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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(Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

10. Georgia Bulldogs – 2018

National Runners-up — Lost to Alabama, 26-23

Because of how the 2018 National Championship Game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide concluded, this iteration of Kirby Smart’s team is one of the most difficult to place in these rankings. On one hand, they were essentially 15-ish minutes away from winning the title. But on the other hand, they suffered a late-game collapse where they looked lost and walked away with no hardware.

A young Jake Fromm armed with the running back duo of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel did everything they needed to for three quarters, building a 20-7 lead. However, Nick Saban switching quarterbacks, moving from Jalen Hurts to freshman Tua Tagovailoa, made all the difference. Smart had no answer for the switch as the quarterback spearheaded a late run and threw the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

9. Clemson Tigers – 2020

Playing Ohio State in Semifinal (Fiesta Bowl)

For my money, the Clemson Tigers are being overlooked far too much as they go into the 2019-20 College Football Playoff, though it’s understandable as to why. Trevor Lawrence struggled early in the regular season, particularly developing a bad habit of turning the ball over, and the team as a whole followed his path. But after a scare from North Carolina, the Tigers have been a juggernaut blowing out everyone in the ACC.

Because the ACC was decidedly mediocre (in the kindest terms) this season, you do have to wonder what Clemson will look like against elite competition in the CFP. Having said that, Lawrence has been in this moment before, as has Dabo Swinney and much of this Tigers roster as well. They aren’t scared of the bright lights and should prove their merit against Ohio State and beyond.