All eyes will be on the College Football Playoff picture for the remainder of the season. One name to keep an eye on is committee member Gary Barta.
With the 2021 college football regular-season nearing its end, that means that conference championship games are nearby. Following those title games, it is bowl-game season. But perhaps the most attention will be kept on the College Football Playoff.
This past week, the College Football Playoff revealed their first rankings of the year. Of course, it featured some surprising decisions that caused many to cry foul at the selection committee. Speaking of the committee, who is Gary Barta?
Who is Gary Barta?
Barta is the current chair of the College Football Playoff committee. He was named the chair on Feb. 1, 2020, replacing Oregon athletics director Rob Mullens. His responsibility is to pick the top four teams in the nation for the Playoff and explain the reasoning of the committee. Barta joined the committee in 2019.
Barta is also the current athletics director for the Iowa Hawkeyes, a position he’s held since 2006.
Prior to his time with at Iowa, he was athletics director at Wyoming (2003-06), senior associate athletic director at Washington (1996-2003), director of athletics development/external relations at Northern Iowa (1990-96) and associate director of development at North Dakota State.
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