Archie Manning to take leave of absence from College Football Playoff selection committee
Archie Manning will take a leave of absence from the College Football Playoff executive committee due to health issues.
Bill Hancock, the College Football Playoff’s executive director, announced Monday that Manning’s leave of absence would span the rest of the 2014 season, but Manning will return for the 2015 season.
“We will miss Archie,” Hancock said. “He has such a great knowledge of college football and history with the game, but we all understand his reason for taking a leave. I wish him all the best and look forward to his return in 2015.”
Manning, the former Ole Miss quarterback, will undergo surgery next month to “help relieve discomfort he is experiencing walking and moving around,” according to a release from the CFP. Because of the surgery, Manning would be unable to travel and attend meetings.
“It is an honor to serve on this committee, and I enjoy the group and was looking forward to the opportunity ahead. My health had to be my primary concern and I intend to be up and about as soon as possible,” Manning said.
In Manning’s absence, the committee will drop from 13 to 12 members for the rest of the season. The committee has been meeting since Nov. 2013 and will unveil its first rankings on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Additionally, the committee will unveil top-25 rankings five more times before the final four teams are revealed on December 7.
The committee is chaired by Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long and also includes Barry Alvarez, Mike Gould, Pat Haden, Tom Jernstedt, Oliver Luck, Tom Osborne, Dan Radakovich, Condoleezza Rice, Mike Tranghese, Steve Wieberg and Tyrone Willingham.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
