Best teams to never make College Football Playoffs

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 11: A general view of the CPF National Championship midfield logo before the College Football Playoff National Championship football game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Hard Rock Stadium on January 11, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

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Christian McCaffrey (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Best teams to never make CFB Playoffs: 15. Stanford, 2015

Christian McCaffrey is known as one of, if not the very best, running back in the game today. But while he’s dominated the NFL, the all-world back has done the same during his time in college several years ago. In 2015, in particular, McCaffrey’s Stanford Cardinals seemed to be on the verge of making the College Football Playoffs.

A 16-6 loss to kick off their year to Northwestern didn’t help their case, neither did a super close 38-36 shootout against the Oregon Ducks. Outside of those two blemishes, however, the Cardinals had a terrific season.

Even with those defeats, they finished 12-2 and won the Pac-12 Championship against USC. If that wasn’t impressive enough, the Cardinals took care of business against Iowa in the Rose Bowl. For Stanford, unlike several teams on this list, their College Football Playoff window appears to be firmly closed shut. They aren’t considered perennial contenders and often trip up early in the season to effectively drain their chances of winning it all.

Stanford fans can be proud of what they were able to accomplish that season but ultimately, it’s going to be a long time until they truly have a chance to be back in the College Football Playoff mix.

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