The College Football Playoff has no plans to shake things up or box itself in.
The selection committee, per a brief question-and-answer session released on Sunday, will not require college football teams to play a minimum number of games to become eligible to participate in the playoff. So, even though conferences have their teams playing varying numbers of games, they will not outright be barred from contention if they fail to reach a certain threshold.
"The selection committee's job is to select the top four teams beginning November 24 and continuing through the final rankings December 20," the committee said in the Q&A. "The number of games and wins by each team is certainly important in weighing its ranking, but it is not the only factor."
It also disclosed that while the management committee "considered" a one-off expansion of the CFP this year in response to the chaotic season, the playoff will continue to have a four-team field. Some speculated that as a possibility, but it will not come to pass.
"The year 2020 has been one of uncertainty and change, but we are not changing the playoff format," the committee said.
So, the plan remained the same as always: The four semifinalists will meet on Jan. 1 in the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl with the winners facing each other in the Miami-hosted national championship on Jan. 11.
On Tuesday evening, the committee plans to reveal its first rankings of the 2020 season. The CFP pushed the release back to this week due to teams' various start dates. Every Tuesday, a new set of rankings will be released before the final decisions on Dec. 20.
"The protocol for ranking the teams has not changed," the committee said. "The selection committee will continue to watch games, assess every team, and use the available data. A lot of football has been played and remains to be played, even with mostly conference-only schedules. The selection committee will continue to use factors such as wins against top 25 teams, wins against teams with winning records, and their expertise to come together and select the best four teams week by week."
