re: The 10 teams from 2000-23 that could’ve won a national title in a 12-team Playoff format

2014 TCU is interesting. They destroyed Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.

Here would have been the Playoff in the current format in 2014 (accounting for 6 conference champions).

1. Alabama
9. Ole Miss at 8. Michigan State

4. Ohio State
12. Boise State at 5. Baylor

2. Oregon
10. Arizona at 7. Mississippi State

3. Florida State
11. Georgia Tech at 6. TCU


Ole Miss would have beaten Sparty, but would have probably lost the rematch with Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Man, just thinking about an Ole Miss/Alabama Sugar Bowl makes me wish this was the format back then.

That Baylor team was really good, and would have smoked Boise State. They would have gotten Ohio State in the Fiesta and could have won that game. Simulations have Baylor winning 52%, so lets advance Baylor.

State would have beaten Arizona, but Oregon in the Rose Bowl would have been a stage too big. Oregon advances.

TCU knocks off the surprise ACC Champion Georgia Tech, and then wins 70% of the simulated matchups with Florida State in the Peach Bowl.

Then you have Alabama vs. Baylor in the Cotton and TCU vs Oregon in the Orange. Alabama wins 55% of the simulated matchups and TCU wins 67%. Alabama wins 75% of the championship sims, but TCU is there.

Its not a longshot to say that 2014 TCU team could have made some noise.

2001 LSU could have beaten anyone in the country in December and January. Beat Tennessee then arse fricked Illinois in the Sugar Bowl. They were rolling. DGAF about it being 2001 Miami.

I agree that USC vs Auburn should have been the Championship match up in 2004.

Do you think USC beating Auburn 23- 0 the previous year was a factor in Auburn missing out?

Auburn would have made the playoff in 2004, 2006, 2010, 2013, 2017… probably would have just missed the cut in 2019 (finished #12).

I think we would have won it in 2004 and 2010 had it existed. Who knows how the matchups would have changed things for ‘13… maybe then.

I think in 2006 we would have been a dark horse. Heck we beat Florida in the regular season already.

The playoff benefits programs like Auburn, Penn State, etc who routinely seemed to have Top 5-10 ranked teams but often fell just short when the cutoff was 2 teams or 4 teams…. That is Auburn pre-Harsin. Hopefully we’re close to getting back to that point.

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The Florida and LSU teams that caught us early in the season wanted no part of the team that developed by November. But they got us when it counted.

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You go get ‘em…what a joke.

LSU steamrolled that soft-arse Aggie defense and would have done so in any part of the year.

LOL! 3-loss Bama wasn’t winning anything in 2010, I can assure you that.

Bama finished #16 in the final BCS rankings. You guys wouldn’t have even been in consideration for the playoff my man.

Toilet paper this list is.

I'd say that 2010 Alabama (presuming that by end-of-season they're in the top 12, I just know they finished in the top 10 after the bowl win off the top of my head) and 2008 Alabama COULD have won, though I definitely wouldn't claim that they WOULD have won.

2010 Alabama especially had a TON of talent, just young.

Added: Just checked, 2010 Alabama would've been too low in the rankings after the Iron Bowl to make the cut. Oh well.

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2013 Mizzou also says "Hello"

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Both them and 2013 South Carolina would absolutely have a chance