Ten of the 13 members of the College Football Playoff selection committee are recused from voting for certain schools this season, according to a release on Thursday from the CFP.
The recusal policy remains the same as it has in the past five years, stating, “A recused member is permitted to answer only factual questions about the institution from which the member is recused but shall not be present during any deliberations regarding that team’s selection or seeding.”
Six of the recused committee members are acting athletic directors: Arkansas State athletic director Terry Mohajir (Arkansas State), Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin (Florida and Mississippi State), Georgia Tech athletic director Todd Stansbury (Georgia Tech), Iowa athletic director Gary Barta (Iowa), Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione (Oklahoma) and Oregon athletic director and committee chair Rob Mullens (Oregon).
The others are as follows: Arizona State professor Paola Boivin (Arizona State), former coach R.C. Slocum (Arizona State and Texas A&M), former U.S Army chief of staff Ray Odierno (NC State) and former coach Frank Beamer (Oklahoma and Virginia Tech).
Recused members are also not allowed to participate in discussions about the placement of a recused team into a bowl game.
Former USC All-American Ronnie Lott is not on the recusal list, nor is Robert Morris president Chris Howard, or former coach Ken Hatfield.
CFP executive director Bill Hancock said on Thursday the committee will go beyond the recusal policy as it has in each of the past two seasons and ask any recused member whose team is in semifinal contention to stay out of the room for those discussions.
“It’s good practice for a committee member not to be in the room for discussions or votes regarding the ranking of his or her school — or family members’ schools. Nor in determining his or her team’s potential opponent in the semifinals,” Hancock said.
The selection committee met this week in Laguna Niguel, Calif., where it also reviewed the schedule for its six weekly ranking announcements, which begin on Nov. 5, following the 10th week of the season. The committee members will meet in person on Mondays and Tuesdays, revealing rankings each week on ESPN’s College Football Playoff: Top 25 show.
The final selection committee rankings of the 2019 season will be released on Selection Day, Dec. 8. The committee will also announce the matchups for the Playoff Semifinals at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, as well as the New Year’s Six bowl pairings.