A New Era of TV Advertising Success in College Football’s Expanded Playoff

Last week’s College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship came down to a dramatic finish, as Notre Dame's valiant comeback bid fell short against Ohio State, earning the Buckeyes their ninth title in program history.

But the real story of the 2025 season extends beyond the field, as the newly expanded 12-team CFP format proved to be a game-changer for fans and TV advertisers alike.

While sports analysts debate the finer points of CFP seedings and rankings, the new system has already transformed the shape of the College Football season. With a longer postseason, more fan bases remain invested for a longer span of high-stakes, single-elimination games – creating more high-impact TV advertising inventory. 

Let's dive into which brands and TV ad creatives emerged victorious in the first year of College Football’s new playoff era.

CFP game ads were 60% more effective than the primetime average

Football continues to deliver outsized returns for TV advertisers, even at the collegiate level. EDO's analysis found that ads aired during the 12-team playoff were 60% more likely to generate online consumer engagement behaviors — like brand searches and website visits — than the average ad on primetime broadcast and cable TV. 

This engagement advantage grew steadily as the tournament progressed, with a strong 33% lift in viewer engagement in the First Round swelling to 86% for the Semi-Finals. 

The sequential nature of the playoff system created a natural storyline that kept TV viewers coming back for more. Each round's increased stakes amplify audience engagement not just with the games, but to the advertising messages as well.

CFP national title game ads generate 86x more impact than the broadcast and cable primetime average

Advertising engagement reached even greater heights in the much-hyped College Football Playoff National Championship Game. TV ads aired during the title game were 119% more likely to drive online engagement, as viewers leaned into the moment of peak emotional investment.

The scale of the CFP audience, combined with its extraordinary fan engagement, also produced remarkable multiplier effects throughout the tournament. The average playoff ad generated 45x the engagement of an average ad during broadcast and cable primetime. Meanwhile, it would take 86 ads during the average primetime program to generate the same amount of total online consumer engagement as a single ad during the National Championship Game. 

College Football’s combination of massive reach and deep engagement creates a powerful amplification effect that continues to rival the NFL and drive tangible TV outcomes for today’s biggest brands. 

Inside the CFP title game: Top performing TV advertisers

The championship game brought together an impressive mix of advertisers across automotive, entertainment, and consumer goods categories, as well as diverse creative approaches that resonated with viewers — from innovative product launches to celebrity-driven storytelling.

Top creative performances: EVs, fast food, and entertainment

The title game’s stand-out TV ads demonstrated the power of breakthrough product messaging and contextually relevant storytelling. Automotive brands dominated the leaderboard with electric vehicle ads driving consistently high audience engagement — led by Volkswagen, whose ad for its ID Buzz model helped the brand claim the title of the game’s most effective advertiser.

Several ads featured celebrity tie-ins. New York Jets receiver Davante Adams ordered from his In-Home Taco Bell, comedian Will Arnett learned about Dicks.com, and ESPN TV analyst Jesse Palmer sat down for a $9.99 haircut at Great Clips.

Here are the top 10 most effective advertisers of the National Championship Game, based on their likelihood of generating ad-driven consumer engagement during the title game.

Lead your TV advertising strategy to victory 

For marketers and media agencies planning future TV campaigns, the message is clear: don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into the highly engaged audiences of live sports. The CFP's steady progression of rising consumer engagement, culminating in the championship game's peak performance, provides a valuable model for building campaign momentum through strategic media monitoring and planning.

Most importantly, these results underscore the critical importance of basing advertising strategies on real-world, real-time engagement data. Traditional ratings or survey-based research simply can't capture the full impact of advertising in tentpole sporting events. 

Brands that leverage the unique engagement dynamics of championship sports programming will be well-positioned to score big with audiences that are more attentive and responsive than ever.

Check out more of our recent TV outcomes reports or schedule a meeting with one of our TV advertising specialists today.