After decades of dreaming about it, years demanding it, and months arguing about it, the Playoff Era is finally here. The old BCS system would have produced a National Championship Game of #1 Florida State (only undefeated) and #2 Alabama (SEC Champion), but with both of those squads losing in the National Semifinals, the new system is instantly validated.
This offseason, we will take the role of the Selection Committee and look at how every BCS season (1998-2013) would have played out in the current College Football Playoff setup. As a staff, we will analyze, debate, and ultimately select the 4 most deserving teams and seed them #1 through #4. Once the bracket is set, we will throw the historical matchups into the game simulator over at What If Sports, a complex algorithm that simulates any matchup of teams from 1996 to the present. We will simulate each matchup 25 times for a more accurate sample size, and report the series results and average score. How different would the college football landscape look if the 4-team playoff had come 16 years sooner? Would the SEC still have held the crystal trophy for 7 straight seasons? Would Oregon have a championship by now? How would the famous #3 teams such as 2000 Miami, 2003 USC, 2004 Auburn, and 2011 Oklahoma State fare with a shot at glory? Would the BCS busters prove themselves? Let the games begin - here's what should have been: 2004 SEASON BACKGROUND & SELECTION COMMITTEE 2004 was one of the most controversial BCS decisions with undefeated SEC champion Auburn being left out of National Championship contention. To pile it on even further, two additional non-AQ teams finished with perfect seasons. As a Selection Committee, the choice was very simple - include the undefeated teams. The only debate became which of the non-AQ undefeateds should receive the #4 seed. Utah and Boise State both had impressive seasons, but due to Utah's scheduling and wider margin of victory, the Utes won this head-to-head debate. The Utes scheduled 3 BCS teams (Texas A&M, Arizona, and UNC) while Boise State only schedule one (Oregon State). Finally, Utah won all games by 14 or more points with an average score of 46-21, while Boise had 3 close calls decided by a score or less. This is the first time a non-AQ has impressed enough to be considered for a Playoff bid, and as a Selection Committee, we decided to give them a shot in favor of one-loss conference runner-ups California and Texas. As for the seeding, USC was clearly the most dominant team and earned the #1 seed, and while Oklahoma and Auburn can be debated #2 vs. #3 ad nausiem, the point is moot given their semifinal pairing.
2004 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF
The first non-AQ team to earn a College Football Playoff bid, the 2004 Utah Utes were completely dominated. USC won ALL 25 GAMES of the series, with an average score of 41-20. This beatdown caused some uproar from the power conferences and the Committee caught a lot of heat from Cal and Texas fans who felt their teams could have put up a better fight. This embarrassment can only hurt the future playoff fates of non-AQ teams down the road.
Auburn was given a shot at National Championship contention, and they took full advantage of it. Jason Campbell and his dynamic backfield of Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown surged past former Heisman-winner Jason White, by a game margin of 14-11 and average score of 31-27. It was a Toomer's Corner rolling for the ages. Auburn's dream season came to an abrupt halt as the mighty Trojans proved why they are regarded as one of the best teams college football has ever seen. The Heisman duo of Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush won an astounding 22 of 25 games, resulting in the most one-sided Championship simulation we have seen yet. The average score was 39-22 USC as the Tribute to Troy played all night. 
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