Thoughts on 4-team playoff

If the NCAA had adopted a 4-team playoff format for 1970, there would have been some terrific bowl games over the years. I took the Top 4 teams from the final AP Poll at the end of the regular season, matching up No.1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No, 3. The winner of those two games would play for the MNC. I bolded the teams that were undefeated and untied at the end of the regular season. There were 6 seasons that at least 3 teams ranked in the top 4, were undefeated and untied.

1970: Texas (1) vs. Tennessee (4) / Ohio State (2) vs. Nebraska (3)
1971: Nebraska (1) vs. Michigan (4) / Alabama (2) vs. Oklahoma (3)
1972: USC (1) vs. Alabama (4) / Oklahoma (2) vs. Ohio State (3)
1973: Alabama (1) vs. Ohio State (4) / Oklahoma (2) vs. Notre Dame (3)
1974: Oklahoma (1) vs. Michigan (4) / Alabama (2) vs. Ohio State (3)
1975: Ohio State (1) vs. Alabama (4) / Texas A&M (2) vs. Oklahoma (3)
1976: Pittsburgh (1) vs. Maryland (4) / Michigan (2) vs. USC (3)
1977: Texas (1) vs. Michigan (4) / Oklahoma (2) vs. Alabama (3)
1978: Penn State (1) vs. Oklahoma (4) / Alabama (2) vs. USC (3)
1979: Ohio State (1) vs. FSU (4) / Alabama (2) vs. USC (3)
1980: Georgia (1) vs. Oklahoma (4) / FSU (2) vs. Pittsburgh (3)
1981: Clemson (1) vs. Pittsburgh (4) / Texas (2) vs. Penn State (3)
1982: Georgia (1) vs. SMU (4) / Penn State (2) vs. Nebraska (3)
1983: Nebraska (1) vs. Illinois (4) / Texas (2) vs. Auburn (3)
1984: BYU (1) vs. Nebraska (5) / Oklahoma (2) vs. Washington (4)
     ·Florida was on probation in 1984 and was ranked #3 in the AP Poll
1985: Penn State (1) vs. Iowa (4) / Miami (2) vs. Oklahoma (3)
1986: Miami (1) vs. Michigan (4) / Penn State (2) vs. Oklahoma (3)
1987: Oklahoma (1) vs. Syracuse (4) / Miami (2) vs. FSU (3)
1988: Notre Dame (1) vs. FSU (4) / Miami (2) vs. West Virginia (3)
1989: Colorado (1) vs. Notre Dame (4) / Miami (2) vs. Michigan (3)
1990: Colorado (1) vs. Miami (4) / Georgia Tech (2) vs. Texas (3)
1991: Miami (1) vs. Michigan (4) / Washington (2) vs. Florida (3)
1992: Miami (1) vs. Texas A&M (4) / Alabama (2) vs. FSU (3)
1993: FSU (1) vs. Notre Dame (4) / Nebraska (2) vs. West Virginia (3)
1994: Nebraska (1) vs. Colorado (4) / Penn State (2) vs. Miami (3)
1995: Nebraska (1) vs. Ohio State (4) / Florida (2) vs. Northwestern (3)
1996: FSU (1) vs. Ohio State (4) / Arizona State (2) vs. Florida (3)
1997: Michigan (1) vs. FSU (4) / Nebraska (2) vs. Tennessee (3)
1998: Tennessee (1) vs. Kansas State (4) / FSU (2) vs. Ohio State (3)
1999: FSU (1) vs. Wisconsin (4) / Virginia Tech (2) vs. Nebraska (3)
2000: Oklahoma (1) vs. Washington (4) / Miami (2) vs. FSU (3)
2001: Miami (1) vs. Nebraska (4) / Oregon (2) vs. Colorado (3)
2002: Miami (1) vs. Georgia (4) / Ohio State (2) vs. Iowa (3)
2003: USC (1) vs. Michigan (4) / LSU (2) vs. Oklahoma (3)
2004: USC (1) vs. California (4) / Oklahoma (2) vs. Auburn (3)
2005: USC (1) vs. Ohio State (4) / Texas (2) vs. Penn State (3)
2006: Ohio State (1) vs. LSU (4) / Florida (2) vs. Michigan (3)
2007: Ohio State (1) vs. Georgia (4) / LSU (2) vs. Oklahoma (3)
2008: Florida (1) vs. Alabama (4) / Oklahoma (2) vs. Texas (3)
2009: Alabama (1) vs. Cincinnati (4) / Texas (2) vs. TCU (3)
2010: Auburn (1) vs. Wisconsin (4) / Oregon (2) vs. TCU (3)
2011: LSU (1) vs. Stanford (4) / Alabama (2) vs. Oklahoma State (3)

