The College Football Playoff Rankings for the 2024 season have been highly anticipated as it marks the beginning of the 12-team era. The selection committee is set to reveal the first rankings, with more teams now relevant to the playoff discussion due to the expanded format. One team of interest is Indiana, with betting odds to make the 12-team field. Despite a weak schedule, the Hoosiers have dominated opponents with no wins by fewer than 14 points. The committee will have to weigh this dominance against their weak schedule in comparison to other teams.
Criteria considered by the committee include conference championships, strength of schedule, head-to-head matchups, and results against ranked opponents. The committee specifically does not use preseason polls like the AP Top 25 or Coaches Poll when evaluating teams. They also do not use scoring margin as a factor, but do favor dominance.
The top five-ranked conference champions automatically earn a CFP berth, with the top four receiving first-round byes. The top seven remaining teams are slotted as at-large teams. Sorting out strength of schedule will be a challenge this season with the increased number of teams in the major conferences.
The ranking process is subjective and guided by objective data, with 13 committee members each valuing data points differently. The rankings are projected to be top-heavy with SEC and Big Ten teams, reflecting the current power distribution in college football. While the AP Top 25 is used for reference, the official rankings released by the committee will be the primary source moving forward.
Source
Photo credit www.cbssports.com
