Barta: Big Ten Not At Disadvantage In Playoff Selection Process

Whether it's nine or eight conference games, it's all about winning.

Gary Barta has spent just one season on the College Football Playoff selection committee.

He understands how strength of schedule is a factor when it comes to picking the four teams that will play for a national championship.

When it comes to the Big Ten, though, the Iowa athletics director knows the impact a nine-game conference schedule has in comparison to the other major conferences that play just eight league games.

And basically, Barta said, it comes down to one thing, no matter how many conference games are on the schedule — just win.

“We, in the Big Ten, selected nine games for a lot of reasons,” Barta said during a media availability on Monday. “I think our fans have really enjoyed it.

“Are we at a disadvantage? If we win all of the games before us, we’ll have an opportunity to be in (the playoff), anybody in the Big Ten. If we lose (one), it will be evaluated against the other strength of schedules.”

Big Ten teams have played in four of the six playoffs. Ohio State, which went undefeated during the regular season, was the No. 2 seed in the 2019 playoffs.

Barta said playing nine games within the Big Ten is “working,” especially for Iowa.

He pointed to the Hawkeyes’ success over the last five seasons — 47 wins, which ranks ninth among Football Bowl Subdivision teams. Iowa went 10-3 last season, ending with a four-game winning streak that included a Holiday Bowl victory over USC.

“We’ve won eight games (overall) most years, 10 games this past year,” Barta said. “The results have been very positive.”

Barta said the lone drawback to the nine-game schedule is the imbalance between home and road games. Iowa played five Big Ten home games in 2019. The Hawkeyes will play five road games this season, including back-to-back trips to Ohio State and Penn State.

But Barta appreciates the divisional alignment, which for the Hawkeyes includes border rivals Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Illinois.

“The biggest challenge we talked about when we did this was having five home games (in the Big Ten) in one year and four games in another year,” Barta said. “That remains a challenge. The flip side is, under the old system, with the other conference breakout — the Leaders and Legends (divisions) — we weren’t playing Wisconsin (every season). I really like a lot about our current setup. I like that we’re playing the schools that border us every year.”

Barta served on the playoff committee last season, then was asked to take over as chairman, a decision that wasn’t easy. There is the bonus, he said, of representing Iowa — although he can’t be in the committee room when the Hawkeyes are under discussion for the rankings — but there is the criticism that comes with the position, especially as the process closes in on the final selections.

So Barta talked to the three previous chairs — Rob Mullens, Kirby Hocutt and Jeff Long — the same question.

“‘If you had it to do over again, would you do it?’” Barta said Monday. “Without hesitation, all three of them said yes.”

Barta, though, still hesitated before agreeing to take the position.

“I didn’t go out and seek it,” he said. “In fact, at one point, I asked, ‘Is there someone else who wants it more?’ I was joking, because it truly was an honor. It was something that I was grateful for.”

Barta understands the time demands of the job. He watches as many games as possible during the week, and Sundays are a chance to evaluate games he didn't see. Once the weekly selection process begins during the season, he'll be attending the two-day meetings to put together the weekly top 25 rankings.

The decision to first join the committee, and then take over as the face of the playoff, was based in Barta’s appreciation for college football.

Barta played at North Dakota State in the mid-1980s on teams that won three NCAA Division II national titles.

“I was a (first-generation) college student,” Barta said. “My family had no money. There was no reasonable person who thought I would go to college. So if it weren’t for that opportunity, I wouldn’t be standing before you today.

“Football has given me unbelievable opportunities. It was a chance, when they asked me to be on the committee, to say I’d love to give back.”