I don't mean to burst anyone's bubble, but if you believe ESPN doesn't have any influence on the playoff teams, I've got some swamp property to sell you. And here is the problem with college sports. Athletic departments at most d1 schools are operating to break even or they are losing money. It's a fact. Only a few schools "make" money. So the schools (conferences make money). Even though Indiana will never make the college football playoff, they get the big ten cut of the playoff tv dollars. So the power 5 conferences LOVE the playoff. They HAVE to have it to remain solvent in their athletic departments.
ESPN/ ABC, Fox, etc. pay millions and millions of dollars to televise the games...why??? BECAUSE WE WATCH THEM!!!
Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Texas, Oklahoma, have gigantic fan bases and alumni bases. Many of the SEC schools are more regional and not as big, but as a conference the SEC swings a big stick and view and talk about college football more than anyone else.
So if you think that there is no leaning to some of these bigger fan bases, then you just don't understand. A 4 team playoff of Iowa, Kansas State, Washington State and Wake Forest would spell doom to ESPN. Nothing against those schools, but college football from a viewer ship standpoint, it about as good as ever. I don't think the networks are going to screw that up.