The College Football Playoff selection committee process continues to be controversial in year two of the expanded field.
Moving to 12 teams was supposed to help remove some of the discussion and debate around which teams make it, after years of a just four teams having a chance to win a title. Instead, it’s been the opposite.
Debate over the best four teams in the country has moved to debate over the best 12 teams in the country. There are those who want to reward conference championship winners. There are those who want to exclusively focus on getting the most qualified teams in; the teams with the best resume or strength of schedule. And there are those who want to give programs in smaller conferences a chance to prove themselves on the sport’s biggest stage.
But it seems like the 2025-2026 playoff is going to lead to significant changes moving forward, thanks in part to the results of the Ole Miss-Tulane first round matchup, and Oregon’s blowout win over James Madison in Eugene.
RELATED: Should Tulane, James Madison Blowouts Change CFB Playoff Field?
Many have expressed frustration that other teams from top conferences with solid arguments to reach the playoff, like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Vanderbilt Commodores and BYU Cougars, weren’t included while Tulane and JMU got in. You can add legendary former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer to the list of those annoyed with how the process has played out.
Former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer broadcasts on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff prior to the NCAA football game between the Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025. (© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Urban Meyer Isn’t Happy With Current Format
Speaking on the Triple Option podcast, Meyer absolutely went off on the current criteria and rules allowing multiple G5 teams to make the playoff in weird seasons like this one.
“It’s not the twelve best teams in America. It’s really not even close, to be honest with you,” he said. “And, from what I saw? I guess what’s amazing to me is, what did you expect? You know, maybe there’d be a gigantic upset or something like that, but to throw those guys out there and say, okay, you guys are going to go fly across and play at Oregon? You know, I’m just not a fan of that. When I saw it hit, I thought that’s not – it’s really not fair for the players involved, it’s not fair to the coach, and it’s certainly not fair to those two teams that were left out.”
He wasn’t done there, saying it’s “embarrassing” for the sport to see these blowout games.
“It was kind of embarrassing for college football to have that happen, you know,” he continued. “Like I said, what did you think was going to happen? You know, that was going to happen, and it did.”
For those who say that the playoff should give chances to smaller schools, Meyer was extremely dismissive.
“No. No. No, no, no. Zero chance,” Meyer said in response to the “college football for all” slogan. “What? Are you a group hug guy? You want a group hug? You want to say, hey, everybody get a chance, and let’s all put our arms around each other? We understand you don’t have one player recruited on your team that can compete with the other one, but, you know what, let’s all do a group hug and we’ll sing afterwards? No. That’s not what you do.”
He kept going, saying only “bad ass teams” should get in.
“It’s survival of the fittest. Bad ass players on bad ass teams get in the playoff,” Meyer continued. “Your job is to crown a champion…Your job is to crown a national champion, and get the twelve best teams in America. That’s it. Your job is not to spread the good will. No. Your job is to kick someone’s ass on the field as hard as you possibly can, and reward players that deserve to be there. No, no, no. There’s no group hugs.”
What you value will depend on your allegiances. Fans of G5 schools will say it’s unfair to essentially exclude them from the process entirely, especially as they often aren’t given the opportunity to join big conferences. But the Meyers of the world will say that’s not their problem. And there’s a valuable point there.
Treating winning the Sun Belt Conference as equivalent to the Big 12 or ACC, let alone the Big Ten or SEC, is clearly not realistic. The problem is that enacting some sort of scheduling requirement opens up a whole new can of worms. For example, let’s say that the only way for a team from the Sun Belt to get to the playoff is if they have a top 50 strength of schedule. But schedules can be set years in advance, and might look harder until results on the field say otherwise. How can you punish them for something that isn’t their fault?
Still, imagine being BYU right now. The Cougars went 11-1 in the regular season. Their one loss was to a top-4 Texas Tech team. Their second loss, in the Big 12 Championship Game, was also to Texas Tech. Then they went out and beat a ranked Georgia Tech team in the Pop-tarts Bowl, finishing the season 11-2. They didn’t make the playoff. Or Notre Dame, whose two losses were to playoff teams by a combined four points.
There’s got to be a better way. One which won’t involve group hugs.
