Inside the College Football Playoff: Formats, Expansion, and Schedule Strength with Rich Clark

Live from SEC Media Days on Digital Drive, The War Rapport Podcast Network catches up with College Football Playoff executive Rich Clark. In his third year covering the CFP process at SEC Media Days, Clark dives into how the selection committee approaches the new playoff landscape.

Topics covered in this episode include:

• Evaluating Schedule Strength: How the selection committee balances a tougher 9-game SEC conference schedule against team performance.

• Behind the Selection Process: A look into how committee members analyze game footage, review data, and debate rankings during their intensive multi-day deliberations.

• Transparency & Public Perception: Addressing the challenges of communicating complex selection criteria in short broadcast windows.

• Playoff Expansion & Conference Championships: The tradeoffs of potential 16- or 24-team playoff formats, including the impact on traditional conference championship games.

• Access for Independents & the Group of 6: What future expansion could mean for non-conference programs and Group of 6 automatic qualifications.

• Key Deadlines: The timeline for deciding potential playoff format changes ahead of the 2027 season.

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