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Big 12's Bowlsby Raises Questions About CFP Selection Criteria; Many Call For Eight Teams

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said that he "would like some clarity" from CFP officials on the "importance of conference championship games and strength of schedule" after the selection committee put 11-1 Ohio State in at No. 3 despite them not winning the Big Ten East Division or their conference title, according to Heather Dinich of ESPN.com. Bowlsby said, "I'm not sure what I advise my members right now, because we've been telling them that nonconference schedules matter, and [Washington] has an exceedingly weak nonconference schedule. And we've been telling them the 13th data point matters, and we added a conference championship game because of that. We've always heard that conference championships matter and division championships matter, and now it's confusing." He added, "We didn't have a team that was a likely participant in the playoff, and so from that standpoint it doesn't make a lot of difference to us this year, but I'd just like to know what we're supposed to advise our members." Dinich noted after Baylor's "abysmal nonconference schedule had been called into question in each of the first two years of the playoff, the Big 12 also issued a scheduling mandate throughout the league to help boost strength of schedule." The Big 12's current scheduling policy is that schools "aren't allowed to play more than one FCS opponent and they have to play one other Power 5 opponent" (ESPN.com, 12/4).

FIGURE EIGHT: In Phoenix, Dan Bickley wrote it is time for college football to "grow up and get in the fast lane." Arizona State VP/Athletics Ray Anderson said, "We’re going to be hard-pressed to stay with four playoff teams. The appetite for expanding the playoffs is growing. The fans want it and the money is there. We’re going to have to find a way to get to eight as soon as possible." Bickley noted conference championship games have "been marginalized, exposed as potentially meaningless exhibitions." Selecting four playoff teams has "become fraught with subjectivity and bias." Arizona AD Greg Byrne said of expanding the CFP, "I don’t see a lot of momentum at the conference level or with the college football folks" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 12/4). Bowlsby said, "If we were to expand the College Football Playoff, I think one of the ways you might expand is to play the first-round games -- assuming you have eight teams -- on the weekend where conference championship games are. Then the winners could go forward to play in the semifinals and finals, and the losers could go on and play in the bowl system. I can see a replacement at some point in time with the first-round games in an eight-team playoff. There would be enough money involved in extra playoff games to make it worthwhile." CBSSPORTS.com's Jon Solomon wrote, "The objective of the playoff is correct: Pick the four best teams. But when one of those teams doesn't play for its conference title, it makes you wonder why fans bothered paying attention to the conference race all year" (CBSSPORTS.com, 12/2). USA TODAY's Nancy Armour writes an eight-team CFP field would "allow a spot for each of the Power Five conference champions and leave room for other deserving teams, muting arguments like the ones that raged" yesterday. By doubling the field, the committee’s choices "would still be significant." They just "wouldn’t have the Darwinian impact they do now" (USA TODAY, 12/5).

TWICE AS NICE: In Minneapolis, Jim Souhan writes expanding to eight "would eliminate the consternation facing the committee this year." An eight-team playoff would "allow the committee to recognize that the Big Ten contains four teams good enough to contend for a title in any open format" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/5). In DC, Barry Svrluga writes under the header, "Let's Make The College Football Playoff Twice As Good And Add Four More Teams" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/5). In Chicago, Barry Rozner writes, "You could absolutely find eight teams worthy of being in the tournament, and it's no stretch to say there are 12 really good college football teams" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 12/5). In DC, Des Bieler wrote Saturday night "brought us a great pair of college football games" -- the Big Ten and ACC Championship games -- that also "served as an urgent reason" the CFP needs to expand from four to eight teams. The "main problem here" is that conference title games are now "in conflict with the aims" of the CFP. Bieler suggested the solution is to "get rid of conference championships." After all, they were "born of a desire to make conferences more money, and an eight-team CFP would take care of that nicely" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 12/4).

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE: SI.com's Andy Staples wrote the committee's selection of Ohio State will "inspire athletic directors to schedule more good football games." Ohio State is in the playoff because it "went to Norman and hammered eventual Big 12 champ Oklahoma on Sept. 17." Had the school "opted to play Akron that week," it would be "prepping for the Rose Bowl and Penn State would be headed to the playoff" (SI.com, 12/4).

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