While the sport itself is rapidly changing -- dome would say devolving -- amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the College Football Playoff isn’t. At least for now, it’s not.
The Big Ten dropped the mother of all bombshells Thursday by announcing that it is going to a conference-only schedule, foregoing non-conference games against the likes of, among others, Oregon (Ohio State), Miami (Michigan State) and Notre Dame (Wisconsin, at Lambeau Field). The move begged myriad questions, not the least of which was, what exactly will happen with the postseason in general and the playoff in particular? Provided such a truncated season is even played, of course.
In speaking with various media outlets following the Big Ten’s announcement, Bill Hancock indicated that nothing on the committee’s end will change in the here and now.
“Clearly there will be challenges this year, and we will see what those challenges are and work through them,” the College Football Playoff director told Paul Myerberg of USA Today. “Whatever the season looks like, the committee will select the best four teams based on the protocol.”
And just what is the committee’s protocol? From the CFP website:
The committee will select the teams using a process that distinguishes among otherwise
comparable teams by considering:
- Conference championships won,
- Strength of schedule,
- Head‐to‐head competition,
- Comparative outcomes of common opponents (without incenting margin of victory), and,
- Other relevant factors such as key injuries that may have affected a team’s performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance.
Hancock did tell ESPN.com that the CFP is not yet ready to determine if a minimum number of games need to be played in order to qualify for the semifinals.
The 2020 semifinals are scheduled to be played in the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. Miami is set to host the College Football Playoff championship game 10 days later.
