Kirby Hocutt Named Chairman of College Football Playoff Selection Committee

The College Football Playoff selection committee wasted no time finding a new chairman, naming Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt to the position Thursday. 

Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee provided the official announcement from College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock:

Hocutt, who has been Texas Tech's athletic director since 2011, takes over the position that was previously held by Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long.   

On Tuesday, Long stepped down as selection committee chairman after two years. He presided over the first two seasons of the College Football Playoff, in which Ohio State and Alabama won national championships. 

Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated did note Long handled a "thankless" role as well as possible. The biggest thing Long did that Hocutt will now be tasked with is handling the morning-after media appearances when questions about the playoff rankings inevitably come up. 

Hocutt knows the committee well, having served on the group since last February after taking over for West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck. 

The College Football Playoff selection committee consists of 12 diverse people, including former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who determine the Top 25 teams in the country starting after the season's ninth week.