Examining the 16-Team Playoff Format Through the Lens of the Entire College Football Playoff Era

What if the CFP had a 16-team playoff since 2014? Discover how college football's landscape would change & which teams would have the most amount of appearances.

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Alabama Linebacker Jihaad Campbell (11) and Alabama Offensive Lineman Parker Brailsford (72) celebrates at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL on Saturday, Sep 28, 2024.
Source: Crimson Tide Photos / Alabama Athletics

Format This…. Format That.

The last couple of months of the (off)season has been consumed by nothing but people who have no business deciding the future of how the College Football Playoff should be structured attempting to make those very same decisions.

It wasn’t even long ago that the College Football Playoff was a much simpler existence if not an outright infant concept. After all, the College Football Playoff was first instituted prior to the start of the 2014 season and even then, only existed as a 4-Team Format up until the most recently completed football season.

However, one nugget of curiosity that captured my attention was what would happen if we had a 16 Team Playoff during the entire tenure of the CFP Era? How differently would the overall CFB Landscape be if this format was originally adopted prior to the start of the 2014 Season?

If the 5 Automatic Qualifiers plus 11 At-Large Teams Format is adopted for the 16 Team Playoff, not only did I look into how many CFP Appearances that each team would have, but also how would each team have been seeded for each season based upon the final CFP Poll released at the conclusion of conference championship weekend (11 Season Total).

Total Appearances By Team

10+ Appearances

  • Ohio State – 11 Appearances
  • Alabama – 11

5-8 Appearances

  • Notre Dame – 8
  • Georgia – 8
  • Clemson – 8
  • Oklahoma – 8
  • Oregon – 7
  • Michigan – 7
  • Penn State – 6
  • Ole Miss – 5
  • Washington – 5
  • Florida State – 5

3-4 Appearances

  • TCU – 4
  • Michigan State – 4
  • Texas – 3
  • Baylor – 3
  • Iowa – 3
  • USC – 3
  • Auburn – 3
  • Utah – 3
  • Wisconsin – 3
  • Oklahoma State – 3

2 Appearances

  • Arizona State – 2
  • Tennessee – 2
  • Indiana – 2
  • Miami (FL) – 2
  • BYU – 2
  • Missouri – 2
  • Louisville – 2
  • LSU – 2
  • Kansas State – 2
  • Florida – 2
  • North Carolina – 2
  • Cincinnati – 2
  • UCF- 2
  • West Virginia – 2
  • Arizona – 2
  • Northwestern – 2
  • Stanford – 2

1 Appearance

  • Boise State – 1
  • SMU – 1
  • Iowa State – 1
  • Colorado – 1
  • South Carolina – 1
  • Texas A&M – 1
  • Louisiana – 1
  • Tulane – 1
  • Georgia Tech – 1
  • Pitt – 1
  • Coastal Carolina – 1
  • UCLA – 1
  • Kentucky – 1
  • Western Michigan – 1
  • Oregon State – 1
  • Mississippi State – 1

2024 CFP Seed Breakdown

  • 1 Seed: Oregon (BTN Champ)
  • 2 Seed: Georgia (SEC Champ)
  • 3 Seed: Texas
  • 4 Seed: Penn State
  • 5 Seed: Notre Dame
  • 6 Seed: Ohio State
  • 7 Seed: Tennessee
  • 8 Seed: Indiana
  • 9 Seed: Boise State (Highest Ranked G5 Champ)
  • 10 Seed: SMU
  • 11 Seed: Alabama
  • 12 Seed: Arizona State (B12 Champ)
  • 13 Seed: Miami
  • 14 Seed: Ole Miss
  • 15 Seed: South Carolina
  • 16 Seed: Clemson (ACC Champ)

2023 CFP Seed Breakdown

  • 1 Seed: Michigan (BTN Champ)
  • 2 Seed: Washington (Pac 12 Champ)
  • 3 Seed: Texas (B12 Champ)
  • 4 Seed: Alabama (SEC Champ)
  • 5 Seed: Florida State (ACC Champ)
  • 6 Seed: Georgia
  • 7 Seed: Ohio State
  • 8 Seed: Oregon
  • 9 Seed: Missouri
  • 10 Seed: Penn State
  • 11 Seed: Ole Miss
  • 12 Seed: Oklahoma
  • 13 Seed: LSU
  • 14 Seed: Arizona
  • 15 Seed: Louisville
  • 16 Seed: Notre Dame

2022 CFP Seed Breakdown

  • 1 Seed: Georgia (SEC Champ)
  • 2 Seed: Michigan (BTN Champ)
  • 3 Seed: TCU
  • 4 Seed: Ohio State
  • 5 Seed: Alabama
  • 6 Seed: Tennessee
  • 7 Seed:Clemson (ACC Champ)
  • 8 Seed: Utah (Pac 12 Champ)
  • 9 Seed: Kansas State (B12 Champ)
  • 10 Seed: USC
  • 11 Seed: Penn State
  • 12 Seed: Washington
  • 13 Seed: Florida State
  • 14 Seed: Oregon State
  • 15 Seed: Oregon
  • 16 Seed: Tulane

