Lead
On Nov. 13, 2025, the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee filled a sudden vacancy after Baylor athletic director and committee member Mack Rhoades took a leave of absence for “personal reasons.” With less than a month until the final selection show and a new set of rankings due Tuesday, the Big 12 Conference nominated Utah athletic director Mark Harlan to take Rhoades’ seat. The CFP committee voted to add Harlan this afternoon; his appointment reduces the number of immediate vacancies on the 13-member panel. Hunter Yurachek of Arkansas remains the committee chair.
Key Takeaways
- The Big 12 officially recommended Mark Harlan (Utah AD) to replace Mack Rhoades after Rhoades took a leave for “personal reasons.”
- The CFP selection committee has 13 members; two seats were vacant—one from Rhoades’ exit and one previously vacated by Randall McDaniel.
- The committee voted to seat Harlan on Nov. 13, 2025, ahead of the next rankings release scheduled for Tuesday.
- Harlan previously served on the CFP committee in 2023, a season notable for controversial selections involving Alabama and Florida State.
- Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark publicly endorsed Harlan and highlighted his prior CFP experience.
- Harlan will serve as a committee member but will not assume the committee chair role, which remains with Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek.
Background
The College Football Playoff selection committee is a 13-member body that ranks teams and selects the playoff field each season; members are drawn from athletic directors, coaches, and other college-football stakeholders. Members typically serve staggered terms and conferences may recommend replacements when a sitting AD on the committee is temporarily or permanently unavailable. The committee’s decisions carry high stakes — they determine the four (and in some formats more) teams that will compete for a national title and influence major bowls and conference perceptions.
In 2023, the CFP committee drew intense scrutiny when it placed 12-1 SEC champion Alabama into the four-team playoff ahead of undefeated ACC champion Florida State, a decision that remains a touchstone for debates about how committees weigh conference championships, injuries and strength of schedule. That controversy elevated the profile of individual committee members and underscored the political and evaluative pressures on the panel during late-season voting. Athletic directors with prior CFP experience are often preferred for midseason substitutions because they understand the committee’s deliberative framework and timelines.
Main Event
The change unfolded after Baylor AD Mack Rhoades announced a leave of absence cited as “personal reasons,” creating an immediate vacancy on the CFP selection panel with critical late-season evaluations underway. Because Rhoades was the representative from a Big 12 school, conference protocols allowed the Big 12 to recommend a successor to the committee. Today the conference put forward Mark Harlan, Utah’s athletic director, as its recommended replacement.
The CFP committee convened and voted to seat Harlan this afternoon, resolving one of two open seats among the 13 members; the other vacancy remains from the earlier departure of former NFL player Randall McDaniel. Harlan’s appointment comes with only weeks before the CFP’s final selection show and immediately before the committee issues a new set of rankings, raising the importance of a swift onboarding.
Harlan issued a brief statement upon his appointment expressing appreciation for the opportunity and noting the timing: he said he was honored to step back onto the committee at a critical point in the season while acknowledging he wished the circumstances were different. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark released a supporting statement that emphasized Harlan’s prior committee experience as a reason for the recommendation.
Analysis & Implications
The committee’s decision to seat Harlan reduces one source of uncertainty in the lead-up to the playoff selection. Having a full complement of experienced members matters because late-season rankings rely on comparative judgment calls about conference champions, one-loss teams, and the impact of injuries. Harlan’s prior service in 2023 means he is familiar with the committee’s protocols and the cadence of deliberations, which can shorten onboarding and help preserve continuity.
Still, midseason substitutions can affect deliberative dynamics. New or returning members do not start from a neutral historical position: their prior votes, public positions and perceived philosophies about valuing conference championships versus overall body of work inform other members’ assessment of their judgment. Given the lingering memory of 2023’s contentious decision involving Alabama and Florida State, Harlan’s past role on the panel will be a factor in how colleagues and observers interpret committee outcomes.
For the Big 12 and the programs it represents, Harlan’s appointment preserves conference representation and helps ensure the Big 12 has an active voice during a crucial voting window. More broadly, the episode highlights governance features of the CFP system: conferences can name interim replacements for ADs, but the committee itself must vote to seat them, blending conference prerogative with centralized committee approval.
Comparison & Data
| Item | Number / Detail |
|---|---|
| CFP committee size | 13 members |
| Vacancies before Harlan | 2 (Mack Rhoades, Randall McDaniel) |
| Harlan prior CFP service | 2023 committee member |
The table above summarizes the immediate numerical context: the 13-member committee briefly had two open seats, one of which the committee filled on Nov. 13, 2025. Numerical parity on the committee matters because odd-numbered panels reduce the risk of tie votes and the presence of experienced ADs can accelerate consensus during time-constrained meetings.
Reactions & Quotes
“I’m honored to be asked to step up and serve once again on the College Football Playoff selection committee at this critical time in the season, though I wished it was under different circumstances,” Harlan said in a statement, adding that he respects the committee’s work and looks forward to contributing in the weeks ahead.
Mark Harlan, Utah Athletic Director
“Mark Harlan is an excellent choice to serve as the Big 12 Conference’s representative on the College Football Playoff Selection Committee,” Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said, noting Harlan’s prior committee experience would serve the interests of college football.
Brett Yormark, Big 12 Commissioner
Unconfirmed
- The exact nature and expected duration of Mack Rhoades’ leave of absence remain undisclosed beyond the description of “personal reasons.”
- It is not yet confirmed whether the second vacancy from Randall McDaniel’s departure will be filled before the final selection show.
- Any internal committee discussions about how Harlan’s previous 2023 votes may influence deliberations are not publicly available.
Bottom Line
The seating of Mark Harlan stabilizes the CFP selection committee at a critical moment in the season, restoring one experienced athletic director to the 13-member panel ahead of new rankings. His prior service in 2023 should shorten acclimation time and allow him to participate immediately in comparative evaluations during the run-up to the playoff selection show.
Nevertheless, the committee will still be operating with one remaining vacancy, and the circumstances of Mack Rhoades’ leave are not fully public. Observers should watch how Harlan’s voting patterns and deliberative approach influence the committee’s late-season decisions, particularly on close cases where conference championships, injuries and strength of schedule collide.
Sources
- Deseret News — news report on Harlan’s recommendation and committee vote
- College Football Playoff — official CFP site (organization)