysis
CBS Sports found Georgia led Power Four teams in late-game categories across the past five seasons, from protecting leads to comebacks.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Georgia sits atop the college football fourth quarter kings list after a CBS Sports analysis of late-game results across the past five seasons.
Cody Nagel of CBS Sports examined every Power Four program plus Notre Dame, measuring how teams performed in three fourth-quarter situations: protecting a lead of at least seven points, chasing a deficit of at least seven points, and entering the final period in a one-score game.
The verdict was loud in red and black. According to CBS Sports, Georgia went 53-0 when leading by at least a touchdown after three quarters, the biggest perfect sample in the study.
Who are college football's fourth quarter kings?
CBS Sports identified Georgia as the strongest all-around fourth-quarter team because the Bulldogs rated at or near the top in each pressure category. They were perfect when defending a seven-point lead, had the best win rate when trailing by seven or more, and ranked near the top in games that were within six points entering the fourth quarter.
Notre Dame also went unbeaten when holding a lead of at least seven points after three quarters, finishing 44-0 in that spot, according to the analysis. Alabama was 42-0, while Oregon went 49-1, Ohio State 48-1 and Michigan 46-1.
The broader numbers show how hard it is to blow that kind of cushion. CBS Sports said the 68 teams in the study were 1,810-102, a .947 winning percentage, when they carried at least a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Stanford landed on the rough end of that category. The Cardinal had only 11 such leads over the five-season window and lost three of those games, the lowest win rate among FBS teams in that situation, according to CBS Sports. Wake Forest had five losses after entering the fourth quarter ahead by at least seven, the most among Power Four teams.
Which teams were best at fourth-quarter comebacks?
Comebacks from down seven or more after three quarters were rare. CBS Sports found teams in the study went a combined 110-947, a .104 winning percentage, when entering the fourth quarter behind by at least a touchdown.
Georgia again topped the list by win percentage. The Bulldogs were in that hole only nine times and won four, with three of the five losses coming against Alabama, according to CBS Sports.
Oregon, Clemson and Iowa were the only other Power Four teams to win at least one-quarter of their games from that position. Oklahoma State had the most total comeback wins in the category with six, while Vanderbilt went 0-32, the most losses without a win among Power Four programs.
In games that were within six points entering the fourth quarter, CBS Sports said Michigan and Georgia led Power Four teams by winning percentage. BYU, Texas and Missouri followed to complete the top five, with Missouri recording the most wins in that scenario at 15.
Miami saw the most of those tight fourth-quarter setups, going 13-13 across 26 games. Nebraska had the most losses in those games with 18, while Auburn and Wisconsin had the lowest winning percentages among Power Four teams, according to the analysis.
Indiana also stood out in recent fourth-quarter scoring. CBS Sports reported the Hoosiers ranked third nationally last season with a plus-81 scoring margin in the final period, part of Curt Cignetti’s first season with the program.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.