Which college team would have been ranked #1 under the old Bowl system?

[Auggie]

Any thoughts? I'll give you one: it wouldn't have been Ohio State.

[rurallib]

1. unbeaten Oregon

[Auggie]

2. Provided they won their Bowl game ...

vs ... who?

Notre Dame? Penn State? Indiana?

[rurallib]

4. Since we had a playoff I figured you meant who would be #1 without a post season

If you mean who would be #1 after some bowl games or playoff games, well, we had a playoff and it is OSU.

As it is there was playoff and OSU won it.

[Auggie]

7. I should have clarified: the old, old Bowl system

Before playoffs. If Oregon were still in the Pac 10 they could have played the Big 10 champion which could have been Indiana. And I could see Oregon winning by a large margin.

Moot conversation because the old Bowl system is history, though it's fun to speculate. And it underscores how absurd the old system truly was.

[d_r]

8. +1

[spooky3]

3. Didn't OSU beat them? Nt

[rurallib]

5. Yes and they beat OSU in a playoff game

and I interpreted the question on the old way to mean with no post season. Postseason pairings would affect rankings.

[MichMan]

9. Ohio State beat Oregon in the playoffs

Oregon won on the regular season

[rurallib]

10. right I stated that wrong

whichever - they had a playoff - OSU won and that is that

[hlthe2b]

6. Well, AP rankings for week 16 (before playoffs) were OR#1, GA#2, Notre Dame #3, Texas #4

So, if, as last year it was a 4-team playoff, Ohio State would not even be in the playoffs but it would have likely been among these top four.