Q&A: College Football Playoff committee chair Kirby Hocutt

9:27 AM ET

This season, there will be a new face representing the College Football Playoff selection committee, as Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt has taken over for Jeff Long as the committee chair. Hocutt recently chatted with ESPN.com about his new role, the perception of bias on the committee and the challenge of finding the four best teams to put in the playoff.

Are you ready to be the most second-guessed person in the world of college football?

Kirby Hocutt: You know, it’s an honor and a privilege for me to serve in this role. To continue to be part of a game that’s meant so much to me in my life, to be able to represent the collective voice of 13 individuals for an event that has become one of the country’s most popular sporting events in a short period of time is something that I look forward to. I think I’ve got pretty thick skin. I won’t take any of the second-guesses personally. I think we’re so fortunate to have in the game of college football the passionate fans that we have. Everybody has such loyalty to their team. That’s a great thing. Not everybody is going to agree with the committee. At the same time, we will commit the time and the effort to make sure we get it right. I think the first two years, the committee has shown it’s a process that works and one I look forward to being a part of in the chairman role.

There have been various criticisms from different corners about the composition of the committee. What are your thoughts on that?

KH: I would say the highlight for me serving on the …

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