Klatt’s CFP Takeaways: Rankings Committee Is ‘Devaluing The Regular Season’

Joel Klatt says the College Football Playoff committee is already devaluing the regular season, and he points to its second top 25 as proof.

The committee released its second rankings Tuesday night, with Georgia at No. 1, followed by Utah, Alabama and undefeated UCLA. Indiana, the defending national champion, dropped five spots to No. 9 on a bye week.

The rankings came a day after the CFP officially announced it will expand to a 24-team playoff beginning in 2027.

On the latest episode of "The Joel Klatt Show," Klatt said the rankings show a committee stuck in what he called an "SEC feedback loop."

Here are Joel Klatt’s takeaways:

Klatt’s thoughts: "The big outcry that I hear from fans … is about the devaluing of the regular season, right? That’s what most people will talk about when they talk about their animus toward an expansion to 24 teams. 

"I would just say — and this is not an argument or a disagreement — but isn’t the committee devaluing the regular season in front of our face? Because it doesn’t matter that Alabama lost two games. UCLA is still behind them, and UCLA is undefeated. So obviously, the regular season is already devalued."

Klatt’s thoughts: "Indiana is 24-1 in their last 25 games, and they are the defending national champions. And they just got bumped five spots in an off week from their couch. That is wild, guys. I totally understand that they have not played a schedule like Texas has played, or Ohio State has played or even Alabama has played. I’m fully aware of that. I understand that they don’t have the marquee win.

"But can you imagine a world where, even in the old days, when the SEC was playing their eight conference games and their four non-conference games and a cupcake week in November, you can imagine an SEC defending national champion being 24-1 in their last 25 games and being knocked down five spots in an off week by the College Football Playoff committee? No, you can’t. You can’t imagine that because it would never happen, and yet it just happened to Indiana."

Klatt’s thoughts: "Obviously, Indiana, Texas Tech, Wake Forest, they’re the ones being hurt by this feedback loop the most. All three of those teams only have one loss, and yet they’re kind of up against it.

"I think Indiana has to get to the Big Ten championship game. If they lose to USC this weekend, there’s a good chance that they’re going to be out of the playoff unless they can somehow get to Indianapolis, and then there’ll be, I would think from the committee some acknowledgement that if you get to the Big Ten championship game, you should be in the College Football Playoff. It is the conference that has won the last three national championships, including Indiana."

Klatt’s thoughts: "I do think that the Big 12 is fascinating, though, because BYU is holding strong. Remember, big wins, strength of schedule. They beat Notre Dame. Notre Dame’s in the top five. So BYU is still sitting there, and even if they don’t get to the Big 12 championship game — if Texas Tech were to beat Oklahoma State this weekend and get themselves to Dallas and play Utah, there’s a good chance that those two teams will be playing in the championship game, and BYU would be sitting at home, and I think BYU would be in at that point.

"You’re looking at a scenario where maybe the Big 12 could sneak three teams into the College Football Playoff. I think that would be pretty cool. And don’t tell the committee that, though, because they’ll look at that and be like, ‘Hold on, hold on, engage feedback loop. Here we go.’"

Klatt’s thoughts: "We’re already going down a trajectory where everybody that has influence, in particular around the SEC, pounded the table for strength of schedule, quality wins, the feedback loop. Here we go, and that’s what we’re getting. But other conferences don’t get the benefit of the doubt at all.

"We are in a world where the regular season is already being devalued by the committee actively in this poll. There’s no other way around it. They’re in an SEC feedback loop, and we’re likely headed to five SEC teams in the playoff, maybe even six. 

"Listen, I think it’s still going to be a great playoff. I’m not suggesting that they don’t have great teams and they’re not playing great football, but that’s what the committee is giving us right now, and we’ll see how it plays out."