From a mundane conference room amid a gaudy hotel amid a bizarre nation, 12 people spent chunks of last autumn doling clues and hints and lessons. As the inaugural College Football Playoff Selection Committee sat in Texas with one of the most vital, thankless tasks in American society — ranking teams for millions of eagerly aggrieved fans — its inner conversations remained decidedly inner. Yet its priorities — from strength-of-schedule to strength-of-schedule to strength-of-schedule — did come clear. Or, to most. “After last year, I don’t feel confident about anything,” cracked Texas Christian Coach Gary Patterson, at Big 12 Media Days. Then the coach of a team that missed the four-team playoff because it suffered a novel, if justifiable, dip from No. 3 to No. 6 in the final rankings despite having just won by 55-3, ceased his wink and said, “We’ve only done it one year… . So I can’t judge a group yet until I kind of see it go out a few more, a couple more years, and see how that all extends. So we’ll see.” The rankings already gussied up Tuesday nights in a long-rancorous sport. Beginning last Oct…
Continue Reading: The largely useless lessons of the inaugural College Football Playoff
