Condoleezza Rice talks Selection to College Football Committee

In an interview with Colin Cowherd from ESPSN’s show The Herd, former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice opened up about being selected to be on the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. She detailed how exactly she was chosen for this position, her qualifications, and also responded to some critics.

On Wednesday, the new 13 individuals to sit on the College Football Playoff Selection committee were introduced. Many people were surprised to say the least when Condoleezza Rice was announced as one of them. And though numerous people applauded the choice to include Rice, the decision process, her credentials, and more, almost immediately came under fire.  To date, one of the most outspoken critics is former Auburn Head Coach Pat Dye, who explained in detail that Rice is not qualified, mainly because she’s never played football.

Rice answered all these questions and more in her interview. She explained the importance of having people on the committee with “diverse perspectives”. She believes she is also qualified because of her ability to make decisions under pressure, and because when she was Provost of Stanford University, the football team answered to her. Rice also has always been a big college football fan.

Apparently, Rice was approached for the position. She talks about how Larry Scott, Pac-12 commissioner, invited her out to dinner to discuss the possibility. At this point, Rice did her research and came prepared to talk about being a member of the committee. Rice also said that she talked over the decision with Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick. But the fact that she didn’t lobby for the position is pretty noteworthy. Rice is also the only female on this committee.

Rice took time to respond to critics, especially Pat Dye. She explained that you don’t need to play football to be a part of this committee. And that in fact, there are other members of the who did not play football either. She described herself as a “student of college football”, which should be enough. “Cooperate boards aren’t all CEOs”, she explains. Rice emphasized again that diversity and different perspectives are necessary for any committee.

As the case with all committee members, Rice will serve a 3 year term. The committee will meet four times during the regular football season. They will also begin to release rankings every other week. Rice says the committee will get together pretty soon to talk through some issues. Rice was a politician throughout the entire interview, answering questions in a roundabout manner. Regardless, her message was received- she’s not apologizing for being a part of this committee, and as a devoted college football fan she looks forward to doing the job to the best of her abilities.