The teams in the inaugural College Football Playoff were announced today, with Alabama taking the No. 1 overall spot, followed by Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State. Big 12 co-champions Baylor and TCU were left out of the CFP, ranking No. 5 and No. 6 respectively. TCU entered the final week of the season at No. 3 in the CFP rankings (THE DAILY). Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said, "It's clear we were penalized for not having a postseason championship game. ... That will cause us to go back to the drawing board a little bit and talk about whether or not we need to think about a different model" (“College Football Playoff Selection Show,” ESPN, 12/7).
Reaction to the job done by the CFP Selection Committee has varied, with ESPN's Paul Finebaum criticizing the selection process. He said, "I like the four teams, but I am just underwhelmed by this committee. I think they have taken a severe credibility hit today. ... I just would like a better explanation of their rationale and reasoning" (“College Football Playoff Selection Show,” ESPN, 12/7). The ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION's Jeff Schultz writes under the header, "Playoff Committee Got Teams Right, But Some Change Needed."
Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde wrote on his Twitter feed, "I completely disagree w the committee on including Ohio State over Baylor." ESPN.com's Travis Haney tweeted, "In the end, the committee did take the escape hatch from the Big 12 quandary. Couldn't justify H2H and nonconference matters, so picked OSU." But FS1's Stewart Mandel wrote, "If the committee had never done weekly rankings, I don't think there'd be much questioning of TCU's spot today." Fox Sports' Tim Brando: "I certainly understand the frustration felt at TCU & Baylor. However, the Co-Champ circumstances did them in. The Committee got it right!"
