Former ND, Stanford and Washington head coach reportedly named to playoff committee
Who also played for MSU.Tyrone Willingham & former USA Today reporter Steve Wieberg on CFB Playoff Committee sources told @ESPN. Willingham 1st ex-coach on it
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) October 5, 2013
October 5th, 2013 at 10:38 AM ^
he also played for Michigan State.
October 5th, 2013 at 11:06 AM ^
October 5th, 2013 at 10:42 AM ^
Than coaching.
October 5th, 2013 at 10:44 AM ^
The updated list now looks like this (courtesy of SBNation's tracker):
Arkansas AD Jeff Long.
Former Air Force Academy superintendent Michael Gould.
Former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese.
Former March Madness chief Tom Jernstedt.
Former Ole Miss quarterback Archie Manning.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Former USA Today reporter Steve Wieberg.
Former Washington coach Ty Willingham.
Clemson AD Dan Radakovich.
USC AD Pat Haden.
West Virginia AD Oliver Luck.
Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez.
October 5th, 2013 at 10:49 AM ^
It blows my mind that people who are directly AND currently affiliated with certain schools are permitted to be on this committee.
Conference representatives, I can get. But five current athletic directors of major football universities?
October 5th, 2013 at 11:41 AM ^
they chose Willingham over Holtz? He would have been an awesome and non-biased ex-coach to pick for that committee. Hell, we'd be watching ND lose national championships every year if he would have been selected.
October 5th, 2013 at 1:18 PM ^
They do this with basketball too. AD's and other conference-affiliated people are required to leave the room when a team from their conference is discussed.
October 5th, 2013 at 10:48 AM ^
October 5th, 2013 at 10:53 AM ^
October 5th, 2013 at 10:58 AM ^
A lot of 'formers' on that list. IDK if I'm Archie Manning I'm glued to the TV all weekend.
October 5th, 2013 at 10:57 AM ^
The head scratcher for me is Condoleeza Rice. Does she have any knowledge of or connection to college football? I know she was provost at Stanford and obviously Secretary of State.
October 5th, 2013 at 11:00 AM ^
She's in that NFL commercial where she talks about how she once had to wake up in the middle of the night in Israel to watch the Super Bowl.
October 5th, 2013 at 11:40 AM ^
I guess we know why she did that now.
October 5th, 2013 at 7:55 PM ^
...the commercials?
October 5th, 2013 at 11:06 AM ^
October 5th, 2013 at 1:56 PM ^
Notre dame grad?
October 5th, 2013 at 11:10 AM ^
I know she's a huge football fan and all, is knowledgeable enough, and always gets bandied about to be the NFL Commish someday, but... It's a celebrity slot at best.
Really, all this whole thing will do is move the bitching down a couple slots in the final polls, from the 3-4 schools who think they should be in the championship, to the 5-8 schools who think they should be in the playoff. Same controversies for a still-imperfect system.
October 5th, 2013 at 11:38 AM ^
October 5th, 2013 at 11:08 AM ^
October 5th, 2013 at 11:20 AM ^
I understand people worrying about bias coming in to the selection process. But wasn't that an argument IN FAVOR of the BCS that everybody seems to hate? These computers would use formulas and not have the inherent bias of human voters....sounds good. Then everybody complains that the "human element" is missing.
I personally am fine with the list. An AD from a B1G, Pac12, Big12, ACC and SEC program. What does it matter if they are there now or they were there a decade ago? The bias will be there either way, but I think using individuals currently involved makes it slightly more likely that they'll be tuned in to the sport as a whole.
Bottom line, I think people are going to be upset either way, but this is a pretty decent list.
October 5th, 2013 at 11:29 AM ^
This is not a political post. No matter what side of the fence you're on, Condi is a great "get" for the committee. I think it's safe to say that no matter how intense it gets on the committee, Condi has been through it all and with a lot more at stake.
October 5th, 2013 at 11:36 AM ^
Not sure if serious.
She was the Secretary of State. During a couple wars. I would guess that she can handle the pressure of picking college football playoff teams.
October 5th, 2013 at 11:40 AM ^
Those are 2 very different skills in 2 completely different arenas. Political skills don't translate into good football picking skills in any way.
October 5th, 2013 at 12:01 PM ^
--__--
October 5th, 2013 at 12:33 PM ^
October 5th, 2013 at 1:18 PM ^
October 5th, 2013 at 11:40 AM ^
October 5th, 2013 at 12:03 PM ^
Cunnilingus Rice?!? Sounds like a Mexican dish!
October 5th, 2013 at 12:32 PM ^
October 5th, 2013 at 2:23 PM ^
It's from Dave Chappelle's "Black White Supremacist" skit. Lighten up Francis. I'm actually not opposed to Condi's appointment on this committee as opposed to a bunch of halfwits on a sports blog questioning the credentials of one of the smartest women in the world (not accusing you of doing that just the reactions I've read in general).
October 5th, 2013 at 12:53 PM ^
October 5th, 2013 at 1:05 PM ^
October 5th, 2013 at 12:04 PM ^
as opposed to an AD who was never a coach?
or a former reporter?
or a former NFL qb with two son's in the NFL who probably just watches Denver, NYG, Saints and Ole Miss games?
May as well add Condi. Why not?
October 5th, 2013 at 12:11 PM ^
Also, we really have no idea who's on the NCAA Tournament committee (even if we can find out, we don't really care) and just accept the choices and move on. Don't really see this being any different.
October 5th, 2013 at 12:26 PM ^
While I agree with you for the most part, there is definitely a difference between the playoff selection and the Tourney selection. If 64+ (is it up to 68 now?) teams were selected for a football playoff, no one would care, either. But with so few teams making it in, everyone is going to care and complain.
October 5th, 2013 at 3:30 PM ^
October 5th, 2013 at 8:45 PM ^
The NCAA BB selection committee has a long history of having various people who strictly speaking have serious conflict of interest issues - either being former or current conference officials/coaches.
Probably the key presence of these people may be in swaying the choices outside of number 1 and 2. That is why the big conference can usually count on getting their 5 and 6th teams into the NCAA - historically some of the mid major conferences 2nd or 3rd teams might be as good or better.