It seems a college football playoff is
coming. At least one of the four team variety. All over the internet,
there have been pieces examining what would have happened during the
BCS era under the various scenarios. That's all well and good, but
many of the greatest controversies would have occurred before 1998
and the advent of the BCS. Here is a look at the 10 years pre-BCS,
starting with Notre Dame's 1988 championship season using both the
top four and the Big Ten proposed conference champions in the top 6
plans (when necessary). All playoff seedings are determined by the AP
Poll, just because its easier to work with.
1997
Top Four
1 Michigan vs 4 Florida St.
2 Nebraska vs 3 Tennessee
Teams left out: Not much. 5 UCLA and 6
Florida both failed to win their conferences and lost two games each.
7 Washington St. was the Pac-10 champ with only one loss, but they
were the only team with a beef at all.
1996
Top Four
1 Florida St. vs 4 Ohio St.
2 Arizona St. vs 3 Florida
Teams left out: 5 BYU was 13-1 from the
WAC with the only loss to Pac-10 runner up Washington. Everyone else
was clearly behind in the pecking order. Considering what happened
during bowl season with both undefeated teams losing to the one-loss
teams, this is probably the shining example of what a playoff could
be.
1995
Top Four
1 Nebraska vs 4 Ohio St. or 4Tennessee
(teams tied in AP Poll with exact number of points)
2 Florida vs 3 Northwestern
Conference Champs Top 6
1 Nebraska vs 4 Ohio St/Tennessee or 6
Notre Dame depending on if 9-2 Notre Dame is being treated as a
conference champion
2 Florida vs 3 Northwestern
Teams left out: Not much. 10-1-1 Texas
won the final SWC crown but finished 9th in the AP Poll.
Everyone else has very little claim of jumping into the playoff. The
big debate would have been Ohio St. or Tennessee. I tend to side with
Ohio St. that season as the Buckeyes didn't play Northwestern and
likely would have beaten them.
1994
Top Four
1 Nebraska vs 4 Colorado
2 Penn St. vs 3 Miami
Conference Champs Top 6
1 Nebraska vs 5 Florida
2 Penn St. vs 3Miami
Teams left out: Under the top four
scenario, the SEC would have blown its collective stack. Going into
the SEC Championship, Alabama was undefeated and ranked 3rd.
They were beaten by one point by Florida (who had one loss to a top
10 Auburn team and the famous Choke at the Doak tie against Florida
St.). SEC apologists would have been arguing for Florida over
Colorado and the rematch against Nebraska they would be getting
(sound familiar anyone). Meanwhile, Alabama fans would be complaining
about the existence of the SEC Championship game knocking them out of
the title race when nobody else had to play a title game (nobody else
had a title game to that point). Just a mess. Also, 7 Florida St. as
champs of the ACC and with a tie against Florida also would have made
a claim to deserving a playoff berth.
1993
Top Four
1 Florida St. vs 4 Notre Dame
2 Nebraska vs 3 West Virginia
Teams left out: The SEC would have
blown its collective stack just like 1994, but probation was really
at fault as the best team was undefeated Auburn but the Tigers were
on probation. Tennessee and Florida finished just behind Auburn in
the polls, but Florida was the champ. And the champ had the weakest
claim with two losses and a ranking of 8.
1992
Top Four
1 Miami vs 4 Texas A&M
2 Alabama vs 3 Florida St.
Teams left out: None controversial.
Notre Dame was ranked 5th but with a loss and a tie.
Michigan won the Big Ten and finished undefeated, but with three
ties. Of course we now know Notre Dame should have been the fourth
team as the Irish pounded undefeated Texas A&M 28-3 in the Cotton
Bowl.
1991
Top Four
1 Miami vs 4 Michigan
2 Washington vs 3 Florida
Teams left out: None. Florida St. and
Penn St. were ranked 5 and 6 but both had two losses. They then
played each other in their bowl game. All of the one-loss teams
behind those two had a loss to one of the top four making this really
easy.
1990
Top Four
1 Colorado vs 4 Miami
2 Georgia Tech vs 3 Texas
Teams left out: Notre Dame, Florida
St., and Penn St all had the same record as Miami and were ranked
behind the Hurricanes as did Pac-10 champion Washington. Of course
this season was just a total debacle at the top of the country (think
2007 style upsets pretty much every week) considering this was the
Colorado team that won the famous 5th down game.
1989
Top Four
1 Colorado vs 4Notre Dame
2 Miami vs 3 Michigan
Teams left out: Another collective
blowing of stacks from the SEC as tri-champions Alabama, Auburn and
Tennessee were all not close despite one-loss seasons. Also, SWC
champion Arkansas (remember this was before SEC realignment) was 10-1
and left out as well.
1988
Top Four
1 Notre Dame vs 4 Florida St.
2 Miami vs 3 West Virginia
Teams left out: Anyone in a conference.
The top four were all independents while 5-7 were all one-loss
conference champs (USC in the Pac-10, Nebraska in the Big 8 and
Auburn in the SEC). None had any real claim though. USC was beaten by
Notre Dame in its last game while ranked number 2 (and city rival
UCLA was briefly ranked number one during the season). Nebraska was
in a mostly weak Big 8 that was a year away from the rise of Colorado
to give it another top team with Oklahoma on the probation down slope
and Auburn won the weakest SEC in conference history.
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