The 13-member College Football Playoff selection committee that was officially announced Wednesday in Irving, Texas, blends a mix of past players, coaches, media and a former Cabinet official.
The committee, chaired by Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long, will begin its work next fall when the new playoff system takes effect.
The members include Wisconsin athletic director and former coach Barry Alvarez, former Nebraska coach and AD Tom Osborne and former coach Tyrone Willingham. Also on the committee are former former NFL quarterbacks Pat Haden, Archie Manning and Oliver Luck.
The lone woman on the panel is former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Rounding out the committee are Mike Gould, a former superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy; Tom Jernstedt, a former NCAA executive director; Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich; Mike Tranghese, a former Big East commissioner; and Steve Wieberg, a former USA Today sports reporter.
“We wanted people of the highest integrity for this committee, and we got them. Every one of them has vast football knowledge, excellent judgment, dedication and love for this game,” executive director Bill Hancock said in a statement. “They will no doubt have one of the hardest jobs in sports. But their skills and wide variety of experiences — from coaches and athletes to university leaders and journalists — will ensure that they will be successful.
“And they are committed to investing the time and effort necessary for this endeavor. We are grateful that they will be serving this terrific game of college football.”
Committee members will not be paid and term lengths initially will be staggered. Members will serve approximately serve three years.
The committee will meet four times during the season and will release Top 25 rankings every two weeks starting in mid-October. No specifics on the format or criteria that will be used to rank the teams was revealed.
Hancock said some potential committee members wanted to serve but could not make the time commitment necessary to fulfill the obligations. He added that the total number on the committee could fluctuate from 13 in future years.
In addition to determining the four playoff qualifiers, the committee also is responsible for ranking and placing at-large teams in the Cotton, Fiesta and Chick-fil-A bowls. And it will be charged with selecting the highest ranked champion from the non-Power Five conferences (American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt) to receive an automatic bid to one of the six College Football Playoff bowls.