College Football Playoff committee to place more emphasis on strength of schedule when creating 12-team field
SMU's losses were to an unranked BYU and a ranked Clemson in the ACC Championship game. Alabama had bad losses against Vanderbilt and Oklahoma, both .500 at the time, but also had wins over a second-ranked Georgia, No. 21 Missouri, and No. 14 LSU.
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Prompted by concerns about how teams that don't play in conference championship games are judged, the committee reviewed the movement of idle teams from the second-to-last ranking to final ranking. The selection committee reaffirmed that movement in the final week should be evidence-based and did not recommend creating a formal policy prohibiting such movement.
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The committee also updated its policy on recusal of selection committee members.
A member will be fully recused from the evaluation of a team if he or she receives direct compensation from the school in question or has an immediate family member who is a football player, football staff member, or senior administrator at the school. A fully recused member is not allowed to participate in any deliberations or vote concerning that school.
A member will be partially recused if he or she has a secondary relationship with the school in question, such as an immediate family member employed by the institution but outside of the football program or senior administration. A partially recused member may remain present and participate in discussions related to the team in question but is not allowed to participate in votes involving the team.
The selection committee will release its five weekly Top 25 rankings on Nov. 4. The final rankings and playoff field will be announced Dec. 7.
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USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Ranking the stadiums for the 2025 college football preseason top-25 teams
We're just days away from the opening of the 2025 college football season, which means all the tradition of college football Saturdays is finally back. But who could forget the stadiums? In the global sports landscape, college football is truly unique where entire communities pack stadiums (sometimes exceeding crowds of 100,000) to watch amateur games. Many of college football's programs boast world-class stadiums that fans from all over the country only dream of visiting. That brings us to this list where we are re-ranking the preseason USA TODAY US LBM Coaches Poll by stadiums. Unlike our MLB and NFL stadiums rankings — which offered first-hand experience from almost every stadium — there are so many college football venues that we haven't experienced yet. So, that's exactly what the judging metric will be based off of here: The stadiums that we want to go to (or return to) the most. Here's how it turned out. 25. SMU - Gerald J. Ford Stadium While SMU has heavily invested in facilities behind the scenes, the stadium still leaves a lot to be desired. Closing out the horseshoe was a big first step, but Gerald F. Ford Stadium remains far from a destination venue for college football fans. 24. Kansas State - Bill Snyder Family Stadium I have been to Manhattan many times, and I can't imagine myself voluntarily going back for any reason. The stadium is fine, and K-State has invested in its facilities over the years. But it's certainly not nice enough to convince me to take a flight from Phoenix to Kansas City and drive another two hours. 23. Iowa State - Jack Trice Stadium Similar situation as K-State where it's an acceptably average Big 12 stadium, but college football in Ames isn't as exciting or as accessible as the other stadiums on the list. 22. Texas Tech - Jones AT&T Stadium I do have to give Texas Tech credit: It hasn't been afraid of spending money on the stadium and football program. It's just difficult to imagine many people going out of their way to visit Lubbock, Texas, willingly. 21. Boise State - Albertsons Stadium Is the blue turf a gimmick that has lost almost all of its mystique? Yes. Do I still want to see it? Also, yes. 20. BYU - LaVell Edwards Stadium BYU is coming off a resurgent second season in the Big 12. It has a passionate fan base and some of the best views at LaVell Edwards Stadium. But if you're looking for a traditional tailgating scene or any kind of nightlife, uh, Provo isn't the place. 19. Texas A&M - Kyle Field Kyle Field is a needlessly large stadium for a football program that hasn't won its conference title since 1998. Watching mediocrity with 102,000 other people sounds exhausting, to be honest. 18. Illinois - Memorial Stadium When you think of Big Ten game days, Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State probably come to mind before Illinois. But there is excitement around the Illini after posting their first 10-win season since 2001. That has to make for a cool experience. 17. Miami - Hard Rock Stadium Hard Rock Stadium is a beautiful venue for NFL games and major sporting events (besides the ones organized by CONMEBOL), but it's not a great fit for the Miami Hurricanes. Even when Miami is a contender —which happened last season — the team rarely sells out the stadium. But hey, it's still Miami. There are certainly worse places to watch college football. 16. Indiana - Memorial Stadium Indiana was the surprise of the college football season last year after reaching the College Football Playoff in Curt Cignetti's first season. And sure, that doesn't have much to do with the stadium, but it's fun to watch good teams. Plans are already in the works to renovate the 65-year-old stadium. 