MIAMI — The College Football Playoff committee is considering expanding the existing four-team format to 12 teams, according to multiple reports.
The expansion proposal would mean the six highest-ranked conference champions and six highest-ranked other teams to round out the bracket, which will see the top four conference champs receiving first-round byes as seeded Nos. 1-4 with Nos. 5-12 pitted against each other in the first round.
So what does this all mean, should it pass and take effect in time for the 2023 season, for Group of Five teams and Florida programs?
Well, let’s take a look at who would have qualified had 12 teams been the format in the CFP era, beginning with the most recent season and working our way back to its inception in 2014.
2020
Last season was unique with the COVID-19 pandemic causing various postponements or cancellations to schedules. Notre Dame, an independent, joined the Atlantic Coast Conference for a season, just to have teams to play as different power conferences chose conference-only schedules.
— What happened: Alabama won the national title and was the No. 1 seed, while Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame rounded out the top four.
— What a 12-team playoff looked like: The top three teams, Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State, would get first-round byes along with Oklahoma as the highest-ranked conference champions. Other conference champions automatically qualifying would include Cincinnati and Coastal Carolina, who had its conference championship game canceled and became Sun Belt co-champs. The other six teams, in order of ranking, to secure a playoff berth would have been Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Florida, Georgia, Iowa State and Indiana.
2019
— What happened: LSU was national champion and was the top seed, while Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma were the other CFP participants.
— What a 12-team playoff looked like: Those four teams would still make the playoffs, but with first-round byes as the top-ranked conference champions. Oregon and Memphis, despite a No. 17 final ranking, would secure the final two qualification spots for conference champs. The other six teams, in order, include Georgia, Baylor, Wisconsin, Florida, Penn State and Utah.
2018
— What happened: Clemson won the national title as the No. 2 seed, with Alabama, Notre Dame and Oklahoma also in the CFP.
— What a 12-team playoff looked like: Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State would get first-round byes as the top conference champs under the new proposal. The other two conference champions getting automatic playoff berths would be UCF and Washington. The six other teams, in order, include Notre Dame, Georgia, Michigan, Florida, LSU and Penn State.
2017
— What happened: Alabama won the national title as the No. 4 seed, with Clemson, Oklahoma and Georgia also in the field.
— What a 12-team playoff looked like: Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia and Ohio State would receive first-round byes under the new proposed format, while USC and UCF get the remaining two automatic berths as conference champions. The six other highest-ranked teams, in order, making the field would be Alabama, Wisconsin, Auburn, Penn State, Miami and Washington.
2016
— What happened: Clemson was the national champion as the No. 2 seed, with Alabama, Ohio State and Washington also reaching the CFP.
— What a 12-team playoff looked like: Three of the four that qualified for the CFP would be in with first-round byes under the expansion proposal. Penn State would get the remaining bye, while Oklahoma and Western Michigan get in as conference champions. The other six teams qualifying, based on rankings, would be Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, USC, Colorado and Florida State.
2015
— What happened: Alabama were national champions as the No. 2 seed, with Clemson, Michigan State and Oklahoma rounding out the CFP.
— What a 12-team playoff looked like: The four teams making the CFP would also qualify with first-round byes. Stanford and Houston join the party as the next highest-ranked conference champions, but without a bye. The remaining six teams to qualify would be Iowa, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida State, North Carolina and TCU.
2014
— What happened: Ohio State won the first CFP national title and did so as the No. 4 seed. Alabama, Oregon and Florida State also made the inaugural CFP.
— What a 12-team playoff looked like: The same four teams qualifying for the CFP would also be in the expanded model with first-round byes. The remaining two conference champion berths would get allocated to TCU and Baylor as co-Big 12 champions. The Big 12 didn’t have a conference title game that year. The other six teams making a 12-team field in 2014 would be Mississippi State, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Arizona, Kansas State and Georgia Tech.
FINAL RECAP
In seven previous years of the CFP, an expanded 12-team proposal would see schools from Florida grabbing a spot nine times, with two teams getting into the field for 2017 and 2018. Miami only makes the expanded playoff one time, and that was in 2017. Based on the final CFP rankings that season and the proposal guidelines, it’s likely the Hurricanes would be seeded 10th and had faced Auburn in a first round game.
UCF’s exclusion from the CFP after back-to-back undefeated seasons would not have happened in the new format. The Knights would have gotten into the field in 2017 and 2018. Meanwhile, the Florida Gators would have qualified the last three seasons under expansion and FSU gets into the field for 2014-16. The Seminoles qualified for the current CFP model in 2014, but benefit from an expansion the following two seasons.
Also, Group of Five teams earn berths in six of the seven years of the CFP era. And they received two bids for the 2020 season.
