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PROTEST PLAYOFF 2022: Data and Analysis

June 29, 2025 by Bring On The Cats

The final 16-team 2022 playoff bracket
The final 16-team 2022 playoff bracket | Courtesy Bracket HQ

In which BracketCat analyzes a variety of data from the 2022 16-team playoff simulation and draws conclusions.

The 2021 College Football Playoff 16-team field will be unveiled at noon Sunday.

Today, I have just a “few” tables for your digestion. Below, you will find:

  • Final playoff bracket and game results
  • What the final AP Poll might have looked like after this playoff
  • The top 5 winners and losers from expanding the 4-team field into a 16-team field (IMHO)
  • A running tally of real and mythical champions and national runners-up, for comparisons
  • Appearances and win-loss records of all conferences (both pre- and post-2023 realignment), coaches, seeds, and teams in the Protest Playoff (all cumulative)

If there’s anything else you’d like me to track in these, just let me know!


Final Playoff Bracket and Results


Final 2022-23 Associated Press Poll (with final game result)

  1. Georgia (17-0) — beat TCU 55-13 in the National Championship
  2. TCU (15-2) — lost to Georgia 55-13 in the National Championship
  3. Michigan (15-1) — lost to TCU 42-41 in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal
  4. Ohio State (13-2) — lost to Georgia 45-23 in the Peach Bowl semifinal
  5. Alabama (11-3) — lost to Ohio State 28-24 in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal
  6. Tennessee (11-3) — lost to TCU 38-27 in the Cotton Bowl quarterfinal
  7. USC (12-3) — lost to Michigan 37-21 in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal
  8. Kansas State (11-4) — lost to Georgia 32-17 in the Orange Bowl quarterfinal
  9. Penn State (10-3) — lost at Tennessee 39-22 in the CFP first found
  10. Washington (10-3) — lost at Alabama 51-24 in the CFP first round
  11. Clemson (11-3) — lost to USC 39-34 in the CFP first round
  12. Tulane (11-3) — lost at Georgia 43-0 in the CFP first round
  13. Utah (10-4) — lost to Kansas State 26-19 in the CFP first round
  14. LSU (10-4) — beat Purdue 63-7 in the Citrus Bowl
  15. Florida State (9-4) — lost at Ohio State 31-21 in the CFP first round
  16. Oregon (9-4) — lost at Michigan 54-30 in the CFP first round
  17. Oregon State (9-4) — lost at TCU 37-30 in the CFP first round
  18. Notre Dame (9-4) — beat South Carolina 45-38 in the Gator Bowl
  19. Troy (12-2) — beat UTSA 18-12 in the Cure Bowl
  20. Mississippi State (9-4) — beat Illinois 19-10 in the ReliaQuest Bowl
  21. Pittsburgh (9-4) — beat UCLA 37-35 in the Sun Bowl
  22. UCLA (9-4) — lost to Pittsburgh 37-35 in the Sun Bowl
  23. South Carolina (8-5) — lost to Notre Dame 45-38 in the Gator Bowl
  24. Fresno State (10-4) — beat Washington State 29-6 in the LA Bowl
  25. UTSA (11-3) — lost to 18-12 in the Cure Bowl

Top 5 Winners of 16-Team CFP over 4-Team CFP/New Year’s 6

  1. USC: Instead of being embarrassed by Tulane in the Cotton Bowl, the Trojans collect a massive road upset at Clemson and then get to play Michigan in a traditional Rose Bowl.
  2. Kansas State: Is losing closer than expected to Georgia in our first-ever Orange Bowl better than being flattened by Alabama in the Sugar Bowl? Hell yeah! Especially after winning a CFP game at Utah and deflating all those overly egotistical Pac-12 cultists in Salt Lake City.
  3. TCU: Still dominated by Georgia, but not to quite as much an embarrassing fashion. Adding wins over the Pac-12 and the SEC in the earlier rounds is a nice consolation prize, at least.
  4. Ohio State: Arguably a loser for being blasted by Georgia instead of losing on a last-minute field goal, but again, I think this is more than offset by wins over Florida State and Alabama.
  5. The New B1G: The Big Ten’s current composition would have had a whopping SIX (6) teams in this playoff. The current Big 12? Three (3). The current SEC? Three (3). This is why we need SEC welfare, I mean the 4-4-2-2-1-3 model, of course… (sarcasm)

Top 5 Losers of 16-Team CFP over 4-Team CFP/New Year’s 6

  1. Tulane: Oof, flattened by Georgia instead of upending USC in a legendary Cotton Bowl?
  2. Florida State/Oregon/Oregon State/Penn State/Washington: All five of these teams lost playoff road games in the first round instead of ending their season with nice bowl wins.
  3. Alabama/Tennessee: Each ended their season in a playoff bowl loss instead of recording a nice New Year’s 6 bowl win, but at least each of them won in the CFP first round.
  4. Utah: Enjoy your home loss to Kansas State instead of your usual Rose Bowl defeat, Utes.
  5. The Pac-12: Continued insult to injury for the dying league, which would have placed five (5) teams in the field, more than the Big 12 (2), B1G (3) and SEC (3). Now? Just Oregon State.


Playoff Records


BracketCat’s Protest Playoff Archives

2024: Kickoff | Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | NC | Data

2023: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | NC | Data

2022: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | NC

2008: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Orange

2007: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Sugar | Data

2006: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Fiesta | Data

2005: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Rose | Data

2004: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Orange | Data

2003: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Sugar | Data

2002: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Fiesta | Data

2001: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Rose | Data

2000: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Orange | Data | Encore

1999: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Sugar | Data | Encore

1998: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Fiesta | Data | Encore

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