Jeff Long Stepping Down as Chairman of College Football Playoff Selection Committee

Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long is stepping down from his role as chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee next year, according to ESPN’s Brett McMurphy. Long has escaped major controversy in his two years at the helm.

In 2014 the committee awarded Ohio State the No. 4 seed over both TCU and Baylor. The Buckeyes made the selection look good by beating Alabama and Oregon to win a national championship. Picking the four-team field this year was fairly straightforward and a thrilling national title game helped erase a pair of lackluster semifinal games.

“When we created the selection committee, there was an expectation the chairman would serve one or two years,” [CFP executive director Bill] Hancock told CBS Sports. “Jeff did a terrific job, but it’s time for someone [else] to take over. We will continue to view it has a one- or two-year position.”

Long handled the difficult job of fielding media questions every Tuesday night with aplomb (that is to say, he managed to give answers without saying anything too substantive).