COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SELECTION COMMITTEE PREPARES FOR 2026-27 SEASON

The College Football Playoff (CFP) Selection Committee met this week in preparation for the upcoming season.

The CFP Selection Committee is responsible for ranking the top 25 teams for inclusion in the Playoff and then assigning the teams to the Playoff bracket. The selection committee meets in person beginning late in the football season and produces a ranking of the top 25 teams each week leading up to its final selections.

“It is always valuable to bring the committee together before the season begins to welcome our new members and review our procedures in detail,” said Hunter Yurachek, Director of Athletics at the University of Arkansas and returning chair of the CFP Selection Committee. “The CFP Selection Committee has a strong foundation built on a proven process, and our members are looking forward to the work ahead as we evaluate teams throughout the season and produce the weekly rankings that help shape the College Football Playoff.”

The format of the 2026-27 CFP is built on a 12-team bracket. Beginning this year, the 12 participating schools are the conference champions from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Southeastern Conference and the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West, Pac-12 Conference or Sun Belt Conference, along with the next seven highest-ranked teams. The University of Notre Dame will be included in the Playoff if it is ranked among the top 12 teams in the final CFP rankings.

With the removal of conference historic bowl tie-ins from the bowl assignment process beginning this season, the CFP Management Committee approved a format in which the top three seeds, in rank order, select their bowl path in the Playoff.

The selection committee reviewed the schedule for its weekly ranking announcements, went over its protocol, analytic and video tools, and finalized its list of members who will be recused from voting or discussions regarding selected teams.

The CFP Selection Committee will announce its first of six rankings on November 3. The selection committee members will convene in person on Mondays and Tuesdays, revealing their rankings each week on ESPN.

The final selection committee rankings of the 2026 season will be released on Selection Day, Sunday, December 6. At that time, the selection committee will also announce the 12-team Playoff bracket pairings and game sites.

Below is a complete schedule for the selection committee to announce its rankings on ESPN:

The selection committee recusal policy remains consistent with last year, stating that:

If a selection committee member or an immediate family member (e.g., spouse, sibling or child) (a) is compensated by a school, (b) provides professional services for a school or (c) is on the coaching staff or administrative staff at a school or is a football student-athlete at a school, that member will be recused. Such compensation shall include not only direct employment, but also current paid consulting arrangements, deferred compensation (e.g., contract payments continuing after employment has ended) or other benefits.

A fully recused member shall not participate in any vote concerning the team, nor shall the member be present in the room during any deliberations related to the team’s ranking or placement into the postseason bracket.

A member shall be deemed partially recused if the member has a secondary relationship with the institution (e.g., an immediate family member employed by the institution but outside of the football program or senior administration).

A partially recused member may remain present and participate in discussions related to the team but shall not be allowed to participate in votes involving the team in question.

The executive director shall have the authority to impose a partial recusal if he or she determines that a non-compensated institutional affiliation (e.g., alumna/alumnus, former player, former administrator or former coach) exists that could reasonably be perceived to compromise the impartiality of the selection committee member in question.

Recusals for the 2026-27 college football season are as follows:

Selection committee members for the 2026 regular season include Troy Dannen (athletics director, University of Nebraska), Mark Dantonio (former head coach, University of Cincinnati and Michigan State University), Doug Gillin (athletics director, Appalachian State University), Mark Harlan (athletics director, University of Utah), Ivan Maisel (former sportswriter, The Atlanta Constitution, Sports Illustrated, the Dallas Morning News, Newsday, ESPN and On3), Gus Malzahn, former head coach, Arkansas State, Auburn and University of Central Florida), Chris Massaro (athletics director, Middle Tennessee State) Randall McDaniel (former All-American offensive lineman, Arizona State University), Mike Riley (former head coach, Oregon State University and University of Nebraska), Jeff Tedford (former head coach, California and Fresno State), Wesley Walls (former All-American tight end, Ole Miss), Carla Williams (athletics director, University of Virginia), and Hunter Yurachek (athletics director, University of Arkansas).