End of the BCS: (spoiler) would have benefited from a four or eight team playoff

Bye, Bye BCS, we hardly knew you.

The controversial bowl/playoff system was the most exclusive in American sports. Only the top two teams in the country advanced to the postseason.

In 2014, a brand new four-team playoff will debut. The altered format sparked the question: Retrospectively, who would have benefited from the new system?

In Athens, the crystal trophy is a tease seen temporarily at a Wal-Mart display.
An expanded playoff gives teams like Georgia more chances. Photo courtesy: Dean Janssen

First, I'll look at the four-team playoff and will then expand into a hypothetical eight-team one.

Four Teams

The SEC, Big 12, Pac-12 and Big Ten would have nearly equally benefited from a four-team playoff system, according to the BCS rankings released prior to bowl games. 

Below is the amount of teams ranked No. 3 and No. 4 by the final BCS standings, dating back to its inception in 1998. It's first sorted by conference and then by team.

Then Alignment/Present Alignment:

SEC: 7/7

Big 12: 7/7

Pac-12: 7/8
Big Ten: 6/7
ACC: 1/2
Big East/AAC: 2/1
MWC: 2/0

As if Alabama fans weren't spoiled enough, they were the team that would have benefited the most from a four-team playoff. The Crimson Tide finished in the top four of the BCS standings in 1999, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013, winning the championship under Nick Saban in 2009, 2011 and 2012.

By Team:
3: Alabama
2: Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Stanford, TCU, Texas, USC
1: Auburn, Cincinnati, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas State, LSU, Miami, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Washington

Obviously the BCS standings aren't perfect. For example I would have been surprised if Virginia Tech (BCS No. 3) and Oklahoma (BCS No. 4) got into the postseason ahead of Georgia (BCS No. 5) in 2007.

Teams who would have had the most appearances in a four-team playoff are: Alabama (6), Ohio State (5), Oklahoma (5), Florida State (4), LSU (4), Texas (4), USC (4), Miami (3), Auburn (3) and Oregon (3).

Eight Teams

If we were to expand the playoffs to eight teams, the following conferences and teams would benefit. (This is ONLY teams ranked No. 5 - 8 in the final BCS).

Then Alignment/Present Alignment

SEC: 15/17
Big Ten: 11/12
Big 12: 14/11

Pac-12: 13/15
ACC: 3/5

MWC: 3/3

Big East/AAC: 2/1
WAC: 2/0
Independent: 1/1

By Team:
4: Florida, Georgia, Kansas State, Ohio State
3: Boise State, Oregon, Tennessee, USC, Wisconsin
2: Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Stanford, Texas, Utah, Virginia Tech
1: Arizona, Baylor, California, Florida State, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, LSU, Louisville, Michigan, Miami, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Oregon State, Penn State, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, UCLA, Washington State

Adding six extra teams in the postseason makes Ohio State the big winner. They would have appeared in a playoff in six additional seasons beyond the national title during that time. Georgia, Florida, Kansas State, Oregon and USC would have appeared five more times.

Teams with the most total appearances in the hypothetical eight-team playoff are: Ohio State (9) USC (7), Florida (7), Oklahoma (7), Oregon (6), Alabama (6), Texas (6), Georgia (5), Florida State (5), LSU (5) and Kansas State (5).