Commissioners say no significant change ahead for College Football Playoff

IRVING, Texas — This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but there’s still no momentum for significant change to the College Football Playoff — either to the size of the four-team field or to how the teams are selected.

Expansion was not part of the conversation at the annual meeting, when the 11 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick — the management committee — meet to review all aspects of the Playoff. There was discussion of the selection criteria, but there appears to be no impetus to alter it.

The group of presidents who make up the Playoff’s board of managers met last January in San Jose, Calif., before the national championship game. Mississippi State president Mark Keenum, chair of the board of managers, said then that “speculation about expansion has outdistanced the reality” — and nothing much has changed since, several conference commissioners reiterated on Wednesday.

“From the SEC’s chair, the four-team College Football Playoff has achieved exactly what it was stated up front,” said SEC commissioner Greg Sankey after the first of two days of meetings. “I’ve not heard a variance from the principals. ... I think the board of managers, the presidents, were very clear in where we are.”

During a meeting in March, the SEC’s presidents and chancellors voted “to support the four-team football playoff,” South Carolina president Harris Pastides told 247Sports. “... After playing a rugged season, the last thing these great student athletes need is to play yet another football game. That is something I’m confident all five power conferences will be supportive of.”

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It’s one thing if the SEC, which has put at least one team into the Playoff all five seasons, is satisfied. But the vibe from others in and around college football’s power structure is the same.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott indicated no interest in a conversation about expansion — or in making substantive changes to the selection criteria, either. He said he believes the protocol gives the selection committee what it needs to pick the four best teams.

"Most importantly the selection committee feels like the protocol works really well for them," Scott said. "That's one of the things we're (evaluating). ... Are there ambiguities around the data that are problematic, is there confusion, does the committee want more direction? I think (the Playoff's selection criteria) has really stood the test of time very nicely.

"I mean, by design if you've got a committee of 13 highly competent, skilled people who come at things from different vantage points, it is a human decision and we are leaving them latitude. It was designed believing every year could be a little different and you need to leave appropriate latitude for (the committee) to make judgment calls."

There’s some question among the three Power Five conferences (Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12) that play nine-game conference schedules as to whether they’re at a disadvantage when compared to the SEC and ACC, which play an eight-game conference schedule. The Big 12 and Big Ten have been left out twice; the Pac-12 has missed out three times. Meanwhile, the SEC and ACC have placed a team in the Playoff every year; 13 of the 20 Playoff participants have played eight-game conference schedules.

But several commissioners suggested the feedback they got Wednesday from selection committee chairman Rob Mullens was that the committee considers a team’s entire resume. 

“The (selection) committee looks at all 13 games,” Playoff executive director Bill Hancock said.

Said Sankey: “It works well. Has worked well. Is working well. Continues to work well. Every year we’ve learned about how to (better) manage and present the College Football Playoff overall. … Overall it continues to be a really healthy endeavor.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports' George Schroeder on Twitter @GeorgeSchroeder.