I'm not saying I like this idea... but you could solve it by:

1. Expand the playoffs to 8 teams
2. Winner of conference champion game is auto qualifier as long as they finish top 10. [that means max 4 teams]
3. Fill out the remaining 4 teams by the highest ranked.

This year, let's say VT, PSU, Washington and Florida win. Then, likely PSU and Washington are automatically in as they would be top 10, while VT and Florida likely had too bad a regular season to qualify. The remaining 6 teams might be something like: Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma and maybe Clemson or USC.