[Goose]

Is this true?  I thought that they ignored the polls.

Officially, they don't directly matter. However, there are decisions to be made, like is a 1 loss PAC-12 champion better than a 1 loss Big-12 champion, that involve things like win quality and strength of schedule that are judgement calls. At that point, the polls and public opinion do matter, no matter what the theory is. One question that interest me a lot would be this. What happens if Alabama is undefeated in the regular season, but then is upset in the SEC championship. Do they get in above a 2 loss PAC-12/Big-12 champion? Do they get in instead of a 1 loss PAC-12 champion? By the guidelines as I understand them, the answer to the 1 loss case is clearly no, but I wouldn't bet on it either way. The 2 loss case is totally unclear to me. How about a 1 loss Notre Dame? Do they get in above a 1 loss Alabama in the above scenario?

[Goose]

Is this true?  I thought that they ignored the polls.

Officially, they don't directly matter. However, there are decisions to be made, like is a 1 loss PAC-12 champion better than a 1 loss Big-12 champion, that involve things like win quality and strength of schedule that are judgement calls. At that point, the polls and public opinion do matter, no matter what the theory is. One question that interest me a lot would be this. What happens if Alabama is undefeated in the regular season, but then is upset in the SEC championship. Do they get in above a 2 loss PAC-12/Big-12 champion? Do they get in instead of a 1 loss PAC-12 champion? By the guidelines as I understand them, the answer to the 1 loss case is clearly no, but I wouldn't bet on it either way. The 2 loss case is totally unclear to me. How about a 1 loss Notre Dame? Do they get in above a 1 loss Alabama in the above scenario?