College Football Playoff can be held by ACC, Big XII and SEC without Big 10 and Pac 12

The College Football Playoff is about to enter its seventh year with two of the Power Five conferences, the Big 10 and Pac 12, not playing football this fall. The ACC and SEC have owned the last five playoffs.

The first year of the College Football Playoff following the 2014 season began with second-seeded Oregon of the Pac-12 throttling third-seeded Florida State of the ACC 59-20 in the first semifinal. Fourth seed Ohio State of the Big 10 shocked top-seeded Alabama of the SEC 42-35 in the second semifinal.

The Buckeyes went on to defeat the Ducks 42-20 in the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Those were the last wins in the College Football Playoff from any Big 10 or Pac 12 teams. Ohio State has lost twice since then and Michigan State once in the CFP.

The Pac 12 has not had any of their teams appear in the College Football Playoff since Washington lost 24-7 to Alabama in the 2016 Peach Bowl Game in Atlanta. The Big 12 which is still deciding if they will play this fall is 0-4 in the CFP with all the defeats coming from Oklahoma. A playoff can be conducted by the remaining Power three.

New South Florida head coach Jeff Scott who was previously the co-offensive coordinator at Clemson proposed a new Power Four with the American Athletic Conference added to the ACC, Big XII and SEC. AAC commissioner Mike Aresco has been pushing for a power six without success over the past few years.

All but three of the last 15 College Football Playoff games have been won by Alabama or Clemson. One or the other or both has appeared in the last five College Football Playoff National Championship games. The Crimson Tide and Tigers alternated titles between the 2015-18 seasons.

LSU broke through after the 2019 season defeating Oklahoma 63-28 in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta before being crowned champions with a 42-25 victory over Clemson in the National Championship Game in their backyard at the Superdome in New Orleans. Last season was the first playoff without Alabama participating.

In all, the Big 10 has had five appearances in the College Football playoff. Ohio State with four and Michigan State with one. The Pac 12 has two and the four appearances by Oklahoma are the only ones by the Big 12. Clemson and the SEC account for the other 17 appearances. The playoff is still viable without the Big 10 and Pac 12.