College Football Playoff Moving Forward, Gearing Up for 2020-21 Season

Despite two Power Five conferences opting not to play this fall, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee is still preparing for the season to go on as scheduled

While the Big Ten and Pac-12 will not play football this fall, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee is ready to go on as planned. 

The group met virtually this week to dive into weekly ranking announcements, protocols, and who will be recused from voting and discussions regarding certain teams.

“We don’t know right now what the season will bring, but as a committee, we are ready to use the protocol and the expertise of the 13 people who have been charged with selecting the teams,” Gary Barta, Athletics Director at the University of Iowa who is beginning his first year as committee chair, said in a press release.

“The committee’s task is to rank the teams based on what happens on the field. This week gave us a great chance to catch up with the familiar faces and welcome our three new members to the process. If the board and management committee say we are having a CFP, we will be ready.”

"This was the time when we normally review all aspects of the committee's operation," Barta said. "We accomplished a great deal even though we met by video conference. We will have another opportunity to review the procedures—particulary with the three new committee members—this fall."

Even if a school has decided that it will not participate in football for this season, members of the selection committee that are affiliated with those schools, will stay on the committee throughout the process. 

This year's playoff committee is listed below:

Paola Boivin - Arizona State 
Ken Hatfield - Arkansas 
Terry Mohajir - Arkansas State 
Rick George - Colorado 
Scott Stricklin - Florida
Todd Stansbury - Georgia Tech
Gary Barta - Iowa
Ray Odierno - North Carolina State
Joe Castiglione - Oklahoma 
John Urschel - Penn State
R.C. Slocum - Texas A&M
Ronnie Lott - USC
Tom Burman - Wyoming

This year's final rankings will be released on Dec. 20, and the semifinal games will be hosted by the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, while the CFP National Championship Game takes place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.