Last 5 years with a 24-team playoff: How the expanded CFP would've changed college football

Last 5 years with a 24-team playoff: How the expanded CFP would've changed college football originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The College Football Playoff is expanding from 12 to 24 teams, and it is coming likely as soon as next season. While the full details of what format have yet to be formally announced, we have various reports as to what it will look like.

The 24-team field will include the CFP's final teams ranked inside the top 24 spots, which include the Power-Four conference champions. But due to the expanded playoff, conference title games will be eliminated.

Ross Dellenger reported earlier this month that there will likely be 23 at-large schools and one Group of 6 schools included in the field. The first- and second-round games would be played on campus.

In this format, the top eight schools would get a first-round bye, and there would be eight play-in games between the schools ranked No. 9 through No. 24.

Here's a look at what the 24-team CFP would have looked like over the last five years, using the rankings from those respective seasons.

MORE: 5 things to watch in Week 9: Judgment Day comes for Lincoln Riley, Buckeyes QBs

Last 5 years with a 24-team playoff

2025 24-team CFP Field

This year would have given us multiple three-loss teams making the field, including a Michigan team that lost to Oklahoma, USC and Ohio State.

Perhaps the worst team to get in here would have been Virginia, which had three losses to unranked NC State, Wake Forest and a loss to a five-loss Duke team in the ACC title game.

First-Round Byes

No. 1 Indiana (13-0)

No. 2 Ohio State (12-1)

No. 3 Georgia (12-1)

No. 4 Texas Tech (12-1)

No. 5 Oregon (11-1)

No. 6 Ole Miss (11-1)

No. 7 Texas A&M (11-1)

No. 8 Oklahoma (10-2)

First-Round Matchups

No. 9 Alabama (10-3) vs. No. 24 James Madison (12-1)

No. 10 Miami (10-2) vs. No. 23 Iowa (8-4)

No. 11 Notre Dame (10-2) vs. No. 22 Georgia Tech (9-3)

No. 12 BYU (11-2) vs. No. 21 Houston (9-3)

No. 13 Texas (9-3) vs. No. 20 Tulane (11-2)

No. 14 Vanderbilt (10-2) vs. No. 19 Virginia (10-3)

No. 15 Utah (10-2) vs. No. 18 Michigan (9-3)

No. 16 USC (9-3) vs. No. 17 Arizona (9-3)

2024 24-team CFP Field

This year could have gotten a bit wonky. Arizona State finished ranked 12th, but the Sun Devils were given a No. 4 seed as the Big 12 Champion. Clemson was also ranked 16th but given a No. 12 seed as the ACC Champion. We've kept the rankings as they were, since both teams would have made the field.

Perhaps the most unpopular teams to make the field this year was the Deion Sanders' three-loss Colorado team, which had three-score losses to Nebraska and Kansas on its resume, as well as a 31-28 loss to Kansas State.

People likely also wouldn't be too thrilled with Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss team making it, as the Rebels had losses to unranked teams in Kentucky and Florida, as well as a 29-26 overtime loss to LSU.

First-Round Byes

1. Oregon (13-0)

2. Georgia (11-2)

3. Texas (11-2)

4. Penn State (11-2)

5. Notre Dame (11-2)

6. Ohio State (10-2)

7. Tennessee (10-2)

8. Indiana (11-1)

First-Round Matchups

No. 9. Boise State (12-1) vs. No. 24 UNLV (10-3)

No. 10 SMU (11-2) vs. No. 23 Colorado (9-3)

No. 11 Alabama (9-3) vs. No. 22 Army (11-1)

No. 12 Arizona State (11-2) vs. No. 21 Syracuse (9-3)

No. 13 Miami (10-2) vs. No. 20 Illinois (9-3)

No. 14 Ole Miss (9-3) vs. No. 19 Missouri (9-3)

No. 15 South Carolina (9-3) vs. No. 18 Iowa State (9-3)

No. 16 Clemson (10-3) vs. No. 17 BYU (10-2)

Last team out: No. 25 Memphis (10-2)

MORE: Picks against the spread for Week 9's Halloween college football schedule

2023 24-team CFP Field

This one would have been a rough 24-team playoff, as we had four teams with four losses finished ranked in the final Top-24.

