The 63 Different Playoff Models the CFP Committee Is Considering.

Last Friday, the CFP said they were considering an expansion to the four-team playoff. That is a good thing. While the majority of people appear to favor an eight-team model featuring the five major conference champs, the highest-rated Group of 5 team, and two at-large teams, the CFP seems to be taking the “no stone left unturned” approach. Their release stated they have already considered 63 different playoff formats. This post will be a humorous attempt at identifying all of them.

1. Every team makes the playoffs. What if the whole college football season was considered a playoff? (Cue Keanu Reeves meme)
2. No team makes the playoffs. What if the playoffs never existed? (Cue guy who says Aliens meme)
3. The inevitable 8 team playoff with 5 conference champs, highest-ranked group of 5, 2 at-large teams.
4. The “hope this doesn’t happen” 8 team playoff with 5 conference champs, and 3 at-large teams.
5. The “hope this doesn’t happen” 8 team playoff with 5 conference champs, and 3 at-large teams that are all from the SEC.
6. A six-team playoff format. Do two teams get byes in the first round or does one team get a bye in the second round?
7. A ten-team playoff format. One would assume four teams have kind of a play-in like a conference basketball tournament would, and then get to eight teams going forward.
8. A twelve-team playoff format. One would assume it would be similar to the NFL model where teams get byes in the first round.
9. Seeding: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma every year (24 scenarios)
10. Seeding: Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State every year
11. Seeding: Alabama, Ohio State Clemson, Oklahoma every year
12. Seeding: Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Clemson every year
13. Seeding: Alabama, Oklahoma, Clemson, Ohio State every year
14. Seeding: Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Clemson every year
15. The 64 team March-Madness style playoff
16. The 68 team March-Madness style playoff
17. Alabama and Clemson playing best two out of three series
18. Awarding UCF an honorary championship every season to appease their fans, and then have the current four-team playoff for the real champion.
19. Awarding Notre Dame an honorary championship every season to appease their fans, and then have the current four-team playoff for the real champion.
20. A Power 5 Champ and a Group of 5 champ and then they play each other in a Super Bowl-like atmosphere.
21. Making every bowl a play-in game and then doing a seeded tournament made up of every winning team.
22. A 7-ON-7 tournament
23. A 7-ON-7 tournament... but only lineman can play
24. Seeding Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma every year
25. Seeding Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio State every year
26. Seeding Clemson, Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio State every year
27. Seeding Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Alabama every year
28. Seeding Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama, Oklahoma every year
29. Seeding Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma Alabama every year
30. A three-team playoff, with Alabama getting a bye to the finals
31. A seven-team playoff, with Alabama getting a bye to the semi-finals
32. A fifteen team playoff, with Alabama getting a bye to the quarterfinals
33. All bowl games represent the playoffs and the winners play in a 40-ish team tourney.
34. Playing NCAA 08 and all teams have to be an FCS directional school
35. Playing NCAA 08 and all teams have to be USC
36. A four-team playoff but the winner of that has to play the ‘72 Dolphins
37. A four-team playoff but all the teams have to run the triple-option
38. A four-team playoff but all the teams can only run 10 pre-submitted plays
39. A four-team playoff but teams have to use the offensive and defensive playbooks of a team they draw out of a hat each quarter.
40. Seeding Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma every year
41. Seeding Ohio State, Alabama, Oklahoma Clemson every year
42. Seeding Ohio State, Clemson Alabama, Oklahoma every year
43. Seeding Ohio State, Clemson, Oklahoma, Alabama every year
44. Seeding Ohio State, Oklahoma, Alabama, Clemson every year
45. Seeding Ohio State, Oklahoma, Clemson, Alabama every year
46. A four-team playoff, but they all have to play Quidditch instead
47. A four-team playoff, but going to flag football.
48. A four-team playoff, but the first team to 50 points wins the game.
49. A four-team playoff, but the head coaches kick all the extra points.
50. A four-team playoff, but the head coaches coach the opposing team.
51. A four-team playoff, but all four teams play in one game, a quarter at a time, to determine the champion.
52. Seeding Oklahoma, Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State every year
53. Seeding Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, every year
54. Seeding Oklahoma, Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State every year
55. Seeding Oklahoma, Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama every year
56. Seeding Oklahoma, Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson every year
57. Seeding Oklahoma, Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama every year
58. A four-team playoff, but they play basketball instead of football.
59. A four-team playoff, but a different team has to play in the style of the Dillon Panthers, Alexandria Titans (Remember them?), Washington Sentinels, and South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs.
60. A four-team playoff but fans vote for plays and schemes on Twitter.
61. A four-team playoff but no games are played, they are just plugged into different computer programs that spit out data and simulations. Best 500,000 out of 999,999.
62. A four-team playoff, but the champion gets to the worst team in the NFL to prove a point.
63. A four-team playoff decided by online fan vote... one that may or may not contain an electoral college (non-partisan lame joke).