Making title game but losing: ‘95 Florida, ‘02 Canes, ‘05 USC, ‘99 Virginia Tech
Missing title game: ‘98 Kansas St, ‘96 & ‘98 Ohio State, ‘99 Wisconsin, ‘95, ‘96 & ‘97 Tennessee, ‘02 Georgia, ‘04 Auburn, ‘08 USC
Edit: Was putting together my list and it struck me how all the good teams coming to mind were teams I watched from 10-20 yrs old, not much after.
And I’ll say it - is the 1996 Citrus Bowl between Tennessee and Ohio State one of the most underrated college football games ever? In terms of star power and team quality? I could easily see both of those teams finishing #1 & #2 over the last few years run of Clemson Vs Ohio State Vs Alabama NC games we’ve been getting.