2024 American Football Season

The 2024 American football season was a landmark year characterized by historic format changes in college football and a highly anticipated redemption arc in the professional ranks.

The NFL Season and Super Bowl LIX

The 2024 NFL season concluded on February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The grand finale featured a highly anticipated rematch of Super Bowl LVII, completely flipping the script from their previous encounter.

• The Champions: The Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in a 40–22 victory, securing the franchise’s second Super Bowl trophy.
• MVP Performance: Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was named Super Bowl LIX MVP. He delivered a stellar performance, completing 17 of 22 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 72 yards and another score.
• Defensive Dominance: The Eagles’ defense suffocated the Chiefs, sacking quarterback Patrick Mahomes six times and forcing three total turnovers (including a pick-six and a forced fumble).

College Football and the Expanded Playoff

The 2024 collegiate season forever changed the landscape of the sport with the debut of the highly anticipated 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP) format.

• The Champions: The Ohio State Buckeyes claimed the 2024 National Championship by defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34–23 on January 20, 2025.
• The Playoff Run: Earning the No. 8 seed in the new bracket, the Buckeyes ran the table, eliminating Tennessee, top-seeded Oregon, and Texas before capturing the title against Notre Dame.
• Heisman Trophy: Colorado’s Travis Hunter made history by winning the 2024 Heisman Trophy. Dominating as both a defensive back and wide receiver, he became the first true two-way player to receive the sport’s most prestigious individual honor.

The 2024 season will be remembered for breaking long-standing barriers and reshaping post-season structures. Here is a comparison of the season’s two biggest title games:

League	Championship Game	Winning Team	Defeated Team	Final Score	Notable Milestone
NFL	Super Bowl LIX	Philadelphia Eagles	Kansas City Chiefs	40–22	Jalen Hurts broke his own record (set in Super Bowl LVII) for the most rushing yards by a QB in a Super Bowl with 72 yards.
NCAA (FBS)	CFP National Championship	Ohio State Buckeyes	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	34–23	Ohio State became the first champion crowned under the expanded 12-team playoff format.

Historic Note: With the Eagles’ victory in Super Bowl LIX, Jalen Hurts joined Tom Brady and Joe Burrow as the only quarterbacks to defeat Patrick Mahomes in the postseason. [Source]

A Deep Dive into 2024 Football History and Highlights

• January 1, 2024 – The 110th Rose Bowl game featured a College Football Playoff Semifinal between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines, two of college football’s most storied schools. The Wolverines of Jim Harbaugh proved to be too much in the 27-20 victory to propel Michigan into the National Championship. Players of the Game were Michigan teammates QB J. J. McCarthy and DT Mason Graham.
• January 1, 2024 – The Sugar Bowl game featured a College Football Playoff Semifinal between the Texas Longhorns and the Washington Huskies. The score was knotted at 21 at the half, and the second stanza proved to be just as interesting. Two Texas fumbles helped Washington rattle off 13 unanswered points after the break. A fourth-quarter drive ended in a rushing TD for the Horns as they went on a late drive to win or tie but gave the ball up on downs in the red zone with mere seconds remaining.
• January 8, 2024 – NRG Stadium – The Michigan Wolverines and the Washington Huskies met for the National Championship title game. After each team scored on their opening possessions. After that, Washington could not keep pace with the potent Wolverine offense as Michigan went on to win the game going away, 34-13.
• February 11, 2024 – Super Bowl LVIII was played at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, being the first Super Bowl to be held in the state of Nevada. The Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers vied for the Lombardi Trophy. What a game ensued! Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25–22 in overtime. Key highlights included a 57-yard record field goal by Harrison Butker, a tight defensive battle, and Patrick Mahomes throwing a 3-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman in the extra period. [Source]
• April 25, 2024 – Detroit, Michigan – The 2024 NFL Draft featured historic offensive selections, led by quarterbacks Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye. [ESPN]
• June 16, 2024 – At The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri, per UFL.com. The Birmingham Stallions defeated the San Antonio Brahmas with a final score of 25-0 to claim the UFL title. The unified United Football League (UFL) wrapped up its highly successful inaugural season following the USFL-XFL merger, cementing a brand new chapter in professional summer football history.
• June 27, 2024 – A Los Angeles jury found the NFL guilty of antitrust violations regarding the pricing of its NFL Sunday Ticket package. The league was initially ordered to pay over $4.7 billion in damages. This landmark legal case significantly impacted the future of sports broadcasting and television rights. (Source)
• June 27, 2024 – The NFL and Wilson Extend Their Historic Bond: The NFL and Wilson Sporting Goods officially announced a massive, multi-year extension of their historic partnership, which originally began in 1941. Every single point in modern NFL history has been scored using a Wilson leather football handcrafted at their iconic factory in Ada, Ohio—making it one of the longest continuous relationships in all of sports history.
• June 30, 2024 – The media rights deal for the Pac-12 expired, marking the functional end of the conference as a major football powerhouse. This milestone triggered the historic NCAA conference realignment, where teams like UCLA and USC formally completed their transitions to other leagues. [CBSSports.com]
• September 6, 2024 – The Philadelphia Eagles played the Green Bay Packers at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo, Brazil, marking the first regular-season NFL game held on the South American continent. [Source]
• October 5, 2024 – BIG SEC Upset – The unranked Vanderbilt Commodores upset the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 40-35 in one of the biggest underdog stories in football history.
• December 14, 2024 – The annual Heisman Award was given to Colorado’s Travis Hunter.