Next season, the college football champion will have to win a four-team playoff to stake claim to that title.
On Wednesday—although each of them had been widely reported—the College Football Playoff selection committee was officially announced.
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This season will be the last one with the BCS determining which two teams play for the national title. In 2014, the announced 13-person committee will select the four teams to complete in the playoff.
The 13-person committee includes:
Jeff Long: Vice chancellor and director of athletics, Arkansas (will also serve as the committee chair)
Barry Alvarez: Director of athletics, Wisconsin
Lt. Gen. Mike Gould: Former superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy
Pat Haden: Director of athletics, USC
Tom Jernstedt: Former NCAA executive vice president
Oliver Luck: Director of athletics, West Virginia
Archie Manning: Former NFL quarterback and Ole Miss QB
Tom Osborne: Former director of athletics and head coach, Nebraska
Dan Radakovich: Director of athletics, Clemson
Condoleezza Rice: Former Secretary of State, Stanford professor
Mike Tranghese: Former Big East commissioner
Steve Wieberg: Former college football rreporter, USA Today
Tyrone Willingham: Former head coach at Stanford, Notre Dame and Washington
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Bill Hancock, the executive director of the CFP said that committee members will have three years, but that won’t be true for these 13 because they don’t want to replace the full committee at one time.
“We wanted people of the highest integrity for this committee, and we got them,” Hancock said. “Every one of them has vast football knowledge, excellent judgment, dedication and love for this game. 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.”
Long will serve as the committee’s chair.
“Our work will be difficult, but rewarding at the same time,” Long said Wednesday. “We have important judgments to make during the process. We realize we represent all of college football.”
During Wednesday’s teleconference, Long said the committee will release four or five rankings during the season—the first one be revealed until the middle of the season.
According to the College Football Playoff site, the committee will meet several times to evaluate teams and will meet during selection weekend and announce pairings for the playoff.