Teams That Could Be In The College Football Playoff Next Year Or In The Future

Bowl season is underway. You can do your Christmas shopping and watch some bowl games go down. You can also watch some potential NFL draft picks play in their last game with their college team. It may also have you thinking about the team(s) that can crack the playoff field. I'm not talk about the traditional Alabama's and the Clemson's of the world. I'm talking about teams that can come out of left field, i.e. Washington in 2016, Michigan State in 2015, and Oregon in 2014. The playoff field may expand some time in the future, but it isn't too early to speculate on who might crack the 'Playoff Four'. Which teams are capable of breaking through in the next couple years?

• Oregon: The Ducks just landed Kayvon Thibodeaux, a prospect that many are saying is the best in the class of 2019. In fact, Oregon has pulled in one of the better recruiting classes of 2019, picking up corner Mykael Wright and outside linebacker Mase Funa. Mario Cristobal is building himself a tough defense by plucking recruits out of states like Florida and California, which is giving Duck fans hope.
• Texas: The Longhorns have not been relevant since the days of Mack Brown. However, this year's promising season has shown the Longhorns may be on their way back. Like Cristobal, Tom Herman is pulling in good defensive recruits such as safety B.J. Foster and outside linebacker De'Gabriel Floyd. Even quarterback/defensive tackle Hudson Card is on his way to Texas as an early commit from the class of 2020.
  
• Penn State: With Ohio State's Urban Meyer retiring, the Buckeyes have already lost a couple recruits and may lose more. This is good news for coaches like James Franklin, whose budding Nittany Lions squad have a chance to crack the top four. Five-star recruits from the 2018 class such as defensive end Micah Parsons and wide receiver Justin Shorter can grow even more next season, along with other stars such as running back Ricky Slade. Penn State also has Virginia Tech and Auburn on their future slates, making for potential resume boosters.
• Central Florida: All the talk about UCF's soft schedule will be put to rest as the Knights will play Stanford and Pittsburgh in 2019. Who knows, maybe the playoff will expand next year and Central Florida will FINALLY get their shot.