Finding a balance between polls, computers and random people deciding on a whim
The College Playoff is still really new. 2014 was the first application of it and it is just wrought with problems. First and foremost, the committee charged with deciding on the four teams to be in the playoff. The most glaring problem with this is that the four teams they choose may not necessarily match up with the polls. This isn't so much a concern for an undefeated team as it is the one loss crowd. Especially when members of this committee are admins of these universities, such as Pat Haden of USC who has recently stepped down.