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Former Michigan head football coach Lloyd Carr guided the Wolverines to a national championship in 1997. He now will have a hand in deciding which teams compete for future titles, according to an official Michigan release.

According to the release: Carr joins the CFP committee as one of four new additions this year. This list includes former Central Michigan coach Herb Deromedi, former Southern Mississippi coach Jeff Bower and current Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens.

The committee features four openings, with Pat Haden, Mike Gould, Mike Tranghese and Tom Osborne coming off the roster.

Carr, who will serve a three-yeat term, enjoyed a long and distinguished college coaching career, culminating in the 1997 national title with the Wolverines. After coaching at three Michigan high schools, he began a college career as an assistant at Eastern Michigan in 1976.

He spent two years at Illinois (1978-79) before coming to Michigan as an assistant under Bo Schembechler in 1980. Carr served as Michigan’s defensive coordinator from 1987-1994, and took over as U-M’s head coach in 1995.

He guided the Wolverines to a 122-40 record over 13 seasons, winning five Big Ten championships. His Michigan teams finished in the top 20 a dozen times, and he put five top-10 squads on the field.

Ten of his Michigan teams won nine or more games in a season. He earned the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award and the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award for his effort in 1997.

TheWolverine.com contributor Doug Skene racked up five Big Ten championship rings while Carr guided the Michigan defense. He noted the former U-M boss will make an excellent addition to the panel.

“It’s great,” Skene said. “I think the board gets stronger with Lloyd on there. Lloyd is one of the most calculated and measured guys I’ve ever known in my life.

“He’s very considerate of everything around the situation. I’m sure he’ll approach this no different than he has everything else in his life. I’m sure that board was looking for someone with a worldly view of college football, and certainly Lloyd possesses that.”

Skene brushed off the notion that Michigan fans or even Big Ten partisans should be exited over having someone who represented the Wolverines or the conference on the committee.

“They’d be making a mistake if they think Lloyd would be partial,” Skene said. “I don’t think that’s part of the job description. He’s a trusted guy. Anybody that’s ever been around him knows he’s going to do the right thing.”