How a 16-team playoff format would have looked in 2024

Over the last few weeks, the idea of expanding the College Football Playoff to 16 teams has been entertained by college football decision-makers.

The 16-team model has reportedly gained support from power four commissioners after just one year of the 12-team model. 

No matter the number of teams, the final spot in the College Football Playoff has generated controversy, especially when Alabama is involved. 

2024’s debate was if SMU or Indiana should have been in the playoff over Alabama. In 2023, the Crimson Tide won the SEC Championship and made the playoff over an undefeated Florida State.

Based on the committee’s final Top 25 ranking on Dec. 8, here is what the 2024 College Football Playoff would have looked like with a 16-team model.

A 16-team format means no team will receive a BYE. Although there are rumors of the SEC and Big 10 receiving four automatic bids each, this follows the rules for automatic bids.

#16 Clemson Tigers at #1 Oregon Ducks

#9 Boise State at #8 Indiana Hoosiers

#13 Miami Hurricanes at #4 Penn State Nittany Lions

#12 Arizona State Sun Devils at #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

#14 Ole Miss Rebels at #3 Texas Longhorns 

#11 Alabama Crimson Tide at #6 Ohio State Buckeyes

#10 SMU Mustangs at #7 Tennessee Volunteers

#15 South Carolina Gamecocks at #2 Georgia Bulldogs

This hypothetical playoff lists the matchups in the style of a bracket, meaning the winner of Oregon and Clemson would face the winner of Indiana and Boise State and so on.

Each first-round game would be held on a college campus with seeds eight and higher hosting. 

This means Alabama would have traveled to play Ohio State, the team that emerged as national champions at the end of the first-ever 12-team playoff.

The Buckeyes bludgeoned Tennessee, a team that beat Alabama, in the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff. However, based on the way the bracket turned out, Ohio State would potentially face up to three SEC teams in a row. 

In conclusion, a 16-team playoff in 2024 would have put Alabama in the same spot that Tennessee was in, and it is up to one’s interpretation for how the Crimson Tide’s playoff run would have fared.

Applying a 16-team format to the 2024 postseason gives fans a reference when looking ahead to a future where this may become a reality.