The College Football Playoff selection committee has formulated a recusal policy for considering teams to populate the six bowls in the new playoff era.
Other than that, not many details are known about the policy after two days of meetings concluded Thursday at the Gaylord Texan Hotel. The 10 FBS commissioners – called the Management Committee for playoff purposes – will consider whether to adopt the policy at the end of the month.
From the beginning, CFP executive director Bill Hancock has pledged transparency in the process. That’s why recusal – what members can participate in team discussions – is so important. Selection committee chairman Jeff Long refused to say whether alma maters or current employers would be an issue in recusal.
“Certainly that was discussed,” Long said.
Long is the Arkansas AD. He was asked if he would be recused from discussing SEC teams.
“We can’t really comment because it hasn’t been received or approved,” Long said.
Long was asked specifically if past associations with universities would be considered along with interviews with schools that didn’t lead to jobs. Several committee members have worked for multiple employers as well as interviewed for various jobs.
The 13 members have degrees from at least a combined 20 institutions.
“We didn’t take into consideration whether their mother was born in that state,” Long said sarcastically.
It is believed the CFP recusal policy will be roughly similar to that of the NCAA’s men’s basketball committee. In basketball, administrators have to leave the room when a team they are connected with is discussed.
The CFP committee is different in that not all members are active college administrators. Condoleezza Rice is a former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State. Lt. Gen. Michael Gould is a retired superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Beginning with the 2014 season, the committee will select and seed the top four teams to play in the first FBS college football playoff. They then will select the teams to play in the four bowls beneath the playoff. The Orange, Rose, Cotton, Fiesta, Sugar and Chick-fil-A bowls are contracted to rotate through as playoff bowls for the next 12 years.
The recusal policy is one of the final items to be checked off before the 2014 season. The frequency of a series of top 25 polls from the committee during the season also has yet to be determined. CFP executive director Bill Hancock did say that no point totals would be assigned to those top 25 indexes ala the AP and coaches’ polls.
It has generally been discussed that the CFP polls would begin in midseason. It has not been revealed when the last poll would be released.
The Management Committee will consider selection committee proposals here April 28-May 1.
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