CFP's Bill Hancock: Notre Dame, independents don't need to join a league

Notre Dame and other independent programs will not be required to join a league to secure a place in the College Football Playoff, the postseason system's executive director Bill Hancock said Thursday.

"The three independents are perfectly happy being independent," Hancock said of the Fighting Irish, BYU, and Army, according to Heather Dinich of ESPN. "They have the ability to craft their schedules to fit their needs. If their need and goal is to be in the playoff, then they're in the same boat as everybody else. You better play a good schedule if you want to be in the playoff."

Notre Dame's independent status earned the ire of several big-name college coaches during recent offseason interviews. They argue that the Irish's complete freedom in scheduling provides the program with an unfair advantage over members of competitive leagues.

California coach Sonny Dykes even called for the NCAA to help standardize the scheduling process for the sport to ensure the playoff selection committee could judge competing programs from a more even playing field.

Hancock, however, downplayed the impact scheduling wields during the selection process, saying it wasn't considered when the final standings were debated.

"Frankly, in the committee room, it wasn't a factor. The committee has the luxury of looking at the full body of work from an entire season - 12 or 13 games - for each team, irrespective of what conference they're in," he said. "Having been in the committee room, I can tell you, it's just not a factor."