College Football Playoff committee experiences shake-up at critical time

Jeff Hauser

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College Football Playoff committee experiences shake-up at critical time image

The College Football Playoff selection committee is undergoing a midseason shake-up after Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades stepped away from his role as chair for personal reasons. The CFP Management Committee on Thursday appointed Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek as the new chair for the remainder of the 2025 season.

CFP executive director Rich Clark thanked Rhoades for his service while announcing the transition, noting that Yurachek’s “experience, integrity, and commitment to the game” made him well-suited to lead the committee through the final month of rankings and the selection of the 12-team playoff field.

Yurachek, in his eighth year at Arkansas, steps into the role as the committee reaches its most scrutinized stretch, with weekly rankings already shaping playoff paths for contenders across the country.

Utah athletic director Mark Harlan was also appointed to the committee to fill Rhoades’ vacancy. Harlan previously served a one-year term in 2023 and returns with one of the strongest administrative résumés in college athletics.

Since taking over at Utah in 2018, he has overseen five national championships and 32 conference titles while elevating the school’s profile during the final years of the Pac-12. Harlan has held leadership positions across multiple Division I programs and recently completed a term on the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee.

The CFP selection committee is responsible for ranking the top 25 teams weekly and seeding the 12-team playoff field. First-round games will be hosted on campus sites, with quarterfinals and semifinals rotating among the New Year’s Six bowls.

The national championship is scheduled for Jan. 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

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