College Football Playoff Committee to Include Condoleezza Rice

Jan 1, 2013; Pasadena, CA, USA; Stanford University alumnus Condoleezza Rice hugs Stanford Cardinal running back Remound Wright (22) after Stanford won the 2013 Rose Bowl game against Wisconsin Badgers 20-14 at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops is leery about the College Football Playoff committee. He feels it is almost impossible to put together a group of people without them having personal favorites in the game that will make it hard to call it down the line fairly. The NCAA argues that it works for college basketball, but with only four teams chosen, it makes it tougher to decide which team to cut and while to give the third and fourth spot to.

The NCAA has started releasing the names of the people who will serve on that College Football Playoff committee and the names are extremely surprising.

Pat Haden is one of the people who will judge, and immediately Bob Stoops concerns are front and center. Haden is the athletic director for the USC Trojans. Apparently, if USC is on the bubble, Haden will have to excuse himself from the voting, but as the AD at USC, there is a lot to gain if a team with ties to USC is on the line as well. How can he be considered impartial?

Another name the NCAA chose is Archie Manning. This makes more sense. Manning has no real ties to a college program right now, although he and his son Eli Manning played for Ole Miss and his other son Peyton played for Tennessee. At least he isn’t an AD for a school.

Barry Alvarez, the athletic director for Wisconsin can bring his Big Ten bias to the preceding. Jeff Long (Arkansas, SEC), Oliver Luck (West Virginia, Big 12) and Dan Radakovich (Clemson, ACC) are all there as well. I guess it is nice that they are choosing someone from each of the big conferences to even it out, but still. And, yes, even if Joe Castiglione was chosen, I would feel the same way.

Former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese and former NCAA executive vice president Tom Jernstedt are also on the College Football Playoff committee.

Now, we get into Bizarro world.

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Gould, the former Air Force superintendent is on the committee. And to even throw a curveball WAY out there, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is on the committee.

Condoleezza Rice will help choose the teams that will play in the College Football Playoffs. She has never worked for college football in any capacity, is an alumni of the Stanford Cardinal, and is a volunteer coach for their golf team. And, somehow, she is qualified to serve on the College Football Playoff Committee.

There will be between two and eight more names announced over the next month and the new College Football Playoff committee will start determining who plays for the national championship in 2014.

Follow Shawn S. Lealos on Twitter @sslealos