FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas will have a unique role in two of college football's most anticipated decisions of the next nine months.
With the university's athletics director, Jeff Long, already charing the inaugural College Football Playoff Selection Committee, the university's chancellor, David Gearhart, was announced Thursday as the chair of the search committee to find a new Southeastern Conference commissioner.
Though the men aren't alone in their endeavors, they will be the face of what will be highly-publicized processes. Not only will their roles help shape the national football landscape, but also the perception of a growing university recently ranked among the top 70 public schools by U.S. News & World Report.
Long and his 11 colleagues are charged with determining the four best football teams to play in the sport's first playoff. Beginning next Tuesday, Long will be on national TV each week to unveil the committee's rankings.
Gearhart and four other university presidents and chancellors must find the successor to the most powerful conference commissioner in the history of the NCAA. In Mike Slive's 12 years at the helm of the conference, the SEC has won eight national championships in football, three national championships in men's basketball, expanded its footprint into Texas and Missouri, and launched the most successful opening-day cable network ever.
Add in the fact the SEC is leading the charge toward more voting power for the NCAA's five major conferences, and Slive's successor will have a larger platform than the one he inherited from Roy Kramer in 2002. Much like when Slive was hired, the new commissioner - and the committee that chose him - will be scrutinized.
Though Gearhart and Long have faced criticism for some decisions since taking over their respective roles in 2008, both have the respect of their peers. Thursday's appointment of Gearhart further reinforces that viewpoint.
Both have overseen unprecedented building and growth on the university's campus. Now both will play integral roles in the next chapter of college football.