After ten years of the College Football Playoff committee selecting the top four teams to compete in a two-round tournament to decide the National Champion, the tournament has expanded to a 12-team, four-round playoff.
In the new system, the four highest-ranked conference champions will get a bye, and seeds 5-12 will face off in the quarterfinal, with the winners facing the top four.
So it’s time to look at the ten teams who will benefit from the CFB Playoff System based on their records over the last ten years, how close they were to previous playoffs, and what’s in store for the future of their programs.
Which college football programs will benefit the most from the new CFB Playoff System?
10. LSU Tigers
LSU has been an up-and-down program over the last decade. At the same time, they haven’t lived up to par except for the 2019 National Championship team. They’ve finished in the top 20 in six of the last ten years, including 12th in 2023. In a 12-team format, I doubt anyone wants to see an SEC program as the 12th seed because LSU could have orchestrated a few upsets, especially last season with Heisman Trophy Winner Jaden Daniels.
However, they also could have created some debates among the football community because even if they finish in the top 20, they are outside of the top 12, and the committee will always consider a program with the history of LSU for the playoffs.
9. Auburn Tigers
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Auburn is another SEC team that people will want to avoid seeing in the first round of the CFP Playoffs. Since 2014, the Tigers have finished in the top 12 twice. Auburn lost the last BCS National Championship in 2013 and has struggled to return to being a championship team.
But they assemble another strong team every few years and find the magic to make a run. According to On3, the Tigers recruiting class was ranked 16th Nationally in 2022, 17th in 2023, 8th in 2024, and 9th in 2025. So, a few Playoff appearances could be on the way to Auburn with the new CFB playoff system.
8. North Carolina Tar Heels
For North Carolina, a 12-team CFP format would have benefited them years ago. They finished in the Top 12 in 2015 and were close in 2020, finishing 13th. For a school like UNC, which typically finishes in the middle of the ACC, a couple more big recruits due to some CFP appearances could make them a much more consistent football team. The Tar Heels have shown us they can be a competitive team, but now they can show us they can be a championship team.
7. Florida State Seminoles
Florida State won the final BCS National Championship in 2013 after going undefeated behind the play of James Winston. With 12 teams, they would have had another shot at a title the following two seasons and another chance in their controversial 2023 season when they went undefeated and missed the playoffs because of the 4-team system.
6. Washington Huskies
The Washington Huskies’ run to the 2023 National Championship might have happened a few seasons earlier if there had been 12 teams in the playoffs since 2014. The Huskies made the CFP in 2022 and 2016 while finishing in the top 12 in 2017, 2018, and 2022.
Since their first CFP appearance in 2016, Washington has had an incredible 72-26 record across eight seasons, winning three Pac-12 Titles and ten or more games in five seasons. Washington joins the Big 10 in 2024, and if they have the same success in their new conference, we will see them in the new CFB playoff system soon.
5. USC Trojans
All College Football Fans remember the dominant USC Trojan Football teams from 2003 and 2004. Since then, they’ve been chasing another trophy. Since 2014, the Trojans have made the CFP Playoffs three times in a 12-team format. If you want to be seen as a team competing for the Championships, making the CFP boosts your image.
In Southern California, USC will now have a chance to make their championship dreams more of a reality. Next season, they will join the Big 10 alongside Washington and UCLA, and their schedule will be one the toughest in the country during 2024 with matchups against LSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, Washington, UCLA, and Notre Dame. But if they survive, they will be ready for a Championship run.
4. Ole Miss Red Rebels
Since 2014, the Ole Miss Rebels have finished in the Top 12 four times, twice since 2020, when they hired Lane Kiffen. The bright young head coach has a ton of experience, great recruiting, and a strong understanding of what it takes to win.
He was a part of the Alabama coaching staff from 2014-2016 that won a National Title in 2015. He also won two Conference USA Titles in 2017 and 2019 as the Head Coach of Florida Atlantic.
According to 24/7 Sports, since 2022, Ole Miss has had the #2 Transfer recruiting class twice and was ranked #1 in 2024. This team is loaded with experience and good coaching and will make the playoffs a few times over the next few years in a 12-team format by the new CFB playoff system.
Also read: BREAKING: Full Schedule For The 2024 College Football Playoff Has Been Revealed
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The bad thing about The Notre Dame Fighting Irish is that they are the Dallas Cowboys of College Football. They have a lot of history that their fans never let you forget, but no rings in recent memory to show for it.
Since the CFP creation, the Irish have made the playoffs twice in 2018 and 2020 and finished in the top 12 in 2015 and 2021. The good thing about Notre Dame is its bright future under head coach Marcus Freeman. Since 2014, the Fighting Irish have had a top 15 recruiting class every season and are projected to have the #1 recruiting class in 2025, according to 24/7 Sports.
This offseason, they signed QB Riley Leonard from Duke, who revived their struggling Football Program, and he will likely bring a massive spark to a talented Notre Dame Team. They will likely make the playoffs and have a chance at the title as early as this season.
2. Clemson Tigers
As the Clemson Tigers try to rebuild their program into a team that consistently contends for National Championships, a 12-team playoff couldn’t have come better. At one point, the Tigers made the CFP from 2016-2020, and they can also make the CFP for years in a row.
The ACC is the one conference in CFB that will look highly similar next season, so Clemson can continue to dominate if they play in the ACC Championship multiple times as they have over the last decade. They will also be in the 12-team playoffs over the next decade in December.
1. Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State earns the top on this list. Mainly because they’re the one team in College Football that’s been stuck as third-best in their conference for years. In the past, that’s led them to five top-12 finishes since 2014. But now, in a 12-team format, Penn State will get plenty of opportunities to fight for a championship with the new CFB Playoff System.
Penn State has also had a top 15 recruiting class every season since 2024, and now, with new additions to the Big Ten in USC, Washington, and UCLA, they will have a stronger strength of record at the end of the season if they find themselves on the outside looking in.
