‘A student of the game,’ Condi Rice ignores doubters

Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports 6:38 p.m. EDT October 16, 2013

Condoleezza Rice dealt with global controversies all the time as a trusted adviser to former President George W. Bush, so she wasn’t the least bit concerned about the reaction in some quarters when news broke that she would serve on the College Football Playoff selection committee.

“I think I’ve experienced plenty of heat in my life,” Rice said on a teleconference Wednesday.

RELATED: Meet the 13 members of College Football Playoff selection committee^[1]

The 58-year-old served as the United States’ National Security Advisor from 2001-05 and Secretary of State from 2005-09. She’s currently a political science professor at Stanford, where she’s worked since 1981.

Yet Rice’s place on the committee, whose members were officially announced on Wednesday, stoked negative reactions from some male members of the college football world. Of the 13 committee members, Rice is one of only three who did not play college football, setting off a debate over whether committee members must be former players for the group to have credibility.

“I’ve been in enough positions to respect people who have different views,” Rice said. “Not everyone on the committee has played football. I’m a student of the game and I believe that I will work very, very hard.”

Rice believes the committee’s diversity will be beneficial for the sport with a collaborative effort and the ability to provide a “human element” that was missing with the BCS.

“I understand the game from the administrative side,” said Rice, who noted that bowl tradition and academic records will be areas where she can assist. “I think it’s very important that all of us feel comfortable asking hard questions of each other, probing. That builds confidence in the process, dealing with difficult issues. …Some of situations I’ve (experienced) will help me to do that. We’ll work very well together for that reason.”

Rice addressed her inclusion as the only woman on the committee.

“I don’t feel like I’m carrying a banner for anyone, except those who love college football. That includes women,” Rice said. “For me, this is trying to get playoff system right so that we can have outcomes in which players, coaches and fans know that people of goodwill and integrity are trying to make good judgments.

The other committee members who did not play college football are former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese and Steve Wieberg, a former college football writer for USA TODAY.

RELATED: Playoff committee’s selection criteria will be flexible^[2]

ESPN’s David Pollack was the first to question Rice’s qualifications, initially saying he thought the committee should be comprised of men who had played college football and “can watch tape.” Pollack was immediately called out by several others, including Fox’s Erin Andrews, and he later clarified his remarks on Twitter to say he wanted people who would “eat, sleep & breathe college football during the season,” and it did not matter if they were male or female.

But last week, the issue bubbled up again when former Auburn coach Pat Dye said of Rice, “All she knows about football is what somebody told her, or what she read in a book, or what she saw on television. To understand football, you’ve got to play with your hand in the dirt.”

RELATED: Coaches weigh in on playoff criteria^[3]

SEC commissioner Mike Slive came to Rice’s defense, calling her a “terrific” selection for the committee.

“She’s been in pressure situations before,” Slive said from SEC basketball media days. “When it first came up and there was controversy (with Rice’s selection), I would just try to have people remember this is a context, it’s a group of people. How do you put together the best group that will work as a composite? You have different people with different areas of expertise.”

Rice, an avid sports fan, is a native of Southeastern Conference country, having been born in Birmingham, Ala. She recalled her late father, John Wesley Rice, a football coach throughout his life, often displeased with the process to find a national champion.

“We’ve been trying to get this right for long time,” Rice said. “My father was always frustrated as a fan. Now, we enhance the chance that the best teams go head to head. That’s going to be good for college football.”

Earlier this week, Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long was announced as the chairman of the first selection committee for the new postseason system that replaces the Bowl Championship Series next year.

At the end of the 2014 season, the committee will choose four teams to play in the national semifinals and seed them. The winners of those games, played on a rotating basis at six bowl sites, will meet a week later for the national championship.

MEMORIES THAT PROVED THE BCS WASN’T THAT AWFUL

1.Fiesta Bowl (BCS title game), 1999: In inaugural BCS title game, Vols beat Chris Weinke-less ‘Noles. Tennessee 23, Florida State 16 (writer Jack Carey).
2. Sugar Bowl (BCS Championship), 2000: Florida State wins, but Michael Vick makes mark. Florida State 46, Virginia Tech 29 (writer Gary Mihoces).
3. Galleryfurniture.com Bowl, 2000: Unforgettable on and off field. East Carolina 40, Texas Tech 27. (writer Brent Schrotenboer)
4. Fiesta Bowl (BCS championship), 2003: Dramatic pass interference call turns game Buckeyes’ way. Ohio State 31, Miami (Fla.) 24 (2 OTs). (Writer Mike Lopresti).
5. Rose Bowl (BCS Championship), 2006: Get me rewrite! Late Texas rally flipped the title script. Texas 41, USC 38 (writer David Leon Moore).
6. BCS championship game, 2007: Game marks turning point for Jim Tressel, Urban Meyer. Florida 41, Ohio State 14 (writer Eric Prisbell).
7.Fiesta Bowl, 2007: Unforgettable Broncos bust BCS. Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42 (writer George Schroeder).
8. BCS championship game, 2009: March to title was Tim Tebow’s time to shine for Gators. Florida 24, Oklahoma 14 (Writer Kelly Whiteside).
9. BCS championship, 2010: Colt McCoy’s injury helped turn the Tide. Alabama 37, Texas 21 (writer Erick Smith).