The 2014-2015 college football season is off to an unusual start. This season marks the start of the new four-team college football playoff. The playoff selection committee is comprised of some university athletic directors such as University of Wisconsin’s (Madison) Barry Alvarez and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

With seven Southeastern Conference (SEC) teams in the top 25 rankings, it is almost certain that at least one SEC team will capture a spot in the playoffs because of the high level of play from almost every team in that conference as well as good strength of schedule’s.  The committee will have a very tough decision for the playoff due to the excellent play so far this season. The playoff committee will also look at teams’ Strength of Schedule (SOS) which is the rating for how easy or hard a teams’ schedule is.

In the midst of SEC play, each game is important due to the competitive nature of the league, which many consider to be the best football conference in the nation. The committee will also take notice of an undefeated Brigham Young University (BYU) team.  However, because the Cougars are an independent team, they are required to choose the opponents they play. As a result, the Cougars will end up with a weak SOS. In addition, teams who are in the top 25, such as East Carolina University from the weakAmerican Athletic Conference (AAC) will probably not be thought highly  because they don’t play tough opponents.  When the playoff is set, many fans will probably have mixed feelings towards the committee in regard to their favorite team.

A map of the college teams and how much of the state their fan bases take up. (photo: theprgroup.com)