Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek, serving as this year’s College Football Playoff committee chair, suddenly finds himself at the center of one of the most complicated postseason debates in years. With Ole Miss entering this week ranked No. 7 and finishing the season with an 11–1 record after defeating rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl, the Rebels appeared to be a lock for a Top 12 finish, securing their place in the expanded CFP field.
But everything changed when Lane Kiffin abruptly exited the program.
Now, the committee must wrestle with a question that has almost no precedent: How should the CFP evaluate a team whose head coach; its play-caller, CEO, and face of the program, is no longer with the team?