Former OU coach Barry Switzer says he'd serve on committee to pick college football playoff field

During an interview Monday with The Oklahoman, Switzer was asked if he would consider serving on a selection committee if called upon.

“It'd be an honor and a privilege,” Switzer said. “I would think they'd need some coaches. You're going to have administrators, athletic directors. But I'd think you'd need the voices of some coaches in there.”

Conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick agreed on a plan for a four-team college football playoff last week in Chicago, and university presidents are set to discuss and possibly approve the plan Tuesday in Washington.

One of the key decisions to be made is how the four playoff teams will be selected. A selection committee seems inevitable, and Switzer said any group of decision-makers should be comprised of experts.

Former coaches Bobby Bowden (Florida State), R.C. Slocum (Texas A&M), John Cooper (Ohio State) LaVell Edwards (BYU) and Vince Dooley (Georgia) have all expressed interest in serving on a selection committee.

“Let's take the ‘experts' in the medical profession,” Switzer said. “Who were they? They were people that have medical degrees and practiced for years. They were renowned in what they did. People listened to their opinion because they knew what they were talking about.

“Did these people on the committee even play the game? Did they ever coach the game?”

He added that the longer a person has been out of coaching, the better it would be.

“I think coaches that have been gone for a long time probably would be better,” Switzer said. “I've been gone 23 years, and I don't even know most of the head coaches that are coaching today for major college teams. I'm not biased. I don't have any bias in that.

“There'd be a lot of work involved, but it's what we've done all our lives — evaluating football. It's what coaches have done. They spend 16 hours a day for 40 years looking at teams, evaluating the best.