Perhaps most egregious would have been Clemson, which lost to Duke, Florida State, Miami and NC State. All losses except FSU were to unranked teams.

The field also would have featured an Oklahoma State team that lost 33-7 to South Alabama at home, including losses to unranked Iowa State and a 45-3 loss to a UCF team that was 1-5 in conference play.

First-Round Byes

1. Michigan (13-0)

2. Washington (13-0)

3. Texas (12-1)

4. Alabama (12-1)

5. Florida State (13-0)

6. Georgia (13-1)

7. Ohio State (11-1)

8. Oregon (11-2)

First-Round Matchups

No. 9 Missouri (10-2) vs. No. 24 SMU (11-2)

No. 10 Penn State (10-2) vs. No. 23 Liberty (13-0)

No. 11 Ole Miss (10-2) vs. No. 22 Clemson (8-4)

No. 12 Oklahoma (10-2) vs. No. 21 Tennessee (8-4)

No. 13 LSU (9-3) vs. No. 20 Oklahoma State (9-4)

No. 14 Arizona (9-3) vs. No. 19 Oregon State (8-4)

No. 15 Louisville (10-3) vs. No. 18 NC State (9-3)

No. 16 Notre Dame (9-3) vs. No. 17 Iowa (10-3)

Last team out: No. 25 Kansas State (8-4)

MORE:Who will lose first among unbeatens Miami, UCLA and Utah?

2022 24-team CFP Field

Similar to 2023, this year's field would have given us six (!) four-loss teams. The worst one would have likely been Notre Dame, which had bad losses to Marshall and Stanford. Fans likely would not have loved seeing Ole Miss earn a bid with losses to Florida State, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

First-Round Byes

1. Georgia (13-0)

2. Michigan (13-0)

3. TCU (12-1)

4. Ohio State (11-1)

5. Alabama (10-2)

6. Tennessee (10-2)

7. Clemson (11-2)

8. Utah (10-3)

First-Round Matchups

No. 9 Kansas State (10-3) vs. 24 Troy (11-2)

No. 10 USC (11-2) vs. No. 23 NC State (8-4)

No. 11 Penn State (10-2) vs. No. 22 Mississippi State (8-4)

No. 12 Washington (10-2) vs. No. 21 Notre Dame (8-4)

No. 13 Florida (9-3) vs. No. 20 Texas (8-4)

No. 14 Oregon State (9-3) vs. No. 19 South Carolina (8-4)

No. 15 Oregon (9-3) vs. No. 18 UCLA (9-3)

No. 16 Tulane (11-2) vs. No. 17 LSU (9-4)

Last team out: No. 25 UTSA (11-2)

2021 24-team CFP Field

This year's field actually was pretty strong, with just one four-loss team making the field in Arkansas. But three of the Razorbacks losses came to ranked opponents in Georgia, Ole Miss and Alabama.

The worst team might be a 10-3 Iowa team that lost 42-3 to Michigan in the Big Ten title game, as well as losses to Purdue and Wisconsin, neither of them ranked. Wake Forest would have earned a bid with three losses.

First-Round Byes

1. Alabama (12-1)

2. Michigan (12-1)

3. Georgia (12-1)

4. Cincinnati (13-0)

5. Notre Dame (11-1)

6. Ohio State (10-2)

7. Baylor (11-2)

8. Ole Miss (10-2)

First-Round Matchups

No. 9 Oklahoma State (11-2) vs. No. 24 San Diego State (11-2)

No. 10 Michigan State (10-2) vs. No. 23 Louisiana (12-1)

No. 11 Utah (10-3) vs. No. 22 Kentucky (9-3)

No. 12 Pittsburgh (11-2) vs. 21 Arkansas (8-4)

No. 13 BYU (10-2) vs. No. 20 Houston (11-2)

No. 14 Oregon (10-3) vs. No. 19 Clemson (9-3)

No. 15 Iowa (10-3) vs. No. 18 NC State (9-3)

No. 16 Oklahoma (10-2) No. 17 Wake Forest (10-3)

Last team out: No. 25 Texas A&M (8-4)

MORE: How Luke Fahey can join Terrelle Pryor, Braxton Miller as true freshman Ohio State QBs