Bill Hancock reaffirms Michigan situation is 'not a CFP matter'

After the first two College Football Playoff rankings reveals, both executive director Bill Hancock and committee chairman Boo Corrigan remained steadfast in their stance on Michigan. As the investigation into the Wolverines continues, both said they’ll be ranked as long as they’re eligible for the postseason.

As for when — or if — the situation turns into a “CFP issue,” Hancock made it clear the organization will keep that stance so long as things stay status quo.

Michigan came in at No. 3 in the latest rankings, which came out Tuesday night. The reveal came a day after the Wolverines received a notice of potential disciplinary action from the Big Ten, and they have until Wednesday to respond.

But as it stands now, Hancock reaffirmed the CFP will continue to stay the current course.

“We are not a governance body,” Hancock said on a post-reveal show teleconference. “We’re certainly all aware of the Michigan situation, but it’s just not a CFP matter. We will take what we get from the NCAA or from anybody else, and whatever facts are available to those other groups, then we’ll consider it. But all we do is rank the teams that are eligible for our games.”

Pressure has been mounting for Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti to possibly take action against Michigan. He held calls with league coaches, athletic directors and presidents last week before meeting with UM officials on campus.

During the conversation with athletic directors, a suspension for Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh briefly came up, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. No decision was made, though.

As things stand now, Michigan is still eligible for bowl games. That means the Wolverines would be able to compete in CFP games. After the reveal show, Corrigan again said until that changes,

“Once again, and not to be repetitive in this, our mission as a committee is to judge the teams that are eligible for postseason,” Corrigan said. “Until something changes in that, we’re going to continue to follow that track and make sure that we’re following the protocols. Again, this is not a CFP selection committee issue.”

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel is on the CFP selection committee, but decided to sit out this week’s meeting to tend to the matters on campus. Corrigan said that didn’t impact anything as far as the regular proceedings, and he noted it’s not the first time a member has missed a meeting.