Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith has stepped down from the College Football Playoff committee, two years into his three-year term.
In a statement released by the Playoff Committee, Smith said he wanted to focus on making sure Ryan Day’s first season in charge was a successful one.
“It is imperative for me to have 100% focus in helping our new coach with his transition at The Ohio State University this fall,” Smith said in his statement.
His role on the committee, and its impact on the Buckeyes’ playoff chances the last two seasons became a subject of debate among Buckeye fans.
In both 2017 and 2018, the Buckeyes finished just outside the four-team field.
In 2017, a Big Ten Champion OSU was fifth, one spot behind an Alabama team that failed to win either its division or conference championship.
Last fall, a one-loss Big Ten champion OSU finished No. 6 in the final rankings, behind 11-2 Georgia which lost the SEC Championship Game.
According to committee rules, Smith had to recuse himself from any discussions involving Ohio State. That left no active Big Ten athletic directors in the room to lobby for the Buckeyes during those deliberations.
In 2019, Smith’s spot on the Committee will be filled by Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta.
The full release from the Playoff Committee is below.
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IRVING, Texas – Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff (CFP), announced today that Gary Barta, University of Iowa Henry B. & Patricia B. Director of Athletics Chair, has been appointed to the selection committee by the CFP Management Committee. He will begin a three-year term this spring. Barta replaces Ohio State Senior Vice President & Wolfe Foundation Endowed Athletics Director Gene Smith, who is stepping down after two years of service. Barta was named to the committee by the CFP Management Committee.
“Gene has been an invaluable member of our CFP selection committee,” Hancock said. “As a former football student-athlete, coach and now collegiate administrator, his influence is deeply appreciated. This is a significant time commitment, and we understand Gene’s need to focus on his primary responsibility on campus.”
Hancock added, “I’m delighted that Gary will be joining the committee. He is a highly respected leader in college football and I look forward to him becoming a member of the committee. I know Gary to be a person of excellent judgment and he’ll fit right in.”
“Serving on this committee has been an honor,” Smith said. “Contributing to this great sport is always a privilege, and I will miss the time with my colleagues. It is imperative for me to have 100% focus in helping our new coach with his transition at The Ohio State University this fall.”
Barta is in his 12th year as the director of athletics at the University of Iowa. He serves on the NCAA Division I Council and is currently involved in the NCAA Ad Hoc Committee on Sports Wagering. He is also regularly involved in NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics) and LEAD1 (formerly known as the Division IA Athletic Directors Association). Barta was recognized by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) as a 2015-16 Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year. Prior to his appointment at Iowa, he served as director of athletics at the University of Wyoming, senior associate athletics director at the University of Washington, director of athletics development and external relations at Northern Iowa, and associate director of development at North Dakota State. Barta earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mass communication and broadcast journalism from North Dakota State in 1987. He was an option quarterback for Bison football squads that won the NCAA Division II national championships in 1983, 1985, and 1986.
“I’m honored to be invited to work on the CFP selection committee,” Barta said. “I look forward to serving alongside the other 12 committee members. I’ve known many of the people involved for years and know they’re passionate about college football and have all demonstrated character and integrity throughout their careers.”
The CFP Selection Committee is responsible for selecting the top four teams and assigning them to semifinal games as well as ranking the remaining top 25 teams. The selection committee meets in-person beginning late in the football season and produces a ranking of the top 25 teams each week, leading up to its final selections. For more information on the selection committee, visit www.collegefootballplayoff.com.
About the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 seed vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual. This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Saturday, December 28, 2019, at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, January 13, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Get rid of all of the current members of the playoff committee and replace them with ex-football coaches and players from division I-AA [FCS], Division II and Division III schools. They likely would not have any or little skin in the game of picking the top four teams in the FBS. I’d give them the benefit of the doubt that they would be neutral selectors of the four teams. The current system is not neutral at all. Instead, it favors the SEC.
Thank God! His presence on the committee crippled OSU.
Not sure if how this helps the narrative. There is still no Big Ten athletic directors in the room when the Buckeyes come up.
I wish he would step down from Ohio State!