The No. 5 teams that would have been left out…

1970 LSU (9-2-0)
1971: Auburn (9-1-0)
1972: Penn State (10-1-0)
1973: Michigan (10-0-1)
1974: USC (9-1-1)
1975: Michigan (8-1-2)
1976: Georgia (10-1-0)
1977: Notre Dame (9-1-0)
1978: Michigan (10-1-0)
1979: Oklahoma (10-1-0)
1980: Michigan (9-2-0)
1981: SMU (10-1-0)
1982: UCLA (9-1-1)
1983: Miami (10-1-0)
1984: Ohio State (9-2-0)
1985: Michigan (9-1-1)
1986: LSU (9-2-0)
1987: Nebraska (10-1-0)
1988: USC (10-1-0)
1989 FSU (9-2-0)
1990: Notre Dame (9-2-0)
1991: FSU (10-2-0)
1992: Notre Dame (9-1-1)
1993: Tennessee (9-1-1)
1994: Florida (10-1-1)
1995: Tennessee (10-1-0)
1996: BYU (13-1-0)
1997: UCLA (9-2-0)
1998 Arizona (11-1-0)
1999: Alabama (10-2-0)
2000: Oregon State (10-1-0)
2001: Florida (9-2-0)
2002: USC (10-2-0)
2003: Texas (10-2-0)
2004: Utah (11-0-0)
2005: Notre Dame (9-2-0)
2006: Louisville (11-1-0)
2007: Virginia Tech (11-2-0)
2008: USC (11-1-0)
2009: Florida (12-1-0)
2010: Stanford (11-1-0)
2011: Oregon (11-2-0)

The recent debate is whether or not teams should be conference champions to qualify for one of the four slots. Until you can show that the conferences are of equal strength, I say no. Had the 4-team format been in place last season and only conference champions were permitted, Oregon would have taken Alabama’s place with a 10-2 record before defeating a 6-6 UCLA team in the PAC-10 Conference Championship. The Ducks also were defeated by LSU by 13 points compared to Bama’s 3-pt loss. I would have put OSU and LSU in the BCSNCG last year but had there been a 4-team playoff, I could not leave Alabama out. Were there 4 better teams during 2011 season better than Alabama?

Conference Champions with 3 losses since 1970:

1970: Wake Forest (6-5-0) ACC
1970: Stanford (9-3-0) PAC 8
1970: LSU (9-3-0) SEC / Tennessee 11-1-0
1971: North Carolina (9-3-) ACC
1971: Stanford (9-3-0) PAC 8
1971: Texas (8-3-0) SWC
1973: North Carolina State (9-3-0) ACC
1973: Texas (8-3-0) SWC / Texas Tech 11-1-0
1974: Maryland (8-4-0) / NC State 9-2-1
1974 Texas (8-3-0) / Texas Tech 11-1-0
1977 North Carolina (8-3-1)
1977 Washington (8-4-0) PAC 8
1978 Houston (9-3-0) SWC
1979 NC State (7-4-0) ACC
1980 Washington (9-3-0) PAC 10
1981 Ohio State (9-3-0) BIG 10
1981 Nebraska (9-3-0) BIG 8
1982 Michigan (8-4-0) BIG 10
1983 Maryland (9-3-0) ACC
1983 USC (9-3-0) PAC 10
1983 Ohio State (9-3-0) BIG 10
1984 Maryland (9-3-0) ACC
1984 USC (9-3-0) PAC 10 / Washington 11-1-0
1984 Ohio State (9-3-0) BIG 10
1985 Maryland (9-3-0) ACC
1986 Clemson (8-2-2) ACC
1986 LSU (9-3-0) SEC
1986 Texas A&M (9-3-0) SWC
1989 Virginia (10-3-) ACC
1990 Michigan (9-3-0) BIG 10
1992: Stanford (10-3-0) PAC 10
1992: Nebraska (9-3-) BIG 8
1994: Oregon (9-4-0) PAC 10
1996: Texas (8-5-0) BIG 12 / Nebraska 11-2-0
1997 Syracuse (9-4-0) Big East
1998 Syracuse (8-4-0) Big East
1999 Stanford (8-4-0) PAC 10
2000 Michigan (9-3-0) BIG 10
2001: LSU (10-3-0) SEC / Tennessee 11-2-0
2001: Colorado (10-3-0) BIG 12 / 3 others 11-2-0
2002: FSU (9-5-0) ACC / 2 others 11-3-0
2003: FSU (10-3-0) ACC
2003: Michigan (10-3-0) BIG 10 / Ohio State 11-2-0
2004: Virginia Tech (10-3-0) ACC
2004: Michigan (9-3-0) BIG 10 / Iowa 10-2-0
2004: Pittsburgh (8-4-) Big East
2005: Florida State  (8-5) ACC
2006: Wake Forest (11-3) ACC
2006: Oklahoma (11-3) Big XII
2006: California (10-3) PAC-10
2007: Virginia Tech  (11-3) ACC
2007: Oklahoma (11-3) Big XII
2007: Connecticut (9-4) Big East
2008: Virginia Tech (10-4) ACC
2008: Cincinnati (11-3) Big East
2009: Georgia Tech (11-3) ACC
2009: Oregon (10-3) PAC-10
2010: Virginia Tech  (11-3) ACC
2010: Connecticut (8-5) & West Virginia (9-4) Big East
2011: Clemson (10-4) ACC
2011: Cincinnati (10-3) & West Virginia (10-3) Big East
2011: Wisconsin (11-3) Big 10

  This is my concern about having only conference champions in a playoff system, especially in a 4-team format. It's not perfect but I say take the top-4 teams in the BCS poll until the playoff format can be expanded to more than 4 teams.

Associated Press Poll rankings of undefeated teams before bowl games:
(Not in the Top-4)

1970 Arizona State (WAC) 10-0-0 (8th)
1970 Toledo (MAC) 11-0-0 (15th)
1971 Toledo (MAC) 11-0-0 (14th)
1973 Penn State (Ind) 11-0-0 (6th)
1973 Miami Ohio (MAC) 10-0-0 (15th)
1975 Arizona State (WAC) 11-0-0 (7th)
1976 Rutgers (Ind) 11-0-0 (17th)
1979 BYU (WAC) 11-0-0 (9th)
1985 Bowling Green (MAC) 11-0-0 (20th)
1993 Auburn (SEC) 11-0-0 (5th) PROBATION
1998 Tulane (USA) 11-0-0 (10th)
1999 Marshall (MAC) 12-0-0 (11th)
2004 Utah (MWC) 11-0-0 (5th)
2004 Boise State (WAC) 11-0-0 (10th)
2006 Boise State (WAC) 12-0-0 (9th)
2007 Hawaii (WAC) 12-0-0 (10th)
2008 Utah (MWC) 12-0-0 (7th)
2008 Boise State (WAC) 12-0-0 (9th)
2009 Boise State (WAC) 13-0-0 (6th)

  No undefeated teams from a major conference would have been left out of the 4-team playoff format from 1970-2011. The closest call would have been 1993 had Auburn not been on probation. Of course the Tigers would have likely moved into the top-4 with a victory in the SECCG had they not been on probation.

Thoughts?