The College Football Playoff process isn't flawless. Every year, there is an argument made on why certain teams shouldn't be in and other teams should be.That's what happens when you have a committee. Human decisions mean there will be some bias and mistakes. Still, the College Football Playoff committee does the best it can when deciding which teams should make the field.College Football Playoff Committee's CriteriaWhile it's not a perfect system, the committee does evaluate several key criteria: Strength of schedule, head-to-head competition, comparative outcomes of common opponents and some other relevant factors such as unavailability of key players and coaches that may have affected a team’s performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance.This criterion is supposed to be weighted fairly equally. However, not everyone is on board with how the teams are selected.Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti during spring football practice at Memorial Stadium. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesPaul Finebaum Pushes for Stronger Weight on Strength of ScheduleESPN's Paul Finebaum revealed on his show, "The Paul Finebaum Show," that he feels the strength of schedule metric should be weighted more heavily."The schedule should be a factor," Finebaum said. "I don't think the committee places enough weight on that schedule."Finebaum has been very critical about the strength of schedule not playing a bigger factor. In 2024, he was critical of the Indiana Hoosiers getting into the playoffs despite going 11-1. That season, the Hoosiers beat only one team that won at least seven games in the regular season. The one loss was a 23-point loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes.The Hoosiers would get in, but would get beaten by 10 by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, in a game they trailed by 24 with a few minutes to go. Marquee Matchups Are at RiskFinebaum's overall point is a good one. The strength of schedule does need more weight. It's not fair for teams to schedule easier non-conference opponents or play in an easier conference and still get the same benefits as teams with tougher schedules. If you do that, you risk losing some marquee non-conference games because it no longer benefits either side.For example, this year, college football will have Ohio State vs. the Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Michigan Wolverines, the Clemson Tigers vs. the LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide vs. the Florida State Seminoles.If the committee continues to treat strength of schedule as a secondary factor, the incentive structure around scheduling will only get worse. Programs will naturally avoid high-risk non-conference matchups if they don't meaningfully impact playoff positioning.That's the core issue Finebaum is pointing to: the CFP's credibility depends not just on who gets in, but on whether the system still rewards teams for actually proving it against elite competition. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow