(06-12-2021 04:00 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote: Counts based on the conference at the time are in the OP.
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It would be interesting to extend the research back, before 1998, the available data from the AP top 20 lists dating back to 1936, by the 1960-1970 Coaches Polls. Top-ranked co-champions could be identified as the conference champions.
There would be some interesting findings:
For example, these teams would have been the playoff teams in 1991:
1991 Conference champions:
AP#:
#1 Miami@ (highest ranked conf. champ)
Big East Champion
#2 Washington (2nd highest ranked conf. champ)
#5 Alabama (3rd highest ranked conf. champ)
#6 Michigan (4th highest ranked conf. champ)
#12 Texas A&M (5th highest-ranked conf. champ)
SWC Champion
#15 Nebraska* (6th highest-ranked conf. champ)
*Top-ranked Big 8 conference co-champion.
@ Now in ACC.
1991 At-large teams:
AP#:
#3 Penn State
FBS Independent
#4 FSU
FBS Independent
#7 Florida
#8 California
#9
East Carolina^ FBS Independent
#10 Iowa
^Now in AAC.
@Now in SEC.
1991 CFP teams by conference:
ACC: 0
Big Ten: 2
Big 8 (now, "Big 12"): 1
SEC: 2
PAC-10: (now "PAC-12"): 2
Big East: 1
SWC: 1
Independent (Penn St., FSU, & ECU (now AAC): 3
ACC, Big 10, Big 8, PAC-10, and SEC: 7 playoff teams
Independents and other conferences: 5 playoff teams
1984 playoff teams:
1984 Conference champions:
AP#:
#1 BYU@ (highest ranked conf. champ)
WAC Champion
#2 Washington (2nd highest ranked conf. champ)
#3 Florida (3rd highest ranked conf. champ)
#4 Nebraska (4th highest ranked conf. champ)
#8 SMU*^ (5th highest-ranked conf. champ)
SWC Champion
#9 UCLA (6th highest-ranked conf. champ)
*Top-ranked conference co-champion.
@Current Independent.
^Currently in the AAC.
1984 At-large teams:
AP#:
#5 Boston College
FBS Independent
#6 Oklahoma
#7 Oklahoma St.
#10 USC
#11 South Carolina
FBS Independent
#12 Maryland
1984 CFP teams by conference:
ACC: 1
Big Ten: 0
Big 8 (now, "Big 12"): 3
SEC: 1
PAC-10: (now "PAC-12"): 3
WAC: 1
SWC (now AAC): 1
Independent (BC, South Carolina): 3
ACC, Big 10, Big 8, PAC-10, and SEC: 8 playoff teams
Independents and other conferences: 4 playoff teams
.
1957 playoff teams:
1957 Conference champions:
#1 Auburn (highest ranked conf. champ)
#2 Ohio St. (2nd highest ranked conf. champ)
#4 Oklahoma (3rd highest ranked conf. champ)
#8
Rice^ (4th highest ranked conf. champ)
SWC Champion
#12 Arizona St. (5th highest-ranked conf. champ)
BIAA Champion^
#15 NC St. (6th highest-ranked conf. champ)
^#8 Rice (currently a C-USA team) played in the Cotton Bowl and would have had a first round bye in a 12-team 1957 CFP.
^BIAA=Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1957 At-large teams:
AP#
#3 Michigan State
#5
Navy^ FBS Independent
#6 Iowa
#7 Mississippi
#9 Texas A&M
#10 Notre Dame FBS Independent
^#5 Navy (currently in the AAC), might have played a round 1 (play-in) playoff game on its home field.
1957 CFP teams by conference:
ACC: 1
Big Ten: 3
Big 6 (now "Big 12"): 1
PCC (now "PAC-12"): 0
SEC: 2
BIAA (#12 Arizona St.; now PAC): 1
SWC (#8 Rice (now AAC), #9 Texas A&M): 2
Independent (#5 Navy (now AAC), #10 Notre Dame): 2
ACC, Big 10, Big 7, PCC, and SEC: 7 playoff teams
Independents and other conferences: 5 playoff teams
.
1942 playoff teams:
1942 Conference champions:
AP#:
#1 Ohio St. (highest ranked conf. champ)
#2 Georgia (2nd highest ranked conf. champ)
#4
Tulsa^ (3rd highest ranked conf. champ)
MVC Champion
#11 Texas (4th highest ranked conf. champ)
SWC Champion
#12 Stanford (5th highest-ranked conf. champ)
#14
William & Mary^ (6th highest-ranked conf. champ)
^#4 Tulsa, currently in the AAC, played in the Sugar Bowl and would have had a first round bye in a 12-team CFP.
#11 William & Mary is now in the CAA.
1942 At-large teams:
AP#:
#3 Wisconsin
#5 Georgia Tech (then in SEC)
#6 Notre Dame
FBS Independent
#7 Tennessee
#8 Boston College
#11 Michigan
1942 CFP teams by conference:
Western (now "Big Ten"): 3
SEC: 3
PCC (now "PAC-12"): 1
SWC (#10 Rice, now C-USA): 1
MVC: (#4 Tulsa, now AAC): 1
Southern (William & Mary, now CAA): 1
Independent (#6 Notre Dame, #8 Boston College): 2
Western, Big 6, PCC, and SEC: 7 playoff teams
Independents and other conferences: 5 playoff teams
.
Some examples of teams that were not members of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, PAC, or SEC, but would have received CFP bids before 1998, with the proposed 12-team format:
Air Force: 1958, 1985
Army (independent): 1943-1949, 1950, 1954, 1957, & 1958
BYU (WAC/MWC): 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1996
Cornell (Ind): 1939
Colorado State (MWC): 1997
Darthmouth (Ind): 1937
Florida St. (Independent): 1979, 1980, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1990
Georgia Tech (Independent): 1966
Houston (Ind/SWC/Ind/CUSA/AAC) 1973, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1990
Miami (FL); Ind/Big East): 1954, 1956, 1966, 1981, 1983, 1985-1992,
Miami (OH; MAC): 1973, 1974, 1975
Navy (Ind/AAC) 1943-1945, 1954, 1957, 1960, 1963
Ohio (MAC): 1968
Pennsylvania (ind/Ivy League): 1936, 1945, 1947 (#4 conference champ)
Penn State (Independent): 1947, 1959, 1962, 1967-69, 1971-75, 1977, 1978, 1980-82, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996
Pitt (Independent/Big East): 1936-38, 1955, 1963, 1964, 1976, 1977, 1979-1982
Princeton (Ind/Ivy): 1951, 1952, 1964
Rice (current C-USA team): 1946, 1949, 1953, 1957
SMU (SWC/CUSA/AAC) (#3 (1947) top 4 conference champ) 1947, 1966, 1981, 1982, 1984
South Carolina (Independent): 1984
Syracuse (Ind/Big East): 1967, 1987, 1991, 1992
Texas Christian (SWC/WAC): 1938, 1951, 1955, 1958, 1959
Toledo (MAC): 1970, 1971
Tulane (SEC/CUSA) 1939, 1998
Tulsa (MVC) 1942, 1943, 1952, 1965
Utah (independent): 1994
Utah State (Skyline): 1961
Virginia Tech (Big East): 1995, 1996, 1999
West Virginia (SoCon/Ind/Big East): 1953, 1954, 1988, 1993
Wyoming (MWC): 1966, 1967