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Championships:

• 3 Alabama
• 2 Clemson
• 1 Ohio State
• 1 Louisiana State
• 1 Georgia

Wins:

• 9 Alabama
• 6 Clemson
• 3 Ohio State
• 3 Georgia
• 2 Louisiana State
• 1 Oregon

Appearances:

• 7 Alabama
• 6 Clemson
• 4 Ohio State
• 4 Oklahoma
• 2 Georgia
• 2 Notre Dame
• 1 Oregon
• 1 Florida State
• 1 Michigan State
• 1 Washington
• 1 Michigan
• 1 Cincinnati

Even though they didn't win it all, Alabama really pulled away this year:
Championships:  Since the winner was a first-time CFP winner Bama's lead remains one over Clemson and two over the 1-NC group that is now expanded to tOSU, LSU, and UGA.  

Wins:
Bama got yet another CFP win to pull further ahead of their closest contender (Clemson) and they have six more CFP wins than third place (tOSU/UGA).  

Appearances:
This is where Bama really pulled ahead.  They had a down year and still made it while their closest competitors (Clemson, tOSU, and Oklahoma) all missed.  

I am theoretically curious which "team left out" really had a solid chance of winning the current system.

I am theoretically curious why "team left out" really had a solid chance of winning the current system.

I don't think anyone would argue that. 

We've only seen a couple champs that would've been left out in the old system, so I suppose we don't know. And with the old system, we saw a few champs that would've been locked out in the previous system. 

I was pondering which Five slotted team could have won an extended playoff.

I don't even know who the "first one out" was in any of the given years, but I suspect medinabuckeye will be along any moment to provide this analysis, and we will all be very grateful.

Eh, it is really hard to say.  

One thing about the playoff is that the eight CFP Champions starting with Ohio State in 2014 have probably played eight of the ten or so toughest schedules ever played by a NC and quite possibly the toughest eight.  

When I look at Ohio State's CFP NC in 2014, after the Michigan game that year the Buckeyes played:

• #13 Wisconsin in the B1GCG
• #4 Bama in the CFP Semi-Final
• #2 Oregon in the CFPNC

Just a few years prior to that very good tOSU season would have ended with Michigan, Rose Bowl and the Rose Bowl opponent *MIGHT* have been a great one like USC in 1968/69 (#2 at game time, #4 final) or they might have been not so good.  

That 2014 tOSU team ended up playing (final AP ranks):

• #2 Oregon
• #4 Bama
• #5 Michigan State
• #13 Wisconsin
• RV Minnesota
• RV Rutgers

2015 Champion Alabama ended up playing (final AP ranks):

• #2 Clemson
• #6 Michigan State
• #10 Ole Miss
• #16 LSU
• #21 Wisconsin
• #22 Tennessee
• #25 Florida
• RV Georgia
• RV MissSt
• RV Arkansas

The 2014 Buckeyes played three top-5 teams and four of the top-13.  The 2015 Tide played three top-10 teams and SEVEN ranked teams.  Pre-CFP schedules like that would almost never have happened.  I know that 1973 USC played #1 ND, #2 tOSU, and #3 Oklahoma but they went 0-2-1 and if they HAD won those games then those teams wouldn't have finished that high.  

In the Buckeyes last pre-BCS NC (1968) they played:

• #4 USC
• #10 Purdue
• #12 Michigan
• #14 SMU

That was a REALLY tough schedule for that era because a bunch of stars aligned to make it that way:

• There were two other good league teams, and
• Ohio State played both of them, and
• Ohio State played a pretty good OOC game (SMU), and
• Ohio State's bowl opponent was really good (#2 at game time, defending NC, with Heisman winner, some guy named OJ).  

Still, it wasn't NEARLY as tough at the very top as what all CFP Champs have faced.  

That is why I'd be OK with a 6 team playoff, but no more.  I don't think teams 7-12 should be included, and view 5 and 6 as sketchy.

This year we would have had some bad conference champs in the mix and an at large that won it as it stands now.

I prefer four, but think six is "OK" and 8 is too many for reasons stated.  But six allows all conference champs to be included plus one at large.  And perhaps this year Cincy would be the at large.  But then Wake and Utah get in along with OU, meh.