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Steve Spurrier calls for 'simple terms' to select College Football Playoff teams

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•01/06/25•

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NCAA Football: CFP National Playoff First Round-Tennessee at Ohio State
Dec 21, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; A pylon features College Football Playoff logos during the second half of a first round game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Tennessee Volunteers at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won 42-17. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-Imagn Images

If there is one way to describe the NFL, it’s structured. From how playoff teams are decided, to schedules on an annual basis, even selecting the draft order — there is a structured way for all of those things to be decided. Quite different than the college game and the College Football Playoff, where subjectivity is heavily used.

When talking about the CFP, legendary head coach Steve Spurrier called for “simple terms” to be used to determine participants. He used an example from the NFL, citing how there is a definite way of giving a team the No. 1 overall pick.

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“Another thing I like about the NFL I like,” Spurrier began. “I think there was four teams that finished [3-14]… What are they going to do, flip a coin? No. Let’s say four of them have the worst record, the one that played the easier schedule, they get the first pick. So, at least there is a format instead of the committee saying ‘Eh, I’ve watched all of them play. Let’s give the first pick to New England, let’s give first pick to this team.’

“They have a format on how to do it. You’d think college football, that committee, somehow, would put it in simple terms if they can. I don’t know if they can or not because so many teams don’t play against the other teams.”

Only five teams were guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff this season — Oregon (Big Ten), Georgia (SEC), Boise State (Mountain West), Arizona State (Big 12), and Clemson (ACC) were the five highest ranked conference champions. Those earned automatic bids from the committee, no judgment of their teams involved.

The remaining seven teams were considered at-large. As usual in the sport, there was a lot of external arguments about who deserved to get in. Many folks in SEC Country felt as if their teams should have gotten in over the likes of Indiana.

Spurrier appears to want a method where the entire playoff field is determined by “simple terms.” No debating about who should get in, the math based on records and tiebreakers just tells us — similar to the NFL.