15. South Carolina - Williams-Brice Stadium It would be awesome to experience one of the underrated pregame scenes in college football. 14. Arizona State - Mountain America Stadium I've been to Mountain America Stadium (forever calling it Sun Devil Stadium!) many times, and it's a perfectly fine stadium. It underwent a $300 million renovation in the past decade. And while the results were a bit underwhelming for the price tag, the improvement on the aging stadium is undeniable. Just be prepared for triple-digit temperatures well into October (and possibly November). 13. Tennessee - Neyland Stadium I've enjoyed all my trips to Knoxville, and Neyland Stadium seems like the kind of stadium that will make your jaw drop. Tennessee is even planning major renovations on the stadium for the next few years because of course they are. There's always room to make a stadium bigger and better in the SEC. 12. Clemson - Frank Howard Field at Memorial Stadium Seeing the players enter the field from The Hill is one of the cooler traditions in college football, and it has to be a thrill to see it in person. 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It checks all the boxes: impressive (and HUGE) stadium, game-day atmosphere, college town and passion. Beaver Stadium is worth visiting. It also is undergoing renovations that should be finished for the 2027 season. And in the meantime, fans get to experience some temporary (and terrifying) upper-deck seating. 7. Ohio State - Ohio Stadium The separation between these stadiums is so small that you could basically interchange any of the top 10. The Horseshoe is what comes to mind when many people think of iconic college football stadiums. It's a place that every college football fan should try to experience in person. 6. Georgia - Sanford Stadium It's among the more picturesque stadiums in the country — fall Saturdays between the hedges. And with Georgia looking to win three titles in five seasons, the atmosphere in Athens is guaranteed to be electric. 5. Ole Miss - Vaught Hemingway Stadium I've heard legendary things about The Grove on game days at Ole Miss. 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Alabama - Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium Alabama is like a ridiculously rich person who loves hosting parties for 100,000 friends. Bryant-Denny Stadium is that mansion. Who is going to say no to a party at a mansion? Exactly. But for real, this is an iconic stadium that is constantly getting improved. They're never satisfied at Alabama, and it shows (in a good way).
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
CBS Sports thinks Florida football is 'overrated' heading into 2025 campaign
Florida football returns to the field in just over a week and the Gator Nation could not be more excited about the upcoming 2025 campaign. After a successful finish last fall, the faithful fans are hoping for an even better run this time around. However, Billy Napier and Co. face another brutal schedule that is arguably the toughest among FBS schools while playing in the über-competetive Southeastern Confernece. The overall consensus on Florida's outlook has been a mixed bag, with some projecting a possible College Football Playoff appearance while others think the Gators will finish outside the top 25. CBS Sports recently assembled its college football staff to offer their SEC expert picks for the upcoming season, breaking down the contenders and pretenders while also providing bold predictions for the season ahead. Unfortunately for Florida, they landed in the "most overrated team" category. What CBS Sports says about Florida football's outlook "I'm a believer in Billy Napier and DJ Lagway, but I can't get past that brutal schedule again", John Talty begins — with an assist from Chip Patterson. "Napier did a terrific job managing a treacherous situation with so much outside noise calling for his job and still guiding the Gators to an 8-5 record. That has cranked up the offseason hype machine and landed the Gators a preseason top 15 position, but it's hard to see Florida really improving much off last year's 8-5 record," they continue. "Florida plays four top 10 teams (Texas, Georgia, LSU and Miami) plus No. 19 Texas A&M, No. 21 Ole Miss and No. 24 Tennessee. If Napier can get to nine or more wins with that schedule, he deserves a raise and extension." For what it is worth, the group also has the top-ranked Longhorns in that same category, along with the Rebels, Vols and South Carolina Gamecocks. CBS Sports' bold prediction for Florida football "Florida starts the season in the top 15 and yet ends the year unranked after another grueling schedule deflates the Gators' hype balloon. Florida will be a better team than it was in 2024 and I'm a believer in DJ Lagway but the Gators' have a brutal four-game stretch all against top 20 teams — LSU, Miami, Texas and Texas A&M — and still play Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Florida State," Talty notes. "Napier was a miracle worker getting last year's team to 8-5 and if he can somehow improve on that with this year's slate, make him Coach of the Year." Florida football's season opener The Orange and Blue open up the 2025 campaign at home inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 30, against the Long Island Sharks. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions. This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football deemed overrated by CBS Sports ahead of 2025
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
College Football Playoff strength of schedule change. What were they doing all along?