2021 CFP Seed Breakdown

  • 1 Seed: Alabama (SEC Champ)
  • 2 Seed: Michigan (BTN Champ)
  • 3 Seed: Georgia
  • 4 Seed: Cincinnati (Highest Ranked G5 Champ)
  • 5 Seed: Notre Dame
  • 6 Seed: Ohio State
  • 7 Seed: Baylor (B12 Champ)
  • 8 Seed: Ole Miss
  • 9 Seed: Oklahoma State
  • 10 Seed: Michigan State
  • 11 Seed: Utah (Pac 12 Champ)
  • 12 Seed: Pitt
  • 13 Seed: BYU
  • 14 Seed: Oregon
  • 15 Seed: Iowa
  • 16 Seed: Oklahoma

2020 CFP Seed Breakdown

  • 1 Seed: Alabama (SEC Champ)
  • 2 Seed: Clemson (ACC Champ)
  • 3 Seed: Ohio State (BTN Champ)
  • 4 Seed: Notre Dame
  • 5 Seed: Texas A&M
  • 6 Seed: Cincinnati (Highest Ranked G5 Champ)
  • 7 Seed: Indiana
  • 8 Seed: Oklahoma (B12 Champ)
  • 9 Seed: Coastal Carolina
  • 10 Seed: Florida
  • 11 Seed: Georgia
  • 12 Seed: Iowa State
  • 13 Seed: BYU
  • 14 Seed: North Carolina
  • 15 Seed: Northwestern
  • 16 Seed: Louisiana

2019 CFP Seed Breakdown

  • 1 Seed: LSU (SEC Champ)
  • 2 Seed: Ohio State (BTN Champ)
  • 3 Seed: Clemson (ACC Champ)
  • 4 Seed: Oklahoma (B12 Champ)
  • 5 Seed: Georgia
  • 6 Seed: Oregon (Pac 12 Champ)
  • 7 Seed: Baylor
  • 8 Seed: Wisconsin
  • 9 Seed: Florida
  • 10 Seed: Penn State
  • 11 Seed: Utah
  • 12 Seed: Auburn
  • 13 Seed: Alabama
  • 14 Seed: Michigan
  • 15 Seed: Notre Dame
  • 16 Seed: Iowa

2018 CFP Seed Breakdown

  • 1 Seed: Alabama (SEC Champ)
  • 2 Seed: Clemson (ACC Champ)
  • 3 Seed: Notre Dame
  • 4 Seed: Oklahoma (B12 Champ)
  • 5 Seed: Georgia
  • 6 Seed: Ohio State (BTN Champ)
  • 7 Seed: Michigan
  • 8 Seed: UCF (Highest Ranked G5 Champ)
  • 9 Seed: Washington
  • 10 Seed: Florida
  • 11 Seed: LSU
  • 12 Seed: Penn State
  • 13 Seed: Washington State
  • 14 Seed: Kentucky
  • 15 Seed: Texas
  • 16 Seed: West Virginia

2017 CFP Seed Breakdown

  • 1 Seed: Clemson (ACC Champ)
  • 2 Seed: Oklahoma (B12 Champ)
  • 3 Seed: Georgia (SEC Champ)
  • 4 Seed: Alabama
  • 5 Seed: Ohio State (BTN Champ)
  • 6 Seed: Wisconsin
  • 7 Seed: Auburn
  • 8 Seed: USC (Pac 12 Champ)
  • 9 Seed: Penn State
  • 10 Seed: Miami
  • 11 Seed: Washington
  • 12 Seed: UCF
  • 13 Seed: Stanford
  • 14 Seed: Notre Dame
  • 15 Seed: TCU
  • 16 Seed: Michigan State

2016 CFP Seed Breakdown

  • 1 Seed: Alabama (SEC Champ)
  • 2 Seed: Clemson (ACC Champ)
  • 3 Seed: Ohio State
  • 4 Seed: Washington (Pac 12 Champ)
  • 5 Seed: Penn State (BTN Champ)
  • 6 Seed: Michigan
  • 7 Seed: Oklahoma (B12 Champ)
  • 8 Seed: Wisconsin
  • 9 Seed: USC
  • 10 Seed: Colorado
  • 11 Seed: Florida State
  • 12 Seed: Oklahoma State
  • 13 Seed: Louisville
  • 14 Seed: Auburn
  • 15 Seed: Western Michigan
  • 16 Seed: West Virginia

2015 CFP Seed Breakdown

  • 1 Seed: Clemson (ACC Champ)
  • 2 Seed: Alabama (SEC Champ)
  • 3 Seed: Michigan State (BTN Champ)
  • 4 Seed: Oklahoma (B12 Champ)
  • 5 Seed: Iowa
  • 6 Seed: Stanford (Pac 12 Champ)
  • 7 Seed: Ohio State
  • 8 Seed: Notre Dame
  • 9 Seed: Florida State
  • 10 Seed: North Carolina
  • 11 Seed: TCU
  • 12 Seed: Ole Miss
  • 13 Seed: Northwestern
  • 14 Seed: Michigan
  • 15 Seed: Oregon
  • 16 Seed: Oklahoma State

2014 CFP Seed Breakdown

  • 1 Seed: Alabama (SEC Champ)
  • 2 Seed: Oregon (Pac 12 Champ)
  • 3 Seed: Florida State (ACC Champ)
  • 4 Seed: Ohio State (BTN Champ)
  • 5 Seed: Baylor (B12 Champ)
  • 6 Seed: TCU
  • 7 Seed: Mississippi State
  • 8 Seed: Michigan State
  • 9 Seed: Ole Miss
  • 10 Seed: Arizona
  • 11 Seed: Kansas State
  • 12 Seed: Georgia Tech
  • 13 Seed: Georgia
  • 14 Seed: UCLA
  • 15 Seed: Arizona State
  • 16 Seed: Missouri

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