This week we learned that Nebraska Athletic Director Troy Dannen is now part of the College Football Playoff Committee. The CFP selection committee is responsible for ranking the top 25 teams and assigning the top 12 teams to the playoff bracket. Beginning in November they will meet in person and produce a ranking each week until final selections are made. Dannen will serve a three-year term.
Dannen’s appointment has caused Husker fans to ask the question, “Does this help Nebraska?” Well, to answer that question you must first ask, “Will Nebraska benefit directly from Dannen being on the CFP Selection Committee?” No, but there are still huge bonuses to be had from being on the inside and seeing the workings of the system. Don’t think Dannen won’t share with Matt Rhule what the markers are for being selected for the playoffs. And just sitting with an ear for listening and having a full understanding of what is being said can be helpful in future decision making for Husker Football and the athletic department.
Dannen is more than qualified for his new assignment. He has served the last sixteen years as Athletic Director at Northern Iowa, Tulane, Washington and Nebraska. Whether long or short term, he’s made significant strides while at each stop and gained valuable experience.
During his administrative career he has served on the NCAA Constitution Committee, NCAA Transformation Committee, and NCAA Football Oversight Committee. He has also been the chairman of the NCAA Football Competition Committee since 2020 and was a member of the FCS selection committee.
His new assignment will be time consuming and may take time away from the job for which he was hired. But rest assured he will lean on the people under him, and much like Matt Rhule, one of Dannen’s strengths is working with and being able to manage people.
Dannen has already gone into action. After being appointed to the CFP Committee on Monday, he announced Tuesday he had promoted two assistants within the athletic department to Associate Athletic Director positions.
Audrey Polt, who has been associate General Counsel for the University since 2018 was named Associate Athletic Director for Legal Affairs/Associate General Counsel. A UNL and University of Nebraska College of Law graduate, she’ll continue to work with General Counsel’s office.
Jason Bateman, who has been a part of the athletic department since 2011, has served the last two years as Assistant AD for NIL Strategy and Governance. His title will now be Associate Athletic Director/Administration. Bateman earned his bachelor’s degree and juris doctorate from Marquette University. He also has a sports law certificate from the National Sports Law Institute. He will work directly with athletic administration, coaching staffs, and 1890 Nebraska to help manage NIL activities.
Both new AD’s have law degrees, which will cause some Husker fans to say, “Oh, great, more lawyers.” But all one must do is look at the money involved in today’s college athletics to realize the skills and savvy required to navigate today’s NIL landscape.
Have doubts? Well on his recent podcast, Sean Callhan of HuskerOnline, reported that in 2011, Nebraska’s last season in the Big XII, that the conference paid each member school $12.1 million from the media rights deal. This past year (2024) Nebraska was paid $63.2 million as a member of the B1G. Next year Nebraska will make $75 million for their portion of the media rights deal. They are one of ten schools who will receive that amount. And yet there are those who still question Tom Osborne for pushing us into the B1G. It may be the best thing he’s ever done for Nebraska, and that’s saying a mouth full. And to think there are fans that wish we were still in the Big XII. On a side note, in comparison, SEC schools in 2024 were each paid $52.5 million.
Clearly the B1G and the SEC are the top dogs when receiving media rights and payouts from ESPN, NBC, CBS, and FOX. There will be plenty of SEC representation in the CFP Selection Committee room, all bidding for their piece of the pie. The B1G and Nebraska need a strong presence in that room as well. Troy Dannen will be that voice, and that’s a good thing for Nebraska.
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