'What have you done?' ACC, others worried about CFP dominance of Big Ten, SEC

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips wants clarity on how two-loss Miami (Fla.) sits behind three-loss Alabama in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark believes his league's champion deserves a first-round bye instead of a Group of 5 team. And while Mountain West Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez's league is positioned to get in, there's concern about any future with bigger leagues getting designated numbers of bids.

Those scenarios illustrate how, as the Big Ten and the SEC conferences position themselves as a Power 2 from overflowing coffers to gobbling up CFP bids, the other leagues are trying to maintain their footing and avoid getting squeezed. That includes Sunday's unveiling of the expanded 12-team field and beyond.

"Decisions by the committee should be based on facts, not on perception," Phillips said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Not on the league that you come from, not in the geography of where you sit, but on your resume: what have you done? ... Who did you lose to and who did you beat?

"To me, you have to stay true to the facts. Logos and brands and names, they have to be checked. And there shouldn't be persuasion because of a past history of a specific team or school."

The Power 4 leagues all play championship games on Saturday. The Group of 5 leagues — American Athletic, Conference-USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt — play Friday and Saturday.

The five highest-ranked champions earn automatic bids, the top four earning a first-round bye.

Take out those bids and the designated entry point for fourth-ranked independent Notre Dame (No. 4 CFP), and that leaves six openings. Yet the Big Ten had four top-10 teams and the SEC had three in Tuesday's