The third College Football Playoff rankings drop tonight and Charlotte Wilder joined Tuesday’s edition of GoJo and Golic to talk with Mike Golic Jr. and Mike Golic Sr. about what to expect and analyze the committee’s likely decisions.
GoJo mentioned that the third set of the College Football Playoff rankings arrive during a phase in a season marked by numerous transformations. The rapid growth in the Big Ten and SEC and the committee’s adoption of a 12-team playoff structure have brought challenges through their updated methodology of awarding automatic spots to the top five conference champions, including one from the Group of Five. This transition period has also highlighted the widening gap in scheduling practices across college football.
This model has been met with tremendous criticism. Ryen Russillo, host of the Ryen Russilo Podcast and a former ESPN colleague of the Golics, has openly criticized the flaws of this new system, arguing that Georgia’s five toughest opponents are significantly stronger than anyone Indiana has faced. By season’s end, Indiana will have played seven of the eight worst teams in the Big Ten. Acknowledging his own bias, Russillo admits favoring proven teams like Georgia and Texas, who were in the college football playoff last year, while contrasting it with the alternative bias of rewarding undefeated teams regardless of their weak schedules.
GoJo asked Charlotte if she thought Ryen’s argument had merit, specifically about Indiana being overvalued due to their weak schedule. She highlighted that the extended College Football Playoff was specifically created to tackle this concern by allowing schools such as Indiana to showcase their skills on a grander platform, even if they do not regularly compete against SEC-level opponents during the season. She stressed the significance of considering certain situations, such as what would happen if Indiana were to go up against SEC teams and emerge victorious. She suggested that it might be valuable to explore that option instead of immediately ruling out teams just because of their schedules.
Charlotte also questioned the validity of emphasizing the strength of schedule as a subjective measure that unfairly favors the SEC. She acknowledged the talent within the SEC, but ultimately proposed that we allow the expanded playoff format an opportunity to play itself out. After all, if the SEC outperforms as predicted, adjustments could be considered down the line. However, Charlotte feels it’s premature, at this point, to jump to conclusions.
Senior believes it’s time to ditch the committee and return to the old-school BCS computer system. He argued that the biggest issue with the current playoff model has been the committee’s inconsistency, with shifting criteria that make it impossible to pinpoint their decision-making process. In contrast, he highlights the objectivity of the BCS system, where results are generated without human bias or subjectivity. Computers are UNBIASED, computers aren’t SUBJECTIVE. You just put information in, and it spits it out.
Senior hammered home the point that if we followed the BCS computer rankings, the playoff seeding would look very different — Oregon at No. 1, Texas at No. 2, and a mix of conference champions and other top teams rounding out the brackets. He questions why we moved away from a system that, while imperfect, removed human error and unpredictability.
Could bringing back the BCS computer rankings fix the CFP committee's inconsistency issues? @golic thinks so.
“My answer has been to go back to the computers. The computers are unbiased, the computers aren’t subjective. You just put information in the computer, and it spits it… pic.twitter.com/ZhvAEXlnWl
— DraftKings Network (@DKNetwork) November 19, 2024
GoJo critiques the system for favoring powerhouse conferences like the SEC and Big Ten, envisioning a future where college football moves toward a super league structure. He highlights Indiana’s weak schedule, suggesting their upcoming game against Ohio State will likely expose their limitations, much like BYU‘s loss to Kansas did. For him, while the SEC undeniably has a talent advantage, the frustration over non-SEC teams like Indiana getting a chance feels overblown, especially when SEC teams with two losses are still ranked highly. It will be interesting to see how the rankings unfold after this evening.
Watch or listen to the full show below and tune into GoJo and Golic weekday mornings from 8-10 a.m. ET on DraftKings Network! See more about how to watch DraftKings Network here.
SHOW BREAKDOWN
Hour 1: Another Sad Cowboys Loss, Drake Maye & Bo Nix’s ROTY Odds + Cesar Ruiz, Saints OG, on Derek Carr, Interim HC Darren Rizzi, and Making New Orleans Home
VIDEO
Watch GoJo and Golic every weekday on Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Xumo Play, Google TV and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 8 to 10 a.m. ET. The show is also available via audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike Golic Sr. on X at @golic and Mike Golic Jr. on X at @mikegolicjr.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information
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