Stanford coach David Shaw said the College Football Playoff selection committee should pay greater attention to when teams have byes during the season, and how the entire schedule is laid out.
Shaw, who sat down with ESPN on Tuesday for a wide-ranging interview, said he has thought a lot about the playoff this summer. He has spoken with several committee members this offseason, and CFP executive director Bill Hancock on Monday.
"How the schedule lays out may be more important than strength of schedule," Shaw said. "What I mean by that is, if you look at USC last year, to play 11 straight games without a bye - all Division I opponents, no I-AA opponents, and play right into the Pac-12 championship game and win that one - that to me is more impressive than just having a strong schedule but then having a Week 7 bye, or a Week 8 I-AA opponent, which kind of gives you a break.