Every College Football Playoff team in history, ranked

SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 07: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Clemson Tigers celebrates with the trophy after his teams 44-16 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi's Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

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Michigan State (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

24. Michigan State Spartans – 2016

Lost to Alabama in Semifinal (Cotton Bowl), 38-0

There is no denying that the Michigan State Spartans did everything they could to make it into the 2015-16 College Football Playoff in the regular season. Though they had one loss to Nebraska on the year, Mark Dantonio’s team picked up three wins against teams ranked in the top 15 and beat a top-10 ranked Oregon team in non-conference play en route to winning the Big Ten.

Connor Cook and the Spartans, however, were severely outmatched against Alabama. The quarterback tossed two interceptions while Michigan State as a whole amassed only 29 rushing yards on 26 carries. When their defense was also unable to stop the Crimson Tide, it led to a blowout loss and, despite a solid regular-season showing, looked like they didn’t belong in the CFP.

23. Notre Dame Fighting Irish – 2019

Lost to Clemson in Semifinal (Cotton Bowl), 30-3

Because the Notre Dame Fighting Irish ended the 2018 regular season undefeated, there was absolutely no way that you could keep them out of the CFP. A program with the type of historical prestige that Notre Dame boasts winning every game — even if they aren’t in a conference — means the committee is going to put them in. However, detractors of the Fighting Irish were vindicated when they faced Clemson in the Cotton Bowl.

Trevor Lawrence eviscerated the Notre Dame defense while Christian Wilkins and the Clemson defense lambasted the Ian Book-led offense. It’s worth noting that the Tigers were also dominant in the National Championship Game but that still doesn’t remove the Irish’s hapless showing against them. If anything, it furthered the notion that Brian Kelly’s team didn’t belong in the top four.