MANHATTAN, Kan. — The man in charge of Kansas State's athletic department is about to serve on one of the most prominent working groups in college football.
Gene Taylor has been chosen to join the College Football Playoff selection committee ahead of the upcoming season, according to a pair of K-State sources. The Wildcats and the CFP are expected to officially announce the news on Wednesday afternoon.
As a member of the working group, Taylor's duties will include helping the committee rank the nation's top 25 teams during the latter part of the season, assigning teams to New Year's Six Bowls and, of course, selecting which four teams will earn a berth into the playoff and compete for a national championship.
Taylor will replace Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte on the selection committee, according to the sources. Del Conte was announced as one of the playoff committee's five newest members in January, but he is stepping down from his role with the playoff because of the conflicting interests that now exist with Texas departing the Big 12 for the SEC along with Oklahoma.
The Big 12 will turn to Taylor as its representative on the committee.
All selection committee members are given three-year terms when they are appointed by the playoff's management committee, which is made up of 10 conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick. So Taylor is expected to serve in his new role through the 2023 season.
The committee consists of 13 members and will be chaired by Iowa athletic director Gary Barta this year.
The rest of the committee is made up mostly of athletic directors from across the country and former players. They are: Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart, Arizona State professor Paola Boivin, Wyoming AD Tom Burman, Georgia State AD Charlie Cobb, North Carolina State AD Boo Corrigan, Colorado AD Rick George, former Nebraska football player Will Shields, Virginia Union VP for athletics Joe Taylor, former Penn State star John Urschel, former Notre Dame athlete Rod West and former coach Tyrone Willingham.
It seems like a good time for Taylor to assume a more prominent role within college football.
Taylor joining the playoff selection committee could be a boon for the Wildcats, who are currently working to navigate conference realignment as one of the eight remaining members of the Big 12. For the next three years, Taylor will serve an important role within the industry and spend many hours communicating with leaders from other schools and conferences.
