Warde Manuel to serve as chair of CFP selection committee for 2024 season
The College Football Playoff announced on Thursday via a press release that Michigan Director of Athletics Warde Manuel will serve as the chair of the College Football Playoff selection committee for the 2024 season. Manuel replaces NC State Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan, who served as chair the past two seasons and continually made appearances on ESPN's rankings release shows late in the regular season.
Manuel just completed his second year of being on the CFP selection committee, and now he will become the most recognizable person on the board, as he will likely make appearances on ESPN each week.
“We are delighted that Warde will serve as chair,” Bill Hancock, the Executive Director of the CFP said. “He has been a valuable member of the committee last two years and that experience will serve him well in leading the group. As a former student-athlete, he will also be a good spokesperson to let fans know how the committee reached its rankings.”
Typically beginning in late October each season, ESPN airs a rankings release show every Tuesday night that reveals the CFP Top 25 rankings for each particular week. The show airs weekly leading up to the eventual reveal of the CFP in early December.
Corrigan, who joined the show each week and fielded questions from ESPN's Rece Davis about the logic behind the rankings, is now replaced by Manuel, who will presumably have the same duties.
2024 will be the first season in which the CFP will feature 12 teams rather than four, so it's likely Manuel's job will be significantly more intricate than Corrigan's was the last two seasons — more CFP spots will likely lead to more discussion and debate as two which teams should be included.
“My first two years on the committee have been a great experience,” Manuel said. “I have so much respect for the time and effort each committee member puts in each week because of their commitment to the game. I’m honored to be asked to serve as committee chair.”
Of course, Manuel will have no impact whatsoever on Michigan's CFP fate. When Michigan is discussed in CFP selection committee meetings, Manuel leaves the room. All other committee members, many of whom are athletics directors, must do the same if they are presented with the same situation.
Per the release, this is how the CFP will look next season:
"The 12 playoff participants consist of the six highest ranked conference champions, plus the next six highest ranked teams. The four highest ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and receive a first-round bye. The schools seeded five through eight will host those seeded nine through 12 in first-round games. The quarterfinals and semifinals rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. This year’s quarterfinals will take place on Dec. 31, 2024 and January 1, 2025, while the semifinals will be January 9-10, 2025. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, January 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta."
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