I gotta admit as far as great social iniquities go, this is pretty low on the totem pole. And no matter how 'shameful' the behavior, and I hate that effin' word, but F it I'm going to use it anyway.... no matter how shameful the committee's behavior, they probably have their strategic reasons, which definitely mean something to them, and they're not just manipulating the proceedings for their health. Like the SEC really does demand to have one of their teams in the playoff, provided they have any possible rationale behind their inclusion, and it sort of ties the committee's hands politically.
But still, it's bullshit. Just let the damn teams, by the traditional criteria get in. The old system was highly imperfect, where W/Ls were the alpha and omega as far as criteria. But if you're only going to have one criterion that ought to be it. The alternative being a full-blown, legit, authentic playoff with automatic bids for the conference champions wherein they can control their own destiny on the field. And they insist on meddling, bringing us the worst of both worlds. A sort of minimally expanded field, and a shitty pseudo playoff, and yet the committee will step in and override the long prevailing conventional wisdom, and shoehorn the SEC champion into the playoff if necessary, in the unlikely event the the old conventions, like going undefeated if you're FSU, can't deliver the goods.
So it's just very annoying...