The committee/members are independent, and you would think they will genuinely try to be as objective as possible; but they are most certainly aware of the polls and influenced by them —at least in part.

I'm not complaining. Having 4-5 teams EARN their way into the playoffs is infinitely better than anything we've every had in the past. Selection of the 7 at-large teams will continue to be subjective and therefore controversial because you are comparing apples with oranges. The committee will of course justify their decisions ("We felt KState's SOS was stronger than XU", etc.), but ultimately many decisions will be judgement calls.

I would be in favor of more earned spots (e.g. top 2 teams per conference?) and less at-large inclusions. I also think the rule should be the winners of the top four CONFERENCES should get the byes, not the four top-ranked conference winners. That dumb rule just perpetuates the artificial inflation of the value of being undefeated.