College Football Playoff thought experiment

Jeff, quick question... (Image: recorder.com)

Jeff, quick question... (Image: recorder.com)

Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long reiterated on Saturday that the 13th game played by those in conference championship games was a factor in elevating Ohio State into the final four ahead of Baylor and TCU, according to College Football Talk.

With that in mind, let’s take a look back at 2013.

If the playoff were in place then, I think we can safely assume three easy calls for field: 13-0 Florida State, 12-1 Auburn and 12-1 Michigan State. All were Power 5 champs that won conference title games.

Pick who gets the final spot from this group:

  • Alabama: 11-1
  • Baylor: 11-1, Big 12 champion
  • Ohio State: 12-1, Big Ten division winner

*Note the final BCS rankings at the end of the regular season:

  • Alabama: 3 (ahead of Sparty)
  • Baylor: 5
  • Ohio State: 6

-Allen Kenney