The postseason concluded on January 11, 2016, with Alabama defeating Clemson in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship.

UAB controversially shut down its football program following the 2014 season, after school administrators claimed that rising monetary costs made fielding an FBS team unfeasible.

[2] Following public outcry and fundraising efforts, the school announced less than six months later that the football team would be reinstated.

On September 12, Auburn avoided a defeat that would have ranked with the biggest upsets in college football history with an overtime touchdown run to a 27–20 win over FCS foe Jacksonville State.

[8] Jacksonville State, 41-point underdogs entering Saturday's game, nearly became just the second FCS team to defeat an AP Top 10 FBS opponent.

The Sooners spurred a late comeback, but failed to stop Texas from running out the clock on the final drive of the game.

[10] On October 31, Miami beat Duke 30–27 on a game-winning kickoff return for a touchdown that included eight laterals.

However, the Atlantic Coast Conference acknowledged the next day that the kickoff return touchdown should not have counted as officials made four major errors during the play:[11][12] On November 7, Nebraska defeated Michigan State by a score of 39–38.

After the game Bill Carollo, the Big Ten's coordinator of officials, said in a statement via ESPN: "They can't review whether it was a force out/contact on the play.