This season is the second edition of the expanded College Football Playoff. so far it looks like taking the playoff from four to 12 teams was the right choice since 8-seed Ohio State won it all last season and 1-seed Indiana is the only top four seed to advance to the semifinals this year.
But what if the playoff never expanded? Would Georgia have stood a better chance at winning a national title if the playoff was still at four teams? Or better yet, what would have happened if the playoff never existed to begin with?
The expanded playoff may have ruined Georgia's dynasty
Let's first begin with what would have happened if the playoff never expanded beyond four teams. Georgia was the CFP committee's No. 2 team last year and No. 3 team this year, so the Bulldogs still would have made the playoff both seasons. This however doesn't guarantee that Georgia would have won a national title either year, but there's no way to confirm they wouldn't.
Georgia just lost to Ole Miss in this year's playoff and last year they fell short to Notre Dame. Both Ole Miss and Notre Dame however would have missed the playoff if it was still a four team event, so there is a chance UGA would have done better against a different opponent and won a title.
But what would have happened if the playoff never existed in the first place? If the BCS system was still in tact Georgia would have played Oregon for a National Championship last season. And considering Ohio State annihilated the Ducks last season Georgia would have stood a great chance at winning. This year however likely wouldn't go Georgia's way as Indiana looks very strong, but there's a chance they could've beat the Hoosiers.
It's impossible to know what would have happened if the playoff never existed or if it never expanded to 12 teams. But at the same time it's also impossible to not think about what could have been if things were different.