Condoleezza Rice Joins College Football Playoff Committee [Report]
Condoleezza Rice has reportedly been tapped to become a member of the college football championship selection committee according to unnamed sources.
The former Bush administration US Secretary of State and former White House National Security Advisor will be part of the a group of luminaries selecting the four teams that will compete for the College Football Playoff beginning after the 2014 regular season.
The year 2013 is the final season for the controversial Bowl Championship Series (BCS). The Chicago Tribune reports that “Besides selecting the four teams that will play for the national championship, the selection committee will be responsible for ranking and placing at-large teams in the noncontract New Year’s Day bowls, which are the Cotton, Fiesta and Chick-fil-A Bowls.”
The appointments have not been made official but are said to also include College Hall of Famer Archie Manning (Peyton and Eli’s dad) as well as university athletic directors from the country’s football power conferences.
According to ESPN, “The 58-year-old Rice, who makes no secret of being a college and pro sports fan, will be named to the committee when it is officially announced next month.” She is currently a faculty member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and was formerly the Stanford Provost prior to joining the George W. Bush administration. Rice was the first female African-American Secretary of State.
USA Today reports that the following officials will also serve on the committee which will be comprised of 12-18 members: “Wisconsin athletics director Barry Alvarez, USC athletics director Pat Haden, Arkansas athletics director Jeff Long, West Virginia athletics director Oliver Luck and Clemson athletics director Dan Radakovich… former NCAA Executive Vice President Tom Jernstedt and former Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese.”
Last August, Rice and business executive Darla Moore became the first female members of the August National Gold Club, the home of the prestigious Masters golf tournament.
