The College Football Playoff selection committee will have some star power as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will join former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and USC athletic director Pat Haden on the panel, sources have told ESPN.
The 58-year-old Rice, who makes no secret of being a college and pro sports fan, will be named to the committee when it is officially announced next month.
Former Nebraska athletic director and coach Tom Osborne and Tyrone Willingham, the former football coach at Stanford, Notre Dame and Washington, will also serve on the committee, sources said Saturday.
In addition, former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese, athletic directors Barry Alvarez (Wisconsin), Jeff Long (Arkansas), Oliver Luck (West Virginia) and Dan Radakovich (Clemson), Steve Wieberg, a longtime former sportswriter at USA Today, and former NCAA executive vice president Tom Jernstedt have been chosen to be on the committee, sources told ESPN.
Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Gould, the former Air Force Academy superintendent, will be on the committee as well, sources said.
Sources previously told ESPN that at least one athletic director from each of the five power conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC) would be represented on the committee.
"We're still working on one or two more," a source said Friday.
The committee will be responsible for selecting the four teams that advance to the College Football Playoff beginning after the 2014 regular season, as well as ranking and placing at-large teams in the noncontract New Year's Day bowls (Cotton, Fiesta and Chick-fil-A).
This is the final year of the BCS.
College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock has said the selection committee would consist of current athletic directors, former players, coaches and administrators, and media members. Current commissioners and coaches will not be selected.
Hancock would not comment or confirm any of the individuals named by ESPN but said: "We are comfortable with where we are, but the process is not finished."
Willingham is the first former FBS coach that has been identified of the individuals reported by ESPN that will be on the committee.
Willingham, who played at Michigan State, was 76-88-1 in 14 seasons at Stanford (1995-2001), Notre Dame (2002-04) and Washington (2005-08).
Rice's selection was first reported by The Associated Press.
Rice, who has never worked in college athletics, frequently attends Stanford athletic events and meets with many of the athletes, including football players being recruited by the school. She's also been a volunteer coach for the golf team.
She was the national security adviser during President George W. Bush's first term and became secretary of state in his second term. She is now a professor of political economy at Stanford's Graduate School of Business.
The full selection committee, expected to have between 12 and 18 members, and the sites for the 2016 and 2017 championship games are expected to be announced Nov. 11 in Washington, D.C.
Four communities bid for the 2016 game: Glendale, Ariz.; Jacksonville, Fla.; New Orleans and Tampa, Fla. Six bid for the 2017 game: Jacksonville, Miami, Minneapolis, San Francisco, San Antonio and Tampa.
Information from ESPN.com's Dana O'Neil and The Associated Press was used in this report.