Story by
Who is on CFP selection committee? The 12 members after Mack Rhoades steps down
- Story by
- Who is on CFP selection committee? The 12 members after Mack Rhoades steps down
On Tuesday, Nov. 11, shortly after the College Football Playoff selection committee revealed its latest top 25 rankings, playoff committee chairman Mack Rhoades sat down with ESPN to discuss why teams vying for a shot at a national championship were ranked where they were.
Two days later, he's no longer in that job.
Advertisement
Rhoades is stepping away from his roles as the playoff committee chairman and as Baylor athletic director for what Baylor described as "personal reasons."
REQUIRED READING: College football picks for Week 12 include Georgia-Texas, Alabama-Oklahoma showdowns
While the university didn't elaborate on Rhoades' exit beyond that, Yahoo Sports reported that Baylor is conducting an investigation into allegations related to a violation of the faith-based university's policies and practices. Rhoades had recently been investigated by the school for having an issue with Bears tight end Michael Trigg's gold-colored long sleeve undershirt ahead of a Sept. 20 game against Arizona State .
Rhoades' abrupt departure raises questions about the playoff selection committee as it enters the most important three-week stretch of the season, when it will ultimately decide on the 12 teams that will get the opportunity to compete for a national championship.
Advertisement
With Rhoades out, who remains on the selection committee? Here's a look:
How many people are on the CFP selection committee?
Rhoades actually isn't the first member of the playoff selection committee to step down from their position this season. In October, Randall McDaniel stepped away from the committee, also for what were described as "personal reasons," though he'll return next year. McDaniel was an All-American guard at Arizona State in the 1980s and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Rhoades' departure marks the fifth time in 12 years that a member of the selection committee has abdicated their duties, even temporarily.
Advertisement
Without Rhoades and McDaniel, the previously 13-member committee was down to 11 members before it added Utah athletic director Mark Harlan to take Rhoades' place, following a recommendation from the Big 12. Rhoades will be replaced as committee chair by Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek.
REQUIRED READING: Conference chaos: College football tiebreaker scenarios as CFP race heats up
Who is on the CFP selection committee?
Here's a look at who makes up the playoff selection committee, in alphabetical order:
Chris Ault
Ault coached for 28 years at Nevada, where he went 234-108-1 across three different stints and guided the Wolf Pack through the transition from Division II to FCS and then from FCS to FBS. The inventor of the pistol offense, Ault also served as Nevada's athletic director from 1986-2004. He retired from coaching in 2012.
Advertisement
Troy Dannen
Dannen is in his second year as the athletic director at Nebraska. He previously served as the athletic director at Washington from 2023-24 and Tulane from 2015-23.
Mark Dantonio
Dantonio was an FBS head coach for 16 seasons, leading Cincinnati from 2004-06 and Michigan State from 2007-19. He has a career record of 132-74 and led the Spartans to a bowl game in 12 of his 13 seasons there, including an appearance in the College Football Playoff in 2015. With 114 victories, he's the winningest coach in Michigan State history.
Mark Harlan
Harlan has been the athletic director at Utah since 2018. He was previously the athletic director at South Florida for five years before assuming his current position. Harlan had previously served a one-year term on the selection committee during the 2023 season.
Advertisement
Jeff Long
Long was a college athletic director for 22 years, serving in the role at Kansas (2018-21), Arkansas (2008-17), Pitt (2003-07) and Eastern Kentucky (1998-2001). He was previously on the playoff selection committee from 2014-18, including as the chairman during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Ivan Maisel
Maisel is an award-winning sports writer who has covered college football in some capacity for more than 40 years. He has written for ESPN, Sports Illustrated, the Dallas Morning News and Newsday, among other outlets.
Chris Massaro
Massaro is the athletic director at Middle Tennessee State, where he has spent the past 20 years. He's the fifth-longest-tenured FBS athletic director.
Advertisement
Mike Riley
Riley coached for 48 seasons at the college and professional levels. He's perhaps best known for his time at Oregon State, where he was the Beavers ' head coach from 1997-98 and 2003-14. His 93 wins across his 14 seasons there are the most in school history. He also served as the head coach at Nebraska and for the then-San Diego Chargers.
David Sayler
Sayler has been the athletic director at Miami (Ohio) since 2013. Prior to that, he was the athletic director at South Dakota for two years.
Wesley Walls
Walls is a former All-American tight end at Ole Miss who went on to play 15 seasons in the NFL. He's the Carolina Panthers ' all-time leader in touchdown receptions by a tight end. Since retiring from the NFL, he has been involved in business ventures and charitable work in Charlotte and Mississippi.
Advertisement
Carla Williams
The only female member of the committee, Williams is in her seventh year as the athletic director at Virginia. During her tenure, four different Cavaliers programs have won at least one national championship.
Hunter Yurachek
Yurachek is in his seventh year as the athletic director at Arkansas. He was previously the athletic director at Houston (2015-17) and Coastal Carolina (2010-15). Following Rhoades' resignation, Yurachek was named the chair of the playoff selection committee.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is on the CFP selection committee? Here are the 12 members
