College Football

The 2017 College Football Playoff committee members’ recusals list

Here’s who’ll be coming up with the rankings that you spend November and December stressing over, and which teams each member can’t discuss.

by Jason Kirk

Aug 10, 2017, 9:34 PM UTC

Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images

Well, they’re doing a College Football Playoff again. The fourth year of this exercise sees the committee add its biggest-name football figure yet, if you don’t count former member Condoleezza Rice, who’s just a little bit better known for her non-football activities. Former Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer is aboard.

Here’s the updated list of committee members, including which teams they must recuse themselves from ranking.

Recusals are in bold. The committee doesn’t force members out of the room for every personal tie to a particular university, typically only those that involve payment to the committee member or a close relative.

Chairperson Kirby Hocutt, Texas Tech AD
Frank Beamer, former Virginia Tech head coach (also recused from Georgia discussion; son is on coaching staff)
Jeff Bower, former Southern Miss head coach
Herb Deromedi, former Central Michigan AD
Chris Howard, Robert Morris University president
Tom Jernstedt, former NCAA executive
Bobby Johnson, former Vanderbilt coach
Jeff Long, Arkansas AD (also recused from Missouri discussion; daughter works in Mizzou athletic department)
Rob Mullens, Oregon AD
Dan Radakovich, Clemson AD
Gene Smith, Ohio State AD
Steve Wieberg, former reporter
Tyrone Willingham, former head coach (recused from discussing Stanford and Duke; son is Stanford coaching staff, and daughter works in Duke athletic department)

Based on the preseason odds, the likeliest teams to require a member to step out of the room with a Playoff spot on the line will be Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson.

No longer on the committee are: