Finally, the College Football Playoff selection committee got something right

As the College Football Playoff selection committee prepares for the introduction of a 24-team bracket next season, they are set to become less significant, but in the final year of the 12-team playoff, their message is clear: strength of schedule should be rewarded. This final week of rankings saw several significant moves, with Notre Dame rising from No. 11 to No. 5, Miami sliding from No. 1 to No. 7, Indiana dropping five spots to No. 9 despite not playing a game, and Oregon climbing seven spots to No. 16.

At the top of the rankings, Kentucky currently sits at No. 11, despite suffering a 34-6 defeat against Tennessee last weekend. Although this situation appears unimportant, it is a clear indication of what to expect a month from now. After years of criticism from the SEC over their teams not receiving proper evaluation, this season's committee appears to agree that a team's record doesn't tell the entire story.

For over a decade, the College Football Playoff's main challenge has been determining the significance of a team's win-loss record compared to the quality of that record. While wins are crucial in a sport with a 12-game season, blindly rewarding perfection would encourage teams to choose the easiest possible schedule. That is the entire purpose of a committee – to examine data and decide which factors are most important.

Unlike previous committees, this year's group is attempting to send the message that the strength of a team's schedule matters as much as their record.

The rankings show that Miami has fallen from No. 1 to No. 7 after losing to Notre Dame, while Indiana has dropped five spots from last week despite not playing at all, as their best win comes from Minnesota or Northwestern. These are all strong teams, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Miami or Indiana make a deep playoff run. However, if you lack a significant win in mid-November, the committee will not grant you preferential treatment. The message to send is particularly important right now.

When the CFP expands to 24 teams next year, many programs may feel they can coast through the season and still make the playoffs every year. However, once you reach the 15-24 range, résumés will appear very similar. The differentiating factor will be the willingness to schedule difficult non-conference games, even if it results in a loss.

With increased playoff access, the hope is that teams will be more inclined to take non-conference scheduling risks. The committee's message seems to have been received well, as when two-loss BYU ranks higher than one-loss Wake Forest and two-loss Tennessee is ahead of one-loss Texas Tech, it appears they are paying attention. It's high time for the committee to make such a statement.

If they simply rank teams based on the number of losses, a committee is unnecessary. The purpose of humans in the room is to interpret what a team's record truly means. It would be a welcome change for the CFP committee to approach things this way until the end of the season. College football is currently as open as it has ever been, with new surprises every week and a fresh look at the national title picture.

The volatility keeps the committee under scrutiny every Tuesday when it releases its rankings, and it makes the committee's job extremely clear: to pick the best teams. So far, in the final year where the committee truly matters, they seem to understand their task.