College football's biggest snubs, controversies of playoff era
Controversy has surrounded the way in which college football has awarded national champions since time immemorial. But the advent of the four-team playoff was supposed to finally put an end to the debates surrounding the old systems, whether by pollsters or even by the BCS computers. Yet, the decision to have a committee pick the four best teams in college football has also had its fair share of problems.
All of which came to a head in 2023, after the selection committee members elected to snub an undefeated conference champion Florida State team in favor of a one-loss, SEC champion Alabama, marking the first time in history a perfect league champ has missed out on the national semifinal.
Now, as we embark on the final four-team postseason event before the format expands to 12 teams next year, let's take a walk down memory lane and review some of the bigger controversies of the College Football Playoff era.
2014
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Who made it: Ohio State
Who didn't: TCU, Baylor
What happened: Despite being down to its third-string quarterback, Ohio State pounded Wisconsin by 59 to win the Big Ten title, enough for the committee to jump the Buckeyes over the two Big 12 co-champions. TCU was ranked No. 3 going into that weekend and got dumped to 6th, behind No. 5 Baylor, neither of whom could claim an unchallenged conference championship like OSU, which went on to win the first CFP national title.
2016
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Who made it: Ohio State
Who didn't: Penn State
What happened: Ohio State beat Big 12 champ Oklahoma on the road and took out a top-five Michigan, but lost to Penn State, which beat Wisconsin for the Big Ten championship. But those two apparent qualifiers weren't enough for the committee. PSU lost two games in 2016, to Pitt, and an ugly one to Michigan, but finished at No. 5. Ohio State lost 31-0 to Clemson in the semifinal that year.
2017
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Who made it: Alabama
Who didn't: Ohio State, Wisconsin, UCF
What happened: The committee preferred a one-loss Alabama team that didn't even play in the SEC Championship Game that year, losing to Auburn in the finale, but coming out ahead of a two-loss, Big Ten champion Ohio State, and the 12-1 Wisconsin team that lost the B1G game. UCF went undefeated that year, too, but finished No. 12 in the rankings, and went on to beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl. Alabama went on to win the national championship by beating SEC champion Georgia in overtime.
2018
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Who made it: Oklahoma, Notre Dame
Who didn't: Ohio State
What happened: Ohio State finished the season with five wins against ranked teams and won the Big Ten championship by a wide margin against Northwestern, but a shocking 29-point loss at Purdue was too much for the committee to look past. OU lost to Texas in the regular season, but avenged that defeat in the Big 12 title. Notre Dame went undefeated with wins over four ranked teams, but lost 30-3 to Clemson in the semifinal.
2020
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Who made it: Ohio State, Notre Dame
Who didn't: Texas A&M
What happened: Everything was weird during the Covid-19 season, including the playoff. Ohio State made it despite playing only six games, including the Big Ten title. Notre Dame, temporarily a member of the ACC, lost that title game to a Clemson team it beat a few weeks before. A&M missed out on the SEC title after losing to Alabama in the regular season, but finished 8-1.
2023
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Who made it: Texas, Alabama
Who didn't: Florida State
What happened: Never before had an undefeated Power Five conference champion been left out of the College Football Playoff. That is, until Alabama beat undefeated, two-time national champ Georgia in the SEC title game. Texas won the Big 12 title, earning final four consideration. The final question was at No. 4, and the selectors answered it in a way that has aroused huge controversy, picking the one-loss SEC champion over the undefeated Seminoles.
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