Gary Berta is the AD of Iowa. He is also the very smug spokesman for the CFP committee. His job is to keep as much TV money as he can for the P5 conferences and to talk to the media as if everyone is stupid. Here’s a good one for you:
Ranking Bias:
Berta’s U of Iowa is ranked 16 by the CFP.
Iowa is 6-2.
Exactly ONE of Iowa’s wins is over a team with a winning record–Northwestern.
Hilariously, Northwestern’s only win over a team with a winning record is Iowa.
Money Talks:
CFP money is divided amongst all members of the conference for each of the 4 teams selected (approx $6m per team per game for the playoff teams and approx $4m per team for the other NY6 participants). If Gary Berta and his boys took a team from a non P5 program, it would cost a P5 conference at least $6m. If a Big 10 team goes, Gary Berta personally gets around $500k for his own program. It’s all about the money, brethren. So Berta and the other P5 guys simply go to a meeting and say, “Hey, I won’t vote for a non P5 team if you don’t.” Simple as that. The shame of it is that they don’t just tell the truth; instead they make excuses that the media and fans know are lies.