So, you want to make the playoffs huh? Well this guide will show you how to make the playoffs with a look back to the past with what the 16 Playoff teams have done that no one else has done. As Committee Chairman, I am interested to see if/how these change over the upcoming seasons. Enjoy!

1. Don’t lose more than 3 games: First step is pretty “easy” (relatively), just don’t lose 4 games. As history shows at that point, there are just too many teams with 3 losses or less where you can’t make up for it with great wins. This knocks out teams like S1 Iowa (#15) and S2 BYU and USC (#13 and #14 respectively)

Season 2 Examples

Season 1 Example

2. Have a Top 15 win OR win at least 11 games: Every team that has made the playoffs has had a top tier win against a Top 15 team OR has had so many wins to overcome the lack of a top win such as S2 Cal (#8) who had a win over #16 anyways and S1 UNLV (#4) who didn’t have a Top 25 composite win but had 12 wins. This knocks out a big chunk of teams who have been on the playoff bubble such as Toledo for both seasons (#13 and #11), S1 Army (#10), and S1 Tulane (#9). This cuts our S1 list down to only 9 teams already with Kent State (#25) being the only other team to make this list.

Season 2 Example

Season 1 Examples

3.) Have 4 Top half wins: You can’t just beat one good team and expect to make it. You need to at least have 4 Top half wins to be able to make the playoffs. This gets S1 Kent State (#25) off the list and gets our S1 list down to our 8 playoff teams. It also knocks off S2 teams such as UCF (#17), Akron (#10), Georgia State (#23), and Liberty (#15).

Season 2 Examples

Season 1 Example

4.) Don’t have an outside the Top 50 loss OR have at least 10 wins: As a 9-3 your margin of error is super slim. A bad loss will tank your playoff hopes. This knocks out S2 Charlotte (#9) and Old Dominion (#16). The only 2 9-3 teams to make the Playoffs, S1 Louisiana-Monroe (#6) and Louisville (#8) both did not have this bad loss.

Season 2 Examples

Season 1 Counter-Examples

5. Don’t lose to a team outside the Top 100: This last rule is a very simple rule. Don’t lose to pure garbage teams. This kills the final team that had passed the 1st 4 rules (just passed may I add), S2 Georgia (#12).

Season 2 Example

Now with these 5 steps completed, there are only 16 teams in FFBS history who meet all of these criteria. The 16 teams who have made the playoffs. Of course, as more data comes in as seasons come and go this may change. Here are those 16 team’s resumes.

Season 1 Playoff Resumes

Season 2 Playoff Resumes