Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long was unanimously re-elected as the chairman of the College Football Playoff's 12-member selection committee, the playoff announced Monday.
The College Football Playoff's management committee named Long the chairman of the selection committee in October 2013. This time, he was voted to continue that role by the other members on the selection committee.
As chairman of the committee, Long was and will continue to be the only member of the group to speak publicly. He was tasked with representing the committee on ESPN every Tuesday during the season when the weekly rankings were released.
When asked for his top four teams this past season, Long laughed.
"I speak on behalf of the committee," he said.
In an interview with ESPN.com earlier this month at the national championship game, Long said one of the biggest surprises was how the weight of each ranking seemed to increase as the group inched closer to the final week of the season.
"I don't know if I could anticipate that, but there was a weight that this was really important," Long said. "Most of the people in that room came from the background of student-athletes and players, and there was a sense of, 'We need to get this right for those four teams and those student-athletes and how hard they worked and prepared.' Only four teams could make it, and we felt -- I did -- it felt heavier as we got closer to that championship weekend."
The selection committee had a teleconference Saturday, but it is not expected to recommend any changes to the playoff's management committee until the spring meeting in early April.
Long and executive director Bill Hancock have been the only voices of the selection committee since Oct. 28.
"Jeff has been a terrific chair and I am delighted that the committee elected him to serve again," Hancock said in a statement. "Jeff is a thoughtful and dedicated leader who conducted the meetings skillfully. He also did a very good job answering questions about the rankings so fans could gain insight into the committee's decisions. It's clear that he has the full respect and confidence of the other committee members."
Asked in Dallas before the national championship game if he wanted to continue his role as chairman, Long said he had to think about it.
"It was a tremendous demand on the chair," he said, "more so than maybe a little bit of the other committee members mainly because of the preparation and the additional time for the media opportunities."
Long earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Ohio Wesleyan in 1982 and a master's degree in education from Miami (Ohio) in 1983.
"I appreciate the confidence that the committee members have shown in me," Long said in a statement. "I am truly honored that they have chosen me to serve in this capacity this coming year. The real strength of this committee is the work that each member does to rank the teams each week and ultimately select the best four teams for the playoff. I am honored to represent them in the role of chair."