2014 was supposed to be the year that all the controversy surrounding college football and the BCS was going to end. A committee was put into place to determine the top 4 teams after years of complaints about the past system using computers to determine the top teams. 

However, many people, myself included, were disappointed to find out that two deserving Big 12 teams, Baylor and TCU, were shut out of the playoffs. Here are some of my complaints with the selection committee and why I believe they should have chosen at least one Big 12 team to participate in the playoffs.

1. Conflicting interests

The playoff committee is comprised of primarily former and current athletic directors, coaches, and players. The chairman of the playoff committee is currently the athletic director at the University of Arkansas, an SEC school. Of the thirteen members on the committee, only one (Oliver Luck) has direct ties to a Big 12 school. Compare that to the Big Ten, which has three former or current employees (Barry Alvarez, Tom Osborne, and Tyrone Willingham) of their schools on the committee. It is hard to imagine that the committee is able to remain unbiased with all their allegiances in different places. The
under-representation of the Big 12 couldn't have helped the case for Baylor and TCU. 

2. Big 12 was one of the top conferences

After being dominated by the SEC for the past decade, ESPN's Conference Power Ranking put the Big 12 as the #1 conference in college football for 2014. In addition, the Big 12 had three teams in the Top 10 of the rankings at the end of the year, more than any other conference. It is counter-productive to have a playoff for the national championship to determine the best team that does not include a team from arguably the best conference in college football.

3. TCU's drop on the final week was absurd and unfair

Going into the final week of the regular season, the selection committee had TCU ranked #3, which would have put them in the playoffs. TCU had to play a bad Iowa State team and beat them in a dominating fashion if they hoped to stay in the top 4 of the rankings and make the playoffs. That's exactly what they did as they won by the convincing score of 55-3. TCU did everything they were supposed to do to prove themselves, but the committee dropped them 3 spots to #6. Usually, teams only drop if they lose a game. It is unfair that a team can win by such a large amount and still drop so far out of the rankings. 

Hopefully, the committee will use this year to learn a lesson and change the methodology used to determine the 4 playoff participants. The current method is arbitrary and forces student-athletes and coaches to rely on outside influences to determine the fate of their season.