What does Ronnie Lott on CFP Selection Committee mean for USC?

Will former USC star Ronnie Lott have to recuse himself from voting for the Trojans as a member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee?

Former USC All-American and NFL star Ronnie Lott was added to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee on Wednesday, opening the door for some interesting debate, mostly around whether or not he would be expected to recuse himself from votes which involved USC.

Former USC athletic director Pat Haden was recused from voting for the Trojans while on the committee, but his circumstances were much more straight forward as an employee of the university.

Lott is not a USC employee and the selection committee’s recusal policy doesn’t explicitly bar alumni from voting for their alma mater. The policy is as follows:

"If a committee member or an immediate family member, e.g., spouse, sibling or child, (a) is compensated by a school, (b) provides professional services for a school, or (c) is on the coaching staff or administrative staff at a school or is a football student-athlete at a school, that member will be recused. Such compensation shall include not only direct employment, but also current paid consulting arrangements, deferred compensation (e.g., contract payments continuing after employment has ended) or other benefits."

That’s why Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, Clemson AD Dan Radakovich and former head coach Frank Beamer, whose son is on Georgia’s staff, were forced to recuse themselves from the final vote for the 2017 playoff. The former two get direct compensation from the Buckeyes and Tigers, while the latter’s son gets compensation from the Bulldogs.

However, former Stanford, Notre Dame and Washington head coach Tyrone Willingham was not required to recuse himself from voting for any of his former three employers during his time on the committee because he was not being compensated or providing professional services for them at the the time.

In 2016 and 2017, he was recused from votes involving Stanford and Duke, but not Washington or Notre Dame, because he has children working for the Cardinal and the Blue Devils.

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Lott’s connection to USC is undeniable, but it’s not clear if he has any direct financial ties to the school at this moment. If he doesn’t, he may be allowed to participate in voting which involves the Trojans.

However, the committee does have the option to add recusals for other special reasons as they come up. Lott’s deep association with USC could be given as a valid enough reason to require recusal.

If he is allowed to vote, Lott will have to walk a tightrope to avoid any appearance of bias. And potential over-corrections on his part could ultimately harm the Trojans. In that sense, recusal may in fact be the best option, whether or not it is technically required.

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Either way, Lott’s presence is a positive for the committee, as an advocate for west coast football and a former player who understands the game inside and out.

UPDATE: Per Joey Kaufman of the OC Register, Bill Hancock, the executive director of the College Football Playoff, confirmed Lott will not have to recuse himself from voting for USC as a member of the selection committee as he is not currently employed or receiving compensation from the university.