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

2005

(1) USC v. (4) Ohio State

(2) Texas v. (3) Penn State

FIRST TEAM OUT: Oregon

USC and Texas would have taken a rain check in a semifinal situation. Instead, the Pac-10 champion Trojans would have been facing a traditional Big Ten rival in the semifinals instead. Texas would also have been left to take on a Big Ten opponent.

The Trojans, as the top seed, would have matched up against Ohio State. Meanwhile, the Longhorns would have earned a bid into a showdown against Penn State. The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions squared off in the regular season, with Penn State emerging victorious in a 17-10 thriller.

With two spots taken up by Big Ten teams, that would leave Oregon looking in from the outside. The Ducks lost 45-13 to top-ranked USC in late September, but otherwise managed to finish unbeaten in the rest of their regular-season games. That was enough to keep them just outside the playoff picture.

Would a selection committee make any different decision? Basically the question came down to whether two Big Ten or two Pac-10 teams deserved to reach the semifinal. The case was far murkier for teams like Notre Dame and Georgia.