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Major College AD Rips The Playoff Selection Committee

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated May 27, 2025 7:22 PM ET

The College Football Playoff format remains under scrutiny amid more potential changes. In the process, critics have questioned whether a selection committee is the best way to establish the playoff field.

SEC officials will discuss the CFP and other issues during the annual spring meetings. According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin called for a better system. Stricklin argued that other sports have more games, and thus more data points, than football.

"A committee is not ideal to choose a postseason," Stricklin said. "... I question whether it is appropriate for college football."

Florida fans haven't had much reason to worry about the selection process recently. The Gators went 19-19 in the last three seasons under Billy Napier and haven't vied for a national title since the Urban Meyer era.

A cynic could claim Stricklin is merely upset about one committee ruling not working in the SEC's favor.

One year after controversially giving Alabama a CFP spot over the undefeated Florida State, the committee left out the Crimson Tide. The SEC sent three teams to the first 12-team playoff.

After losing the ACC Championship Game, SMU earned the last at-large bid with an 11-2 record. Alabama went 9-3 with a 21-point loss to unranked Oklahoma, but Penn State easily dispatched SMU in the CFP's opening round.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey acknowledged that the CFP selection process and format could impact whether SEC teams play eight or nine games against conference opponents. Proposals to a 16-team expansion include four automatic bids for SEC and Big Ten members.

"One of the things we learned is, you're not gonna divorce your regular-season schedule from College Football Playoff selection," Sankey said, per AL.com's Matt Stahl. "In fact, I think there’s more of a feeling that regular-season scheduling is governed by College Football Playoff selection."

As for how to choose those playoff participants, college football has yet to land on a method that satisfies the masses. The BCS drew plenty of criticism during its existence, but more observers seem open to the return of a concrete criterion that mitigates the threat of human subjectivity and error.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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