“win for a couple of years before we can earn respect” is the epitome of buying into the bias that ruins the process.

I’m not fighting for a higher ranking for byu. I’m fighting against subjective biases that plague 13 men and women who decide the fate of 130+ D1 football teams and ultimately where billions of dollars are funneled.

I don’t believe there is a conspiracy theory where the 13 are necessarily are trying to rig the system. I do believe, however, that 13 people are subject to the same biases and assumptions we all are subject to, and that sours the process.

In what world is “the eye test” or “we’ve been keeping an on them” in any way objective? That eye test changes for everyone and if these 13 brilliant minds have watched any college football the last 30 years, they too are riddled with biases of what’s a blue blood and what’s not.

I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if they don’t penalize Ohio states loss to UM. After all, Michigan is just handful of months removed from a national championship and they are a perennial blue blood.

So when someone says, we’ve gotta keep winning to get respect, what that’s really saying is “I accept that we all have biases and that in order to make it to the big show you’ve gotta play the game and get into their good graces (aka bias their judgement).”

Instead, I’m calling for more objective rankings. I don’t have the answer, and that’s what bothers me lol. I wish I could think up a better way. Outside of the Q12, I don’t trust any small group of men and women to know what’s best based on their subjective, biased opinions.

I think a huge, and very simple step forward that would at least let everyone respect the system more is to have the committee come clean with a criteria they use. It could be any criteria they use, just as long as they are transparent. Heck, if they say we know we are biased in this point because there’s no other way to slice it, so be it! I think the best way would be have objective measures take the most weight, then sprinkle in whatever human element you want but it has to be transparent and replicable. Can’t be an “eye test”. Maybe instead it could be something like, “if a G5 team is undefeated and P4 team is undefeated, we will give the P4 team the head to head.” But that should be the exception.