College Football Playoff (CFP) Selection Committee member Randall McDaniel will step away from his role on the committee this fall for personal reasons it was announced today by Rich Clark, executive director of the CFP. McDaniel will return to the committee for the 2026-27 season.

With the football season underway, McDaniel's seat will not be filled for the upcoming year. This will be the fourth time in 12 years the CFP selection committee has operated with less than the standard 13 members.

The CFP selection committee is responsible for ranking the top 25 teams, then assigning the 12 teams to the playoff bracket. The committee meets in-person beginning November 3-4 and produces a ranking of the top 25 teams each week leading up to its final selections on Dec. 7.

 
About the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff (CFP) is the event that crowns the national champion in college football. The CFP selection committee ranks the top 25 teams at the end of the regular season. The five highest ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams will be seeded into a 12-team bracket based on the final ranking, with the four highest-ranked teams receiving a first-round bye. The teams ranked Nos. 5-12 will play in the CFP First Round, with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds. The Playoff Quarterfinals and Playoff Semifinals rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, January 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. For additional information on the College Football Playoff, visit CollegeFootballPlayoff.com.