Greg McElroy believes strength of schedule should be most important criteria in selection of College Football Playoff

Change is coming to the College Football Playoff. With that latest adjustment, to Greg McElroy, is an emphasis on his top standard when it comes to the selection process of the CFP.

McElroy discussed the straight-seeding model coming to the CFP on ‘Always College Football’ last week. Of all the things that come with that, he is most in favor of how it enforces the strength of schedule for those under consideration.

“Let’s also be acknowledging too. It’s going to put a newfound premium on continuing to improve the strength of schedule argument,” said McElroy. “The strength of schedule argument has long been one that we’ve talked about here on ‘Always College Football’. I think strength of schedule should be the number one criteria.”

“We’ll be able to kind of seed it accordingly so it’s going to give a premium to teams who played a stronger conference and you will be rewarded as such. And I think that is also beneficial,” McElroy said.

We all remember the debates and discussions coming out of last postseason in the debut of the dozen-team field. Most of the playoff was made up of teams with records around 11-1 and 10-2 with 9-3 not being enough to get in. That said, not all records are created equal when you look at the strength of schedule of some of those who were left out as compared to a few who got in.

Again, this was not to reuse the argument between Indiana, SMU, and, to a lesser extent since they were conference champion, Boise State against Alabama, Miami, Ole Miss, and South Carolina. Still, seeding the field straight should, in McElroy’s opinion, put more focus on strength of schedule as part of the selection process once teams are truly put side-by-side.

“Look, if you have a team that goes 11-1 against a team that goes 9-3 – and this is not using last year as an example. This is not a slight towards Indiana. They absolutely belonged and it’s certainly not me making a pitch on behalf of Miami, South Carolina, or Alabama. But, if you look at the 9-3 teams from last year and some of their great wins, there were in some ways superior than a team like Boise State, who finished 11-1, 12-1 but with a conference championship,” McElroy explained.

Without the byes for the top-ranked conference champions, contenders for the playoff are going to be even further compared and contrasted. This just, for McElroy, gives more way for it to be about criteria like a strength of schedule when it comes to the selection committee.