Q&A with new CFP committee member Rob Mullens of Oregon
EUGENE, Ore. — Rob Mullens, Oregon's director of athletics, was one of four people appointed to the College Football Playoff selection committee on Thursday. Of the four, he was the only non-coach but essentially takes the Pac-12 slot previously occupied by USC athletic director Pat Haden.
Mullens spoke to a small group of reporters Thursday night about how the appointment came about and what he foresees for his first fall on one of college sports' most scrutinized bodies.
On how he found out a place on the 13-member committee was a possibility:
"I got the call from Mr. Hancock (CFP executive director Bill Hancock) in mid-December asking me to complete some paperwork for a background check. That’s when I knew it was a real possibility. I had mentioned to Commissioner Scott (Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott) a little while back a number of things that would kind of be interesting, and shortly before I got a call from Mr. Hancock he said that I was on the list."
On how this fall might be different from previous ones as Oregon's AD:
"I know Sunday through Tuesday, for sure, on those seven or eight weeks will be full of travel and meetings. And I’ll be watching a lot more football games. Obviously when you’re in this business, you watch a lot anyway, but I’ll be watching a lot more with a different level of intensity."
On whether he got any advice from Haden:
"I did talk to Pat, and he gave me some great input. Obviously he said, You’ll absolutely love it, you’ll be working intensely with a group of 13 people who are committed, who are passionate about college athletics, and the sport, and you will be amazed at how prepared they are."
On whether having to recuse himself from discussion Oregon could adversely affect the Ducks' case for a Playoff berth should they be in contention:
"Clemson’s AD (Dan Radakovich) was on it this year. I don’t think so. Again, there’s 13 individuals who work extremely hard, so I don’t think that will have an impact."
On the Playoff's first two years and the committee's seeding of it:
"I think the committee’s done an outstanding job. Obviously, as a participant in the first year, we had an outstanding experience. I think it’s been great for college football. Obviously it’s appointment TV on Tuesdays for those who are passionate about the sport, and I think it’s been a great next step."
On what metrics he might value the most:
"I haven’t made those decisions yet, but I did talk to Pat, and he said everybody kind of develops — obviously there is a lot of data and you’ll quickly have to determine how to decipher that, and how you personally weight it and what you bring into the committee, I haven’t dug that deep yet."
On his background in finance and data analysis and how that might inform his role on the committee:
"Two years ago when you’re the AD at a school that’s in it, you certainly have some thoughts about how it’s shaping up, but obviously if you look across our department and the culture and how we run, data’s very important. We use data in a lot of decision making, we like a lot of metrics, so maybe it is the financial background, but I am data-driven by nature and do pay attention to all of the data around college athletics and specifically college football."
On what he brings to the committee:
"I’ve been fortunate to work at a number of institutions across different conferences, so I bring a lot of years of experience in and around college athletics with a variety of experiences is probably the big thing. Also, the first year through it, to know what it’s like to sit and be a part of a team that’s in the hunt."
PROJECTING THE 2016 PRESEASON TOP 25