The rumored addition of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice caught some college football fans off guard. Some reacted to the buzz in a not-so-flattering fashion, questioning why she would be involved as someone from outside the college football world. None of that seems to bother Rice, who met with the media for the first time on Wednesday via conference call.
“I’ve been in enough positions to respect people who have different views,” Rice said. “Not everyone on the committee has played football. I’m a student of the game and I believe that I will work very, very hard.”
Rice is one of 13 members to the new College Football Playoff Selection Committee. She is the only woman on the committee, but that does not mean she is looking to break barriers with her new role.
“I don’t feel carrying banner for anyone, except those who love college football,” Rice said during the conference call. “That includes women. For me, this is trying to get playoff system right so that we can have outcomes in which players, coaches and fans know that people of goodwill and integrity are trying to make good judgments.”
Rice and the rest of the selection committee will be charged with selecting and seeding the top four teams in the new four-team playoff model that replaces the BCS system starting with the 2014 college football season.