College Football Playoff 2014: TV Schedule, Time and Live Stream for 1st Release
Months of human polls and wild speculation come to a halt Tuesday when the inaugural College Football Playoff Top 25 poll is released to the public.
The College Football Playoff selection committee, which consists of 12 members at the moment, has perhaps the most difficult task in the sporting world. Normally the decision process would still be quite difficult, but this chaotic season has ensured the inaugural poll is a major obstacle.
Keep in mind that the reveal will come in front of a national audience, too.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Fans can witness the action firsthand Tuesday night.
What: College Football Playoff Top 25 Poll First Release
When: Tuesday, October 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
How it Works
A total of 12 members, after Archie Manning stepped down, meet the Monday before Tuesday's release and attempt to sift through loads of information before coming up with a poll that reflects which teams are in and which are out should the playoff be next week.
As CFB Playoff captures, the committee has been hard at work on the inaugural batch of rankings:
The criteria is not so well-defined and may not be even after the release, should no leaks occur.
In theory, the committee will mostly focus on conference championships and strength of schedule, with the latter meaning those big schools that schedule a tough nonconference slate will be rewarded as opposed to those teams that book easily won matchups that amount to bye weeks.
Again, though, in theory.
Also of importance seems to be head-to-head competition and outcomes of common opponents. Not of importance? Other polls, such as the Associated Press Top 25 and coaches polls, as they do not take into account strength of schedule.
Many, such as Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel, want to know if all this chatter of strength of schedule will actually come to fruition, as captured by Brandon Kiley of KTGR The Big Show:
Regardless, the 12 people on the committee will turn in votes over a series of weeks in what will ultimately form the 25-team list, although certain members paid by a school must recuse themselves from talking about said school.
Critics will point out that a weekly release may be an issue if a team gets hot near the end of the season but began ranked low and, as a result, winds up missing the CFP.
But really, does anyone expect there to not be controversy?
What to Expect
SEC, SEC and SEC.
Well, as far as the overall Top 25 goes. Much debate has and will continue to be had in regards to how the conference beating up on itself will hurt each team's CFP chances, but it does not prohibit the conference from dominating the initial list.
As for an official CFP prediction? The top two are quite obvious. The bottom two, not so much:
| Mississippi State | 7-0 |
| Florida State | 7-0 |
| Alabama | 7-1 |
| TCU | 6-1 |
Mississippi State is the darling of the nation at the moment thanks to Heisman contender Dak Prescott, who reminds many of a guy by the name of Tim Tebow. The Bulldogs have wins over Texas A&M, LSU and Auburn, but upcoming battles with Alabama and Ole Miss might throw this initial poll for a loop.
Speaking of Alabama, Nick Saban's Crimson Tide figure to get a nod near the top of the polls and perhaps eventually enter the CFP—as long as the team can keep up with that encounter with the Bulldogs and take care of business against Auburn to close the season.
Florida State is the other obvious entrant and potential No. 1 in the first offering Tuesday. Jameis Winston is a Heisman winner, and a recent triumph over Notre Dame means the team has a cakewalk the rest of the way.
TCU is but one single-loss wild card, but it may prove to have a distinct advantage as the Big 12 does not hold a conference title game, meaning the Horned Frogs can run the table the rest of the way and likely secure a spot in the CFP.
Tuesday's release should reflect something similar to these thoughts unless all the talk about strength of schedule has been smoke. Regardless, hostility toward the initial release is a given considering this is new to everybody, and the difference between the No. 4 and No. 12 teams in the nation is miniscule at best.
Enjoy the show.
Note: All info courtesy of CollegeFootballPlayoff.com unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
