Hungry for more?

The inaugural College Football Playoff was a colossal revenue and ratings triumph for ESPN. The four-team bracket served as a culmination of nearly a decade’s worth of griping from coaches and fans yearning for an alternate way of determining a national champion instead of the oft-criticized, computer-based Bowl Championship Series.

The CFP National Championship pitting Ohio State and Oregon averaged 33.3 million viewers and an 18.2 household rating, delivering both the largest audience and highest rating in cable TV history according to Nielsen.

“That was a 21 percent increase over the ratings for last year’s BCS National Championship between Florida State and Auburn, which was a far closer game,” NPR’s Nathan Rott said.

Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer reacts as time expires in the 2015 CFP National Championship Game against the Oregon Ducks at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Alabama’s national semifinal appearance against the Buckeyes in the Sugar Bowl and the Ducks’ battle with Florida State in the Rose Bowl also were wildly popular on Jan. 1, bringing in a combined 56 million viewers. In all, the first CFP brought much excitement and was watched by nearly 100 million fans despite two of the three games providing very little drama.

“The inaugural College Football Playoff was a resounding success by all measures,” said ESPN President John Skipper.  “Fans responded in record numbers across television and digital platforms. It’s been a great first year and we look forward to the opportunity to build upon the excitement as we continue our long-term commitment to this tremendous event.”

So what’s in store for the encore?

Let’s first step through a quick refresher course on the CFP, reviewing key elements of the selection process, important dates and notable changes this season. We’ll re-introduce you to the 13-member 2015 selection committee to kick things off:

  • Jeff Long, Chair (Arkansas AD)
  • Barry Alvarez (Wisconsin AD)
  • Lieutenant General Mike Gould (Retired three-star general)
  • Pat Haden (USC AD)
  • Kirby Hocutt (Texas Tech AD)
  • Tom Jernstedt (Former NCAA Executive VP)
  • Bobby Johnson (Former Vandy HC)
  • Tom Osborne (Former Nebraska AD)
  • Dan Radakovich (Clemson AD)
  • Condoleeza Rice (Former Secretary of State)
  • Mike Tranghese (Former Big East Commissioner)
  • Steve Wieberg (Former USA Today reporter)
  • Tyrone Willingham (Former Notre Dame HC)

Only six CFP rankings will release this fall according to ESPN’s Heather Dinich, who does a great job keeping us media types informed on the daily inner workings of the committee. Here are those dates:

This year’s CFP bowl schedule is as follows:

Bowl Location Date/Time TV
Cotton Bowl
Playoff Semifinal Game		 Arlington, TX
AT&T Stadium		 Thu., Dec. 31
4 or 8pm ET		 ESPN
Orange Bowl
Playoff Semifinal Game		 Miami Gardens, FL
Sun Life Stadium		 Thu., Dec. 31
4 or 8pm ET		 ESPN
CFP National Championship
Semifinal Winner vs. Semifinal Winner		 Glendale, AZ
U. of Phoenix Stadium		 Mon., Jan. 11
8:30pm ET		 ESPN

Not-so-bold predictions for Year 2 of the College Football Playoff

  • Ohio State will be the top seed (and unbeaten)
  • An SEC champ will make field with one or fewer losses

Judging by the way the CFP selection committee valued the overall strength of the SEC’s challenging schedule week to week, you’d have to think Long and his associates would have great respect for the conference’s last team standing once again in 2015 if said team has one loss or fewer.

Two losses would complicate things against fellow one-loss — or unbeaten — Power 5 champions.

The Crimson Tide secured the top overall seed last fall by winning eight straight games, including several over ranked teams, following an early-season loss at Ole Miss on Oct. 4.

RELATED: Why Alabama will or won’t make the CFP in 2015

Not knowing how much emphasis the committee would put on late-season relevance and the unsubstantiated eye test of winning pretty, many assumed TCU or Baylor would be the final team in, but the Buckeyes took that bid with 11 consecutive wins in largely dominant fashion, culminating with a Big Ten Championship Game blowout of Wisconsin.

Several times last fall, we mentioned the selection committee’s points of emphasis — what they call “selection protocol” — leading up to the final reveal in December. We’ll skim the surface and hit key points below, but you can read the CFP’s official protocol standards here.

How teams are valued during the weekly ranking process

  • Conference championships won
  • Strength of schedule
  • Head-to-head competition
  • Comparing results against common opponents
  • Relative factors that may have altered a team’s performance (injuries)

It’s important to remember, as Long stated several times during the inaugural season, the committee re-ranks teams from scratch after every week. Clean slate. The voting process for each member is fairly simple and anonymous. Those guidelines can be found here.

In short, there’s no such thing as an automatic qualifier and all teams are judged equally. The selection committee does however have responsibilities when selecting the remaining New Year’s Six bowl matchups.

New Year’s Six selection committee responsibilities

  • Create competitive matchups
  • Attempt to avoid rematches of regular-season games and repeat appearances in specific bowls
  • Consider geography

As for trying to project this season’s final teams four months out, we know finishing unbeaten in a Power 5 conference all but locks up a berth. Per Bovada’s current national title odds, Ohio State, Alabama, TCU and Auburn are the current betting favorites. USC, Notre Dame and Baylor are also in the mix, according to the oddsmakers.

The chances two teams from the same division make the final four are slim, but talk about ultimate conference bragging rights should that happen for the SEC.