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CFB Playoff executive director Bill Hancock talks transparency, selection process
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Eyes are always on the grand prize, aren’t they? We’ve not even reached the first kickoff of the season, and yet we’re already concerned with the College Football Playoff and its selection process.
That’s what executive director Bill Hancock talked about when he joined Brad Edwards on the Paul Finebaum Show this week. It wasn’t just about the selection process, but the selection committee’s responsibility to protect the “candor” of the room.
One of the first questions of the interview regarded around margin of victory (or defeat), and whether it is taken into consideration during the selection process. Many believe that blowout losses to Iowa (2017) and Purdue (2018) kept Ohio State out of the College Football Playoff each of the last two seasons.
“Protocol says one of the tiebreakers is comparing results is against common opponents without inventing margin of victory,” Hancock said, according to 247Sports. “That’s where margin of victory is reflected in the protocol that the committee has. Now outside of that comment common statute, the committee examines each team’s games sides by side. They’re full season results and the committee is aware of what happens in every game. That includes the question, ‘Did either team dominate this game?’ It’s very much a common sense approach.”
Hancock’s suggested approach is fine, but the concern with it has been the lack of transparency. And while the selection committee’s thoughts and opinions are exposed on ESPN every week starting in late October, there are still plenty of questions.
When asked whether or not there was a way for the selection process to be even more transparent, Hancock said it may compromise the integrity and candor of the committee.
“When we first created the Playoff, we said the committee would be as transparent as possible,” Hancock said. “The threshold on transparency is candor. It’s important to protect the candor in the room. We will continue to look for ways to be as transparent as possible while protecting the candor.”
The B1G has been omitted from the College Football Playoff each of the last two seasons. The champion has been left out for three straight seasons.
We’ll see if that changes in 2019.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB