Skip To Main Content
Skip to Navigation

College Football Playoff

CFP Selection Committee Voting Process

The voting process used by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee is outlined in the selection committee protocol. To view the entire protocol, click here.


1.
Each selection committee member will create a list of the 30 teams he or she believes to be the best in the country, in no particular order. Teams listed by three or more members will remain under consideration. At the conclusion of any round, other teams can be added to the group of teams under consideration by a vote of three or more members.
2.
Each member will list the best six teams, in no particular order. The six teams receiving the most votes will comprise the pool for the first ranking step. This is known as the “listing step.”
3.
In the first ranking step, each member will rank those six teams, one through six, with one being the best. The best team in each member’s ranking will receive one point; second‐best, two points, etc. The members’ rankings will be added together and the three teams receiving the fewest points will become the top three seeds. The three teams that were not seeded will be held over for the next ranking step.
4.
Each member will list the six best remaining teams, in no particular order. The three teams receiving the most votes will be added to the three teams held over to comprise the next ranking step.
5.
Steps No. 3 and 4 will be repeated until 25 teams have been seeded. There will be seven rounds of voting; each round will consist of a “listing step” and a “ranking step”.
CFP Selection Committee Meeting

NOTES:

  1. Any “recused” member can participate in Step No. 1 but cannot list the team for which he or she is recused. “Recused” teams (i.e., teams for whom a member has been recused) receiving at least two votes in Step No. 1 will remain under consideration.

  2. A recused member can participate in Step No. 2 but cannot list the recused team. If a recused team is within one vote of advancing to the pool for the next ranking step, that team will be pooled with the team (or teams) receiving the fewest votes. If necessary, a “tie‐breaker” ranking vote will be conducted among those teams to identify the team or teams that would be added to the pool.

  3. A recused member cannot participate in Step No. 3 if the recused team is in the pool.

  4. Between each step, the selection committee members will conduct a thorough evaluation of the teams before conducting the vote.

  5. After each round is completed, any group of three or more teams can be reconsidered if more than three members vote to do so. Step No. 3 would be repeated to determine if adjustments should be made.

  6. After the first nine teams are seeded, the number of teams listed in Step No. 2 will be increased to eight, and the number of teams seeded and held in Steps No. 3 and 4 will be increased to four.

  7. At any time in the process, the number of teams to be included in a pool may be increased or decreased with approval of more than eight members of the committee.

  8. After any round of voting, a team or teams may be added to the initial pool by an affirmative vote of three or more committee members.

  9. All votes will be by secret ballot.