Jeff Long and the committee have a long month ahead. (Getty)
It is that time of year when college football fans become acquainted with Jeff Long. Long is the Chair of the College Football Playoff Committee, but most fans know him as the spokesman for the committee. Long often appears on ESPN’s weekly show unveiling the College Football Playoff rankings.
He is the one that answers the difficult questions and explains the group’s rationale behind their selections. What few people know is no one on the selection committee receives any sort of payment. It is a volunteer based group.
Long is the Vice-chancellor and Athletic Director for Arkansas. His experience includes time as the Athletics Director for Pittsburgh and Eastern Kentucky. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University and has a master’s in education from Miami University.
The College Football Playoff’s inaugural year was in 2014. November 3rd marked the first unveiling of the rankings for the 2015 season and the final rankings are released December 6, 2015.
The semi-final games are the Cotton and Orange Bowls for this season. They take place on December 31, 2015. The College Football Playoff Title Game is on January 11, 2015.