“Kirby Smart and Josh Brooks Question CFP Strength of Schedule Metrics”

The College Football Playoff (CFP) committee’s recent tweaks to its strength of schedule metrics have stirred up a lot of chatter in the college football world. With the SEC shifting to a nine-game conference schedule, everyone seems to be zeroing in on how strength of schedule is measured—especially Georgia’s coach Kirby Smart and athletic director Josh Brooks.

Both have voiced their worries about how the committee weighs strength of schedule. Last year’s playoff picks, where teams like Texas and Vanderbilt missed out, still sting for some folks. It’s a tricky subject, honestly.

Strength of Schedule: A Major Talking Point

Strength of schedule is, once again, at the center of college football debates—maybe more than ever, thanks to the CFP committee’s latest changes. Kirby Smart and Josh Brooks have been pretty candid about their skepticism toward the evaluation process.

Smart pointed out that, even when committee members recuse themselves, bias can creep in. The integrity and judgment of those making the decisions matter a lot.

Concerns About the Current System

Smart’s not so much worried about how many teams get in, but more about how the selections are made. He wonders if the current system really values strength of schedule or just favors teams with shinier records, even if those records were built on easier games.

The Move to a Nine-Game Conference Schedule

The SEC’s switch to a nine-game conference slate has left people with more questions than answers. Will it actually boost the conference’s strength of schedule in a meaningful way?

Smart doesn’t sound convinced that adding a ninth game will bring the rewards everyone expects, especially with the 12-team playoff format looming.

Josh Brooks’ Perspective

Josh Brooks, Georgia’s athletic director, has seen the playoff committee’s process up close—he once took part in a mock exercise with them. He says the human side of evaluating strength of schedule can’t be ignored.

Stats are helpful, but they don’t always tell the full story. Brooks points out factors like team health or how a team is trending during a win—things that numbers just can’t capture.

Enhanced Tools for Evaluating Strength of Schedule

The CFP, recognizing these issues, announced last August that it’ll roll out a new tool called “record strength” starting with the 2025 playoff. This metric is supposed to give teams extra credit for beating quality opponents and not punish them so harshly for losing to tough ones.

The hope is to build a postseason bracket that really reflects who played best during the regular season. Will it work? Guess we’ll see.

Last Year’s Playoff Field

Last year, the playoff field came down to Miami, Notre Dame, BYU, Texas, and Vanderbilt. Miami snagged the spot in the end.

ESPN’s FPI had Miami with the best strength of schedule among those teams, ranking 7th nationally. TeamRankings agreed, putting Miami first, followed by Texas, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, and BYU.

The Debate Over a Ninth Conference Game

Brooks says the SEC already has a tough schedule, and a ninth conference game should only raise the bar. But he knows there’s going to be an argument about whether a 9-3 SEC team should stack up against a 10-2 team from another conference.

Is the extra conference game worth risking another loss? That’s the question people keep circling back to.

The Human Element in Decision Making

Brooks keeps coming back to the human factor in all of this. Context—like injuries or a team’s momentum—matters, even if the stats don’t show it.

Metrics are great, but they can’t catch every twist and turn of a season. Sometimes, you just need a little more perspective.

Conclusion

The CFP committee’s changes to its strength of schedule metrics—and the SEC’s shift to a nine-game conference schedule—could really shake up college football. Kirby Smart and Josh Brooks have both weighed in, saying that evaluating strength of schedule isn’t as simple as plugging numbers into a formula.

It’s a mix of stats and gut feeling, honestly. With the “record strength” metric set to arrive in 2025, maybe the CFP will finally give teams the credit they deserve for beating tough opponents.

But let’s be real: people will probably keep arguing about how much a team’s record or schedule strength should matter. This whole debate isn’t going away anytime soon, and it’ll keep shaping the sport for years.

If you’re curious and want to dig deeper, check out the full article here.