CFB's CFP Selection Committee Proceeding as Planned amid Postponements

The College Football Selection Committee said in a statement Thursday that it is proceeding as usual in anticipation of the Playoff being held this fall, though no final decisions have been made in that regard as of yet.

Iowa athletic director and College Football Selection Committee chairmen Gary Barta said in the statement:

"We don't know right now what the season will bring, but as a committee, we are ready to use the protocol and the expertise of the 13 people who have been charged with selecting the teams. The committee's task is to rank the teams based on what happens on the field. This week gave us a great chance to catch up with the familiar faces and welcome our three new members to the process. If the board and management committee say we are having a CFP, we will be ready."

If the College Football Playoff does happen after the fall season, it will do so without the Big Ten, Pac-12, Mountain West and MAC, which have all canceled their autumn schedules. Among the Power 5 conferences, the ACC, Big-12 and SEC are still expected to attempt a fall schedule in 2020. 

Another question is whether the College Football Playoff would consider pushing its competition back to the spring. It seems unlikely that would happen if the ACC, Big-12 and SEC proceed with a fall schedule, but if those conferences ultimately postpone to the spring, the College Football Playoff would have to either adjust or not take place at all this season.

Interestingly, some of the committee members are from either the Big Ten or Pac-12 despite those conferences not holding football seasons until potentially the spring. 

"These 13 people are on the committee because they are football experts who can evaluate teams and make decisions," CFP executive director Bill Hancock told ESPN's Heather Dinich on Thursday. "Whether they represent a school under consideration has never been a factor. And it never will be. Whether the conference won't be playing this season won't affect their judgment as football experts."

Whether the College Football Playoff occurs at all also remains to be seen. For now, the Committee is preparing as though it will.