College Football Playoff

The selection committee’s task is to select the 25 best teams in college football, rank the teams for inclusion in the playoff and assign the teams to the playoff bracket.

The selection committee first ranks teams Nos. 1, 2 and 3, and continues until all 25 are ranked. The selection committee begins the process by identifying small groups of teams and evaluating those teams against each other in a detailed and deliberative manner. The selection committee members engage in seven rounds of rankings to create the top 25.

The selection committee ranks the teams based on the members’ evaluation of the teams’ performance on the field, using strength of schedule, head-to-head results and comparison of results against common opponents to decide among teams that are comparable. The selection committee is comprised of experts in college football, and they use their expertise in the deliberations.

Selection committee members examine statistical data, and they also review a significant amount of game video. The CFP retains SportSource Analytics to provide the statistical information for the committee’s use. This platform allows the selection committee members to compare teams on every possible level. Each member evaluates the data at hand, and then the individuals produce a group decision through the seven rounds of voting.

Each round includes a “listing step” and a “ranking step”. In the listing step, selection committee members first select a pool of teams to be considered. Teams receiving the most votes then advance to the ranking step, in which each member ranks the teams. Those individual rankings are then compiled into a composite. Teams No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 are ranked in the first round; Teams 5, 6, 7 and 8, in the second round; Teams 9, 10, 11 and 12, in the third round; Teams 13, 14, 15 and 16 in the fourth round. Then, the committee switches to ranking three teams each in rounds five, six and seven. Each committee member independently evaluates the data, and the group engages in thorough discussion during each step and each round. This evaluation brings about individual qualitative and quantitative opinions that inform each member’s vote.

The selection committee ranks 25 teams each week.

Yes, after each meeting. Beginning in early November, the selection committee members meet weekly, in person, on Mondays and Tuesdays to produce rankings. The selection committee then meets again on selection weekend to watch the conference championship games, conduct a final evaluation, determine the final rankings and create the playoff bracket.

In 2026, selection weekend will take place Friday-Sunday, December 4-6.

The number was chosen to allow for a diversity of viewpoints, geographical representation, and active discussion. Experience shows this is the right size — not too small or too large.

The top criteria are knowledge and integrity. There are five categories of members: people with experience as (1) coaches, (2) former student-athletes, (3) administrators, (4) sitting directors of athletics, and (5) journalists. The management committee gives careful consideration to the standards for membership and to identifying high-integrity individuals who meet the criteria. Among the other valued attributes are football expertise, objectivity, ability to carefully evaluate and discern information, and experience in making decisions under scrutiny. Members are asked to commit significant time to the endeavor.

Athletics directors (ADs) have some of the best knowledge of college football, and the selection committee is much stronger with their participation. Many ADs have careers spanning across Division I football and at more than one conference. The goal is to make the selection committee the best and most knowledgeable it can be, which is why ADs are included. Like all selection committee members, ADs act in the best interest of the game, and they are recused from voting and discussing their schools.

Each member serves a three-year term. Terms of the first group of selection committee members were staggered to allow for an eventual rotation. A member selected to fill a partial term (e.g., replacing a member who must depart before finishing the term) may serve more than three years.

In the unlikely scenario in which a selection committee member is unable to meet the obligations that come with serving on the selection committee, the management committee would appoint a replacement.

The management committee appoints the selection committee chair.

No, there is no compensation for selection committee members. Members are reimbursed for their expenses.

The members are not expected to attend games in person. They are expected to watch live televised games and video replays of games extensively.

The chair of the selection committee leads the selection committee’s deliberations and cultivates an environment for selection committee members to cooperatively evaluate teams and create rankings, with each member voicing individual opinions. The chair facilitates meetings, helps set the selection committee’s agenda and shares spokesperson duties with the College Football Playoff Executive Director. The chair — and the selection committee members — are not involved in the administration of the playoff and the games. The selection committee’s sole responsibility is ranking the teams and establishing the playoff bracket.

The selection committee's process and procedures are available on CollegeFootballPlayoff.com. The intent is to achieve maximum disclosure, while also allowing the selection committee members to deliberate among themselves in a thoughtful and effective manner and with the appropriate candor. Also, the selection committee conducts “mock” exercises to allow reporters and others to become familiar with all the details of the process.

Yes. Selection committee members are fully recused from participating in discussion or votes involving a school’s team if they or an immediate family member receives compensation from the school, is a football student-athlete at the school, or has a professional relationship with that school.

A member shall be partially recused if they have a secondary relationship with an institution (e.g., an immediate family member employed by the institution but outside of the football program or senior administration). A partially-recused member may participate in discussions related to the team, but is not allowed to participate in votes involving the team in question.

The CFP Executive Director has the option to add other recusals if special circumstances arise. To learn more about the recusal policy and to view the selection committee protocol in its entirety, click here.

A recused member shall not participate in any votes, nor be present during deliberations involving the team’s selection or seeding, but may answer factual questions about the institution from which the member is recused.

The executive director does not have a vote, and the staff’s role is to provide support to the selection committee. The executive director and staff are responsible for the day-to-day business and administrative operations of the College Football Playoff itself, in keeping with the objectives established by the board of managers and management committee.

The selection committee is an independent body that operates according to the objectives established by the board of managers and management committee.