And, in other breaking news, water’s wet and I like beer.
In the aftermath of what Baylor perceived -- and still perceives -- as a snub at the hands of the College Football Playoff, Art Briles lamented the lack of “people that are associated with the south part of the United States” on the committee. Part of that lack of Southern representation was the fact that Archie Manning was forced to the sidelines due to a health issue, although he’s expected to return to the committee this season.
With Oliver Luck leaving his post as West Virginia’s athletic director for a job with the NCAA, a spot on the committee was opened up, and then filled relatively quickly by Kirby Hocutt. The Texas Tech athletic director was born and raised in the state of Texas; played college football at Kansas State; and held jobs at both his alma mater and Oklahoma before landing in Lubbock in 2011 after a four-year stint at Miami (Fla.).
In other words, he’s pretty much everything for which Briles was stumping. And, suffice to say, the Bears’ head man was quite pleased with the development.
“It’s a perfect choice,” Briles said according to Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News. “You have a person on there that knows the game, played the game and understands this region. That’s the way it should have been.”
With Manning and Hocutt in tow for the 2015 season -- “we [now] have strong representatives from the southern part of United States” -- the excuses are now gone, and coaches like Briles only need worry about results on the field -- not the makeup of the playoff committee.
