New Data Point for College Football Playoff Selection

If you’re someone who thinks there aren’t enough three-loss SEC teams in the College Football Playoff (CFP), today might be a win for you.

According to insights from ESPN’s Heather Dinich, the CFP selection committee is planning to introduce an additional data point in late November. This change aims to assess the strength of each conference by looking at the scheduling strength of the teams within it. Essentially, this will help distinguish teams with similar records within the same conference as well as between conferences, based on the toughness of their opponents. For instance, a team like Penn State, which may not face heavyweights like Oregon or Ohio State, will be evaluated differently.

Dinich mentions that this new statistic isn’t meant to overshadow significant wins, overall schedule strength, or what the committee observes on film. Instead, it quantifies how tough it is to compete in each league, acknowledging that the grind isn’t uniform even within the same conference.

This “daily grind” is certainly a fresh concept.

However, it does seem a bit redundant since strength of schedule already measures something similar. Now, under this new guideline, the committee will consider the opponents’ strength of schedule to gauge a given team’s performance.

The introduction of this data point appears to favor the SEC, which traditionally features the most teams ranked in the top 25. It seems particularly advantageous for two- and three-loss SEC teams, as their standing could rise simply because of the conference they belong to.

This shift is bound to make the SEC happy, and it plays into the interests of ESPN, which is the official broadcaster for the SEC and holds the rights to most CFP games.

Previously, many fans have assumed that teams were evaluated on their individual achievements. Now, this new factor suggests that the evaluation might hinge on the “daily grind” of their conference—which raises some interesting questions.

For instance, does Alabama’s strength make Vanderbilt any better? Does Georgia’s success benefit Oklahoma in any way?

It seems a bit illogical.

Ultimately, this rule might expedite the transition to a 24-team playoff sooner than anticipated, as rival conferences may unite to push for fairer opportunities for their teams in the CFP.