Relax, everyone. The good folks on the College Football Playoff selection committee are on it. New metrics, new ideas, new philosophy released Wednesday, Aug. 20, to choose who plays in the college football postseason. To this I say: what in the world were they doing all along? 'All of these modifications will help the selection committee as they rank the Top 25 teams,' says CFP executive director Rich Clark. PATH TO PLAYOFF: Sign up for our college football newsletter Before we go further, with the ghost of John Heisman as my witness, I swear I'm not making this up. The CFP committee announced that in the current strength of schedule metric, more weight will be applied to games against strong opponents. Duh, you say. Wait, it gets better. A new additional metric of 'record strength' will help the committee determine how teams performed against their schedule, rewarding those that beat high-quality opponents — while minimizing the penalty of losing to one. Yeah, no $%#@, Sherlock, you say. We're not done yet. The new changes will also – hold onto your striped overalls, Indiana fans – provide minimal reward for beating a lower-quality opponent while imposing a greater penalty for losing to one. Now I'm gonna puke. Again I ask, what in the world has the selection committee been doing since the first playoff in 2014? These are no-brainer metrics, standards that should be engrained in the minds of every college football poll voter in the history of polls. From the US LBM Coaches poll, to the AP Poll, to the CFP rankings, the foundational aspect of any ranking system should be weighted heavily on strength of schedule. It doesn't take quantum physics to understand 9-3 in the SEC is a heavier lift than 11-2 in the ACC. There should be zero hesitation in negating an 11-win season when the schedule consists of two games against teams with winning records — and one win in those two games. But here we are, an offseason removed from the CFP selection committee choosing Indiana and SMU over any number of more valuable and worthy teams. And now we know why. Because their records looked pretty. Those 11 wins sure look shiny, that's for sure. Not just anyone can run through a schedule of the worst Florida State team in half a century, Stanford, Pittsburgh, Duke, Boston College, Virginia and California. To say nothing of a corresponding non-conference schedule of Nevada, Houston Christian, TCU and Brigham Young. Terrifying. Absolutely, terrifying. Then SMU loses by 28 in the first round of the CFP. Not just anyone can beat the worst Michigan team since the halcyon days of Brady Hoke, roll a putrid conference schedule and top it off with a non-conference schedule of Florida International, Western Illinois and Charlotte. Then Indiana loses by 10 in the first round of the CFP after Notre Dame got bored and let off the gas. I don't know what's more incredulous: that the CFP committee successfully shoveled Indiana and SMU at us, or that the committee now says they've got it figured out with some new and improved metrics they should've been weighing heavily all along. The CFP committee says it has historically evaluated teams this way, and that making it a computerized metric helps simplify the process publicly. To that, I say: no, you haven't. When you sell Indiana and SMU in 2024, you absolutely, positively, haven't done it this way all along. When you drop unbeaten and No.1 Georgia out of the CFP on the last poll of the 2023 season – after a three-point loss in the SEC championship game to No.8 Alabama, and after winning four previous games against ranked teams by an average of 27.5 points – there's zero chance this has been the unwritten rule all along. But now they've got it figured out. These new metrics will eliminate coaches and athletic directors on the selection committee bending ears about how 'tough' it us to win 11 games — no matter the schedule. Now they know the difference between pretty and powerful. So help me, John Heisman. Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
