The College Football Playoff selection committee may have a more difficult job than it did in the format’s first two years. And this after only the first October weekend of 2016.
Clemson and Louisville played a thriller Saturday, a loss that did little to diminish the losing Cardinals’ bona fides. Meanwhile Michigan and Ohio State seem destined to hurtle toward each other for the post-Thanksgiving collision as top-five unbeatens.
Will the committee, for the first time, pick more than one team from the same conference for the four-team playoff?
Let’s consider this scenario: Both Louisville and the loser of the Michigan-Ohio State game finish the regular season with just one loss each, to their rival in a close game that wasn’t decided until the waning seconds. But because they reside in the same division as the lone team they lost to, they wouldn’t be able to play for their respective conference championship.
Does the committee select an “at-large” team (or even two) for the playoff field? In the CFP’s first two years, each of the eight participants were Power 5 conference champions. But would that precedent be ignored in 2016?
Even though we’re only five games into the season, that possibility is very real. The Big 12 has virtually played itself out of the playoff already. The Pac-12 has just one undefeated team left in Washington and its strength of schedule might precludes it from making a case. And there’s still Houston, but if it can’t beat Louisville in a November showdown, it will be instantly eliminated.
So that leaves us with candidates only from the ACC, Big Ten and SEC. Each conference still has multiple undefeated teams currently ranked in the top 10 (AP poll) and at this point the winner of those conferences seemingly are assured of a spot in the playoff.
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