Scratching the five-year itch

The results are finally in for the 2021 edition of the "shoulda-coulda-woulda" NCAA Division 1-A football playoffs...and for the first time since 2016, the champion came from a league other than the Southeatern Conference. Well...without further ado, here goes:

FIRST ROUND (seeding in parentheses): San Diego State (9) 45, Northern Illinois (24) 38/BYU (16) 50, Oklahoma (17) 47 (3 OT)/Iowa (20) 28, Ohio State (13) 27/Appalachian State (21) 19, Houston (12) 10/Utah (19) 52, Mississippi (14) 31/Pittsburgh (11) 20, Oregon (22) 16/Michigan State (15) 31, Coastal Carolina (18) 30/Baylor (10) 24, Utah State (23) 17

SECOND ROUND: Cincinnati (1) 28, San Diego State 7/Oklahoma State (8) 35, BYU 14/Louisiana-Lafayette (5) 31, Iowa 17/Georgia (4) 45, Appalachian State 9/Utah 24, UTSA (6) 22/Alabama (3) 38, Pittsburgh 26/Michigan State 34, Notre Dame (7) 31/Michigan (2) 14, Baylor 7

QUARTERFINAL ROUND: Cincinnati 24, Oklahoma State 0/Georgia 24, Louisiana-Lafayette 3/Alabama 35, Utah 3/Michigan 52, Michigan State 14

SEMIFINAL ROUND: Georgia 24, Cincinnati 7/Michigan 17, Alabama 10

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Michigan 27, Georgia 17

MVP: Michigan RB Blake Corum

The last time a team other than one from the SEC went all the way in these playoffs, Penn State took down Washington, 29-13...the second straight year a Big Ten team ruled the roost. What's more, the Wolverines picked up their second D-1-A playoff title. The first one came in 1983 (just the second year of these "shoulda-coulda-woulda" playoffs), when Michigan stopped Texas, 30-17.

Now to figure out which teams would've made the 2022 edition...