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:
Date Time
Tuesday, November 3 7-8 p.m. ET
Tuesday, November 10 9-9:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday, November 17 9-9:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday, November 24 7:30-8 p.m. ET
Tuesday, December 1 7-7:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, December 6 Noon – 3 p.m. ET
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.
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).