The Five Teams Most Likely to Make the College Football Playoff (who haven’t made it yet!)
Eleven. That’s how many college football teams have made the playoff in its seven year history.
There are 130 eligible teams. Yet a small handful of programs have monopolized the playoff. For example, Clemson has made the playoff for six years in a row. Likewise, Alabama has been invited for six of the last seven years. Oklahoma, Ohio State and Notre Dame have also enjoyed multiple bids.
Unless the playoff expands to eight, the Group of Five are functionally eliminated before the season starts. Is it possible a juggernaut UCF or Boise State might crash the party one day? Maybe, but for now, the Power Five seem like the only conferences with a real chance to produce a playoff contender.
So, who’s next?
1. USC
The most likely team to get in next is certainly USC. A program with a rich history, deep pockets and loyal fan base, USC is positioned to win the PAC-12 in any given year. They have a huge talent pool to draw from, and as soon as they get the right pieces together, USC is poised to make a run to the playoff.
The downside is that the PAC-12 is a weak conference, so a team would likely need to dominate its schedule and win a convincing out of conference game (say, Notre Dame and BYU?) to punch their postseason ticket.
2. Texas
Texas is much like USC: engaged fans, access to talent and a winnable conference. The only reason they fall a notch below USC is because they have to go through Oklahoma. Under Tom Herman the Longhorns were competitive with the Sooners, but couldn’t close the gap and dropped winnable games to other conference rivals. Under the right leadership, Texas is easily poised to make a run to a Big 12 title and beyond.
3. Texas A&M
Right down the road from Austin, the Aggies are also well-positioned to make a playoff push. Texas A&M arguably should have been in the playoff this season, finishing as the first team out despite a dominant record in the SEC. The trouble for A&M is their position in the brutal SEC West with the likes of Alabama, Auburn and LSU. But if Alabama has a down year (or if Saban one day retires), the Aggies seem like the heir apparent in the toughest division in football.
4. Florida
The road to the playoff runs through Atlanta for the Gators, as they will likely need to take down the SEC West champ to complete their playoff dossier. But in the SEC East, the Florida/Georgia battle is a de facto championship. The Gators gave Alabama a battle last season, but were also crushed by Oklahoma. If the SEC Championship team is a sign of things to come (and not the Cotton Bowl team), Florida has a chance to be the next playoff contender.
5. Wisconsin
Year after year, the Badgers collect double digit win totals (eight of the last eleven completed seasons!). But year in and year out, they are outclassed either by Ohio State or some random Cinderella foe (see, e.g., Illinois in 2019). The Big 10 West is wide open, and if the Badgers can ever stop the Buckeyes, a trip to the playoff might be their reward.
