In the shifting landscape of college football, the future of the CFP format is still uncertain. Maybe, with the 24-team bracket, we’d have fewer instances of the CFP committee getting called out for its bias. Do its decisions align with ESPN’s financial interests, given that ESPN is the official broadcaster of the playoffs? Former CFP committee member Paola Boivin has dismissed the assertion.

“I think that there are people who think, ‘Oh, well, ESPN is pressuring you,’ or ‘Oh, you’re getting paid to do this.’ No, we’re not,” said Boivin during her June 18 appearance on George Wrighster’s College Football Podcast when asked about outside conspiracy theories surrounding the CFP committee.

“We were put up in a nice hotel, so if that’s our payment, great. But it wasn’t. No one was paying us. And there was no pressure from ESPN, and I never felt pressured in that room. And I always, even though I was the only female, thought my voice was heard.”

Despite no direct instance of ESPN pressuring the committee, the perception persists. It also has to do with how November and December play out every year. ESPN readily provides a platform for three-loss SEC teams to make their case to be in the playoffs over one-loss and two-loss teams from other conferences.

Even last season, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian went on a media tour to argue that his team should be in the playoffs despite losing a game to unranked Florida (for a total of three losses). And his tour hasn’t ended yet. A few weeks ago, Sarkisian took shots at Texas Tech’s easy schedule. The logic was the same: the Longhorns deserved to be in the playoffs.

And it’s not just the head coaches. ESPN personalities also tend to do the SEC’s bidding over teams from other conferences. When the CFP committee snubbed Florida State for Alabama in 2023, it was Kirk Herbstreit who publicly supported the decision. And one can argue that the analyst was allowed to have an opinion.

However, over the years, it has become a pattern of a sort. Paul Finebaum keeps doing Finebaum things. He was dismissive of Indiana even last year, during a campaign that ended in the Hoosiers being crowned the national champions. So, when fans of Big Ten, ACC, or Big 12 teams point to ESPN’s media rights deal with the SEC, it stems from a perception of bias towards the conference.

Last season, the committee penalized BYU for its loss in the conference championship game. However, Alabama wasn’t dealt the same treatment. However, the selection committee had reasons behind this decision. “Their [Alabama] strength of schedule was the highest in the top 11, and felt like in spite of their performance yesterday in the conference championship, they deserve to stay within that 9 spot,” said committee chair Hunter Yurachek.

Is the CFP committee really biased?

Last year, the committee arrived at the correct decision by choosing Miami over Notre Dame. In the end, the Canes’ head-to-head record over the Irish was considered. However, the process ultimately proved to be the committee’s undoing. There was no reason to keep Notre Dame ahead of Miami for several weeks. That only created drama when the final 12-team slate was released. It even led Notre Dame to boycott its bowl game.

“As a team, we’ve decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season,” read a statement released by the program, as reported by ESPN in December 2025. “We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we’re hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026.”

The Fighting Irish’s AD called the committee’s process “a farce.” In response, Yurachek pointed to the H2H loss. Miami went on to play the national championship game. But that shouldn’t take away from the fact that the process was flawed.