A small number of "commettee" will be more apt to bias than a large, large group of voters. I think that is one reasont the AP is considered the best, because they have the most voters.
I think the AP just managed to develop a reputation over the years, kind of like the Rose Bowl, which largely comes from seniority. But, I do think the point that a larger pool from which to draw data tends to be less corrupt, is valid.
However, the old poll system had a huge flaw in that there were competing polls and no guaranteed 1 vs. 2 match-ups. So, each poll could pick their #1 prior to a bowl game, and if they didn't lose stick with that all the way into next season. I think the BCS did wonders for the process (and I've cited unanimous national champions as proof of that) by both bringing in a lot more data, but also by providing a more robust test for that data. Now though, they've eliminated the best measurement we've ever had.
If you look, even after the AP poll was no longer part of the BCS, it was still closely aligned and the additional computer data, the BCS championship game, those sorts of things tended to force the AP into voting more responsibly. Within the BCS though, one individual would have great difficulty in wrecking the entire process.
My problem with the playoff going forward are two-fold. The first one is primarily that I take strong exception to a small committee voting based on ridiculous criteria. Injuries? Seriously? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't get a do over in the championship game because of an injury, so why should you during the regular season? That along with the conference championship criteria all but insure even an unbiased committee will act in a biased manner. Then, that brings in the problem I had from the start. It was actually a very rare occurrence that the #3 team could boast as to really being the best, and unheard of for #4 to be able to make that boast.
If you couple the committee's weird criteria, with the doubling of the team's included, you are all but guaranteed that worthy teams get passed over occasionally, while completely unworthy times are included (which defeats the purpose). That brings us back to the AP. How would the AP vote, if for instance a 1 loss SEC conference champion, loses in the first round of the playoff, and the eventually champion is a 2 loss Big 12 champion (with the same number of wins) that was previously ranked 5th? The AP only went against the BCS once, I think we'll see more chances for the AP to go against the playoff, unless!!! and this is important, unless they do what they've done for the NCAA tournament, which is simply refuse to post a poll afterwards. They know there's no way to reconcile ranking a team with twice as many losses as the former #1 team, #1, so they simply refuse to do a poll at all...