James Franklin Discusses Bias in College Football Playoff Selection and the Need for a Formula
The College Football Playoff (CFP) selection process has faced increased scrutiny recently, especially regarding potential biases. Penn State head coach James Franklin recently addressed these concerns, advocating for a more objective formula.
Before the CFP, the BCS era used a controversial formula to determine the two teams that would compete for the national championship. Franklin believes returning to a similar formula could eliminate human bias from the selection process.
“It’s interesting because people used to complain a lot about the BCS,” Franklin said. “But now with the CFP, it feels like the issue is that the people involved in voting, whether they intend to be biased or not, are always going to have some bias.”
During the BCS era, the formula was unpopular and ultimately led to the creation of the current CFP system with a selection committee. However, Franklin points out that this system isn’t flawless, and revisions are likely on the horizon.
Currently, the CFP selection committee evaluates teams using various metrics, including strength of schedule, strength of record, head-to-head results, common opponent comparisons, championships won, and availability of key players and coaches. However, these factors aren’t weighted uniformly, and different committee members may prioritize certain metrics over others, leading to inconsistency.
Franklin believes that a more rigid formula could address this issue. “You could argue that a formula might actually work better, but the BCS formula wasn’t popular either,” he said. “The problem is you have voters from different regions who haven’t seen all the games, especially on the West Coast. There’s a lot of factors to consider, so for me, a formula just makes sense. It removes the bias we all have. That said, maybe there’s a way to combine both approaches.”
The College Football Playoff is set to implement a 12-team format next season, with further changes anticipated for both the field and the selection process in the future.
“There’s no perfect system, but let’s try to make the process as fair as possible from the start,” Franklin added. “At least that way, everyone is comparing teams on equal footing.”
Penn State, under Franklin’s leadership, made its first appearance in the CFP in 2024. The Nittany Lions will aim for a second appearance next season, no matter how the selection process unfolds.
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