Dissecting college football’s playoff system

The first line of the College Football Playoff selection committee protocol says it all: “Ranking football teams is an art, not a science.” Passionately debating the merits of teams is as much a part of the appeal of the sport as its traditions, rivalries, and raw emotion. In a sports environment where nearly everything can be boiled down to statistical measures, college football remains blissfully subjective, like a painting or a piece of music.

There is a great deal of intrigue surrounding the final opinion of the College Football Playoff selection committee and the possibility of the Big Ten providing half the playoff field. This could happen due to mega-conference scheduling quirks that prevented either Ohio State or Michigan from playing for the Big Ten title.