SMQ: What if four teams got into a playoff during the BCS era?

What if the BCS era had formed from the outset with a four-team system? SMQ this week looks at the way things might have played out since the 1990s.

More: Complete 2017-2018 bowl schedule

With the fourth edition of the College Football Playoff semifinals looming, it is time to get a little introspective about the sport and where it stands. For decades January 1 stood as the heart of bowl season. During the BCS era it was a paramount date, at least for the first half-decade before an additional championship game was tacked on.

During the Bowl Coalition and Bowl Alliance eras of the 1990s, there were contractual issues that prevented a comprehensive playoff bracket. Once the Bowl Championship Series came into existence, however, the possibility of a playoff of any size came into possibility. For a decade and a half, though, the power brokers of the FBS elected to keep the bracket at two teams.

What what have transpired, though, had the BCS featured a four-team playoff from the outset? It is a fascinating counterfactual to consider, especially given the fact that the system’s lack of inclusivity was always its biggest issue. We might be looking at eight-team systems at this point if the BCS had been a plus-one from the outset.

This week, Sunday Morning Quarterback dives into what might have happened in each of those seasons during the BCS era. What would the BCS formula have set up for a four-team field, and would a selection committee have done anything different?