The first family of football is likely to be represented on the college football playoff committee slowly being revealed. Archie Manning, the former Ole Miss football star and father of Super Bowl MVPs Peyton and Eli, is the latest name to be reported to be a part of the College Football Playoff selection committee.
USA Today‘s George Schroeder was the first to report Manning is expected to be a part of the selection committee. Earlier in the day it was reported that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be a part of the new selection committee, joining athletic directors Barry Alvarez (Wisconsin), Pat Haden (USC) and Oliver Luck (West Virginia) as reported names of the committee being pieced together. Manning’s inclusion among such names for this committee hardly comes as a shock, as the elder Manning continues to serve an influential role in the sport of college football.
Manning is the chairman for the National Football Foundation, the organization responsible for managing the College Football Hall of Fame, honoring scholar athletes and more. Manning, along with his sons, heads up the prestigious Manning Passing Academy as well. Clearly, Manning is an ambassador for the good of the sport of college football and he is widely respected among the college football community. It is that sort of profile that makes Manning a slam dunk choice for a playoff committee that is starting to piece together some quality additions.
The duty of the selection committee will be to select the four college football teams that will compete in the new four-team playoff model that will be replacing the BCS format starting win the 2014 season.
As it stands now, according to various reports, the selection committee could include Alvarez, Haden, Luck, Rice, Manning, Arkansas AD Jeff Long, and Clemson AD Dan Radakovich. Those names would ensure the Big Ten, Pac 12, Big 12, SEC and ACC are all represented within the committee. It is thought every conference could have a representative involved with the process. If that is to be the case, the American, Mountain West, MAC, Conference USA and Sun Belt all would still need a representative added. It is unknown if independents might have a say or not, although Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick has continued to hold a key position in the ongoing process to move to the new format, which may make him a potential candidate. Other names tied to the committee include former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese and former NCAA Executive Vice President Tom Jernstedt.