Who would have made College Football Playoff under new format in past seasons?

After years of discussion and speculation, it appears that the College Football Playoff is finally expanding. Per reporting by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the CFP Board of Managers decided on Friday that the field will expand to 12 as late as the 2026 season after the current deal expires. Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger followed up by reporting that field in this format would include the six highest ranked conference champions and six at large teams. The rankings of the teams will be determined by a selection committee.

Critics have been screaming from the mountaintops for the playoff to expand, all to create more opportunities for schools to have a shot at the sport’s top prize. Power Five conferences like the Big 12 and Pac-12 have been shut out of the dance most years while the CFP Committee didn’t greenlight a single Group of Five team for the field until Cincinnati last season. That got us thinking, what would previous College Football Playoff fields look like had this proposed 12-team format been in place? Let’s take a look.

2014

Conference winners

1. Alabama (SEC)
2. Oregon (Pac-12)
3. Florida State (ACC)
4. Ohio State (Big Ten)
5. Baylor (Big 12)
6. Boise State (Mountain West)

At-large

1. TCU
2. Mississippi State
3. Michigan State
4. Ole Miss
5. Arizona
6. Kansas State

2015

Conference winners

1. Clemson (ACC)
2. Alabama (SEC)
3. Michigan State (Big Ten)
4. Oklahoma (Big 12)
5. Stanford (Pac 12)
6. Houston (AAC)

At-large

1. Iowa
2. Ohio State
3. Notre Dame
4. Florida State
5. North Carolina
6. TCU

2016

Conference winners

1. Alabama (SEC)
2. Clemson (ACC)
3. Washington (Pac 12)
4. Penn State (Big Ten)
5. Oklahoma (Big 12)
6. Western Michigan (MAC)

At-large

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Wisconsin
4. USC
5. Colorado
6. Florida State

2017

Conference winners

1. Clemson (ACC)
2. Oklahoma (Big 12)
3. Georgia (SEC)
4. Ohio State (Big Ten)
5. USC (Pac 12)
6. UCF (AAC)

At-large

1. Alabama
2. Wisconsin
3. Auburn
4. Penn State
5. Miami
6. Washington

2018

Conference winners

1. Alabama (SEC)
2. Clemson (ACC)
3. Oklahoma (Big 12)
4. Ohio State (Big Ten)
5. UCF (AAC)
6. Washington (Pac 12)

At-large

1. Notre Dame
2. Georgia
3. Michigan
4. Florida
5. LSU
6. Penn State

2019

Conference winners

1. LSU (SEC)
2. Ohio State (Big Ten)
3. Clemson (ACC)
4. Oklahoma (Big 12)
5. Oregon (Pac 12)
6. Memphis (AAC)

At-large

1. Georgia
2. Baylor
3. Wisconsin
4. Florida
5. Penn State
6. Utah

2020

Conference winners

1. Alabama (SEC)
2. Clemson (ACC)
3. Ohio State (Big Ten)
4. Oklahoma (Big 12)
5. Cincinnati (AAC)
6. Coastal Carolina (Sun Belt)

At-large

1. Notre Dame
2. Texas A&M
3. Florida
4. Georgia
5. Iowa State
6. Indiana

2021

Conference winners

1. Alabama (SEC)
2. Michigan (Big Ten)
3. Cincinnati (AAC)
4. Baylor (Big 12)
5. Utah (Pac 12)
6. Pitt (ACC)

At-large

1. Georgia
2. Notre Dame
3. Ohio State
4. Ole Miss
5. Oklahoma State
6. Michigan State