Yahoo Finance Texas AD Chris Del Conte, Hall of Famer Will Shields among new members of CFP selection committee
The College Football Playoff selection committee is getting a makeover.
CFP executive director Bill Hancock announced Tuesday that five new members have officially been appointed to the selection committee. The group includes three sitting Power Five athletic directors: Kentucky’s Mitch Barnhart, NC State’s Boo Corrigan and Texas’ Chris Del Conte.
The two other new members of the selection committee are Will Shields, a longtime NFL offensive lineman who was an All-American at Nebraska, and longtime HBCU coach Joe Taylor, who currently serves as the athletic director at Virginia Union University. Both Shields and Taylor are members of the College Football Hall of Fame. Shields, who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1993 to 2006, is also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
These members will begin three-year terms on the selection committee, beginning this spring. They will replace Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione, longtime college head coach Ken Hatfield, Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, Georgia Tech AD Todd Stansbury and Florida AD Scott Stricklin after three-year terms.
“Mitch, Boo, Chris, Will and Joe will continue the integrity that has been the committee’s hallmark through our seven seasons,” Hancock said. “Their knowledge, experience and character, along with their love of the sport of college football, will make the transition seamless.”
Additionally, Hancock announced that Iowa AD Gary Barta will remain in his role as the selection committee chair for a second season.
“We are pleased that Gary will return as chair,” Hancock added. “He was a valuable leader as the committee navigated a unique and challenging year. We look forward to him working with the other 12 members in what we hope will be a more traditional season in 2021.”
The 2021 season will be the eighth of the College Football Playoff era. The selection committee is often subject to scrutiny for its rankings throughout the season.
In 2020, the committee was widely criticized for its placement of Cincinnati, which finished No. 8 in the final CFP rankings despite going 9-0 and winning the American Athletic Conference title. The CFP has routinely excluded the top teams from Group of Five conferences, including its infamous ranking of UCF at No. 12 in 2017 despite its 12-0 record.
There is also the subject of the seemingly inevitable expansion of the CFP field beyond its current four-team structure. The CFP’s 12-year contract with ESPN expires after the 2025-26 season.
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