Would Oregon State Ever Have Reached A 24-Team College Football Playoff?

The Beavers may have had a chance to compete for a national title under Jonathan Smith had the newly-revised format been in-play.

October 7, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; Oregon State Beavers head coach Jonathan Smith (right) high-fives running back Damien Martinez (6) after a Beavers touchdown during the second quarter against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Starting with the 2027 season, the College Football Playoff is expected to expand from 12 teams to 24, pending final approval and signatures from ESPN and the CFP.

While not particularly popular with the general public, the expansion of the tournament field has prompted college football fans around the country to wonder - since the first CFP at the end of the 2014-2015 season, would their team have reached the playoff in a 24-team field?

Going by the final CFP rankings for each of the last 12 seasons, the answer for the Oregon State Beavers is yes: twice, both under former head coach Jonathan Smith.

2022

The fifth season of Smith's tenure was one of the most successful campaigns in modern program history. OSU posted a 10–3 record, with a 6–3 mark in Pac-12 play. This marked just the third 10-win season in school history.

Running back Damien Martinez was arguably the team's biggest strength, earning Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors. He recorded 982 rushing yards with seven touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per carry, and recording six consecutive games with over 100 yards on the ground.

Beaver fans agree that the high-point of the year came in the regular season finale against the Oregon Ducks. OSU mounted a stunning 21-point second-half comeback to defeat the Ducks, who were ranked No. 10 at the time, 38–34. The icing on the cake was a 30–3 victory over Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl, the program's first bowl win since the Hawaii Bowl at the end of the 2013 season. The Beavers finished at No. 14 in the final CFP rankings that season.

2023

In Smith's final season in-charge, Oregon State finished with an 8-5 overall record, though for much of the season, they looked like one of the best teams in the country with a top-20 offense and stingy rushing defense.

Starting the season in the top 20 of the AP Poll, Oregon State got through the first ten games of the season with only two losses, a ranked Washington State team in Pullman and Arizona in Tucson. Along the way, they also beat a top-ten Utah squad and a No. 18 UCLA team, and scored more than 50 points on three separate occasions. The Beavers reached as high as No. 11 in the CFP rankings. Then, consecutive losses against #5 Washington (20–22) and #6 Oregon (7–31) dropped them to No. 19 in the final CFP rankings that season. Even so, that would put them squarely in the 24-team field.

Following the Beavs' loss to Oregon in the final game of the regular season, Smith announced his departure to become the head coach at Michigan State...a story for another time. Receivers coach/pass-game coordinator Kefense Hynson took over the team in the interim, as the Beavers lost in the Sun Bowl 40–8 to No. 16 Notre Dame.