MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee Director of Athletics Chris Massaro has been appointed to the College Football Playoff (CFP) Selection Committee by the CFP Management Committee, CFP Executive Director Rich Clark announced on Tuesday.
Massaro will serve on the prestigious 13-person selection committee for the next three football seasons. Baylor Athletics Director Mack Rhoades will serve as selection committee chair for the 2025 season.
“It is an incredible honor to be selected for the College Football Playoff Selection Committee,” added Massaro. “I look forward to contributing to the important work of evaluating the best teams in the nation and working with some extremely talented individuals. College football continues to grow and evolve, and I’m excited to be a small part of the process that helps shape its future.”
Massaro was one of five new members appointed to the CFP Selection Committee. Mark Dantonio, former head coach at the University of Cincinnati and Michigan State University; Damon Evans, athletics director at the University of Maryland; Ivan Maisel, former sportswriter for The Atlanta Constitution, Sports Illustrated, the Dallas Morning News, Newsday, ESPN and On3; and Wesley Walls, former All-American tight end from Ole Miss, were also appointed to serve on the committee beginning in the 2025 season. The new members will begin three-year terms starting this spring. They will replace Chet Gladchek, Jim Grobe, Ward Manuel, Will Shields and Kelly Whiteside, whose terms have expired.
“The additions of Mark, Damon, Ivan, Chris and Wesley will bring some great new voices to the selection committee as we enter our 12th season,” Clark said. “Each of them has tremendous knowledge, passion and dedication to college football, along with outstanding character and integrity. Their skills and wide variety of experiences—from coaches and athletes to university leaders and journalists—will ensure that they will transition in with our returning members successfully. We also appreciate Steve returning for the upcoming season. His understanding and wisdom from his previous term will be a real benefit to the group.”
The CFP selection committee is responsible for ranking the 25 teams in the playoff and assigning the top 12 participants to the playoff bracket. The committee meets in-person beginning late in the football season and produces a ranking of the top 25 teams each week leading up to its final selections.
The other returning selection committee members are Chris Ault (longtime head coach and athletics director, University of Nevada), Randall McDaniel (former All-American offensive lineman, Arizona State University), Mike Riley (former head coach, Oregon State Univeristy and the University Nebraska), David Sayler (athletics director, Miami University, Ohio), Carla Williams (athletics director, University of Virginia; and Hunter Yurachek (athletics director, University of Arkansas).
Massaro, the fifth-longest tenured AD in the FBS, has spent the past 20 years leading the MTSU Athletic Department. Under his leadership, the Blue Raiders have brought home 87 conference championships (including 45 in the Sun Belt and 42 in Conference USA) and three individual national championships. The 42 CUSA titles are the most by any school since the Blue Raiders entered the league in 2013.
Along with growing the Middle Tennessee athletic program, Massaro has been instrumental on numerous national boards and committees. He was appointed to the NCAA Football Issues Committee in March 2008, served as a member of the prestigious NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee for the 2010-11 season, and was appointed to the NCAA Division I Leadership Council.
Before joining MTSU, Massaro spent nearly two decades in various administrative roles at the University of South Carolina, beginning in the ticket office and rising through the ranks to senior associate athletics director during that time. Massaro earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado and his master’s degree from Ohio University. At UNC, Massaro was a five-year football team member.
Source: MTSU
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