Voting is pretty much a self fulling prophecy even with the AP poll.
ACC's ranked teams (AP) #2 Clemson, #4 ND, #14 UNC, #18 Miami, and #24 NC St. Clemson beat ND and two 6-5 teams. ND beat a depleted Clemson team, UNC and two 6-5 teams. UNC beat Miami and NC St and one 6-5 team. Miami beat NC St and one 6-5 team.
Look at the mess the SEC was this year, when they actually had to play each other. Texas A&M beat FL and Auburn and that is it for teams with winning records.. Florida beat UGA and that is it. UGA beat Auburn.
There are 7 G5 teams in the final AP poll. The average for the last 10 years is around 4.
Lazy Larry isn't helping the Pac 12 by any means, but there is a ton of group think when it comes to rankings. I remember not too long ago, the BIG TEN was the laughing stock of P5 leagues. When USC was king under Pete, nobody said the Pac 12 was weak. Exactly, like the ACC isn't viewed as weak since Clemson has dominated that league.
BIG 12, well really Oklahoma, is 0-4 in the playoffs. The financial gain is huge, but BIG 12 isn't any more relevant than the PAC 12 in regards to play on the field concerning the playoffs.
How I would change the playoffs, is go to 8 teams. All P5 champs get an auto bid, the top G5 team gets and bid if the team is in the top 12 and/or a the team has 12 wins. In the last 10 years only 1 year a G5 team wouldn't be in the playoffs. Each league is only allowed 2 teams to make the playoffs. The committee is limited to 1 coach per league and must include a representative from all 10 FBS leagues. I know that is a dream, but if you don't shoot for the stars, you can't even get the moon.